Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine March 2019 issue by Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

March 2019

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Creative Director Aaron Orlando The Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine is a free monthly publication featuring the best of Revelstoke outdoor life, food, style, visitor experiences, lifestyles, entertainment, home style, and healthy living. Each month we distribute to over 200 public venues across Revelstoke, including accommodations, shops, restaurants, cafes, community centres, bars, and everywhere people meet. We are an independent, locally owned publication dedicated to showcasing our amazing mountain town and the great people who create the stoke. For more information, including details on our very affordable advertising rates, please contact us: www.revelstokemountaineer.com on the advertising tab. 250-814-8710 info@revelstokemountaineer.com PO BOX 112, 606 Railway Avenue, Revelstoke, B.C. V0E 2S0

News briefs

Hear me laff

Entertainment calendar

What’s happening in Revelstoke in March

Hotels, brands, hockey and more

Comedian Martha Chaves on her all-female comedy tour at RPAC

11 Metal Mind Forge

14 Ice climbing

16 Luxury in the ‘stoke

30 Chocolate treats

New Revelstoke Chocolate Company

Revelstoke’s ultra high end market is growing

22 Mobile home policy

32 Profile: Hywel Williams

Eviction leads to calls for better protection of Revelstoke’s original tiny homes

Revelstoke backcountry photographer shares work

34 SiFi

Musician Simon Hunt mixes 24 Proving ground live drums with electronic International backcountry pros beats are making Revelstoke their home base

37 Shannon MacLean

New Revelstoke blacksmith hammers a contemporary angle

2019 extended cold snap creates ideal conditions

Getting organized for a healthy lunch

28 Mountain caribou recovery plan

We explored new documents that show early details of the B.C. government’s plans

38 Insta Hashtag #revelstokemountaineer

Contributors COVER PHOTO Professional freeskier Yu Sasaki carves a powder line in Revelstoke. Check out our feature on international backcountry pros who have made Revelstoke their home base on page 24. Photo: Ryan Creary

Aaron Orlando

Alex Cooper

Bryce Borlick

Heather Hood

Claudia Bambi

Louise Stanway

Katie Langmuir

Melissa Jameson

Creative Director

Shannon MacLean

Nakusp is Calling BRAND NEW CERTIFIED PASSIVE HOUSES

NEWS BRIEFS

New brand, hotels, affordable housing plans By Aaron Orlando

One iteration of the new Revelstoke Tourism wordmark. Image: Tourism Revelstoke

From left: The team behind the rebrand: Jana Thompson, Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce Executive Director; former marketing coordinator Sara Peterson; Tourism Revelstoke Executive Director Meghan Tabor; Tourism Revelstoke Marketing Coordinator Eva Akopian. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

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The Revelstoke Tourism brand got a refresh last month, ditching the old burgundy quadrilateral in favour of a new wordmark based on a sign that once adorned the side of the Revelstoke Station. It’s the word Revelstoke in a font similar to the railway signage, followed by a period. The new branding was unveiled at a premiere event at the Explorer’s Society Hotel on Jan. 30, where about 100 people gathered to check out the new logo, a video presentation, and mingle to the backdrop of DJ music. The brand was created by C&B Advertising from Calgary, which was chosen from about a dozen bidders on the branding project. C&B recently completed branding for Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, and Richmond. Jana Thompson, Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, said the brand theme combines the traditional and new elements of Revelstoke: “It’s a mix of old and new. We’re building on how amazing the town has been. It’s basically to pay homage to our past,” she said. “We think it embodies Revelstoke — who we are right now.”

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Two Revelstoke hotel projects took significant steps forward. The Basecamp Resort, a new 32-unit hotel to be located on Highway 23 North, got development variance approvals from city council at their Feb. 12 meeting. The property, located at 405 Highway 23 North, is currently occupied by small, older, unoccupied cabin-style buildings. The resort marks the re-entry into the local development market by Steve Platt, an American developer who bought up many prominent properties in Revelstoke in the early days of RMR, but then placed many of the projects on indefinite hiatus after public clashes with city hall about seven years ago. Also in development is a new 158-bed hotel and conference centre at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. The hotel got a thumbs up from city council at an unusual procedure at the council table which asked whether council supported the hotel development “in principle.” At the same meeting, RMR vice-president of operations Peter Nielsen said the resort is planning to build a 90-unit worker housing building at the same time they are building the hotel. RMR hopes to get construction going this summer, but the project still has several steps to take before it’s ready for construction.

Affordable housing announcement In early February, BC Housing announced they had bought the old Mount Begbie Elementary School site in Southside from the school district. They plan to develop the 1.21-hectare property into an affordable housing complex. In a follow-up interview, a BC Housing representative told the Mountaineer that their plans are at an early stage, and that they plan to engage the community on what to build there. It could include worker housing, housing for seniors, or housing for low- or moderate-income residents. It will likely be a couple years before ground is broken, and the site will possibly be developed in phases.

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Illicit drug overdose deaths spike When it comes to premature deaths in Revelstoke, mishaps in the backcountry come to mind. However, the Mountaineer unveiled a surprising statistic in February: there were at least six illicit drug overdose deaths in Revelstoke in 2018. An Interior Health (IH) spokesperson said “poison” in the form of fentanyl laced in illicit drugs is the driver behind the “spike” in deaths. In February, IH released overdose numbers, for the year. IH confidentiality rules prevent them from releasing community-specific numbers if the total number of overdoses in a community is below 10. The IH spokesperson said the total was below 10, but it’s unknown if there were more beyond the initial six that happened between January and August.

High expectations as Revelstoke Grizzlies coast into playoffs As of press time, the Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B hockey team was 41-6 with one game left in the season. The team has been rampant this season, crushing many opponents in lopsided victories. They’ve locked in first place in the KIJHL Doug Birks BREWED USING THE Division and are set to play either the Sicamous Eagles or Kamloops Storm in the FINEST MALTS & first round of the playoffs. YEAST. THIS have been better. Okanagan/ Despite their lopsided BELGIAN success, two other teams Shuswap Conference rivals Kelowna Chiefs and the Kootenay Conference champs alc./vol. SLOWLY FERMENTED Kimberley Dynamiters were of Revelstoke as of press time. ANDatop WELL AGED STRONG Expectations for coach Ryan Parent’s team are high; anything below a berth in the ALE HASchampionship JUST ENOUGH Okanagan/Shuswap Conference series would be a disappointment. HOP BITTERNESS TO a decade this season, The Forum has seen the biggest crowds in over so plan to get BEER EXTRA STRONG MALTY to playoff games early, asBALANCE they’ll startTHE selling out as the playoff progress.

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ENTERTAINMENT

I Am Woman: Martha Chaves chats about the supportive culture of female comedians Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre celebrates International Women’s Day with an evening of laughs By Melissa Jameson Get ready for an evening of side-splitting laughter as some of today’s funniest female comedians take to the stage right here in Revelstoke in celebration of International Women’s Day. I Am Woman, Hear Me Laff features the very funny comedy of Martha Chaves, Melanie Rose, Allison Ogilvie and emcee Christina Lippa. The Mountaineer had a chance to chat with the show’s headlining comedian Martha Chaves about what it’s like to be a woman in the business of comedy. Chaves is a regular at Just for Laughs, and has been featured on many CBC shows, including The Debaters and Laugh Out Loud. Mountaineer: I am Woman, Hear Me Laff features an all-female lineup. Is there a different camaraderie that happens both on and off-stage with an all female line up as opposed to one that includes male comics? Martha: I love doing women’s shows

— it’s a different vibe. It seems to me that it’s more supportive (than shows with men). Comedy is very individual — every person is for themselves. Every show is different in that sense, every act is different. With women, there is a culture of support. I’ve been doing this for 25 years and with women, it’s a lot more fun I find. M: You’re originally from Nicaragua. What are the biggest differences when it comes to Canadians and Nicaraguans sense of humour? MC: I lived [in Nicaragua] until I was 17 and that was a long time ago. I’ve always been a fish out of water. I think the mission of anybody who does humour is to translate yourself to your audience. Humour is humour. Humour is communication, communicating yourself to your audience. I do have a very Canadian slant in my humour. M: What are the unwritten rules of women in comedy? MC: When I began people believed women are not funny. People at the end of a show would say things like, ‘We

don’t like women comics, but we liked you,’ or, ‘We don’t like Hispanics but we liked you,’ or ‘We don’t like gays but we liked you,’ and people think it’s a compliment. The unwritten rules are women have to work harder than the guys to be considered funny. As late as last month someone saw it was a woman headlining a show and said to me, “Shit, this is going to suck.” We have to prove ourselves double to be considered half as good. What’s the funniest thing an audience member has said during a show? ‘We don’t find women funny but we find you funny.’ After I killed it in a show some people come ask for an autograph. They said, ‘Maria, can we have your autograph.’ Because I’m Spanish they thought my name was Maria. It was funny to see their embarrassment when I told them my name is not Maria. It’s been hard in many cases. Sometimes there will be an emcee who introduces me and says, ‘Oh, nobody understands

one word she said,’ but I have ignored it. But I have been happy in my career. I’m not famous, I’m not rich, but I have done what I love for 25 years and counting. What are some fun ways to answer questions you probably get asked a lot like, ‘What’s it like to be a female comedian?’ I never answer with jokes. I’m very serious about comedy. To me, it’s a logical question to ask because women comics are more humorous now. It’s a fair question, so I try to answer in a fair way. There’s a misconception that women [in comedy] all sound the same. I’ve worked with all of these ladies. We all have different voices. I Am Woman, Hear Me Laff takes place at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre on Sunday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, available at the Revelstoke Visitor Information Centre or online at revelstoketheatretickets.com.

Comedy & Dance

MARCH SHOWS PRESENTED BY

I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME LAFF Tickets $25

Sunday Mar 10, 2019 7:30pm

TANGENT BY OURO COLLECTIVE

Opening Act: Short performance by local youth choreographed by Ouro Collective.

Tickets $10

Friday Mar 22, 2019 7:30pm Tickets available at the Visitor Centre & online at www.revelstoketheatretickets.com

I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME LAFF

TANGENT

BY OURO COLLECTIVE 7

ENTERTAINMENT VISIT REVELSTOKEMOUNTAINEER.COM/CALENDAR FOR MORE DETAILS AND TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN EVENT FOR FREE FOR INCLUSION ONLINE AND IN OUR MONTHLY PRINT CALENDAR. *Please check the event on the day as details may change*

WEEKLY EVENTS MONDAY Soup and a Smile @ Revelstoke United Church 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Enjoy soup and a sandwich each week at the Revelstoke United Church. Cost is by donation or free for those who cannot afford to pay.

WEDNESDAY Free meditation @ Balu Yoga 7:30 a.m. Guided meditation using the practice using the practice known as Sadhana. No experience necessary and all are welcome.

THURSDAY Revelstoke Winter Farmers Market @ Revelstoke Community Centre 12 p.m.–5p.m. The Winter Farmers Market brings together farm and craft vendors from Revelstoke and beyond. The market takes place every second Thursday.

FRIDAY Drop-in curling @ Revelstoke Forum 7 p.m. Give curling a try in a non-competitive environment. Cost is $5 and includes instruction and equipment use. Bring clean running shoes to wear on the ice.

EVENTS FRIDAY, MARCH 1 King of the Mountain @ Revelstoke Mountain Resort All-day King of the Mountain challenges riders to show their skills both in the park and the pow to show who truly is the most well-rounded. This event runs March 1, 2 & 3. Check out revelstokemountainresort.com for more details. Pasta Feed @ Eternal Riders Hall 6 p.m.–8p.m. This free all-ages event is put on by churches who want you fed. The Eternal Riders Hall is located at 622 Second Street West. Citified & Mystified @ Revelstoke Museum & Archives 6 p.m. Celebrate the 120th Anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Revelstoke. Enjoy an evening of food, drink, mystery, and prizes. $10 per person. LongWalkShortDock @ Traverse Energetic DJ LongWalkShortDock entertains with raging onstage antics during his set.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2 Vintage Ride @ Revelstoke Snowmobile Club 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m. This fun annual event is hosted by the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club. For more information visit their website revelstokesnowmobileclub.com The Very Hungry Caterpillar @ Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre 3 p.m.–5 p.m. Join the Mermaid Theatre for a puppet show that includes three beloved stories by award-winning children’s author Eric Carle including The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Tickets are $10 adults/$5 children available at www.revelstoketheatretickets.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 The Masquerade in Wonderland @ Traverse Nightclub 9 p.m. The ever-popular annual night of glorious house music and out of this world attire returns for the ninth year! Featuring Whistler-based female DJs KitKat & Whitness along with local DJs SOAP, Dexaville and Huw’s Who?!

Clockwise from left: Kids will love The Very Hungry Caterpillar! The New Groovement always brings out a big crowd. Catch them at the River City Pub on Mar. 16 and 17. Bring your wolf horns to Master of Justice’s Metallica tribute at Traverse on Mar 16.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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SUNDAY, MARCH 10 I am Woman, Hear me Laff @ Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre 7:30 p.m. I Am Woman, Hear Me Laff brings together some of the funniest female stand-up comedians for a night of female empowerment guaranteed to deliver side-splitting, tear-inducing laughter. Tickets are $25 available at www. revelstoketheatretickets.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 16 Metallica/Master of Justice @ Traverse 9 p.m. Vancouver-based Master of Justice is among the premier Metallica tribute bands in the world. Delivering more than just your average tribute show, Master of Justice deliver the full Metallica experience! Tickets $9.50 available online at Traverse Facebook. The New Groovement @ River City Pub 9 p.m. Get groovin’ with funk/soul and hip-hop as The New Groovement returns to Revelstoke for two nights on March 16& 17.

FRIDAY, MARCH 22 Tangent by OURO Collective @ Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre 7:30 p.m. OURO Collective’s unique style is a combination of street and contemporary dance that is fun, accessible and inspiring. Featuring an opening act performed by local youth. Tickets $10 adults/$5 children available at www.revelstoketheatretickets.com.

When exposed to trauma, whether a singular event or chronically, our body defends itself in one of three ways; ﬁght, freeze or ﬂight. Sometimes our nervous system forgets how to stop defending. This can lead to chronic pain, disease or poor lifestyle choices as a way of coping with the continuous need to protect itself. We can’t change what has happened to us in the past but we can change how we react to those events in the present. I can assist you in rewiring the brains neural patterns to help you return to a more neutral, relaxed state and free the body from pent up anxiety, pain and stress.

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ENTERTAINMENT

SATURDAY, MARCH 23 Junior Freeride Open @ Revelstoke Mountain Resort All Day Come and watch junior pros rip up RMR’s big mountain terrain on March 23 and 24. Event takes place on Separate Reality with plenty of room for spectators.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 Woman At War @ Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre 7:30 p.m. Movies in the Mountains presents Woman At War, a film about a middle-aged choir director who, unbeknownst to her fellow citizens, is also an environmentalist vigilante. Tickets $9 available at www.revelstoketheatretickets.com.

The OURO Collective brings contemporary dance to RPAC on Mar. 22.

most of their (finite) lives. Five Alarm Funk @ Traverse 10 p.m. Get on the dance floor and help support the Revelstoke Paddlesport Association. Tickets $25 available at Society Snow and Skate or online at Traverse Facebook.

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 Death Cafe @ Dose Cafe 7 p.m.–9p.m. At a Death Cafe people drink tea, eat cake and discuss death. Our aim is to increase awareness of death to help people make the

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ARTS & LIFE

Kyle Thornley starts work on his newest Revelstoke commission, sketching out his first round of design concepts for local client’s home. Photo: Katie Langmuir

Musings of a metal mind: a contemporary blacksmith in Revelstoke Checking in with Big Eddy blacksmith Metal Mind Forge Words and photos by Katie Langmuir

Tucked neatly back into the corner of a Big Eddy industrial track, the muffled hum of an air compressor followed by the ting-tinging of metal against metal leaks through a chipped, seafoam-coloured garage door. At first glance, it’s an unlikely locale for any creative to set up shop, but for modern blacksmith and metal artist Kyle Thornley it’s the place he lives to create. For many of us, hearing the word ‘blacksmith’ immediately conjures the vision of a leather-clad, bearded giant laying hammer into a sword destined for a battlefield. While Thornley’s selection

of hammers seems almost infinite and he’s workin’ on the beard, this new age ‘smithy’ has a far grander vision, skillset, and accumulation of tools and equipment that allows for so much more. No stranger to a metal medium, the Southern Ontario native and welder by trade has had an obsession with the properties and functionality of metal since he was a kid — but it wasn’t until a visit to Vancouver’s Granville Island when Thornley realized the creative possibilities. He slugged it out for years in a so-called real job, before giving in to the creative calling and went full-time artist

— the birth of Metal Mind Forge. He started with YouTube tutorials in the beginning, then went on to local meetings and workshops with OABA (Ontario Artist Blacksmith Association) and KBA (Kootenay Blacksmith Association), then stepped up to cross-continent conferences with ABANA (American Blacksmith Association of North America). Fast forward ten years and a few shop upgrades later, the call of the mountains was too much to resist for Thornley and his family, who have come full circle in the quest for the good life here in Revelstoke. He brought with him

an extensive project inventory that ranges from kitchen lighting and chandeliers, wine rooms and garden sculpture, to property gates and fireplaces. Now living smack dab in the in what this artist has dubbed his “inspiration well,” it makes sense that Thornley’s work has an organically elegant quality to it. Kyle describes his perpetual fascination with this hard, industrial material that can be manipulated by adding heat and pressure. Breathing life into it, shaping it into something beautiful leads to a creation with form and flow reminiscent of the origin of inspiration.

There’s a beautiful structure and calculated fluidity to the way Kyle works, from forge to anvil, meeting hammer. And although there is nothing particularly ‘delicate’ about the art of blacksmithing, there is an incredible precision in managing the material. Almost every project demands a new set of tools. “The tools of the trade aren’t just things you can swing by the hardware store and pick up” Thornley says. He spends days, often weeks, just producing the tooling to start any given project: hammers and tongs, dyes to shape the material, jigs for bending and creating curves. “It’s a game of patience and makes it all the more exciting when a project truly begins to take shape.” Stepping around a large bucket of rusted railway spikes, he comments on the fun he and his boys, 7 and 3, have collecting the fallen pieces underneath the train bridge alongside the Columbia river in town. He points to a selection of completed spikes turned bottle openers. “They seem to be a fan favourite here in town, a little piece of town history and function all rolled into one.” He has settled into his new creative space in a quiet part of town, equipped with a modern pneumatic and a 1911 mechanical power hammer (think 2,300-pound sewing machines), a myriad of traditional and new-age forging techniques, and an ever-growing expanse of tools of the trade. The creative possibilities in the world of blacksmithing seem endless. Clockwise from above: Thornley poses next next to completed life-size pinecone sculpture, his most recent private commission A hand forged, twenty petaled, rose, freshly polished from the wire wheel. Organic railing design in private client home in Kelowna, B.C. Photos by Katie Langmuir

Downtown Revelstoke can enjoy a bit of work through the window of Big Mountain Kitchen, and the Revelstoke Railway Museum. And keep your eyes peeled for Kyle at a few of the local markets around town. Keep up to date with videos and the daily happenings of a metal mind via: Instagram: @metalmindforge Facebook: Metal Mind Forge

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Jon Witchett tackles an ice fall on Highway 23 North during Revelstokeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early 2019 cold snap. Photo: Vincent Schnabl

OUTDOORS

Recent cold snap a welcome opportunity for local ice climbers TIce-climbing provides year-round opportunities for Revelstoke’s increasingly popular climbing scene By Melissa Jameson Revelstoke’s recent cold snap was a welcome opportunity for local ice climbers keen on tackling some of the areas world-class spots. The sport, generally reserved for experienced climbers, involves using crampons and ice axes to ascend frozen waterfalls or ice-covered rock slabs and cliffs. Local ice-climber Jon Wichett explained that with ice climbing, your ice axes are your hand holds and the spikes on your crampons are your footholds. Ice climbers protect themselves by using sharp, hollow, ice screws they turn into the ice by hand. “All your skill comes down to being able to read the ice and get a feeling for how to approach it,” said Wichett. “It is an incredible feeling when you begin to trust your ice tools on good ice with

only a few millimetres of a spike holding you to the wall, though this feeling can be a rarity and often you are only too aware of how delicate the formation you are climbing is.” While it may be an extreme sport that isn’t exactly for the feint of heart, with Revelstoke’s penchant for everything outdoors it’s hardly surprising to find out there’s a growing interest in ice climbing. There’s even a small guide available online, although it’s purposely vague to maintain a sense of adventure, and because ice conditions tend to change rather quickly. Ice climbing does come with a unique set of dangers, which is why it’s generally reserved for more experienced climbers. Some of those dangers include falling ice, avalanche paths, and the potential for falling with sharp tools

(crampons and axes). Despite this, the sport’s popularity is continuing to grow with unique opportunities for easy access ice climbing. In fact, the overall climbing scene has been growing steadily over the past few years. The addition of ice climbing only helps to secure Revelstoke as a year-round outdoor climbing destination. The local Revelstoke Climbers Access Society has sought to manage the increasing popularity of climbing by installing toilets at Begbie Bluffs and Shaketown, doing trail maintenance and bolt inspections. The announcement of Revelstoke section by the Alpine Club of Canada is also welcome news, as it provides an opportunity for aspiring climbers to get involved and learn from mentors. There will be opportunities for beginners to try ice-climbing spots

around Revelstoke next winter, once the ACC is established and there are axes and crampons available for lending. Wichett told the Mountaineer he expects to see an increase in inspiring alpine, ice and rock climbers over the coming years. “The rock quality is much better here than in the Rockies, the access is much shorter, you aren’t fighting off the crowds, and we have spots that stay cool [and] shaded all summer. Plus, we are within close proximity to the Rocky Mountains, Bugaboos, Valhalla and the Okanagan.” said Wichett.

The Winter Permit System Permis d’accès hivernal Planning to ski Rogers Pass?

Vous comptez skier au col Rogers?

The Winter Permit System is in effect between November and March annually. Learn it. Get your permit.

Le Permis d’accès hivernal est en vigueur entre novembre et mars de chaque année. Apprenez-en le fonctionnement. Obtenez votre permis.

In Rogers Pass, artillery is used to fire explosives and trigger avalanches for the highway avalanche control program. Before you go:

Dans le col Rogers, le programme de déclenchement préventif d’avalanches pour la Transcanadienne est axé sur des tirs d’artillerie. Avant de partir :

• Learn how the system works at pc.gc.ca/skirogerspass • Check daily to know what areas are open or closed before you park, ski or ride • Get your winter permit and national park pass at the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre • Look after your own safety. Have the skills and equipment to travel in avalanche terrain.

• Apprenez le fonctionnement du système : pc.gc.ca/skicolrogers • Chaque jour, tenez-vous au courant d’où vous pouvez vous stationner et faire du ski ou de la planche à neige • Obtenez votre permis d’accès hivernal et votre laissez-passer de parc national au Centre de la découverte du Col-Rogers • Possédez les compétences et l’équipement nécessaire pour voyager dans le terrain avalancheux

Learn more at pc.gc.ca/skirogerspass

Pour en savoir plus, consultez pc.gc.ca/skicolrogers

NEWS BRIEFS

Checking-in with Revelstoke’s luxury tourism market

Luxury venues are welcoming more ‘royalty, celebrities, and tech giants’ to town By Louise Stanway

Snow is in the forecast. An evening ritual commences for the powder hounds of Revelstoke, as they prepare for the forthcoming storm. The alarm is set, the cupboards are checked for ample supplies of oatmeal and jam, the skis are waxed, and finally they’re ready to catch a few hours of shut-eye before dawn. The Subaru Outback teases them in the morning with a few spluttering coughs, before one assertive engine roar confirms that they’re still on track to get the goods. They fly up to the hill, only to realize that the line is already backed up to the second parking lot. Alas, they trudge over and join the restless pack. But it’s OK— they know where to find the secret stashes anyway. Meanwhile just a few kilometres up the hill, nestled away from disturbance, a wholly different scene unfolds. Aromas of freshly ground Colombian coffee and pancakes waft through the high arches of a multi-million-dollar chalet, gently waking its occupants. There is a buzz in the air, but this time it’s literal. Their helicopter ride waits patiently out front on a private pad, ready to transport guests to the deepest, silkiest snow that the Selkirks range has to offer. And so it goes: Both parties proceed to live out their separate days in Revelstoke’s mountainous terrain, blissfully unaware of each other’s existence. So, who are these elusive guests with the bird’s-eye view of this vibrant town? And what does their presence mean for the town’s economy? Although it is near impossible to fully unmask Revelstoke’s elite, it is possible to peel back the layers of intrigue surrounding this influx of wealthy visitors and find out why, and how, they came to land in one of North America’s “most underrated ski resorts” (as labeled recently by CNN).

More and more people are choosing Revelstoke as their seasonal getaway destination. Last year, we were graced with some big names: from rumors of A-list tech moguls dropping in for some heli-skiing, all the way to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hitting Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s groomed runs for some family fun. Peter Hughes, Executive Chef at the Bighorn Lodge, revealed that he has regularly catered to “Royals, celebs, and tech giants.” What’s more, year-round tourism numbers are soaring, and the luxury market is booming as a biproduct. The Bison Lodge sees an approximate 88% return rate, which increases annually. Chris van der Linden, the former manager of The Whiteworth Chalet, has confirmed that the Chalet — situated at the base of RMR — sees an 80–100% return rate annually. Often, guests are having to book at least a year in advance to secure a place at one of these luxury lodges. Why so busy? With its adverse weather conditions and difficult to access location, why are these travellers choosing Revelstoke, over better-known North American resorts such as Whistler, Vail, or Aspen? “The fact that it’s so difficult to get to Revelstoke, means that it becomes a feather in your cap,” explained J.C. Carlin, owner representative at the Bison Lodge. Chris Van der Linden believes it’s down to the fifty years of infrastructure laid down by a combination of local heli-ski operatives such as Mica, Selkirk, and Eagle Pass. It seems people are starting to realize, through word of mouth, that Revelstoke’s world-class terrain rivals that of the ‘big resorts’ but it comes without the accompanying crowds. “Revelstoke is a bucket list destination for many,” said Sally Robertson, owner of Revelstoke Select. The business was started last year by Robertson and Theresa

FEATURE

Clockwise from top left facing page: The Bison Lodge at Revelstoke Mountain Resort at night. The ultra-high end interior at Bison Lodge. Inside the pool room at the Bighorn Lodge.

FEATURE

Clinton, after they noticed a gap in the market for a high-end concierge service. Their role includes marketing, booking management, staffing, all the way through to post-rental cleaning and accounting. The business was born out of a growing demand for turnkey vacation experiences. “Luxury tourism is not brand new to Revelstoke, it’s just moving on the next chapter,” said Robertson. Robertson arrived in Revelstoke twelve years ago and during that time has seen many businesses start up and fail. “The excitement was there but the demand wasn’t,” she explained. “Ten years later and these businesses are starting again. The faces are different, but the product is the same. We’re seeing it with snowshoeing and backcountry guiding to name a couple.” Robertson foresees Revelstoke following the Whistler model in terms of how the town can facilitate all parties. “I see more supply and demand businesses coming to Revelstoke, whether that be advanced transportation, support businesses and cleaning services.” Likewise, Carlin is confident that the capital from this industry will be injected back into the community’s economy, which will inevitably result in jobs and opportunities for residents.

Although we are seeing a steady upward trajectory in the luxury tourism market, Hughes (of the Bighorn Lodge) believes that further action must be taken to improve our facilities for guests if we wish to continue to attract wealth to this town. He is certain that “more growth at the base of the ski hill,” in the form of increased choice of bars and restaurants, as well as more activities for kids, will ensure a more sustainable financial future for the industry. At first glance, one might notice a polarity between the ‘ski-bum’ portion of Revelstoke’s population and the lavish lifestyle of the well-to-do-skier. But when we break it down, we are here for the same reasons: the world-class terrain and unique charm that Revelstoke has to offer. Moving forward, we should continue to welcome these new faces from faraway places, embracing the knowledge that we are working together to shape the town’s economic future.

Emily Beaumont

R E V E L S T O K E

Royal LePage Realtor

Helping you “Home” in Revelstoke, BC

RESID E NTI A L | R E SO RT | D E V E LO P M E NT View Listings www.royallepagerevelstoke.ca

Left: Bighorn Lodge guests enjoy a day of heli-skiing. Right: The wine cellar at Bison Lodge.

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NEWS

Revelstoke needs to address its housing redevelopment policy Other municipalities have taken steps to protect mobile home residents. In response to growing development pressure, what are Revelstoke’s plans? By Melissa Jameson If Revelstoke wants any chance at solving the housing crisis then the city needs to create policy to address the displacement of long-term tenants triggered by redevelopment, including manufactured home parks, and other forms of existing housing stock. Sometimes referred to as mobile home parks or trailer parks, the parks provide a unique form of housing where individuals own their homes but rent the land they’re placed on. They’re the original tiny houses movement, designed and used by people whose lives involved moving from one location to another. They’re also the original affordable housing, having been touted in North America as such during the 1950s, leading to the creation of the modern day trailer park. Fast forward to today and mobile home parks remain as one of the most affordable forms of home ownership. According to the August 2018 Revelstoke Housing Needs and Demands Assessment report, nearly 15 per cent of existing housing stock within the city of Revelstoke is comprised of “moveable dwellings.” In Columbia-Shuswap Regional District Area B, that number is slightly lower at just under 11 per cent of existing housing stock. Put into real numbers the significance becomes obvious, with 480 manufactured homes listed in Revelstoke and a whopping 2,390 in the entire CSRD (not just Area B). The often-overlooked problem with manufactured homes is that the attached land rental component leads to a lack of

overall security, particularly in cases of landowners wanting to redevelop existing property as a way to increase capital.

Displaced Revelstoke tenants call on city to create policy to address redevelopment of mobile home parks That lack of security was brought front and centre when John Todds presented as a delegation on behalf of fellow tenants of Crescent Heights Mobile Home Park during a Revelstoke city council meeting in late January. The tenants of the park, located on Arrow Drive, are being evicted after losing a dispute resolution hearing with the park’s owners. With their own sentence already written, the tenants asked the City of Revelstoke to consider adopting policies and bylaws addressing redevelopment of mobile home parks at a local level. There are a number of B.C. municipalities that have taken initiative in pioneering local-level policies to directly address the displacement of mobile home park tenants. The specifics of those policies vary. However, they generally require landowners to provide additional protections including advance

notification, a tenant communications plans, updating tenants on the development process in a timely manner, additional compensation, and relocation assistance programs. Those requirements go above and beyond the rules set out in the recently amended Manufactured Home Parks Tenancy Act. The BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing updated the Manufactured Home Parks Tenancy Act in April 2018, introducing new compensation as a way to provide more security for park tenants facing eviction. Under the act, landowners who want to redevelop the property are required to have all necessary permits and approvals prior to serving the required 12-month notice of eviction. Communities like Coquitlam are going one step further, setting policy that obliges landowners to communicate their intentions with park tenants in writing during the pre-application stage. The city of West Kelowna’s policy goes even further, dictating that landowners communicate plans for redevelopment with all tenants affected 30 days prior to submitting an application. Perhaps key to redevelopment policies, such as the one in West Kelowna, is the requirement for landowners to provide relocation assistance. West Kelowna’s mobile home park redevelopment policy includes a relocation assistance program, whereby land owners must create a profile of resident demographic characteristics, provide information about the condition of homes and the potential for relocation, provide existing

tenants opportunities for first right of refusal, and in some cases provide unconditional payments allowing tenants “with some amount of equity and greater flexibility in their plans for relocation.” Under the program, landowners are also required to provide a status report to the city, including preferred housing options for tenants. In the case of Crescent Heights, tenants are faced not only with eviction from their homes, but some are also dealing with the very real possibility of having to relocate to another community due to a lack of housing availability. Ideally, if Revelstoke had a relocation program in place, tenants could potentially have had increased options for staying in the community, despite the city’s incredibly low vacancy rate.

City’s plans for a Housing Action Plan could address redevelopment, but is still a ways off At present the city of Revelstoke’s own policy on Mobile Home Park Redevelopment remains vague on the issue of providing specific supports for displaced tenants. The single paragraph policy notes,“in their decision making, council intends to place high importance on the

Evictions at a Revelstoke mobile home park has left residents in other parks concerned about their future. Photo: Aaron Orlando

impact the new designation will have on affordable housing options within Revelstoke and the displacement of current tenants.” When asked if the city had any intention on updating the existing mobile home park redevelopment policy to include actionable items such as those required in other communities, city planner Daniel Sturgeon said there are currently no plans to do so. Instead, the city intends to pursue a Housing Action Plan. The plan and its scope have yet to be determined. However, Sturgeon said it’s possible the results of the Housing Action Plan could lead to changes to the existing mobile home park redevelopment policy. Despite its name, Sturgeon said the existing policy it is intended to preserve a supply of affordable housing, not necessarily a particular type of housing. “It is worth noting that inquiries to redevelop mobile home parks could be inquiries to provide alternative forms of affordable housing on the same site, perhaps in a different form but at a similar cost,” said Sturgeon. At present, there doesn’t appear to be a widely accepted standard of practice for municipal-level manufactured home park redevelopment policy. From a broader perspective, Sturgeon said good planning practices include providing a range of housing types across the spectrum of affordability. “This looks different in different communities, based on socio-economic situations, land value, and many other factors,” said Sturgeon.

The city’s plans for a Housing Action Plan, along with recent efforts to address the overall lack of housing across a spectrum of affordability, are promising, but getting those items from the planning table to actual practice take time. Perhaps existing MHP tenants can breathe a small sigh of relief, since the city has received no formal applications for redevelopment within the past few years. Inquiries, however, have been made and in those cases copies of the existing mobile home park redevelopment policy are provided along with more general information about the overall rezoning process. Since the city keeps developer enquiries confidential, it’s difficult to gauge just how serious they may be. Still, the current lack of redevelopment applications may not be enough to alleviate the underlying stress of manufactured home park residents when it comes to overall housing security. After all, the fact that other communities are creating policies to address residents displaced by redevelopment shows it’s an issue that is not unique to Revelstoke. As a community, we need to start looking at ways to address the socio-economic impact of displaced tenants sooner, rather than later.

Not quite a cube, or a hotel!

ski packages.

FEATURE

When he’s not competing on the Freeride World Tour, you can find Japanese national Yu Sasaki in the Revelstoke backcountry shooting for sponsors. Photo: Ryan Creary

Proving ground More and more professional snow athletes are making Revelstoke their home base. By Br yce Borlick The most vertical in North America. B.C.’s most resort snowfall in 2018. Heli-ski capital of the world. Too many ‘top ten’ lists to even keep track of anymore. As the list of accolades continues to grow, so does Revelstoke’s international reputation for being a rugged Canadian town that’s steep and deep in snow culture. But it is enough to attract professional skiers and snowboarders from more established locales? This month we talk to three pros who call Revy home — Natalie Seagal, Yu Sasaki, and Johan Rosen — to find out what brought them here and what keeps them here.

Aussie freeskier Natalie Seagal shreds the Revelstoke backcountry. Photos: Zoya Lynch

Where are you from originally? Natalie: Melbourne, Australia Yu: Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. Johan: Malung, Sweden

and Lofoten Islands Yu: Whistler, Squamish Johan: Oslo. London. Perisher. I have a Whistler pass and a lot of friends there, but I could never live there. It’s just too full on.

What’s your background and how long have you lived in Revelstoke? Nat: Eight months! Time flies when you are having fun. I started competing in freeride skiing competitions in 2010. I competed on the Freeskiing World Tour and Freeride World Tour (and qualifiers) for seven years. In 2014 I co-produced by first film project and ski expedition to Iceland and Greenland, and since then I have been working on film and writing projects as both a producer and an athlete. Johan: I’m from a town where we have seven ski resorts around, so I grew up as a park rider. There’s also a snowboard high school where you get to snowboard two or three days a week in the winters. So I went through that school and I was competing back in those days, but competition was never for me. It took me a while to find Revelstoke. It’s been seven winters now. Yu: My parents like skiing and they took me skiing when I was kid. After I graduated from high school, I moved to Whistler with a working holiday visa. Then I really started to learn to ski. This is my second season in Revelstoke.

What brought you here? Yu: I came to ski! I thought it was a small CP Rail train town, always cloudy and dark. Johan: Looking at maps, I thought Kicking Horse would be the best for a proper B.C. pow winter but people told me Revelstoke. Then Absinthe Twelve dropped and I thought, if they filmed all this rad shit inbounds at the resort then we have to go there. Nat: Since I graduated university in 2010 and started skiing full time I haven’t lived in one place for more than a few months. I wanted a home that was close to the mountains and had an energetic outdoor community.

Where else have you lived? Nat: Melbourne, Salt Lake City, Jackson Hole, Chamonix Mont-Blanc, Verbier

Was there anything that surprised you about Revy once you settled in? Nat: How awesome Revelstoke is in the summer. It’s the first time that I was

Revy is known for heavy snowfall — was that a draw? Johan: It goes both ways. Sometimes it limits you and makes it hard for filming — you can’t reach all the terrain, no visibility in the alpine. And you’re always breaking trail.

Swede snowboarder Johan Rosen attacks a pillow line. Photo: Dan Stewart

almost sad to see it start snowing … almost. There is a lot of creative energy here that I didn’t know existed. It is exciting. I think that the community will be a factor in me staying here Yu: Amazing natural surroundings and the kindness of the local community. Johan: I was really surprised at how friendly people were and how they’d be showing you their secret stashes at the mountain. I come from park riding and there’s so much more attitude there. Here there is none of that. People are just stoked. I have more friends in Revelstoke than any other place in the world. What type of pro thrives most in our terrain? Nat: The one that is having the most fun and making good decisions. There is so much different terrain in this region. It’s really a smorgasbord of pillows, pow, open faces, tree skiing, alpine zones and ski mountaineering. Johan: Creative backcountry riders, creative in reading the terrain. Tricks in pillow lines, finding interesting trannies and little transfers, seeing features in places where most other riders don’t. 26

What are the most important things that Revy offers you as a pro? Johan: Village Idiot pizza! Revy is the place everyone comes to film their parts. In our backyard or within two hours are some of the best lines in the world. At the start of the season, we’re burning resort laps to get back the feeling of snowboarding. In mid-winter, it’s the backcountry, the sled access terrain. Yu: The RMR resort terrain makes you a better skier. Nat: I have been taking advantage of the terrain and powder days at RMR as well as the access to backcountry skiing off the resort, close to town and the wilderness in Roger Pass. Do you think we’ll see a growing pattern of pros moving here? Yu: I think so. Johan: It’s so expensive over in Whistler and Squamish now. I think Revy’s going to become more popular and more pros will move here.

Is it a challenge to get media coverage and make industry contacts here? Nat: It’s definitely easier than Australia! Revelstoke is a little isolated geographically in comparison to other ski hubs, but I believe in making your own opportunities and I think there are a lot of examples of entrepreneurs, filmers, photographers, athletes, and small-business owners who are finding ways to thrive here. Do you have other local work in the summer? Yu: Yes, I have a food truck named Far East Bistro at Grizzly Plaza. Nat: I work in casual jobs over the summer as well as ski-related contract work. I am looking to build up my own business in the future but it is going to take some time and lots of hard work to grow. Is it harder to make ends meet in Revy than in other places? Nat: I have lived and worked in Melbourne for a long time during the off-season. Yes, it is easier to find well-paying work in Melbourne and save for the

winter but it’s at the sacrifice of living in a city away from the mountains. Yu: Whistler was way harder. Johan: A lot of my friends work two jobs. If I were to make good money in town, it’d be either the railroad, hospitality, mill, carpentry … but even in carpentry I’d make a lot less than in Sweden. Do you plan to put down roots here or will you eventually move elsewhere for new challenges? Yu: I’d like to put down roots here. Johan: I’ve been thinking about Squamish for the summers but now we have a skatepark here. I couldn’t live in Revelstoke without a skatepark! Nat: Yes, I am planning on applying for my permanent residency and I don’t currently have aspirations to move elsewhere — it is a great home base.

NEWS

B.C. government documents outline local caribou herd recovery plan drafts Draft recovery plans for each of B.C.’s 54 caribou herd plans provide recommendations on future management steps for the caribou herds, and are a window into the B.C.’s developing caribou recovery plans. By Aaron Orlando A trove of B.C. government documents outline the provincial government’s developing plans for mountain caribou recovery in B.C., providing detailed, herd-specific management plans for herds across the province, including those in the Revelstoke area. The government’s new caribou recovery plans are of keen interest to those with a stake in how the backcountry is managed in the area. The herd plan documents are “living” documents and are being live-updated on a publicly accessible B.C. government file server; written caveats on the documents note that they are preliminary plans, and are subject to change and revision. In addition, many of the documents contain missing sections, or notes indicating that wording will be updated or inserted at a later date. Nevertheless, the documents, which haven’t been reported on publicly, do provide a detailed view into what the B.C. government is developing for caribou recovery plans. The caribou recovery plans are of particular interest to a range of stakeholders in Revelstoke and B.C., including forestry, heli-skiing, CAT-skiing, snowmobiling, hunting, mining, and fossil fuel extraction. Of course, there are the multifaceted stakeholder concerns over whether the provincial government’s plans will be effective in restoring the declining mountain caribou in the Revelstoke area and elsewhere in B.C.

Some background Mountain caribou preservation issues have been a fact of life in Revelstoke for decades. The B.C. government has been in charge of caribou recovery plans, but the dynamic of the situation changed significantly last May, when the federal Minister of Environment Catherine McKenna declared mountain caribou were facing “imminent threat” and issued an order to government to take action on the issue. The order, under federal Species at Risk Act legislation, put pressure on the B.C. government to take immediate action to protect the threatened species. The potential ramification is that if the provincial government’s response is inadequate, the federal government could step in and enact caribou conservation measures that would have a more dramatic effect on socio-economic concerns, such as added restrictions on forestry and the backcountry recreation industry. The recommendations to preserve “core habitat” will have different effects across the province, and are of particular interest to Revelstoke stakeholders. During the waves of caribou habitat protection enacted in 2007 and 2008, a majority of core habitat across B.C. was protected, but less so in the herd areas around Revelstoke. Many of the draft plans under scrutiny in this report call for core habitat closures 28

media. Instead, it happens behind the scenes in Victoria. It remains unclear at this point how stakeholder influence has shaped the developing plans.

What’s next in the process?

A southern mountain caribou. Image: B.C. government

to snowmobiling in the Revelstoke area. Although its definition is complex, socalled “matrix” habitat is in essence areas surrounding core habitat that caribou also use.

What do the new documents show? The documents are divided by herd plans for each of the 54 herds across the province. For example, locally there are distinct plans for the Columbia North herd and the Frisby-Boulder-Queest herd. There is some uniformity in the recommended actions across the province, and a number of differences. For example, for northern herds where oil and gas activity is prevalent, there are recommendations related to that industry, but not in the south, where the industry isn’t active. The herd plans contain specific recommendations. For example, for the Frisby-Boulder-Queest herd, the draft herd plan recommends increasing old-growth forests protection in “core” habitat areas to 100% of the core habitat. The report also recommends restricting snowmobiling in all core habitat areas. For heli-skiing and CAT-skiing, the draft plan recommends maintaining “current standard operating procedures” for the ski operators. Again for Frisby-Boulder-Queest, the plan recommends population augmentation through translocation, captive breeding, and maternal penning. Predator and prey management is also recommended, and ongoing. The draft plans calls for periodic wolf control, and “targeted removal” of individual cougars whose habitat overlaps with caribou core habitat. Although core and matrix habitat is defined in previous versions of woodland caribou recovery plans, such as the B.C. Species at Risk Coordination Office’s

(SaRCO) plans that led to forestry and snowmobiling closures a decade ago, the Mountaineer has learned that the working definition and map-based definition of core and matrix habitat is being redefined under the current recovery plans, and is the subject of secretive negotiations between the federal government and provincial planners. In effect, the maps are being redrawn, and this could alter the boundaries of caribou restricted areas.

Who’s been involved in the behind-thescenes lobbying? The Revelstoke Mountaineer has sat in on one of the B.C. Caribou Recovery Program’s stakeholder teleconferences, and has received written updates from other meetings. Industry is heavily represented, with a light sprinkling of local governments and environmental organizations thrown in. On the Jan. 21 update, representatives from the B.C. Snowmobile Federation, Tolko Industries, the Association for Mineral Exploration, the Business Council of B.C., Canadian Mountain Holidays, Enbridge Pipelines, and the Imperial Metals Corporation were amongst the industry reps on the line. A few local governments, such as the City of Prince George, listened in; however, there were no political representatives from the Revelstoke area, such as the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District, the City of Revelstoke, nor the local MLA Doug Clovechok. Amongst the few environmental groups on the line were Wilderness Committee and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. At the provincial level, lobbying on major issues such as a provincial conservation plan often doesn’t play out in the

Leo DeGroot is a wildlife biologist for the provincial government. When the Mountaineer contacted the provincial communications reps for comment, they provided DeGroot for an interview. He explained that the draft herd plans were being developed by outside contractors as part of the first phase of the development plans, and that the second phase will involve a review by regional biologists, who will comment on and edit the plans. After that, the provincial authorities are planning to roll out public consultations on the draft plans. He expected the consultations to begin in the Cariboo and Chilcotin regions in a few months, and that consultations in the Columbia region would come sometime after that. “While this process is going on, things aren’t standing still,” DeGroot said, adding there is “a lot more coming, a lot more happening.” That, explained DeGroot, is where a significant part of the compromise process will begin. It will involve trade-offs on conservation issues, and will likely force a range of different interests to weigh in on various conservation measures. For example, the B.C. government has reduced the number of moose in the Revelstoke Reach area by increasing the number of hunting tags made available. This has reduced the moose population south of the Mica Dam area from about 1,500 animals to 500, leaving fewer for hunters each year. (Increases in moose population also increase the number of wolves, leading to more by-catch of caribou). Heli-skiing, forestry, and snowmobiling require large areas of land to operate successfully. How will these competing interests be balanced when decisions are being made? DeGroot said there will be many subjects to discuss once the plans move to a public consultation phase. The process will involve trade-offs between competing interests. “That’s always a really difficult problem because obviously you can’t listen to everyone or else you’ll never make a decision,” DeGroot said. “That’s why we have to hit the compromise in the right place.” The controversial practice of killing wolves to protect caribou will be one such topic. Allowing more harvesting in old growth forests leads to increases in the moose population, which increases the wolf population. “Do we keep aggressively managing wolves in perpetuity?” DeGroot asked.

Recent developments in mountain caribou recovery Early in the year, the provincial government decided to relocate the remaining two members of the South Selkirk herd and the remaining four in the Purcell South herd to the Revelstoke maternity pen. A team moved in to do the relocation on Jan. 23. One female from the South Selkirks herd was captured, and a male and female from the Purcell South herd were captured and moved to the Revelstoke maternity pen, which is located on the west shore of Lake Revelstoke. However, two remaining bulls from the Purcell South herd took shelter from helicopters under tree cover and couldn’t be caught. The government has not yet decided what to do with the remaining two bulls in the Purcell South herd, which are doomed to extirpation. A few weeks later, government scientists discovered they had also left behind a calf. The final chapter on the two southernmost herds in the province was a symbolic moment, marking the end of mountain caribou in the contiguous U.S. (the South Selkirks herd ranged across the U.S.-Canada border).

The final goal of the process In the end, the new caribou recovery planning process is aiming at an agreement between the federal and provincial governments known as a Section 11 Multilateral

Conservation Agreement. Originally, the Section 11 agreement was targeting herds in the central region of the province, but it has since been expanded to the northern and southern groups of herds, and now includes the Revelstoke area. That Section 11 agreement is currently being finalized, but is dependent on partnership agreements that include various stakeholders, including First Nations. Both the B.C. and federal governments are expected to prepare financial packages to aid with the recovery plan. In the minutes from the Jan. 21 stakeholder update, a statement attributable to the provincial government committed to engagement prior to completion of the plan: “Nothing has been signed and we are committed to not signing any agreement until after engagement with communities, stakeholders, industry and First Nations. We want to ensure that all interested parties interests are reflected in caribou management.” The trick with the new Section 11 agreement will be satisfying the federal partners that the plan will be sufficient to recover the caribou. When the community consultation phase opens, stakeholders will pressure the B.C. government to heed their demands, but with so many competing interests involved, satisfying everyone seems near impossible.

Savour late winter with these selections By Heather Hood The days are feeling longer, and we are coming to a close with winter. There are still lots of opportunities to get cosy and enjoy a glass of wine. We have some wonderful wines featured this month with lots of different flavours.

St. Hubertus Estate Winery Great White North, 2017 Kelowna, BC $12.48 Not only is this a fantastic wine, it is an incredible value for the quality. This is a blend of Chasselas, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Chasselas is a great wine that originates from Switzerland, where it’s is best known for being paired with fondue. This wine has wonderful flavours and aromas of stone fruit, citrus, spice and a nice minerality. The honey notes coat your mouth and it has a lovely finish. Pairing: Cheese, mushrooms and fish dishes

Find out more Visit this story online at www.revelstokemountaineer.com for links to local caribou herd plans, maps, and source documents outlining government plans for the Revelstoke area.

Indigenous World Syrah 2016 Kelowna, BC $32.52 Indigenous World Winery is the only 100% owned Indigenous winery in British Columbia. The winery blends Syilx culture with modern style. The grapes for this wine are grown in Osoyoos and were stored in French oak for 18 months. There are a lot of flavours in this wine: stewed fruit, black cherry, ripe cassis, tobacco, vanilla and leather with a hint of pepper. The tannins are nice and balanced with the flavours from the palate carrying through nicely on the finish Pairing: Roasted meat, grilled vegetables or hard cheeses

Monster Vineyards Monster Cabs 2015 Penticton, BC $22.09

Age 19 +

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A nice and flavourful wine to drink, this Cab is a blend of 42% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 4% Malbec. This wine has rich flavours of stewed fruit, blackberries chocolate, vanilla, leather and nice balanced tannins. Pairing: This wine will be enjoyed on its own or with anything you can cook up on the grill

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Roberto Price and Erin Kerwin launched the Revelstoke Chocolate Company at the winter farmers market on Thursday. Photo by Alex Cooper/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

Revelstoke Chocolate Company off to a sweet, sweet start New Revelstoke Chocolate Company launches high quality line of custom chocolate products Living in Revelstoke has gotten sweeter recently. The opening of the Sugar Shack downtown has been followed by the launch of the Revelstoke Chocolate Company â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a high-quality chocolatier that began selling at the Winter Farmers Market on Thursday and will soon be selling 3D-printed chocolate bears. The business was started by Roberto Price, an IT consultant worked for Revelstoke Mountain Resort before leaving to embark on his dream of making chocolate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I saw growth in the bean-to-bar market in North America,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given that most alpine ski towns have a chocolate shop, reading about the history of Manningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s candy store in Revelstoke, it seemed like it would be a good choice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the most complicated things Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come across,â&#x20AC;? he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an amazing amount of fun and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an incredibly tricky substance to work with.â&#x20AC;? Price started working on the Revelstoke Chocolate Company last spring but it took a big leap forward when he fortuitously found himself seated next to Erin Kerwin, an engineering consultant who specializes in food production, at an accounting workshop in January. Within three weeks, they were ready to launch. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To be sat next to somebody who has an experience in industrial food engineering, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like an angel being sent down to heaven,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The rate of development since teaming up with Erin has been phenomenal.â&#x20AC;? The RCC was selling bars at the market made from high-quality Venezuelan cocoa beans. They also had a few prototypes of what Price hopes will really make them stand out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; chocolate bears made using a 3D printer. The moulds are replicas of Revelstokeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous grizzly statues, provided by Cathy Jenkins, the daughter of the sculptor, and Price has been working diligently and scientifically to iron out the kinks in the process to achieve a smooth chocolate mould. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a high-tech process, which perhaps isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t surprising from a company run by an IT professional and an engineer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People like it as is, they forgive the flaws,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so close to being able pull it off.â&#x20AC;? The RCC sold out on its first day and they plan on returning to the market for the rest of the winter and into the summer. Eventually, Price wants to open a beanto-bar storefront where people will be able to witness the entire chocolate making process while they shop. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You apply some of the best engineering in the world to make really good chocolate on display to tourists,â&#x20AC;? he said.

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PROFILE

Room for another extreme sports photographer in Revelstoke?

Meet Hywel Williams. An up-and-coming photographer who knows how to adapt his product to meet industry needs. By Louise Stanway

In a virtual world oversaturated with endless photos of idyllic landscapes, how can the art of “real” photography fight its way into focus? Emerging talent, Hywel (“Hu-well”) Williams, believes the answer lies in patience, diversity, and branding. So, who is this fella with the tricky name? I sat down with the Selkirk Tangiers photography team member, to learn his story and the steps he’s taken to stand out in a somewhat crowded industry. Hywel’s childhood was characterized by a healthy fusion of art and sport. In his pre-teen years, he could be found on the streets of suburban East England, capturing photos and videos of friends grinding rails and busting out flip tricks on their skateboards. When back in classroom, he would be experimenting with light and shadow in the studio darkroom. A teenager with a taste for adrenaline, at age fourteen he ditched the concrete ramps for the buttery slopes of the Italian Alps. Yet

the subsequent years of school ski trips couldn’t satisfy his newfound appetite for powder. After graduating with a degree in Action Sports Photography, he went on to chase winter every season; France, New Zealand and Japan were simply a few pit stops before landing in his now home of Revelstoke (where faceshots are served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Unsurprisingly, he plans to stick around. Being passionate isn’t always enough, though. There is a growing expectation for those in the creative arts community to reach beyond the realms of their primary profession and tap into an additional, complementary skillset. His current toolbox includes website design, photo-journalism and videography experimentation. Hywel spent the past summer in Bella Coola working at a remote mountain lodge in the small town of Hagensborg, redesigning a website for a business that places you in the heart of the Great Bear

Clockwise from far left: Photographer Hywel Williams A grizzly family takes a stroll during a sun shower. Seb Grondin throws up a powder cloud on opening day. Kiwi Charlie Murray eyes a landing in the Revelstoke backcountry. Photos by Hywel Williams

Rainforest. In this project, he was also responsible for capturing the accompanying wildlife photography. This multi-faceted project allowed him to reach a finished product that fully conveyed his artistic vision. The patience that is needed to shoot wildlife photography, he assures me, should not be underestimated. Having the knowledge to observe wildlife at proximity for hours on end and waiting for that 30-second window can be quite humbling. Though a clear contrast from the dynamic, fast-paced world of snow sports photography, the experience serves as a reminder that not everyday will be a bluebird day, not every landing will be tracks-free — but that’s OK, because quality content is not instantaneous. Real photographers are happy to wait, to adapt and to create a space for themselves. Keen to see more? Follow Hywel’s journey on Instagram at @hywelwilliamsphoto or visit his website at www.hywelwilliams.com.

ENTERTAINMENT

Above: Simon Hunt, AKA SiFi plays a New Year’s Eve show at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine Right: Simon Hunt at his home recording studio. Photo: Alex Cooper/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

SiFi setting electronic music world on fire Simon Hunt, aka SiFi, combines electronic music with live drumming By Alex Cooper

Simon Hunt might be the only DJ in the world whose home studio is lined with books on wildfire protection. Behind the speakers, behind the drums, behind the turntables, behind the synthesizer, and behind the sequencer lies shelves of thick books and binders about subjects like helicopter rescue, wildfire behaviour, and emergency leadership. There’s also a letter from the Clerk of the Privy Council commending Hunt on his service in rescue work, and a VIP pass to Shambhala. That’s because Hunt spent 22 summers of life fighting wildfires before taking a sabbatical to focus on his music career as SiFi. Hunt, as SiFi, is making a name for himself in the world of electronic music by combining DJing with live drumming – a synthesis that gives his show a propulsive energy that appeals to both electronic music fans and purists of live instruments. “DJ’s are a dime a dozen. Bands are a dime a dozen. But who’s performing and DJing at the same time?” he said one morning in his basement studio. Hunt has been drumming since he was a teenager, but his start goes back even further when he would bang on pots and pans as a kid. His inspiration to take up the instrument was Van Halen’s ‘80s hard rock hit ‘Panama,’ featuring Alex Van Halen on drums, he recalled. “Something just switched on in me and I said that’s what I want to do.” Over the years his musical influences diversified, ranging from James Brown to the Police, but when the millennium turned, he became inspired by Radiohead, which was experimenting with electronic music, but with really precise drumming. “They really helped stretch my brain,” Hunt said. Hunt played in several bands over the years, particularly funk groups, but he wasn’t turned onto electronic music until a trip to Shambhala with a friend in 2010. 34

That experience opened his ears to a whole new world of music and inspired him to become a DJ. “The whole thing with DJing is it’s a rabbit hole. You can as deep as you want to dive into it,” he said. Hunt set out learning how to DJ, working on mixing tracks and building up rhythms to get people dancing. He likened it playing with Lego, only with music tracks instead of pieces, fitting them together to create something larger than the whole. What set him apart was his ability to drum along — not just on the beat, but using a unique style he dubbed “dropkick” drumming. In essence, what he does is set the music playing, then he comes in on drums just behind the beat of the song. It’s a style he borrowed from early DJs who would drop the needle on a record on the backside of a beat, only he’s doing it with live drums. It’s a technique that took years of practice to get right. “I’m actually giving it a drop-kick,” he said. “That’s what separates my style from everyone else.” Last year, Hunt, 44, took a sabbatical from his job leading the wildfire team at Mount Revelstoke & Glacier National Parks so he could focus on his family and his music. He has two daughters at home and his wife Pauline has ALS, but he was also being encouraged by friends to pursue his music. Last summer he served as the public safety coordinator for Shambhala, and his dream is to play at the festival. His biggest gig of the summer was headlining LUNA Festival in downtown Revelstoke, closing the night with a back alley party where he was joined by singers Aza Deschamps, Krista Paterson, and Kaylee Knecht, saxophonist Sylvain Hebert, bassist Dave Marfleet, and Hunt’s friend Marc Wild, who also DJed and played guitar. The group had a throng of hundreds, if not 1,000, revelers dancing outdoors to his beats.

ENTERTAINMENT

“That Luna show was largely improvisational. That was also another element of what we call the new music,” Hunt said. “It’s way more spontaneous and way more engaging because the audience becomes a component of the music. They inspire you.” This summer, Hunt will once again be coordinating 1,000 staff and volunteers in his role with Shambhala. He’ll be leading a vast team of doctors, nurses, harm reduction workers, safety officers, and more before and during the event. In March, he’s playing a show in Nelson that he says is an audition to perform at the legendary electronic music festival. “I like to see my role is being the most caring person at the festival at which there’s so much love in the whole community,” he said.

And Hunt wonders if he can combine his career in wildfire and emergency management — it’s in his blood, he says — with his burgeoning music career, noting there could be room to work with numerous festivals on emergency planning. “I love making people happy,” he said. “That’s the bottom line, to see people out on the dance floor losing their inhibitions. Nothing makes me happier and inspires me to keep grooving and keep the beats going.” SiFI’s next Revelstoke is at the Traverse on April 6. The show will be a fundraiser for the Just for Kicks Dance Club and will start at 9 p.m. for those who like to get to bed before midnight.

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HEALTH

Kitchen craft Tips and tricks to make healthy home cooking feasible even when busy By Shannon MacLean, RHN, CHNC, BA-IR As nutrition awareness grows, our spare time seems to shrink. With family members, friends, and lovers discovering food sensitivities to dairy or gluten, or simply a desire to change their diet and eat less processed foods or meats, more time is required for cooking and the learning curve new habits require. The economics of home cooking are extremely positive. Not only do homecooked meals greatly lower money spent in restaurants or on processed foods at the grocery store, but the resulting increase in health, energy levels, and stable moods can lower money spent on sick days and illness, even improving earning power and quality of life. Yet a delicate balance seems to develop; could the stress of fitting it all in be worth it? Developing a system that works for you and your family, learning time-saving tricks, harnessing the ability to make healthy food delicious, and batch-cooking are all key to creating your own meals day after day while still having time to play.

Zen kitchen Organizing your kitchen is an important step toward wanting to be in it. Sort out where to source the food your need, acquire it, and then organize your kitchen so it’s user-friendly. Clean and organize your fridge and cupboards, putting bulk food in jars with labels, and donate unused utensils and doodads. Invest in the essentials you do need and set up your kitchen in a way that works for you and your cooking style. Avoid putting spices above your range, as they are heat-sensitive.

Your friendly freezer When it comes to kitchen efficiency and easy meals in a pinch, the freezer is your friend. Make extra when preparing soup, stews, hearty meals, bars, and balls, then freeze for future use. Mason jars work well for this, but to avoid cracked glass, make sure to let food cool and leave headspace before freezing.

Simple swap-outs Getting to know some easy swap outs can make eliminating gluten, dairy, or processed foods a lot easier. Instead of toast, try slicing a large sweet potato. Toast or roast a bunch at once, and top with your favorite toppings, or fill with goods as a sandwich standby, saving extra to re-heat throughout the week. Instead of wheat-based wraps, use large romaine lettuce leaves. Nutritional yeast sprinkled on food provides a cheesy taste (as well as stress-busting B vitamins), sans dairy. When making pesto, replace the Parmesan with hemp hearts for similar creaminess. Blend 1 tablespoon nut butter with 1 cup of water for

a creamy nut mylk and great alternative to cow’s milk. Blender crepes couldn’t be easier: blend 2 eggs with 1 banana and fry as usual.

Get saucy Having quick, go-to sauces that elevate flavor, inspiration, and the ability to throw together a meal is a big win. Make one or two dressings weekly so you can pour over dark leafy greens for salad, over roasted vegetables, or added to grains and greens for a quick meal. Dressing could be as easy as olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, and sea salt. Tahini sauce tastes good on most savory food, and can be made by mixing tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, sea salt, and water to taste/consistency. Dip can be as simple as simmering dehydrated bean flakes in water, adding some cumin and sea salt, and squeezing in some lime juice.

Balancing act

Packing a lunch doesn’t have to be a daily chore if you use simple planning principles. or simply tired, load up your slow cooker or instant pot in the morning and come home to a hearty, fragrant stew after work.

Top it off Easily take simple, bland food to the next level by finishing it off with fresh herbs, toasted nuts or seeds, citrus zest, olive oil, ground black pepper, sea salt or all of the above!

Remember that balancing salt, sugar, acid, and fat are the keys to making your taste buds sing. Any salad, for example, can be made delicious by combining vegetables and/or grains with sea salt, olive oil, and lemon juice. Salt options include miso, (gluten-free) tamari, and sea salt. Add sweetness to meals with honey, maple syrup, dates, balsamic vinegar, root vegetables, fresh fruit, or coconut sugar. Acid sources can include apple cider vinegar or citrus juice. If a meal tastes off or bland, check in with those, asking yourself which one is missing or imbalanced, and counter-balance accordingly.

SHANNON MACLEAN

RHN, CHNC, BA-IR

Batch cooking Reserving 2–3 hours once a week to batch cook pays off all week long. Try starting with roasting a whole chicken. Once cooked, remove chicken, using the carcass to make bone broth. Bone broth can be used throughout the week for quick soups, miso, or ramen noodle bowls. (Vegetarians can make a pots of grains and beans instead.) Roast a bunch of root vegetables as well as a pan of cauliflower and broccoli. Meanwhile, chop up some dark leafy greens and boil a carton of eggs. You’re ready for the week!

Fast food, slow cooked Getting machines working for you almost always increases efficiency. When I’ve got a house clean-up ahead of me, I always start with running the dishwasher and washing machine. Cooking can be the same; if you’re feeling uninspired

Shannon MacLean is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with a BA in International Relations. Open for bookings at Balu Yoga and Wellness, she is currently studying Functional Medicine and is passionate about wild foraging, recipe creation, and all things health and wellness.

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