2073
Over 6 weeks this fall, Tourism Revelstoke collected survey responses on our Destination Management Planning Survey. Over 1100 residents responded, giving us valuable insights as we embark on planning for the future of tourism in Revelstoke.
Overall, Revelstoke residents rated the quality of life here as an 8/10. However, there is clearly a concern that the trajectory of the quality of life is decreasing, with 48% of respondents saying that the felt the quality of life was getting worse, 29% saying it seemed to be staying the same, and 23% saying it’s getting better.
Our residents love living here but are concerned about our future.
“People that get to enjoy the beauty get to enjoy their lifestyle here, and there are other people who are working their butts off that are just trying to survive in the same environment.”
It will come as no surprise to anyone reading this column that the issue of greatest concern to residents was affordable housing, with 74% of respondents rating it “Very important”. The next issues of concern were income & employment and mental health & wellbeing, which were essentially tied. 87% of residents surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that tourism in Revelstoke results in an increase in the cost of living.
We asked respondents to consider what they wanted Revelstoke to look like in 2073, with the idea that thinking so far into the future would encourage broader thinking and more ambitious idea generation. While many were hopeful about Revelstoke’s future, the trepidation was clear, particularly with respect to climate change.
“I think it would just be well balanced, especially in terms of housing. I don’t want to see what I see in a tourist town like Whistler. I worry that tourist towns aren’t communities anymore...We need to have people working here. We can’t just have people working from home. Yes, these people are working and contributing to society but they’re not really contributing to our community.”
“The world is going to be a very different place if we as a human race cannot address climate change.”
“A thriving Revelstoke in 2073 in my eyes is a Revelstoke with greatly increased cultural diversity that maintains the identity that makes the town unique”
“[I hope in 2073 we have] taken serious action against climate change. If our lives look anything like they do now, we’ve done something right. We would be lucky to have the same.”
Our job in better managing tourism in Revelstoke is clear. We need to ensure that tourism makes residents’ lives more liveable rather than contributing to unaffordability. Tourism Revelstoke’s Destination Management Plan, along with full survey results, will be released in 2023.
To read previous Tourism Talks columns or to learn about destination management in Revelstoke, head to destinationrevelstoke.com.
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.
We are an independent, locally owned publication dedicated to showcasing our amazing mountain town and the great people who create the stoke.
Each issue we distribute 2,000 copies to public venues across Revelstoke, including hotel rooms, shops, restaurants, cafes, community centres — everywhere people meet.
For all inquiries, please contact us at info@revelstokemountaineer.com
For Revelstoke daily news online, please see our sister publication www.revelstokemountaineer.com 250 814 8710 info@revelstokemountaineer.com 606 Railway Avenue. Revelstoke, B.C. P.O. BOX 112 · V0E 2S0
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Aaron Orlando aaron@revelstokemountaineer.com
EDITOR
Aaron Orlando aaron@revelstokemountaineer.com
STAFF JOURNALISTS
Nora Hughes nora@revelstokemountaineer.com
EDITORIAL DESIGN/ADVERTISING DESIGN
Chris Payne chris@revelstokemountaineer.com
WEBSITE Chris Payne chris@revelstokemountaineer.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS
COVER PHOTO: In our January, 2023 cover photo by Revelstoke adventure sports photographer Daniel Stewart, snowboarder Dustin Craven is captured in the Revelstoke backcountry using infrared photography. Stewart’s series of infrared photos, called InfraRAD, is featured in the main hall of the January exhibit at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre. Stewart took an interest in infrared photography in 2020, noticing there weren’t many action sports photographers working in the genre. Stewart modified his camera equipment and tackled the technical challenges of shooting moving sequences in infrared to create an ongoing series of infrared works. His works have been featured in the Red Bull Illume contest, gallery and book. Check out our feature on the show on page 16.
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Benji Lowclass
Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine ’s January 2023 issue is the first of 12 monthly issues for the year, a resumption of our normal full publishing schedule for the new year.
For the January issue, we focused on new beginnings, bringing you stories of several new initiatives in the community.
Our business beat column explores new ownership and business ventures in the community.
Our story on photographer Daniel Stewart’s exhibit, InfraRAD, featured at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre in January, shares the story of seeing things in new ways. We’ve also got previews of the winter season arts calendar for visual and performing arts in our briefs section.
Also new on the arts scene is the Revelstoke Outdoor Art Movement, an outdoor exhibit featuring works from Revelstoke artists hidden in the snow among the trees. Find out about who’s behind the initiative in this issue.
Revelstoke’s winter clubs have a lot on the go for 2023. In our Winter Clubs section, we checked in with community groups providing outdoor amenities for residents to find out what’s new this snow season.
Hopefully, the pandemic years have been
a learning experience for us all. January is a traditional time to take stock and focus on health, so we invited nine Revelstoke health practitioners and asked them to share what they’ve learned about health through the experience.
In her story, Nora Hughes explores Mountain Archives, an artistic experiment making old photographic film forms new again.
In our briefs section, we explore the return of the rail jam competition series at RMR, a new lunch initiative by the Neighbourhood Kitchen, an award for the Local Food Initiative’s Farmers Market, and a survey looking into the future of biking in Revelstoke.
We hope the new year brings hopeful new beginnings for you!
—Aaron Orlando, BA, MJ; Creative Director, Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine, revelstokemountaineer.com
News and community briefs: Our summary of notable Revelstoke news items from the past month.
We checked in with Revelstoke’s winter-sports oriented clubs for an update on what’s new in 2023.
Find out what’s happening in Revelstoke this January in the Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine events calendar.
Backcountry planning: An initiative to cooperate in the increasingly busy Revelstoke backcountry leads to a larger conversation about planning for recreational backcountry use.
14
ARTS
We look at what’s on the agenda for the Revelstoke arts scene in January.
16
INFRARAD EXHIBIT
Revelstoke action photographer
Daniel Stewart’s infrared photography series has been featured in the Red Bull Illume contest and book and now showcases in the main gallery for the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre’s January show.
January is a time for renewal. We spoke with nine local health practitioners to share the lessons they have learned about health over the past few years of disruption.
24
The Mair Home, an impressive Airport Way build that blends traditional Revelstoke materials with inspired design, is the most recent the evolving Revelstoke mountain home aesthetic. 28
Canadian Pacific Railway on the Revelstoke Division: Long-time Revelstoke Railway Museum volunteer Doug Mayer has spent the last five years unearthing and publishing information about CPR’s Revelstoke Division to benefit the museum. Now, he has released a new book in his ongoing series.
30
Mountain archives: A new Revelstoke initiative revives the analogue aesthetic using film. We checked in with local photographers.
32
Explore a new outdoors art gallery, part of Revelstoke’s ever-growing free outdoor arts scene. 34
REVELSTOKE BUSINESS BUZZ
Business beat: We explore changes to the Revelstoke business landscape, including new ownership and direction for local businesses.
THE REVELSTOKE LOCAL FOOD INITIATIVE FARMERS’ MARKET HAS BEEN AWARDED “MOST OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY IMPACT” AMONG MARKETS ACROSS B.C. THIS YEAR.
By Nora Hughes
Saturday mornings buzz with the bustle and babble of marketgoers. The heart of Revelstoke is lined with stalls in the spring, summer and fall, bursting with local goods. For many, the Revelstoke Local Food Initiative Farmers’ Market is a social hub — more than just a place to shop. Revelstoke’s LFI Farmers’ Market was awarded ‘Most Outstanding Community Impact’ among medium-sized farmers’ markets across B.C. this year. The award, presented by the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets, recognizes the foundation of community that is at the core of the local market. The BC Association of Farmers’ Markets is a non-profit organization committed to supporting, developing, and strengthening farmers’ markets in all regions of British Columbia.
“We’re thrilled to recognize Revelstoke Local Food Initiative Farmers’ Market for their community impact and a very successful season,” says Heather O’Hara, Executive Director at the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets. “This year, the market recorded a record high in Farmer Market Nutrition Coupon reimbursements, supported a Local Food Initiative booth sharing gardening tips and community events and offered over fifteen community groups the opportunity to have their own booth at the market to promote causes that are important to the community. There is lots to celebrate!”
The market is organized by the Local Food Initiative (LFI), a non-profit based in Revelstoke that is focused on creating a vibrant, resilient local food system. The LFI began hosting their weekly Farmers’ Market in 2017. They are proud hosts to “super-local producers” including several farms, breweries and distilleries located less than two kilometres away. From balloon animals and sidewalk chalk masterpieces to live music, a wide variety of fresh produce and artisanal products, there’s something for everyone. “This award comes after a great season full of amazing Saturdays on First Street,” says Executive Director of Revelstoke Local Food Initiative Society Kelsey Gasparini. “The market moved back downtown this summer and brought with it a wave of excitement and a fantastic group of dedicated shoppers and producers.”
In the midst of a busy work day, most of us still try to squeeze in time for lunch. But if you don’t have much time, Community Connections’ Neighbourhood Kitchen has got you covered with hot lunches every Thursday.
With food prices rising, Neighbourhood Kitchen manager and chef Austin Luciow says more people are accessing Revelstoke's food bank, making it harder to keep shelves stocked.
To raise funds for food, the Neighbourhood Kitchen, located inside Community Connections Revelstoke Society's Outreach Building at 416 Second Street West, is offering hot lunches every Thursday for $10. The proceeds from the meals go into the food bank's meal program.
Delectable chili and cornbread, minestrone soup and breaded mac and cheese are examples of December’s weekly meals.
Any meals not sold are cooled and given out in the food bank the following Friday.
"We thought we should give the community the opportunity to have a hot ready-to-eat meal for $10 as well as help the food bank raise money to offer more meals to the clients we serve," says Luciow.
Meals are hot, packaged, and ready to grab and go to fit into most lunch schedules. Customers can pick up lunches at the Outreach Building on Thursdays between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. No pre-order is necessary.
Social media posts on the CCRS and Neighbourhood Kitchen's Facebook and Instagram will let customers know about the week's meal. Meals can be pre-ordered individually or for the whole office by emailing kitchen@ community-connections.ca or messaging the Neighbourhood Kitchen
The hot lunch Thursdays will continue into the New Year and are made possible with the help of numerous kitchen volunteers. If you want to help make lunches or have ideas of what you would like to see made, email aluciow@community-connections.ca.
Real estate: those two words are almost as popular as fresh snow in Revelstoke. Before I was ever involved in the profession it was always a popular topic of conversation around town. Today even more so as Revelstoke has become a go to destination on the global ski scene.
If you haven’t had the pleasure, my name is Tara Sutherland and I am a Realtor® with Re/Max Revelstoke. I’ve held this licence since 2016. I’ve worked on over 300 transactions and am still seeing the local market evolve on a regular basis as outside influences make an impact.
A nice way to start the new year is always to reflect on the previous year.
In November, 10 single family homes were sold and in total there were 13 transactions. Total transactions include strata properties, single family homes, vacant residential lots, and manufactured homes on leasehold land. The transactions include info on the MLS only and does not include private sales. November 2021 also closed out with 10 single family home sales but 19 transactions in total.
Of the 10 sales in November 2022, the average sale price was approximately $864,900, down marginally from November 2021, with an average sale price of $889,530.
Currently there are 42 single family homes listed for sale, which is almost double when compared to November 2021, when 21 homes were listed.
Homes sold on average after 61 days on market in 2022, compared to 48 in November 2021. The take away? Property is still selling, albeit for marginally less than last year, and sales are taking a few weeks longer.
We have seen prices subdue marginally as interest rates spiked; however, it appears but the market in Revelstoke has remained strong. With another interest rate increase looming for 2023, the impact may be an equalizing of sale prices to offset the increased cost of lending.
* info taken from the MLS for only the Revelstoke Area on December 22, 2022.
Winter is where it’s at here in Revelstoke and our community clubs are stoked to get people involved in all sorts of ways. No matter how you choose to slip, slide or shred on the snow and ice, there’s a group of volunteers and enthusiasts ready to welcome you in.
For our Revelstoke winter clubs feature, we invited local winter sports activity clubs and club-like organizations to tell us about their club, share an update on their activities, and let us in on what they have planned this season.
Established: 1963
Members: RMHA has over 121 enrollments between the ages of 3 and 15, there are 20 board member and over 25 certified coaches
CLUB UPDATE: RMHA is committed to providing the children of our community the opportunity to play league hockey in an environment which promotes and teaches all aspects of the sport. Children as young as three–18 can enroll. Our programs aim to promote teamwork, respect in sports, personal growth, building new friendships and of course the love of the game
The newest addition to our club is The Stoke Cubs. This all-female hockey program was introduced by Stephanie Miller in 2019. The traction this program has gained within three years has been astounding, with 28 females enrolled ranging from 3 to 11 years old. This has undoubtedly been a huge success in inspiring the female athletes of our community to participate in a largely male dominant sport. We hope to continue to build this program to level where our teams can participate in female league play within the B.C. Interior
We have been grateful for the return of normalcy not only in our lives but in sports and recreation. After years of not being able to host tournaments and team events, we are back at it! U7, U9, U11, U13 and the Stoke Cubs hosted tournaments in the month of November and December.
We are happy to announce that for the first time in six years RMHA is projecting having enough kids to form a U-15 team. Through the hard work of our board members, coaches and parent groups we have seen a steady increase in registrations over the last five years. A special thanks goes to Stephanie Miller of the Stoke Cubs and Ryan Parent of the Revelstoke Grizzlies in their contribution to adding programs that have help minor hockey's success in our community.
Established: 1891
Members: Last season, 1,194, this year counting and growing
CLUB UPDATE: Our mandate is to promote cross-country skiing as a lifelong sport and as a basis for a healthy lifestyle, to assist individuals with the development of their skills, to provide training opportunities and support for those wishing to take up competitive skiing and to participate in races. In summary, get people outside to be active and have fun in the winter!
We are a vibrant, welcoming community that enjoys winter nature while propelling ourselves along on skinny skis. From our youngest member, who is one-year-old, to our eldest in their 90s, you'll see us rippin' & moseying along the 30 kilometres of trails at all times, day and evenings (six kilometres of lit trails). Cross-country skiing is a sport to be done at your pace/distance in the company you choose, whether it be fury (on our dog loop) or human.
Our lodge, where you can gear up, relax, grab a bite, meet other skiers or enjoy the stove's warmth, is open to the public 9 a.m.–9 p.m. daily.
To help facilitate getting folks out skiing, we keep our membership and day ticket prices low. We also have free rentals for youth 18 and under.
We love to bring our community together, often in costume! Here is what's happening this season:
- Free day: Dec. 14
- Races: Feb. 18-19
- Headlamp Heroes: Dec. 21, Jan. 25, Feb. 15
- Lantern Ski: Jan. 1
- Team Scream: Feb. 11
- Poker Ski: March 12
- Social meet-ups (e.g. Parents and tots): details found on our web events page
- Lessons/Clinics: See our lesson webpage. Make sure to check our events page for the latest scoop: https://www.revelstokenordic.org/events/
Established: 1899
Members: 150
CLUB UPDATE: The Revelstoke Curling Club Mission Statement: The Revelstoke Curling Club provides a welcoming and affordable environment to people of all ages and abilities to promote friendship, sportsmanship and skill development through the sport of curling.
The Revelstoke Curling Club is excited to move forward into a new chapter as we engage with the community to increase membership, junior participation and the overall usage of the curling facility. We've seen an amazing increase of nearly 50 per cent in league membership from last season. The club board of directors has welcomed a new president and has filled another director position to complement the other experienced members on the board.
Our stick curling league gives an opportunity for curlers of all physical abilities a chance to play. The club volunteers are bringing back the school programs and have curling sessions planned for all of our local elementary schools. The club will also be able to host our annual Revelstoke Bonspiel again which welcomes local and out of town teams to a friendly weekend tournament.
Ongoing ice improvements continue with a new dehumidifier, upgraded ice shaver blades and LED lighting projects underway.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
-Monday, Wednesday, Thursday evening curling leagues
-Tuesday afternoon stick curling league
-Revelstoke Open Bonspiel March 3–5
-School Curling Programs
-Special Olympics BC Curling Program
-Spring Curling League
-For private ice and lounge rentals contact revcurler@gmail.com, rentals include complimentary lessons and basic equipment!
The club promotes the safe and responsible use of snowmobiles and encourages all snowmobilers to practice environmental awareness while using the backcountry.
UPCOMING EVENTS: Family Day, February 18 Annual Vintage Ride, March 4
Established: National: 1906; Local: 2018 Members: About 400
CLUB UPDATE: As a local section of the Alpine Club of Canada, we promote alpine experiences, knowledge and culture, responsible access, and excellence in mountain skills and leadership. We do this through building a community of mountain recreation enthusiasts to grow and learn from, maintaining local trails, and offering skills and leadership courses.
We continue to grow and offer new activities and trips for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. There is always room for new people to get involved, so sign up for an upcoming trip or come on out to a meet-up and make some new friends!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
AST Courses
Wheeler and Asulkan Hut Trips
RMR Meet Ups
Nordic Ski Meet Ups
Ski/Split Touring Days
Winter Camping
and Allies to get out and active in nature. We aim to create safe spaces by increasing awareness and facilitating community here in Revelstoke.
In our past year, we have been able to host more events, including on-hill meetups, rail jams, and indoor and outdoor skateboarding meetups. This summer, we organized Revelstoke’s first pride event at Kovach Park. We know there are Queer people in Revelstoke, and our dream is to create community through visibility. We want people to know we're here, we're queer, and we want to have fun!
UPCOMING EVENTS: This upcoming winter, we are planning a variety of opportunities to connect with fellow Queers, including fires, rail jams, XC skiing nights, indoor skate nights, music events, bar nights and onresort ski/snowboard meetups. We are striving to grow as a collective by providing a diverse range of events for Queers and allies and increasing accessibility throughout our community.
Established: unsure
Members: 80 skaters, two coaches, tons of program assistants and volunteers
CLUB UPDATE: Our mission is to foster a love of skating, a sport that is affordable and accessible to everyone. The Revelstoke Skating Club encourages young skaters to develop strength and skills on the ice, fosters a sense of personal accomplishment through competition, promotes volunteerism and a sense of camraderie in being part of a group that works hard, mentors each other and performs together.
New this year is an early afternoon pre-can skate program for children up to 5 years old who have little or no experience on the ice — we still have some room in this program, and preschools are welcome to join as a group. We also have a growing adult skate program for adults wishing to enhance their skills or try something new.
UPCOMING EVENTS: Many of the star skaters will attend the Okanagan Regional Championships at the end of January in Vernon. And our biggest event of the year is the year end carnival taking place March 16. It will be an on-ice version of Mary Poppins!
Nordic Ski Meet Ups
Ski/Split Touring Days
Winter Camping
Established: 1968
Members: 1,022
CLUB UPDATE: Delivering a world class snowmobile experience for our club members and guest riders by offering the highest quality trails, warmup shelters and events. Collectively we strive to build a strong snowmobile community founded on respect for others and the environment. To be the global leader in sustainable snowmobile tourism, while continuing our environmental stewardship and protecting motorized backcountry access. Established in 1968, we are very proud to be one of the oldest and largest registered clubs in the province. The Revelstoke Snowmobile Club is a not-for-profit society holding a partnership agreement with Recreation Sites and Trails BC to maintain 150 kilometres of trails, two staging areas, and emergency shelters on Boulder Mountain and Frisby Ridge.
Established: Winter 2021 Members: We have a small group of organizers, and our goal is to be ever-expanding!
CLUB UPDATE: We are an inclusive multisport group encouraging Queers, Femmes, Poly Folk,
Established: 1891 Members: 157
CLUB UPDATE: The Revelstoke Ski Club is a non-profit youth sports organization that provides alpine skiing programming for athletes aged 6 to 17 and provides a fun social community for parents and volunteers. We pride ourselves on offering the most affordable ski programming in all of B.C. Our goal is to instill a love for skiing at a very young age, with hopes of creating a passion that lasts a lifetime.
The 2023 season has brought along some big changes in our club. Most notably, we have hired a new Program Director, Mike Turnbull. He has been with the club as a coach for the last five years and could not be more excited to help the club grow and prosper. We are continually growing, hitting record registration numbers almost every year! This year our freeride program has seen the biggest increase in size with numbers totalling nearly 40 per cent of our core athletes. Revelstoke has the opportunity to produce some incredible freeride skiers and the hope is to continue that growth moving forward.
UPCOMING EVENTS: The ski club in partnership with Revelstoke Mountain Resort will be hosting two races this year. There will be athletes from all over the province coming to attend the U14 Provincials in April and athletes from around the Okanagan in February for the Nancy Green Race.
Daniel Stewart in the main gallery, Golden-based artist Jamie Kroeger in Gallery One, Golden’s Sabrina Curtis in Gallery Two, and artists Susie Kathol and Jenny Liski in Gallery Three. Show runs until Jan. 29.
REVELSTOKE GRIZZLIES
HOME GAME
@Revelstoke Forum, 7–9:15 p.m.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B hockey club takes on the North Okanagan Knights at the Revelstoke Forum.
REVELSTOKE GRIZZLIES
HOME GAME
@Revelstoke Forum, 7–9:15 p.m.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B hockey club takes on the Princeton Posse at the Revelstoke Forum.
Mile House Wranglers at the Revelstoke Forum.
GAMES FEST
@Revelstoke Secondary School, 1–5 p.m.
Come learn and play various tabletop games including Magic: The Gathering, D&D, Catan, and others. Free event.
REVELSTOKE GRIZZLIES
HOME GAME
@Revelstoke Forum, 7–9:15 p.m.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B hockey club takes on the 100 Mile House Wranglers at the Revelstoke Forum.
REVELSTOKE GRIZZLIES
HOME GAME
LANTERN SKI
@Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club 2265 Hwy 23 South, 4-8 p.m.
Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club hosts a magical evening of skiing by lantern light on the main loop.
REVELSTOKE GRIZZLIES
HOME GAME
@Revelstoke Forum, 7–9:15 p.m.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B hockey club takes on the Kamloops Storm at the Revelstoke Forum.
OPENING
@Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre
The RVAC January exhibit features Revelstoke photographer
BOARD GAMES NIGHT
@Okanagan Regional Library in Revelstoke, 5:30–7:30 pm
Join Okanagan College Revelstoke’s Volunteer Adult Tutoring Program and Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy at the Revelstoke Library for a fun night of board games. All ages are welcome.
WINTER MARKET
@Revelstoke Community Centre, 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Drop by the winter market to shop for fresh veggies, foods, arts, crafts and more.
REVELSTOKE GRIZZLIES
HOME GAME
@Revelstoke Forum, 7–9:15 p.m.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B hockey club takes on the 100
@Revelstoke Forum, 7–9:15 p.m.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B hockey club takes on the Kamloops Storm at the Revelstoke Forum.
DINE FOR REVY YOUTH
@Taco Club 206 Mackenzie Avenue. 5–10:30 p.m.
The Taco Club invites the community of Revelstoke to come together this holiday season to enjoy a delicious meal and raise money for the Youth Access Fund.
REVELSTOKE GRIZZLIES
HOME GAME
@Revelstoke Forum, 7–9:15 p.m.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B hockey club takes on the Grand Forks Border Bruins at the Revelstoke Forum.
@Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre, 7:30–9 p.m. $25
Relive the magic of Billy Joel and Elton John, two of the greatest piano players and songwriters with this legacy performance. Duelling pianos and magical performances that bring back memories of the iconic music we know and love. The critically acclaimed tribute salutes two of the greatest performers of our time.
REVELSTOKE GRIZZLIES HOME GAME
@Revelstoke Forum, 7–9:15 p.m.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B hockey club takes on the Chase Heat at the Revelstoke Forum.
FWQ 2STAR
@Revelstoke Mountain Resort, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Separate Reality will be closed January 21-22 for an IFSA-sanctioned Freeride World Qualifying 2* event in Separate Reality. IFSA FWQ competitive freeride events are open to adult athletes 18 and older. Come out and cheer in the athletes from the spectator zone, at the bottom of Separate Reality.
FWQ 4STAR
@Revelstoke Mountain Resort, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
An IFSA-sanctioned Freeride World Qualifying 4 event in North Bowl. IFSA FWQ competitive Freeride events are open to adult athletes 18 and older. Come out and cheer in the athletes as they huck their
meat
@Revelstoke Forum, 7–9:15 p.m.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B hockey club takes on the Sicamous Eagles at the Revelstoke Forum.
@Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre, 7:30 p.m. $15
The Territory provides an immersive on-the-ground look at the tireless fight of the Indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people against the encroaching deforestation brought by farmers and illegal settlers in the Brazilian Amazon. The film relies on vérité footage captured over three years as the community risks their lives to set up their own news media team in the
hopes of exposing the truth.
@Revelstoke Community Centre, 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Drop by the winter market to shop for fresh veggies, foods, arts, crafts and more.
@Revelstoke Mountain Resort, 4:30–7 p.m.
Monthly rail jams will be held on our custom rail park, built on the lower Last Spike under the Turtle Creek lights.
One of the beauties of living in Revelstoke is that you can access the backcountry almost anywhere — if you can see it, odds are you can ski, sled or shred it.
In the interest of managing and developing a sustainable tourism economy, the City of Revelstoke has begun work on Backcountry Recreation Access Planning. The project, led by the city’s Community Economic Development (CED) Department, provides a forum for collaboration between First Nations, regional government, provincial ministries, commercial tenure-holders and recreation groups.
CED contributed funding towards a research project on the State of the Backcountry, led by a Selkirk College research team. The study compiled publicly available data on existing tenure and uses to populate maps, which can be used to inform discussions with stakeholders, says CED in a document published in September 2022. After reading the document, we reached out to CED Director Ingrid Bron for an update on the project’s status but didn't receive a response.
The document says the project’s next steps are to develop a values-based approach to understanding and assessing commercial and recreational land uses in the region, led in conjunction with First Nations partners and with support from the province.
The goal is to develop a plan to guide recreational land use in the backcountry. With participation in backcountry activities like hiking, mountain biking, skiing and snowmobiling increasing in recent years, adventure tourism now makes sizable contributions to many local economies. Still, there are concerns about
the impacts of recreation on ecosystems, communities, and the quality of the recreational experience.
“Diverse groups representing industry, conservation, local government, First Nations, and citizens have expressed a desire to address these concerns by engaging in more careful management and planning of how, when and where humans recreate on public lands,” writes former city staff member Jamie Mayes, Economic Development Officer, in a report to council in January of 2021.
Backcountry use planning at the Gorge
Gorge Creek, located west of Revelstoke outside Malakwa, is a popular recreation, logging and commercial tenure area. The Gorge is the subject of early backcountry planning efforts.
The Gorge Ski Touring Association (GSTA) formed in early 2021 with a dream to preserve backcountry skiing by creating a non-motorized area for ski touring.
About an hour from Salmon Arm and Revelstoke, the Gorge is accessible, sheltered, sub-alpine terrain. Accessing the Gorge requires driving an active logging road for several kilometres. Driving the winding road requires an appropriate vehicle for the task and the use of a radio. It is illegal to snowmobile on an active forest service road (FSR). The area’s proximity, tricky access and sheltered terrain give it immense value to skiers and snowmobilers. It’s close to home, not crowded and an alternative to Roger’s Pass’s windswept alpine for ski touring.
Interim GSTA Chair Gordon Bose said that before the association, there were just a bunch of unorganized skiers with many different opinions. The formation of the GSTA has given non-motorized recreationists a voice in the future
planning of the area.
In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, there was an unspoken assumption that the Gorge was strictly non-motorized terrain. As sledding in the area became increasingly popular, there was pushback from the ski-touring community. The belief came from a provincial plan that designated the Gorge Creek area as non-motorized. However, the plan was never implemented.
“You know, we’d like to have this sandbox only for ourselves,” says Bose on behalf of the GTSA. “But it turns out we have to play nice in the sandbox with other people. So how are we going to make that happen?”
The GTSA developed a two-pronged approach to improve safety awareness in the area and interact with other recreational users.
Improving safety in the area means providing safety resources such as avalanche forecasting and safety tips for travelling FSRs. Although there are several stakeholders in Gorge Creek, such as K3 Cat Skiing and Eagle Pass Heli Skiing, the association engages most frequently with Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club.
“We’ve had a couple of meetings with them,” says Bose. “Just to discuss what the value of that area is to our user group and how other user groups impact our activities and vice versa.”
Bose says the club and the association have learned a lot about the value of the area for both parties that they were primarily unaware of before. Ski tourers value the area because of its pristine, safe terrain, and sledders value the region for the challenging terrain.
Bose says that there will be no big decisions made anytime soon, but beginning this winter, the GSTA is implementing a monitoring system and asking members and other users to record their experiences recreating or travelling through the Gorge Creek area. The association will use this data in future backcountry planning efforts in the Gorge.
For Revelstoke’s backcountry planning efforts, the process promises similar hurdles working towards the same goal of backcountry planning.
“This process will take time and expertise to guide conversations, identify diverse land use interests and enable the engagement of a wide diversity of stakeholders and user groups.” Mayes, former Economic Development Officer, says in the report to the council in January 2021. “If executed successfully, these efforts will result in local, regional and provincial economic benefits while supporting community values, mitigating negative impacts on the environment and on adjacent land uses, and minimizing user conflict. This endeavour will position our community, including residents of the municipality and CSRD Area B, to enjoy the long-term benefits of sustainable economic growth that go together with high-quality visitor experiences and the development of world-class recreational assets.”
Revelstoke Mountain Resort welcomes back its evening rail jam series this winter season. Once a month, skiers and riders are invited to gather at Turtle Creek to share their best tricks under the lights.
The event was put on hold during the pandemic and made an epic return in December. The events scheduled for January 28, February 21, and March 25, 2023, are easily accessible at the base of the mountain. Jams are held at RMR’s custom rail park, built on the lower Last Spike, lit by the Turtle Creek lights.
Rail jams are among the most grassroots of freestyle competitions. So grab your park set up and shred some steel in RMR’s village this season by signing up at Guest Services before the event between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. Or sway to the tunes clutching a hot cup of cocoa and watch participants compete for the top prizes.
Categories include male and female for both ski and snowboard disciplines. The event’s format is an open jam with prizes for the top three scores in each category and the best trick. Judges will choose the top three competitors based on the best tricks, creativity, and enthusiasm.
This event is spectator friendly, with excellent viewing from the Village base and the resort encourages the whole family to attend.
All competitors must register in Guest Services prior to riding the course. Registration closes at 4:30 p.m. on the event date unless sold out. Each event is limited to an athlete cap of 50 skiers and riders.
The season starts on Saturday, January 21, 2023, with Billy and Elton: The Legacy. The concert features the music from Billy Joel and Elton John performed by the multi-talented musicians Mick Dalla Vee and Michael Sicoly. This show marks the beginning of a packed winter line-up at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre.
In February Arts Revelstoke hosts a versatile array of performances. Threetime Canadian National Dance champion, Karima Essa, is Vancouver’s very own Bollywood star. A charismatic and passionate performer, choreographer and instructor, she has used her one-of-a-kind Bollywood talent to entertain diverse audiences at festivals, theatres and in schools across Canada.
Eight-piece band Oktopus from Montreal was nominated for album of the year at the 2018 Juno Awards. The band combines Quebecois sounds, Ashkenazi-flavoured Klezmer and the harmonies of the Balkans.
Fusion is a unique melding of artistic genres. The collaboration of worldrenowned composer and Kora Virtuoso Tunde Jegede, Cree hoop-dancer and musician Jessica McMann, and international classical violinist Daniel Bhattacharya combine for a unique partnership of music and dance.
For the family series, Crisis on Planet Z! is an environmental, sciencefiction play for young audiences.
Next up is the fabulous Standup comedian Jane Stanton. She headlines “Ha Ha Harem,” featuring comics Amber Harper Young and MC Sharon Mahoney.
For classical music lovers, La Cafamore is a chamber group based in Rossland which regularly tours the Kootenays.
Moving, hilarious, challenging, provocative, and inspirational Shane Koyczan has become a staple in schools for his impact and reach. Shane curates a kind of art gallery that displays sculptures of the human experience each time he speaks.
A recent survey circulated among mountain bike enthusiasts will help guide the Revelstoke Cycling Association's (RCA) planning, priorities and policies. The survey garnered 186 responses — 144 from members and 42 from nonmembers.
The association's Executive Director, Alex Cooper, says that the strong community engagement will help ensure the club continues to align with the community's values to focus its efforts. The survey asked questions about where people ride, what RCA prioritiesshould be, what policies should be considered, and where the association should prioritize trail maintenance, construction and new trails. The survey also welcomed comments for the club to explore.
"We've reviewed all the comments we received. Some of the feedback can be implemented immediately, while other comments will inform long-term planning," said Alex Cooper. "For example, the responses to our questions about trail maintenance will help inform our work plan for our trail crew in 2023. The question around opening up Frisby Ridge to e-bikes will be brought to our RSTBC officer in the spring so it can be implemented next summer. From a more long-term perspective, the questions about where people want new trails will inform our future trail development plans."
Results show that people want to see new trails developed at Sunnyside and for the club to prioritize trail maintenance at Macpherson. Survey respondents think it is very important for the association to maintain existing trails and develop new ones and place less importance on the RCA attracting out-of-town visitors and hosting major races.
By Nora Hughes
The survey also revealed that 67.7 per cent of respondents support the association exploring the possibility of opening Frisby Ridge to e-bikes. "Our biggest long-standing goal is to obtain a multi-year funding commitment for our trail maintenance program," says Cooper.
Revelstoke-based adventure sports photographer Daniel Stewart’s series of infrared photos are featured in the main gallery at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre’s January show, which opens with an evening reception on Jan. 5 and runs through Jan. 29.
Stewart took an interest in infrared images a few years ago but noticed a gap in action-oriented images in the format, so he converted his digital camera to shoot in infrared and created images of kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, biking and some traditional landscape photos of the Revelstoke region for this exhibit.
Two of Stewart’s images were selected for the 2021 Red Bull Illume photo book, an international compilation of the best of action sports photography.
In Gallery One, Golden-based jewelry and sculpture artist Jamie Kroeger exhibits A Part of Place, “an object- based exploration of the human connection to the outdoors. Using art jewellery as a method of portraying value and sentiment, themes of safety, equipment, work, experience and knowledge are the centralized narrative.” In the exhibit, the objects themselves act as nostalgic triggers while the specific use of materials.
In Gallery Two, Sab Curtis, also from Golden, presents Rewired — Transform from Within, featuring hyper-realistic acrylic paintings based on the Kootentays: "Art became the unexpected silver lining for Sabrina while recovering from a traumatic brain injury. In 2020, she put brush to canvas for the first time in her life as a therapeutic outlet and she has not stopped since.” In Gallery Three, Revelstoke’s Susie Kathol and Kelowna’s Jenny Liski, “have teamed up to relive their favorite childhood (and adulthood) experiences and explore aquatic life together through painting and ceramics” in their exhibit Echo Lake. Kathol presents sgraffito carved pottery and Liski fine detailed illustration with acrylic depicting insects, plants, and animals in this exhibit named after a popular local swimming lake.
Revelstoke photographer Daniel Stewart’s series of 20 infrared adventure sports and landscape acrylic images, InfraRAD, will be featured in the main hall at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre’s January show.
Revelstoke-based Stewart works as a photographer for Selkirk Tangiers, works closely with professional athletes like skier Sammy Carlson and snowboarder Dustin Craven, and is often featured in mountain adventure publications. In 2020, he took an interest in infrared photography, but the images he saw didn't reflect the outdoor action sports genre he works in, so he took a deep dive into the genre to explore how he could use infrared to capture his world.
Forms of infrared photography have been around for over a century, and the genre has come in and out of vogue. Infrared was often used to solve technical issues, such as for aerial photography that could penetrate cloud cover, or for military applications such as camouflage detection.
Artistically, its look has been in and out of vogue, such as during the psychedelic era in the '60s and graced album covers from recording artists like Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead.
One reason it's not as prevalent in contemporary digital photography is modern digital camera sensors filter out the infrared spectrum, so expensive conversions or conversion kits are needed to make it work.
Stewart worked with New York-based Kolari Vision, a photography
technology company focusing on infrared photography. They convert cameras and offer drop-in filters that help the digital sensors translate the input into an infrared spectrum.
Even if you have the conversion kit, one reason they’re not prevalent in action sports, Stewart learned, is the technical challenges of shooting action, including the need for complex manual focusing.
For Stewart, creating the exhibit has been a challenge and a journey. He has worked full-time as a commercial and action photographer since 2016, facing the challenges of making a living in a craft where paycheques aren't consistent. “Photography is my livelihood now. I have been very much focused on surviving," he said.
Allowing himself a sojourn into infrared allowed him to refocus on photography as a creative outlet. “It has been very scary,” he said.
But with encouragement from those close to him and encouraging results from his experiments, he pressed on, shooting kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, biking and landscapes. The results have been personally rewarding and gained recognition. Two infrared (and one regular) images were selected for inclusion in the Red Bull Illume contest and resulting photo book, one of the most prestigious selections in the adventure sports photography world.
His infrared exploration was an artistic departure that allowed him to reclaim the creative space. “It was almost like learning about taking photography all over again but getting super creative,” he said. “It seems like everywhere I brought it forward it’s turned into something
bigger than I thought it’d be. Infrared photography has allowed me to take photography back in the way that it’s a creative outlet.
The exhibit features 20 images printed on acrylic to help make the focus and images pop. Stewart has partnered with Armada Skis and Nitro Snowboards to create a pair of skis and a board with photos from the series to be featured in the exhibit.
The exhibit at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre features an exhibit opening on the evening of Jan. 5 and the show runs until Jan. 29. The exhibit features works by Jamie Kroeger in Gallery One, Sabrina Curtis in Gallery Two and works by Susie Kathol and Jenny Liski in Gallery Three.
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Infrared photography expresses a spectrum of light beyond what the eye can see. In this photo from the Shelter Bay area, the chlorophyll in the tree shows up as a dark red hue.
The past few years have turned everything we know upside down. Health and wellness are no exception. Our social, emotional and physical health has taken a tumultuous ride and normal as we knew it is a thing of the past. To start this new year, we reached out for some advice on navigating this new normal.
We asked some of Revelstoke's health and wellness professionals what the past few years have taught them about health and wellness and what advice they would give about navigating the year ahead.
By Nora Hughes
Manual Osteopathic Therapist and Athletic Therapist Keystone Health
On a smaller scale, an injury could have a “COVID” effect on your life and force you to be isolated for some time. More than before, you may realize the importance of social connections in your life, and physical activities can be a way to cultivate those cherished bonds.
Many folks in Revelstoke are hardcore when it comes to outdoor activities, and it may be one of your ways to enjoy life. At New Year, perhaps you will take time to reflect on what are your new objectives or adventures you want to achieve in 2023? Well, well, I have two pieces of advice for you crazy gals and fellas.
First, include friends or family in your objectives; it’s way more fun together!
Second, think about the steps to get there and how you can gradually increase your capacity. Many kinds of research show that spikes in training load put you at greater risk of injury. Detraining during a certain amount of time can be as detrimental as overtraining. Training hard and doing your activities “consistently” will help you to create positive physical adaptions and stay healthy and active with your friends. In other words, plan well your shoulder seasons!
Dr. Kim
Naturopathic Doctor, Revelstoke Osteopathy & Wellness
You are unique. Your lived experience is unlike anyone else’s. How you arrived here today is completely different from the next person. You have a unique set of needs, emotions, beliefs, characteristics, idiosyncrasies, and genetics. Nothing in this world is a one size fits all, and this is especially true when it comes to your health. Your health is the most valuable thing you own; without it, your quality of life changes.
These past few years hit a little differently and in a variety of ways. One common thread for most was the toll it took on our nervous system. These years highlighted the need for nervous system support, not only in a burnout phase, but much earlier in order to foster resiliency. Our nervous system affects our energy, sleep, immune system, hormones, mood, cardiovascular system, metabolism, reproduction, and brain. The approach to best support your nervous system is as unique as you and how you experience the world. Revelstoke has many amazing practitioners with unique skills to help you achieve optimal health. I encourage you to curate a personalized healthcare TEAM. Surround yourself with people who want to see you thrive and work to optimize your unique health.
Interim Physiotherapist, Keystone Health
If COVID years taught me anything, it’s that health and wellness are not something that just happens but rather something that we must be mindful of. Over the last two years, we’ve all had to adapt to the new normal, which for our very active community included finding new ways to keep moving when our main outlets were shut down. My advice moving forward into the new year is to keep an open mind about what health and wellness look like — it’s different for everyone. Talk about your health and wellness with your support system, as it helps to remove the stigma and allows us to speak more freely about how we are really doing. Finally, my last piece of advice about navigating the new normal is to explore multiple activities that move and excite you. Movement is medicine, and that includes dance parties in the kitchen!
Registered Clinical Counsellor, Keystone Health
I have learned to live in the present moment, unable to predict the future in these unprecedented times. I came to accept that plans could be postponed or cancelled at a moment’s notice. This enhanced my gratitude for all I have been able to do, during the past few years and especially this year, where community events such as arts, sports, and social gatherings are back to normal. I experienced a deepening of connections with my friends, neighbours, and community through mutual support.
Moving forwards, my advice would be to adopt or continue mindfulness practices, such as meditation, yoga, and practicing gratitude, to help with being grounded and increase resilience for the inevitable challenges in life. Consider including movement you enjoy, bonus points for it being outside, extra bonus points for including connection with people, if that feels good for you. Examine your needs for social interaction and see where you’re at. Do you need more social time? Less social time? Or simply different social interactions? Everyone’s needs are different and there are plenty of opportunities locally to engage with people in a variety of ways. Give yourself permission to stay home sometimes if that is what you need.
Nancy HillierPhysiotherapist, Keystone Health
A constant in life is change, and adapting to change can be challenging, especially when the change creates restrictions outside of our comfort level. The past few years have opened my eyes more to the importance of what compassion is, and has made me more aware of how to meet people where they are. My profession is viewed as being very movement and physiologicalbased, with an emphasis on these components. I feel that an emphasis on selfcompassion, self-awareness and learning what our bodies need (meditation, art, music, sitting in nature, sitting still, etc.) to heal aside from performance/ movement progression is as important as the movement component. Wellness is a state of being and changes. Practice self-compassion; take a moment to listen to your bodies and take a moment to feel. This will help you understand what helps you mentally, socially and physically.
Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Jade Wellness Co.
It has reinforced the concept of connection. The health and well-being of one person, one group, or one community has a huge impact on the whole of humanity. In order to find true health, we need to consider the collective because individual health is not sustainable unless we are all taken care of. Our philosophy at Jade Wellness is to strive for strong personal health so that we may allow healing to occur for the patients we work with. Those people then have the capacity to spread health and happiness to those around them. Wishing everyone love, wellness and connection in 2023.
Emotional and mental health are directly related to what is happening below the neck. It's not a mind-over-matter problem; it's the collective of our whole system. If we're not taking care of ourselves; mind, body and spirit (soul) — our entire emotional system can collapse.
We understand that staying physically healthy requires being active most days; the same applies to our emotional well-being. We need practices for emotional health, which can include healthy food, meditation, counselling or therapy, yoga, time outdoors, breathwork, etc. Yet we do not have to do ALL the things. Not everything works for everybody, even if it works for most people. Our inner systems are all different, which means just because it works for one person doesn't mean it heals everyone.
Remaining soft and gentle with ourselves is essential to supporting our process. Coming together in community to practice yoga and other modalities that create connection is important. Keep company with like-minded people, people who prioritize emotional well-being. Be mindful of those who push their ideals and dogma onto you, and connect with those who work at it without being preachy.
The last three years have shown us that disconnection makes us unhealthy. Supporting both mind and body is a non-negotiable. Look at yourself as a whole and create habits that support your well-being. Being kind, patient, and gentle with ourselves are gifts of such high magnitude; remember to tend to yourself and seek help when you need.
Osteopathic Practitioner, Revelstoke Osteopathy and Wellness
While the culture within and between medical and paramedical practitioners is continuously evolving to find new ways of being inclusive and working with one another, these last few years showed us again the importance of being healthy and staying healthy. Continual education and a multidisciplinary approach to your own health is key to achieving this. As an Osteopathic Practitioner, I do my best to share my knowledge in my areas of expertise to my patients. When I feel that something is outside of my scope of practice or my knowledge is limited, I do not hesitate to refer my patients to other great practitioners that we have in town. My advice for this new year to my patients is to continue to explore what our practitioners offer, learn who is the right fit for you, and don't wait until there is a problem or the end of the year to book in your appointments. Find the balance that works for you.
Physiotherapist, Keystone Health
The past few years have been challenging for us all. My takeaway regarding the new normal is to focus on building strong connections and supports in all domains of health and wellness. Physical, emotional, and social health are all equally important, and each domain can impact the others both positively and/or negatively. Focusing on having a balance and taking care of all aspects of what we define as health and wellness are what will help us navigate the new normal. We are lucky to have so many wonderful wellness professionals located in Revelstoke who are willing to listen, connect and provide great education and care to us. To summarize, my advice would be to utilize the resources we have in Revelstoke to take care of all aspects of health and wellness as we have all realized, over the last few years, how interconnected each domain is.
But
are worth it!
4538 AIRPORT WAY INDUSTRIAL-SIZED SPACES RETROFIT TO ACCOMMODATE A FAMILY OF THREE, THIS HOUSE PUZZLED PASSERSBY AND WAS A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION. THE STORY BEHIND WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT AND WHY IS A TESTAMENT TO LOCAL DREAMERS.
By Jill MacdonaldAnyone who has driven south of town toward 12Mile beach or Echo Lake has witnessed the gradual progress of the 4538 Airport Way property. What at first looked li ke a clearcut and gravel pit became a small sawmill site with a large timber shell and a parking lot for heavy equipment. It was eyecatching, in the way of a visual puzzle, a what-theheck is going on there pondering. Maybe some not kind thoughts came to mind.
Full disclosure: Given the recent surge in our city of large, modern mountain style architecture, I was one of those people who questioned the development. Although I knew nothing of the owners or their intentions, I felt disappointed. Why another giant home, what relevance did it have to its surroundings? If I am going to be honest, I was judgmental.
Happily, fate delivered me a knock on the head. By coincidence, I found myself invited in for a tour of the residence and as soon as I stepped inside, the beauty, craftsmanship and creativity on display smashed my perspective into its rightful place.
4538 Airport Way is a stunning portfolio of imagination, cross-pollination and the fusion of incredible local talent. Owners Dave and Pam Mair, along with Kyle Legate, are creating a Revelstoke legacy.
For those not familiar with Dave Mair, he is a long-time resident. For years he ran Silvertip
Aviation, working as a bush pilot and heavy equipment operator. While grading roads, Dave met Kyle, a certified carpenter who was in charge of maintenance at a CMH lodge. They hit it off right away. The two discovered they were kindred spirits with a shared craze for wood and building with logs. Ideas flowed. Brainstorming followed. Dave said, “Let’s do this.” And the project at Airport Way began.
They built a massive shop. Large enough to manage the size of their ideas.
Pam: “If I knew what I was getting into, I never would have agreed.”
The property became a sawmill site. The shop rose up, wings were added on and at some point, a road across the rocky outcrop behind the building appeared. Logs and wood piles were the landscaping. From a distance, the property lacked coherence. Yet it was clear that something large was at work. The place was a hive of hidden activity.
Fast forward to 2021. A plateau of progress gave way to visible changes. The building took on definition, some additional landscaping happened and the sawmill was running full-time. The backstory from Pam goes like this. “We sold our house on Hay Road. Dave brings me here and Kyle asks, where would you like the kitchen? How about the windows?” The crucible had birthed. This was to be their new home.
Top left:
Top right: Artist Alicia Gilmour collected scraps of wood from the project to create two panels featured in the home's living space.
Right: Designer Heidi Hopkins helped Pam Mair envision an inviting, homey kitchen in a large space. Walk-through pantry leads to Pam's lavender laboratory.
The Mairs gave themselves a year to move in. Pam walked through the industrial-sized spaces and tried to envision a home. There were massive posts, enormous ceilings and no defined points of entry. Working full-time as a school principal, Pam’s bandwidth was limited. She called on local interior designer Heidi Hopkins for help.
Pam described the process of working with Heidi as an extended conversation. “We got to know each other. She helped me visualize the floorplan as we retrofit everything to suit our family.” Heidi divided the long wings into intimate spaces using offset doorways to create sight lines that would draw the eye through the interior.
Kyle talked them into round doorways. A local fabricator crafted wide steel arches and upon Heidi’s suggestion, rounded metal doors with glass insets to carry the effect through. They kept the space intimate by linking the living spaces with a flow-through kitchen.
Some of the home’s most unique and spectacular features happened by circumstance. Kyle and Dave moved the stairs from a wall into the middle of the living space, creating a floating steel and timber stairwell that pays homage to the home’s wooden beams. Thick plank treads showcase marks from the sawmill’s blades. The move also required a new entry to accommodate the changes and that led to the front door design. To hide the in-floor heating
infrastructure, Kyle borrowed techniques used in boat building to craft a curved, concave cabinet with an access panel that lifts out. Space between the shop and the kitchen was transformed into a walk-in pantry and workspace for Pam.
Treated with used engine oil and then torched to burn off the excess, the preserved timbers are burnished, black and smooth. Dave and Kyle both loved the wood look, seeing the grain outlined in shades of dark. They admired the steel doorways and the staircase as the metal oxidized from silver to brown. It was rustic. But for Pam, it became too much. There was wood on wood on wood. She took charge and when a window of opportunity presented itself, she whitewashed all the panelled walls with a translucent stain and painted the steel. Everyone agreed she was right. “The grain stands out better. Black painted metal has presence.” It was all part of the process of figuring things out.
(image: Portrait of Pam in front of the board and batten interior panelling – this was an outside wall)
This piece of land once belonged to Walter Kozek, a log scaler and mechanic who loved flowers and fruit trees. He lived a long life in Revelstoke
and his family is still here. Pam and Dave plan to honour that history by replanting Walter’s orchards on the land in their original locations. They also hope to build a barn. Pam’s retirement project is already underway; she planted four different types of lavender this year and intends to work her way into being a commercial farmer and fabricator. The laboratory is already in place, a full-scale space cached between the pantry and Dave’s shop where she can cook up her own experiments – lavender scents, soaps and candles.
What would Pam like people to know about her home? “Dave has touched every piece of wood in this building. All of it has meaning, it’s all from here. We only use local trades, we support local artists and we want everyone to know that we’re working as fast as we can!”
As for Dave, he was busy. It didn’t feel right to interrupt him.
Construction is nuts. The way things unfolded, the Mairs had a swimming pool before they had a front door. As passersby, we never know the whole story. The best part of this stunning local architecture is that it is not finished. It is a work in progress. Like most of us.
1. The central staircase was moved and recreated. Floating on steel girders, the slab treads were chosen for their visible sawblade marks.
2. Wood beams, milled by Dave Mair, were treated with used motor oil then torched and wire brushed to achieve smoothness and longevity.
3. Pam Mair's dream door was too heavy for any conventional hinges. Luckily, a set of old Brinks truck hinges were on hand.
4. Co-conspirators Dave Mair and Kyle Legate. From the crucible that began as a shop, a spectacular, contemporary home took shape.
5. Dave Mair working the mill. Every piece of wood in the home was fabricated by him.
6. Tiled shower (Jan Peterson) in the master bedroom. Heidi Hopkins divided up large spaces into functional, family-sized rooms.
7. Pam Mair in front of one of her inside walls that was once an outside wall. Bucking the all-wood trend, Pam insisted on whitewashing the panelling. She was right.
LONG-TIME REVELSTOKE RAILWAY MUSEUM VOLUNTEER DOUG MAYER HAS SPENT THE LAST FIVE YEARS UNEARTHING AND PUBLISHING INFORMATION ABOUT CPR’S REVELSTOKE DIVISION TO BENEFIT THE MUSEUM.
By Nora Hughes.
We sit in chairs behind the model display of Revelstoke’s favourite pasttime next to a workbench littered with hobby knives, sandpaper, and a slew of tiny foam trees as Doug tells me about his 40 or 50 years of research into railway history. Technically, the love affair goes back 65 years, when Doug’s parents bought him a Lionel train set for Christmas.
Despite the long run, Doug’s career as an industrial electrician for BC Hydro makes him an unlikely author to have published six books — working on a seventh — about the railway.
“I wasn’t a great student,” Doug says. “If you talk to my old English teachers in high school, they would be shocked that I wrote books that somebody wanted to read.”
Doug writes for two reasons: to tell the stories people don’t know and to help the Revelstoke Railway Museum. Doug volunteers his time and knowledge to the museum making these books. He insists on all the proceeds going to the museum and even pays any licensing fees on photographs.
“The bigger picture is that museums are in the learning business, and part of learning is disseminating knowledge,” says Jim Cullen, Revelstoke Railway Museum Director. “There’s a lot of museums that never publish a thing, and here we are — this little railway museum — and we’re on our sixth book. We punch above our weight.”
Doug’s books have a following. The museum has shipped copies worldwide, the farthest finding a home in Australia. They’ve sold out and had to reprint volumes to satisfy demand. Jim says the books go beyond pictures romanticizing the construction of the railway. They tell stories
untold with historical heft to back them up.
Doug gestures to the model of the Connaught Tunnel on the model railway display. It’s one of many impressive engineering feats housed along the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Revelstoke Division. Once the longest in North America, the tunnel opened in 1916 and is the subject of his sixth book, published for the Revelstoke Railway museum.
Doug’s series is called Canadian Pacific Railway on the Revelstoke Division. In volumes one through five, he tells stories of CPR’s Revelstoke Division which spans Field to Kamloops. Volume Six: The Connaught Tunnel — 106 Years of Service describes the history of one of Canada’s most remarkable engineering undertakings and forgotten stories of happenings on the railway.
Volume six is the largest book in the series, with three times the number of pages than the previous one.
When researching a book, Doug dives deep. He uncovers photos and information that were never published. He accesses private collections, seeks out faraway photographs and reads through archived communication letters.
When he started researching the Connaught Tunnel about 15 years ago, it wasn’t with the thought of writing a book; it was to figure out how to model the tunnel’s portal for the club’s modular layout.
The miniature building stands tall above the entrance to the tunnel. Two large fans sit inside the mill-like structure. Doug explains that a steam locomotive working east to west up the grade puts out a tremendous amount of exhaust
steam and carbon monoxide. The fans blow air through the tunnel against the climbing train to protect engine crews and passenger trains.
However, the current building doesn’t look like the model anymore. The tall roof that accommodated cranes — used to work on the diesel engines they once housed — burned down in the 1970s. When they rebuilt, modern machines didn’t need the same clearance, so the building is smaller. The original fans from 1916 are still there.
While researching the tunnel, Doug found himself in possession of an enor mous amount of information, some of it never told.
In volume six, Doug tells the story of a large steal locomotive stalling inside the tunnel because of slippery rails. No one knows how long the wheels were spinning, and the train was stationary, but the driving wheels on the locomotive were made from a much harder grade of steel than the rails they ran on and cre ated so much friction that the rails began to melt.
The book also contains stories about the time a glacial flood roared down from the Illecilliwaet Glacier, broke the tunnel’s retaining walls and flowed down onto the tracks, filling the tunnel portal opening at 22 feet high.
Around volume four, Doug started including more human interest in his books. The stories shifted to include lived experiences, such as the story of railway engineer, Matt Crawford, who went on to become the mayor of Kamloops.
“One of the key things in the book is that I didn't want the books to be a series of really nice photographs with captions that really don't say anything. Because there are lots of books like that,” Doug says. “When I look in the background of the photograph, I ask; what is that building? What is that person doing there? Well, why is that like that? You got to look at photos, not at the photo subject. That’s where the stories are.”
The construction of Revelstoke’s division of the railway was a massive undertaking. History was written and re-written as the rail snaked its way from Field, through Roger’s pass and on to Kamloops. Entire lives revolved around the railway.
For Jim, the railway holds a magnitude of meaning.
“All these prior generations grew up with railways. They sent telegrams through the railway companies, they stayed at railway hotels, they rode on trains, they saw brothers and uncles and dads go away to war on trains. There's this really intense life experience,” Jim explains. “They have a strong degree of nostalgia, and they have the experience that allows them to understand this stuff. Generations after me do not have a lived experience with railways. They have had none of those interactions with railways. We have to make meaning for them.”
Today, the railway doesn’t impact life as much as it used to. When you order something online, it shows up at the front door or the post office instead of at CP’s Freight Sheds.
“It's not how it was several years ago,” says Doug. “Everything that people bought in Revelstoke came to these freight sheds. Because the road from here to the Okanagan or to Kamloops was not a road that you drove lightly.”
While not everyone may have seen the construction of grand tunnels or waited anxiously for the train to pull into the station, residents of Revelstoke see trains every day. And while most haven’t dedicated a lifetime to the railway, the CPR’s Revelstoke Division has devoted its life to us.
THE ANALOGUE AESTHETIC IS ENJOYING A RESURGENCE, AND A REVELSTOKE RESIDENT IS PROVIDING RESOURCES TO OUR RURAL COMMUNITY TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE. WE CONTACTED LOCAL ENTHUSIASTS TO LEARN WHY THEY LOVE FILM PHOTOGRAPHY.
By Nora Hughes.It’s hard to understand the recent surge in film photography, a technology rendered obsolete by phones and digital cameras. Still, companies can’t keep up with the demand for 35mm film.
Kodak’s film finishing factory in Rochester, USA, hired over 350 new employees last year and put out a plea for 100 more to keep up with the increase in demand related to film photography. Fujifilm warns that their 35mm stock will be in short supply “for the time being” due to the resurgence in popularity and worldwide supply chain issues.
New films and cameras have even been made in response to the resurgence. The only problem is the price. According to Analogue Cafe — a site which collects data on film photography — the cost of film rose from USD $8.50 in November 2018 to $12.76 in February 2022.
Revelstoke photographer, Maxim B. Vidricaire, loves all things vintage, including film photography. He’s taking advantage of the resurgence of retro with his business Mountain Archives, which sells film and film cameras, retro outdoor wear and his own brand of clothing.
“It's a project I put together that takes three pillars, things I already love on a personal level. It’s film photography, vintage outdoor clothing, and a platform for new clothing, but done exceptionally well,” Maxim says about his e-commerce store. “I think there's been a huge resurgence, and not only film photography but also vintage outdoor clothing. And not just the idea of vintage but the idea of retro in general, [Mountain Archives] is a blending these worlds.”
Maxim thinks a few factors contribute to film photography’s resurgence.
“The two main ones I can think of are that a lot of people within this 20 to 40 range are kind of that phase in life where they have a little more disposable income,” he says. “It's also a way to hold
on to your childhood in a way. Most of us have gone through an age of disposable cameras, or parents having an old film camera, and there is something nostalgic about the imperfection amongst these images.”
Finding film in Revelstoke
Shooting film in Revelstoke can be an especially expensive hobby. Finding film is the first hurdle.
Revelstoke’s Pharmasave discontinued film in 2011. Photolab Manager Andrew Moore says that ten years later, people are asking for the retro rolls again. They stock the occasional roll of Fujifilm, but the supply chain and demand issues mentioned earlier are problematic.
One of the most expensive parts of film photography is getting the rolls developed. Back when Pharmasave had a processor, it was easy. Nowadays, only drug stores in large cities like Kamloops and Kelowna develop film, and even then, black and white film often needs to be sent to a designated photo lab because the developing process is different than C-41 colour film. Most drug stores can’t justify the cost of equipment for both types.
“The problem is the processors,” says Moore. “You have to run a certain minimum of film through the processors to keep the chemicals alive.”
To justify buying a processor for Pharmasave’s photo lab in Revelstoke, Moore says they’d have to develop roughly 50 rolls of film a week.
Mountain archives
Maxim loves to geek out on film. He loves to shoot Kodak Gold, develops his own colour film, and always scans his own images. With a background in finance, he’s also a bit of a numbers nerd. Through his business, Mountain Archives, Maxim is providing resources for film enthusiasts.
“If you think about it, you're already paying 15 bucks for the roll,” he explains. “You're paying
another $15 to $20 for processing and another $20 for shipping [to and from Revelstoke]. All of a sudden, your one roll of film from your holiday is like $50 or $60.”
When he posts his film photography from around Revelstoke, he’s flooded with messages from people asking where he gets his film developed.
Mountain Archives makes monthly bulk shipments to a designated lab in Kelowna called Valley Film Lab. This service eases the shipping prices that individuals typically face when mailing rolls from Revelstoke.
Mountain Archives also occasionally sells film cameras and stocks the coveted Kodak Gold 200.
In addition to Mountain Archives’ film assets, Maxim also offers a film-developing workshop at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre. He teaches the process, patience, and price to do it yourself.
In bringing these resources to Revelstoke, Maxim hopes to create a viable business from the film trend with a brand behind it. He hopes that one day, people will be able to search “film in Revelstoke,” and Mountain Archives will populate the page.
“There's a tendency to strive for perfection with digital image-making tools like phones or DSLRs, and we like to review that photo immediately,” says Maxim. “Then people want to redo stuff, and it takes away from the candidness. So the idea of slowing things down and really becoming more deliberate or thoughtful when you're taking the photo; I think that that's huge.”
For more on Maxim’s business, check out Mountain Archives on Instagram or mountainarchives.ca.
3 4 6 7
The Roxy Theatre / Rogers Pass snowshed. Both were
“Being very intentional with each and every shotgoing slow and appreciating the results.”
2. Phoebe Landers
“I do like the textures, but also the process of taking just one frame at a time and getting back a whole bunch of memories when I get a roll developed.”
3. Maxim B. Vidricaire
Lower McCrae Lake
“Shooting on film allows me to be more present and deliberate with my image-making. You never know what you will get from the roll, and you might not get anything at all.”
4. Jack Ryan
Skiing Granddaddy couloir in the ice fields parkway.
“The anticipation.”
5. Alex-Anne Flibotte
Beautiful view of the setting sunlight hitting the summit of McCrae
“The film is unique in the way it makes you feel, the emotions it evokes, and the memories it can bring back. It forces you to slow down and be totally absorbed in the shot. And finally, it’s exciting! You easily forget what you’ve taken, and getting all these little gems back once the development is over is so cool.”
6. Lucia Galiotto
Cortina d'Ampezzo, 2021
“I really like how the analog camera can reproduce colours in such a different way but at the same time so authentic. Another aspect is that it manages to transfer the softness of the grass and the hardness of the rock, which I cannot find in the digital image instead.”
7. Connor Furneaux
Taken at Gahnįhthah Mie (Rabbitkettle Lake) in Nahanni National Park. Gahnįhthah Mie is where we ended our 12-day trip down the Pipp'enéh łéetoó Deé (Brokenskull River). On the last morning before we flew home we went for a paddle on the lake. The lake was very calm, making for a perfect reflection. Shot on Nikon FM2 Kodak Ultramax 400iso
“As a photographer, it's so easy to hold the shutter and capture thousands of images. What I love about shooting film is that it really slows down the whole picture-taking process. Instead of just shooting everything, I am much more selective with the things that I want to shoot.”
8. Nolan Gale
Downtown Revelstoke on 35mm Portra 400.
By Nora Hughes.
Few people know the origin story of Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s mascot, Gnorm the Gnome, but that’s the way artist Jess Leahey wanted it to be. Jess’s husband, Troy, was the very first avalanche forecaster when the new resort opened in 2008, back when Revelstoke was one of the first destinations to receive an automated weather plot with a live webcam. Someone used to have to drive a sled up at 5 a.m. and take the results by hand.
“My sister had got us a gnome for our garden, and Troy picked it to place in front of the webcam as a visual height reference,” recalls Jess. “He was almost perfectly a foot tall. He was old and faded, so I painted him to look like a ski patroller … and the rest is history.”
Jess wasn’t an artist back then and was unaware of the significance Gnorm would have 15 years later.
“That little gnome got me a front-row seat to see the impact and reach of public art,” she says. “I learned that art could connect people with their environment in incredible ways … now everyone in town is a weather person on a 20-centimetre powder day.”
“I also learned that by giving physical presence to otherwise physically intangible things, you can connect a community. Public art does a lot of things. It creates gathering places, spreads joy, and contributes to a culture that is uniquely our own, one that belongs to everyone,” explains Jess. “My dream is to do that again with this project.”
The project she’s referring to has been secret until recently. There is no press release, no website or social channels. You don’t talk about ROAM.
ROAM stands for “Revelstoke Outdoor Art Movement.” The creative team behind the project consists of Jess, Rob Buchanan, and Lindsay and Rodney Payne.
Rob describes their not-so-secret goal to reimagine the ski hill with their ‘gravity galleries’ as a run-naissance in how the mountain is used — where art meets sport.
The team has installed several art pieces at RMR. The Mountaineer can’t disclose where they are; you’ll have to find them for yourself, or maybe you already have. In addition to Jess’s Cocoon, which debuted at LUNA Arts Fest this year, French Fries, the Wheel of Bad Advice, Tree Gnorms, and the Masterpiste Gallery are part of ten separate installations that will appear on the hill this season.
The paintings in the Masterpiste Gallery are all made from recycled skis, snowboards and climbing skins destined for the dump, Rob says. Le Reve Le Stoke by Pablo PaCatski was inspired by Pablo Picasso's Le Reve, Blue Nudeski by Henri MaPiste was inspired by Henri Matisse's Blue Nude, Selfski by Vincent van Snow was inspired by Vincent van Gogh's Self Portrait, and Self Portrait in a Velvet Snowboard by Skida Kahlo was inspired by Frida Kahlo's Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress.
The gravity galleries are designed so patrons can do a ‘highbrow snow plow’ through a selection of fine art.
“There's this great Andy Warhol-Banksy quote, Andy Warhol says, in the future, everyone will want to be famous for 15 minutes. And Banksy says, in the future, everyone will want to be anonymous for 15 minutes,” says Jess. “I think we just wanted to get away from social media. We wanted to be anonymous for a bit just to work the way we want to work with no deadlines, no pressure and feedback.”
ROAM intends to bring on more of Revy’s talented artists, and they can choose to put their names on their pieces or not, said Jess. The BIG goal, as Jess calls it, would be to be on-hill-curators for resorts across B.C.
“I feel like a lot of celebrity comes with this kind of stuff, and I’d rather give the energy to the participant, so they feel like they’re a part of something,” she says.
Secret art installations on ski hills have always been there if you know where to find them. If you know where the red phone is or the Easter eggs stashed around RMR, you’ll know the feeling these secrets inspire. It feels like it’s art for the locals. You only learn about it because somebody brought you there; you’re in on it.
“And that's the feeling I want people to feel — that belonging through this. And all happy to discover it,” says Jess. “Feel like they have some ownership in it.”
Top: The Explorer’s Society Hotel has been bought by Eleven Experience. The hotel will soon be renamed Eleven Revelstoke Lodge; the building will cater to all-inclusive experiences for guests.
Eleven Experience, an experiential travel company that started 11 years ago on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, just purchased their eleventh location at 111 First Street West in Revelstoke, formerly known as the Explorer’s Society Hotel.
Soon to be renamed Eleven Revelstoke Lodge, the family that owns the company purchased the building because they love the intimate vibe of the hotel.
“The family that owns Eleven really loves outdoor activities and everything that Revelstoke has to offer. And so skiing is a big passion of theirs,” says North American Operations
Manager Molly Minett. “They also like staying in intimate places, so they started with this company in Crested Butte, Colorado, and it just has grown from there.”
Molly says that among their 11 locations across the globe, Revelstoke is the most urban place they operate.
Right before COVID consumed the world, Eleven Experience purchased Kingfisher Heliskiing, a heli-ski company that formally operated near Nakusp. Together the businesses will operate out of the hotel and provide all-inclusive experiences to customers in the winter. Molly says they will likely operate like a regular hotel during summer.
Nina Frohlicher, Eleven’s Canada General Manager, lives in Revelstoke and says the community can expect to see the same friendly faces staffing the hotel. Any new hires, she says, will be people that live in Revelstoke.
The hotel’s established restaurant, the Quartermaster Eatery, will keep its name and normal operation. The restaurant will be open to the public Thursday through Monday and closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
“Meeting a part of Eleven through our restaurant staff is definitely something that we're really stoked to be able to offer to the local community,” says Nina.
Nina and Molly welcome the community to come and say hello to the team at Eleven Experience. “We just want to be very open for people to come up and see who we are and not just hear or read about us, but actually come by and connect with us,” says Nina.
Molly echoes her sentiments by saying, “We don’t just want to be partners in the community. We want to be part of it.”
Trevor Smith, owner of Rize Board Shop, opened his doors in June 2022. Going into his first winter season of sales, he says he opened the shop to provide a level and standard of service, knowledge and support not seen anywhere else in the core snowboard industry.
Hailing from Kamloops originally, Trevor moved to Revelstoke following a 16-year stint in Whistler working in the ski and snowboard industry.
“I was able to gain high-level experience within the boot fitting world as a snowboarder, which is rare, and over many years was able to perfect and create a standard of snowboard boot fitting not found at any other core snowboard shop,” he says.
The shop shares a space with Mountain Made Studio owner Kelly Hutcheson, a stained glass artist. After some light construction this summer, their space is equipped with a fully functional mini-ramp, which adds a unique board shop atmosphere.
Friendly faces you can expect to see working at Rize include Trevor and his staff member Scott Campbell.
“Our Rize philosophy is simply that we are as invested in your enjoyment, comfort and quality of your day on the mountain as you are, so you can always expect the absolute best knowledge, service and support so that you can enjoy your day on the hill to the utmost,” says Trevor.
A new Asian-themed pub opened in late December in the former location of the Grizzly Sports bar. The new restaurant Seoul Street is owned by three sisters, Emily, Iris, and Eunice. After renovating the pub, the space looks unrecognizable from its former self.
Their soft opening took place on December 22, 2022.
