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August 2016 edition
Revelstoke rock climbing 101 Longboarding on the Meadows in the Sky Athlete profile: Enduro racer Stu Dickson Revelstoke’s growing alternative living movement A Strange Little Place: new book explores paranormal Revelstoke Terra Firma: Local organic producer expands operation
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AUGUST 2016
CONTENTS 4 6 8 10 11 12 13 15 18
News Briefs August events calendar Revelstoke rocks 101: Revelstoke climbing and bouldering basics Explore these local hikes Longboarding Revelstoke’s freshly paved Meadows in the Sky Athlete profile | Enduro racer Stu Dickson Feature | Escape to Revelstoke: Why newcomers choose to make Revelstoke home Feature | Exploring our growing alternative living movement Feature | Density is a must
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Cover: Climber Clara Boisclair Boussard climbs the Blanket Creek arête. Photo: William Eaton
Books | New book explores Revelstoke’s paranormal stories Food | Three friends’ journey to a Revelstoke restaurant mini empire Food | A visit with the expanding Terra Firma Farms Food | Summer celebration kale salad Outdoor Life | Glacier House Resort & Great Canadian Tours Style | Revelstoke MTB looks Community | Making finds at the Revelstoke’s beloved thrift store Home Style | Chopping big cedars with Revelstoke Tree Care
The Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine is a free monthly magazine featuring the best of Revelstoke outdoor life, food, style, visitor experiences, lifestyles, entertainment, home style, and healthy living.
Creative Director Aaron Orlando Staff writer Emily Kemp
Each month we distribute free copies to over 100 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.
Graphic Design Chris Payne
For more information, including details on advertising rates, please call, or visit our parallel online publication at www.revelstokemountaineer.com and click on the advertising tab. Phone: 250-814-8710
Mailing Address: PO BOX 112, 606 Railway Avenue, Revelstoke, B.C. V0E 2S0
CONTRIBUTORS
L-R Imogen Whale: When Imogen Whale isn’t moonlighting as a journalist and writer based in Revelstoke, she’s out playing with her family or horses. She’s happily tripping the light fantastic. Jessica Campbell: Broadcast junkie by trade, yoga teacher at heart, Jessica Campbell is quite the paradox. While the storyteller from Ontario says she loves to talk, her favourite topic of discussion, ironically, is silence. Nicknamed “Yessica,” this bubbley spirit started travelling the world at 16 and recently settled in Revelstoke because it’s where she says she can find the most stillness by being active in the mountains. William Eaton: B.C. native William Eaton moved to Revelstoke in ’94 after falling in love with the town and the mountains. William works as a machine operator full time and shoots photos as a hobby. Emily Kemp is a Revelstoke-based journalist and writer. Originally from Queensland, Australia, Emily moved to Revelstoke to take in the experience of our vibrant mountain community. You’ll find her snowboarding in the winter and tackling multi-day hikes in the summer.
Jodi Kay is originally from Quebec, but considers herself lucky to have called Banff, France and now Revelstoke – home. She is a recipe developer, food blogger and farmer's market shopaholic. She loves hiking the trails, doing yoga and any adventure involving trail mix. You can find her work and recipes at www.happyheartedkitchen.com Sarah Mickel is a Revelstoke photographer who specializes in portrait, fashion and commercial photography. She has lived in Revelstoke for 12 years with her husband and two children. Find her work in our style session shoot at the beach and at sarahmickelphotography.com Sarah j Spurr: Sarah j Spurr is a mixed media visual artist originally from the 705 / Kawartha Lakes Ontario, and has been a Revelstoke resident for the past three years. Heavily inspired by the natural environment and her relationship with it. Stoked on all the things she's discovering in British Columbia and the way these fresh influences have found ways into her home, heart and art-making.
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NEWS BRIEFS
Get the latest stories here, as reported on the revelstokemountaineer.com — your daily source of Revelstoke news and information. Former Revelstoke mayor receives prestigious Canadian recognition Revelstoke’s Dr. Geoff Battersby, our former mayor and physician, was revealed as one of 113 appointees to the prestigious Order of Canada on June 30. This local hero was chosen for his contributions to the medical arena, politics and community. “I was very honoured to be chosen for that level of recognition. It’s not something that happens every day,” Battersby said. The Order of Canada is one of the nation’s highest civilian honours. It was established in 1967 during Canada’s centennial year to recognize outstanding dedication to the community and nation.
Former Revelstoke mayor and physician Dr. Geoff Battersby stands with current mayor Mark McKee at the 2016 Canada Day celebrations. Photo: Aaron Orlando
Dr. Battersby and his wife, Gwynne, are well known in the local community, moving to Revelstoke in 1969 where they raised three children. Battersby became a leader in the community, elected to office as the Columbia Shuswap Regional District Area B Director from 1978–1981, and as a Revelstoke Alderman from 1981–1983.
“I think it brought a lot of efficiency to the delivery of medical care of Revelstoke, and has continued that way still right up until now,” Battersby said. “I think that would be the thing I am most happy about.”
He later took office as Revelstoke’s mayor, in 1987, serving this role as well as CSRD Director for six years. After a three-year hiatus, he resumed mayoral office in 1996 and again became chairman of the CSRD in November 1997.
Dr. Battersby retired from medicine in March 1998 after 30 years of medical practice in Revelstoke. His involvement with the Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation and the Revelstoke Community Energy Corporation, where he was president and chairperson, continued up until last year.
Outside of politics, Battersby was a physician who founded the Selkirk Medi- “I just love Revelstoke and I love doing things that I think and others think cal Group in the 1970s. The collective was inspired by a need to bring togeth- are good for the city,” Battersby said when asked what drove him. “That’s er the few doctors who worked independently around the area at the time. the motivation. What more would you need?”
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TnT Saunahouse
Housing plan to replicate old Revelstoke train station Despite its location across the railway tracks, CPR Hill is a visible icon within Revelstoke’s downtown. Rob Elliott, previous general manager of Revelstoke Mountain Resort, owns with his brother Harry, the two vacant lots of land directly going up the hill, around 100 Track Street. Elliott recently was successful with a rezoning process through city council, to allow a row housing development on these lots, something similar to the brownstones of New York.
“I don’t think there is a more visible land in town,” Elliott said. “Every tourist in town will see it. The unique part to it is that area was the welcome spot for everyone who visited Revelstoke in our history — that was where people disembarked.” “I want quality. It will be an impressive building, that is my intent and hope.” The development will be built slowly, depending on market interest, and currently Elliot t is looking at a two-storey four-plex to start.
It is in early planning stages but Elliott is hoping to create something with a nod towards Revelstoke’s history, taking style direction from the old Revelstoke Railway Station while using efficient and modern building technologies.
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August 2016 Events Calendar Nathan Down @ The Last Drop Pub From 10 p.m. Fusion of influences including rock, rnb and country. Heart, honesty, and experience is the cornerstone this artist who grew up in small town Nova Scotia. Saturday August 6
Tanner James Monday August 1 Street Festival: Tanner James @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Folk singer from southern Alberta. Get captivated with James’ fun and soulful style, with wickedly good lyrics.
Summer Farmer’s Market @ Grizzly Plaza 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Weekly) Find fresh local produce, crafts and arts in this popular and vibrant outdoor market. Street Festival: Willi Gaw Quartet @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Gypsy jazz enthusiasts from Salmon Arm. Nathan Down @ The Last Drop Pub From 10 p.m.
Jen Lane Wednesday August 10 Street Festival: Jen Lane @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Catch this Saskatoon artist as she performs her smooth and engaging country/roots sound with the easy and mature skill of experience. If you love country, you’ll love Lane’s foot-tapping good-natured tunes. Flowt Ladies’ Ride @ Flowt Bikes and Skis 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Boost your energy with this cross-country group ride. Open Mic Night @ The Last Drop Pub From 10 p.m.
The Great Plains Tuesday August 2 Street Festival: Saskia & Darrel @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Also known as The Great Plains, this veteran touring duo perform true Canadiana; songs drenched in culture and heritage delivered in skilled sets with oodles of humor. Expect a taste of Celtic, a dab of bluegrass, engaging stories and melodies. Wednesday August 3 Flowt Ladies’ Ride @ Flowt Bikes and Skis 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (Weekly) Boost your energy with this cross-country group ride. Street Festival: Relative Jazz @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Local four-piece jazz combo playing classic standards from Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Cole Porter and Nat King Cole. They play eclectic pieces, rock numbers and some original creations. Open Mic Night @ The Last Drop Pub From 10 p.m. (Weekly) All jammers and singers welcome.
Blackberry Wood Sunday August 7 Street Festival: Blackberry Wood @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This eye-catching group from East Vancouver come dressed to party and will draw you into their magical world of irresistible alternative, country, gypsy and circus music. Steamer Hill Climb @ Mt. Revelstoke NP From 7 a.m. The annual 26-kilometre gruel-fest to the Mt. Revelstoke summit area. Come out to support competitors in the ultimate road bike race of the season and check out the wildflowers at the summit. Monday August 8 Street Festival: Lo-fi Uppercut @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Eclectic guitar and drums duo Eddy Cola and Bruce Thomas.
Pedal & Pint @ Revelstoke Community Centre 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Weekly. Meet fellow mountain bikers for a social ride and a few pints at the River City Pub.
Johnny Don’t @ The Last Drop Pub From 10 p.m. This five-piece band has a humorous outlook on rock ‘n’ roll. Friday August 5 Street Festival: Penny Sandborn Trio @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Calgary’s brilliant accordionist Sandborn and her trio bring their fresh European sound with a collection of French musette pieces, Italian folk songs, tango suites and improvised jazz tunes.
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Thursday August 11 Pedal & Pint @ Revelstoke Community Centre 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Social ride then drinks at the River City Pub. Street Festival: Compassion Gorilla @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This world-beat powerhouse will liberate feet and catapult audiences into dance mode. Infused with elements of Latin, African, and Balkan music, this band combines tight, eclectic instrumental arrangements with songs and story telling. Never Swim Alone @ The Regent Hotel - Selkirk Room Doors 6.30 p.m. $10. Show-only. An abstract one-act piece by Daniel MacIvor and directed by Justin Smith, starring Ray Cooper, Darren McKay and Danielle Foisy.
Thursday August 4
Street Festival: Maritime Kitchen Party @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Local band brings foot-stomping music heavily influenced with Canadiana such as Great Big Sea, Stompin’ Tom and Neil Young.
Compassion Gorilla
Photo: Frank Kyjonka
Friday August 12
Wild Romantics Tuesday August 9 Writing workshop @ Revelstoke Library 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Vancouver author Daniela Elza will host workshop Wading in the Swamp: getting messy with writing, focusing on writing’s process and benefits. Writers of all abilities welcome. Street Festival: The Wild Romantics @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Their music has drawn comparisons with country duo Johnny Cash and June Carter as well as the driven rock n’ roll spirit of The White Stripes. What started out as a two-piece, acoustic project has evolved into a five-piece, slap you in the face but then give you a kiss, rock n’ roll band.
Street Festival: Christina Benty @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Former Golden B.C. mayor leads a group of jazz musicians. Never Swim Alone @ The Regent Hotel - Selkirk Room Doors 6:30 p.m. $30. Dinner and show Theatre show and 112 Restaurant buffet dinner. Saturday August 13 Summer Farmer’s Market @ Grizzly Plaza 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Street Festival: Stacie Byrne @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This local musician counts Joni Mitchell and Sarah Harmer as influences to her unique sound.
Saturday August 13 (continued)
Thursday August 25 (contnued)
Never Swim Alone @ The Regent Hotel - Selkirk Room Doors 6:30 p.m. $30. Dinner and show Theatre show and 112 Restaurant buffet dinner.
Wes Mackey @ 112 Restaurant & Lounge From 7 p.m. Enjoy some cocktails or dinner while listening to this blues and jazz artist with over 50 years experience in music. Plays each night until Aug. 30.
Sunday August 14
Friday August 26
Dirty Feet Trail Run @ Mt. Macpherson Nordic Lodge From 9 a.m. Third annual trail run includes a five, 10 and 21km course, plus a healthy food fundraiser. Street Festival: Sharon Shook @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Local singer performs show tunes from musicals including The Sound of Music and Disney’s Hercules.
The Staggers and Jaggs Friday August 19 (continued) Street Festival: The Staggers and Jaggs @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This East Vancouver ensemble is a curious concoction of characters, taking influence from prohibition era parties, blues, jazz and punk rock. Stories of love, loss and madness are told through playful melodies and hypnotic rhythms. Saturday August 20 Summer Farmer’s Market @ Grizzly Plaza 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Chicken-Like Birds
Photo: KL Beaudry Monday August 15
Street Festival: Chicken-Like Birds @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This duo performs original country, blues and ragtime songs about adventure, independent women, how to cook a mean batch of cornbread and their strange relationship. Slap in some on-stage antics, a few funny stories and some strangely endearing awkwardness for a heart-warming show. Tuesday August 16 Street Festival: Bob Rogers Jazz @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Local group plays a mix of original tunes and jazz standards including swing, funk and Latin. Wednesday August 17 Flowt Ladies’ Ride @ Flowt Bikes and Skis 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Boost your energy with this cross-country group ride. Street Festival: The Rev @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Open Mic Night @ The Last Drop Pub From 10 p.m. Thursday August 18 Pedal & Pint @ Revelstoke Community Centre 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Social ride then drinks at the River City Pub. Street Festival: John Jenkins @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Rooted in in Golden B.C., this two-man trio plays roots, rock, blues, funk and folk. Never Swim Alone @ The Regent Hotel - Selkirk Room Doors 6:30 p.m. $10. Show-only. An abstract one-act theatre piece. Friday August 19 Never Swim Alone @ The Regent Hotel - Selkirk Room Doors 6:30 p.m. $30. Dinner and show Theatre show and 112 Restaurant buffet dinner. The Blue Mules @ The Last Drop Pub From 10 p.m. Three guys who love music, particularly the blues, performing with a foot stomping energy.
Street Festival: Pineapple Express @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Local band whose influences are the blues, rock and roll, reggae and funk. It is music you’ll wanna dance to with lyrical mastery that’ll make you think. Never Swim Alone @ The Regent Hotel - Selkirk Room Doors 6:30 p.m. $30. Dinner and show Theatre show and 112 Restaurant buffet dinner.
Al Lee @ The Last Drop Pub 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Expect soulful singing with a mix of finger-picking rock, blues, reggae and folk. Add some foot percussion with tasteful guitar licks and a searing bottleneck slide and you’ve got yourself a good time. Street Festival: Uncorked! @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. One of the South Okanagan’s favourite dance bands. Influences include Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, Avicii, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Jack Johnson and Florence and the Machine. Wes Mackey @ 112 Restaurant & Lounge From 7 p.m. Saturday August 27 Summer Farmer’s Market @ Grizzly Plaza 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Street Festival: Uncorked @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. One of the South Okanagan’s favourite dance bands.. Wes Mackey @ 112 Restaurant & Lounge From 7 p.m.
John Jenkins @ The Last Drop Pub From 10 p.m. Sunday August 21 Street Festival: Tanya Lipscomb @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Spicy one-woman show with bluesy jazz, funky beats, conscientious hip-hop and rocking folk. Monday August 22 Street Festival: Sister Speak @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Compelling vocals, a driving, dynamic rhythm section, rootsy yet gritty guitar stylings and thought-provoking lyrics, this band connects deeply with its diverse group of fans. Tuesday August 23 Street Festival: Sister Speak @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Wednesday August 24 Flowt Ladies’ Ride @ Flowt Bikes and Skis 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Boost your energy with this cross-country group ride. Street Festival: Steve Hillis @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Tribute country and rock classics. Open Mic Night @ The Last Drop Pub From 10 p.m. Thursday August 25 Pedal & Pint @ Revelstoke Community Centre 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Social ride then drinks at the River City Pub. Street Festival: Steve Hillis @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Tribute country and rock classics.
Katie Marti Sunday August 28 Street Festival: Katie Marti @ Grizzly Plaza 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Final night of the two month long Summer Street Fest series culminates with this local acoustic folk talent. Wes Mackey @ 112 Restaurant & Lounge From 7 p.m. Monday August 29 Wes Mackey @ 112 Restaurant & Lounge From 7 p.m. Tuesday August 30 Wes Mackey @ 112 Restaurant & Lounge From 7 p.m. Wednesday August 31 Flowt Ladies’ Ride @ Flowt Bikes and Skis 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Boost your energy with this cross-country group ride. Open Mic Night @ The Last Drop Pub From 10 p.m.
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Flexpeditions instructor Amy Flexman. Photo: Jessica Campbell
She’s Rockin’ it: meet the handhold to the climbing scene in Revelstoke By Jessica Campbell It’s kind of ironic. Living a pretty nomadic life and travelling for six years, from Ontario to British Columbia, while leading outdoor educational programs, Amy Flexman says it was the warm soup at The Nomad Food Co. that had her fall into the melting pot of eclectics in Revelstoke…Literally. Originally born in Ontario, this passionate adventure-goer explains how she first warmed up to the Revy scene by using it as her pit stop on her way to Nelson, B.C. (and beyond). There she spent four years as a raft and multi-sports guide in her summer months: “Revelstoke had this great soup and it was always a stopping point.”
And while all are appealing and allow people to connect outside, Darek Glowacki, an avid climber for the past 20-years and a certified ACMG guide (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides), says Amy’s “Top Rope Tuesdays” is the place to start to get roped into Revelstoke’s diverse climbing scene: “Then after that you have to hook up with a climbing partner you can trust.”
But then one day… it happened. Leading a group of students from Ontario through the mountains during a March break expedition, Amy turned up “Revel-Stuck.” “I looked around and saw the 80-year-olds laughing with the 10-yearolds,” she explains, adding how she remembers dreaming as a little kid of a future move out west. “The community was so friendly.” “I travelled the world to come here and think… ‘Aw ya, this is home.’” Now, having moved to Revelstoke in 2010 and registering an official business in 2012, the soon to be 38-year-old is running an outdoor adventure company offering a full spectrum of activities to the Revelstoke community (and nomads alike!). From “Multi-sport Mondays” to “SUP and Supper Sundays,” Flexpeditions hosts two daily outdoor excursions seven days a week, all leaving right from Revelstoke’s downtown core.
Rock guide Darek Glowacki. Photo: Jessica Campbell
Revelstoke’s climbing gold In July, I met up with Darek at a climbing location in the Begbie Bluffs as he led a Flexpeditions youth group up Kid’s Cliff. “Without a word of a lie, we have over 20 climbing locations in Revelstoke and the bluffs is just one of them,” says Darek, belaying one of his participants, “And all of them have their own nuances.” Here’s a short list of spots to try out around Revelstoke.
The Begbie Bluffs: Good for kids and top roping Located 8.8 km west of the Trans-Canada along Highway 23 South, Darek says while the Begbie Bluff area has something for everyone (including routes ranked from 5.8 to 5.12 in skill level), this location might be the best spot for youngsters. According to Revelstoke Rocks by Ruedi Beglinger, this area is formed by “21 individual cliffs varying from 20 to 50 metres in height, spread out in a beautiful forest.”
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Its parking lot, located to left (east) of the highway, is connected to well-developed trails about a 10 to 15-minute walk away from multiple climbs. “There’s everything at the Bluffs,” says Darek.
Shaketown: Top roping and easy access Shaketown consists of three south-facing cliffs (West Crag, Centre Fold and East Crag) about 15 metres in height. “Climbing is mostly steep, fingers, and fast drying after rain,” highlights Beglinger in Revelstoke Rocks, “A great area to climb already during nice March days.” It’s located off a logging road 13.6 km from the Trans-Canada Highway 1 West and Highway 23 South intersection (4.8 km south of the Begbie Bluffs parking lot, west of Revelstoke). For specific directions, visit: revelstokerockclimbing.com.
Blanket Creek: Lead climbing Located 23.6 km from the Trans-Canada Highway 1 West and Highway 23 South intersection (and 14.8 km south of the Begbie Bluffs parking lot), Blanket Creek is known for its steep climbing, mainly appealing to those in a higher skill level. In Revelstoke Rocks, Beglinger highlights this location for its close proximity to the roaring creek and its enormous energy rushing towards the Columbia River. Darek notes that, “You can basically just camp and climb.”
Victor Lake Wall: Multi pitch climbing According to Revelstoke Rocks, this is a steep 300 vertical metre wall, located directly above Victor Lake, 13.5 km west of Revelstoke from the Trans-Canada Highway 1 and Highway 23 South intersection. For specific directions, visit: revelstokerockclimbing.com.
Photo: Bruno Long/Tourism Revelstoke
Silvertip Canyon: Single pitch sport climbing This steep crag, averaging 20 to 25 metres in height, is located in Mt. Revelstoke national park. Discovered by helicopter exploration in 2002, this location is home to a freshwater stream and some of Revelstoke’s best climbing, says Beglinger in Revelstoke Rocks.
Bouldering Similar to climbing, Revelstokians are constantly striving to take the bouldering scene to new heights. “After all it is rock climbing, just not with a rope,” says Darek, adding how (for that reason alone) the sport is arguably even cheaper to first get into than rock climbing. Revelstokebouldering.ca is a website with all the information in order to enjoy a day out in all the top local bouldering spots. The website also includes maps to download to your phone to navigate your way around.
Anchoring in: Contact information and other resources - Flexpeditions meets twice daily in the backyard of the Samesun Backpackers Hostel at 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. to start their daily adventures. Visit flexpeditions.com or call 1-866-929-FLEX (3539) to pre-book your trip. Climbing specific tours are on Tuesdays. - Jump on the Facebook group Revelstoke Climbing to find yourself a well-suited climbing partner to explore this beautiful area together! - Reference Ruedi Beglinger’s Revelstoke Rocks or visit revelstokerockclimbing.com to find maps, directions, and detailed explanations of specific climbs. Email info@revelstokerockclimbing.com with news of any climbing-related updates. Happy climbing, Revelstoke!
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Photo: Keri Knapp/Tourism Revelstoke
Revelstoke’s hiking best
Whether you’re after an easy wander or prefer to get high up, there’s more than enough choice around Revelstoke to satisfy your hiking needs.
By Emily Kemp It’s a hiker’s dream around here. With easy access to scenic hikes in every direction, and varied list of trails to tick off, now is the time to take advantage of the short window of opportunity where the alpine is mostly snow-free. Best easy wander Revelstoke’s greenbelt is a three-kilometre paved trail the curves past the Columbia and Illecillewaet rivers. Access it from Centennial Park, just past the Community Centre. If you’re feeling adventurous, step off the paved path and explore the many trails that wind across the flats.
Best for wildflowers The Meadows in the Sky Parkway through the Mount Revelstoke National Park is an experience unique to Revelstoke where locals and visitors alike can easily access the colours of subalpine beauty and mountain views without having to work for it. The paved road to the summit offers a chance to see wildflowers in bloom, with a number of easy or long walks to try out during the brief snow-free season. Best time to go is August and September.
Best views Abbott Ridge in the Glacier National Park is not for the faint-hearted but the varied scenery of this 12-kilometre round-trip keeps getting better as you head up, and up, and up.
Best local waterfall Begbie Falls is an easy walk that features waterfalls and leads to a beach at the mouth of Begbie Creek. To get there, drive south on Highway 23. Turn left onto Mount Begbie Road and follow to the end. Visitors who prefer not walk too far can drive to within 500 metres of the falls.
Hikers ascend through the forest two kilometres to Marion Lake before reaching a fork in the trail with options for an easy or hard way. The longer way does add quite a bit more distance, but has great views.
For adventurers who want to see a waterfall with an impressive show of power, research Alkokolex Falls. These are off Airport Way and up a logging road.
The trails meet again above the treeline, where it continues past an open meadow and a picturesque mountain-top cabin. You’ll soon be on top of the imposing rock wall that towers above. There mountain vistas await and the adventurous can scramble along the mountain ridge to their heart’s content.
Best short workout Mount Cartier is a multi-day hike to the summit, but only about 2.5 kilometres up is a pleasant lookout. It’s a great little workout, located south of Revelstoke on Airport Way Road. Alternatively, try the five-kilometre loop trail at the base of Mount Revelstoke.
Elevation gain: 1,040m (3,412 ft). Maximum elevation near 2,290m (7,513 ft).
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Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine
Fresh lines
Fresh blacktop on the Meadows in the Sky parkway is attracting longboard racers to the 26-kilometre downhill charge. by Aaron Orlando Last July, the federal dollars were coming in fast and furious. The writ was about to drop on the 2015 federal election, cutting off any further funding announcements. On July 16, then Kootenay–Columbia MP David Wilks travelled to Mount Revelstoke national park for a press scrum at the Monashee Lookout, overlooking Revelstoke. He announced about $55 million in funding for national parks in the region, including paving the Meadows in the Sky parkway. The announcement turned into a bit of a scandal when it was revealed by www.revelstokemountaineer.com that $32.6 million of the “new” funding announcement was actually old, previously announced funds. The political staffers in Ottawa who drew up the announcement had engaged in some padding.
timing equipment, insurance, and more. It’s costly. Also, top-tier riders are attracted to challenging courses. If it were a ski run, Auger reckons the Meadows in the Sky would be a blue run. There are some steep sections, but by longboard racing standards, the grade is fairly average for much of the hill. For now, there’s always sunset rides through the alpine wildflowers.
Of course, none of this matters when you’re screaming down the fresh asphalt on Mt. Revelstoke on a longboard at speeds pushing 100 km/h. Now that the Meadows in the Sky is either brand-new asphalt, or recent asphalt, the 26-kilometre downhill run is attracting attention from riders across the region. Before, huge sections of the road were really rough chunder — basically unrideable. Now, if you check the right longboard community social media channels, you’ll see videos of leather-clad, fullface helmeted riders tackling the straights and switchbacks on the parkway. Word is getting out now that the paving is complete. From Revelstoke, it’s under an hour to hike to the Monashee Lookout from where you can ride the road down for eight kilometres. In summer, the gates close at 5:30 p.m. to uphill traffic, and at 8:30 p.m. to downhill traffic, leaving a mostly car-free window for riding before sunset. Adam Auger (pictured above) is a recent transplant to Revelstoke. He’s a former sponsored racer who’s been heavily involved in the scene. With friends, he helped organize the Giant’s Head Freeride in Summerland, a premiere event that attracts over 250 riders, including U.S. and international competitors. It’s one of several prominent longboard races in B.C., including the Whistler Longboard Festival World Cup Downhill, the Salt Spring Slasher, the Sullivan Challenge in Kimberley, the Sun Peaks Freeride, and Danger Bay. Does the Meadows in the Sky have potential for a sanctioned race? Maybe. The asphalt’s now up to snuff, but managing a 26-kilometre course is a big undertaking. You’ll need hay bales and course marshals at each corner,
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Photo: Bruno Long
Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine
Revelstoke Mountaineer athlete profile: Enduro racer Stu Dickson
Revelstoke local leads the B.C. Enduro Series pro men’s category, and is now competing on the Enduro World Series by Aaron Orlando Revelstoke enduro MTB racer Stu Dickson, 20, is the current B.C. Enduro Series leader in the professional men’s category, extending his lead with a July 17 victory in Golden. He also topped the podium on June 5 in Kamloops and has solid finishes in the other B.C. Enduro Series races in North Van, the Fraser Valley, and Williams Lake this season.
For those not familiar with mountain biking race formats, enduro blends uphill pedalling with gnarlier downhill riding. It’s a happy medium between cardio-focused cross country and gravity-dependent downhill racing.
Dickson has made the jump to the pro Enduro World Series (EWS), travelling to Chile and Argentina this spring to race against the best pro men in the world, finishing 45th and 36th respectively. He’s scheduled to compete in three more EWS races in North America and Europe this season. He’ll also be competing in two Canadian National Enduro races.
Stu’s career started with a summer job at Flowt Bikes and Skis when he was in grade 8. The job turned him on to the mountain biking scene. He got into racing seriously at 16. Stu’s sponsors are Devinci Cycles, and Nelson-based NRG Enterprises. He also gets support from local bike shops Flowt Bikes and Skis and Tantrum Ride Co. (“I don’t think my bike would be running without those guys!”) In the winter, Stu keeps fit running a chainsaw in the bush for local forestry operations. Cheer Stu race in Revelstoke when the B.C. Enduro Series visits town for a Sept. 3/4 race at the Mount Macpherson trails. On their website, the B.C. Enduro Series calls the Revelstoke race “the most talked about destination” on the B.C. race circuit.
We caught up with Stu for a Q&A: Favourite local trails? “Mt. Cartier Trail, Boondocker, Sale Mountain, and Crowbar.” What’s the Revelstoke scene like now? “It’s crazy how much this place has changed, even from the past five years to now. Every year it just grows in popularity, people know about this place and how amazing it is now. I don’t want to call it busy, but there is a ton more like minded people living/visiting here that all want to experience the mountains around us.” Career highlights so far? “I think the highlight of my career is still happening, getting the chance to represent my hometown in a World Series is pretty special opportunity and I’ve been lucky enough to do it a few times now. And hopefully a few more!” What are your goals this season? “Same as any season, ride fast, have fun, get loose, and crush some alpine!” Keep up with Stu Dickson on Instagram (@stu_dickson), Twitter (@stu_town), or on Facebook.
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Blair Brennan and Anita Hallewas with their children Ayṣ, 5, and Onyx, 3
Escape to Revelstoke
Why Revelstoke? Why not? City folk that decided to turn country. Expats that decided to go full Canuck. Of all the places you could choose to run away to, we find out why locals choose Revelstoke. By Emily Kemp Another day, another story about insane housing prices and no vacancies in Vancouver and Toronto. Outside of the bubble here in Revelstoke, it’s hard to understand why they even bother — grind your life away paying for a million dollar teardown? More time in traffic jams than ski line-ups? No thanks. So you’ve decided to decamp from the big smoke, but to where? The suburbs? Why not Revelstoke? We asked Revelstoke transplants why they chose to Escape to Revelstoke.
Lamonday has noticed the different pace of life here and Revelstoke’s particular pride in supporting locals. He thinks it is the kind of place he eventually would like raise a family in. “Life here is much more slowed down, intricate, and beautiful in its own unique way,” he says. “I love the sense of community and feel at home here even if I am thousands of kilometres away from my family.” But getting to that future might be an issue, with the current lack of housing. “Whether it’s reasonable rent or options to buy,” he says. “I feel as though Revelstoke may end up growing past its means in that regard. Banff is much the same with a strong local community and tons of job opportunities but nowhere to call home. “
For business After working and playing in the ski industry for over 25 years, life back in Collingwood, Ontario, was a little hard to adjust to. It’s one of the reasons why Kai Palkeinen and his partner Kelly Hutcheson moved to Revelstoke in 2014. “Kelly and I pretty much packed up the car and drove out,” Palkeinen says. “[Revelstoke] is one of the few places I’d never been to. But I kind of wanted to get out of resort world and back into real world.” Koltyn Lamonday with partner Tyne and their dog Cargo. Photo: contributed
Koltyn Lamonday moved from the big smoke of Toronto to our mountain town four years ago in search of snow and adrenaline. But Revelstoke had more than a few things for him to fall in love with. “I met a stellar local girl and now have started a career at Downie [Timber Mill],” the 25-year-old says. “What a change! But I wouldn’t ask for anything else in the world.”
Even though Revelstoke tends to revolve around Revelstoke Mountain Resort these days, the long working history of town adds a touch of realism to this mountain playground. “Part of the draw of it is it’s not a cardboard factory,” Palkeinen says. “It’s not designed to take people’s money, it’s a real town with real people. I think there is a lot of opportunity here.” (continued on the next page)
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(continued from last page) Palkeinen ran a boot fitting business in Chamonix, France, where he lived for nearly a decade. He didn’t come to Revelstoke to open a store but saw a demand for it. Pulse Bootfitting opened last year and despite its Orton Avenue location, off the beaten path, the response was huge. They’re now giving 301 Mackenzie Avenue a renovation and will open their shop ready for the 2016/17 ski season. When asked about what he finds difficult in Revelstoke, Palkeinen says working wages. He believes commercial taxes in Revelstoke are realistic, but for a lot of young people, and businesses, the difficulty is sustaining a consistent income year round. Other than that — mosquitoes? “If that’s all I can come up with, I think we’re doing pretty good,” he says.
For lifestyle Revelstoke wasn’t the plan but it won the hearts of Anita Hallewas and Blair Brennan who have been here since 2008. It all started in 2003 when Hallewas and Brennan, a young couple from Australia — in love with each other and with travel — came to Canada for a ski season at Panorama Mountain Resort. They applied to immigrate and continued their travels around the world while they waited. When Canada opened its arms, all they had to do was decide where to live. A hand-drawn spreadsheet was created that scored towns against a selection of criteria including ski resort quality, local real estate, adventure prospects and town vibe. “We drove basically from ski town to ski town,” Hallewas says. “That was the whole point of immigrating. We wanted to do all the things we had been travelling the last 10 years to do.”
Kai Palkeinen and his partner Kelly Hutcheson out the front of their new shop location.
The pair thought for sure either Nelson or Squamish would win but it was a specific conversation that stuck in their heads and changed their mind. Joel Asher (see feature on page 22) had just opened The Village Idiot and was bartending the night Hallewas and Brennan stopped in. They told him about their test and they say he looked at them straight and said, “What if we don’t want you?” “It’s the first time anyone had said that,” Hallewas laughed. “And we thought, hmm playing hard to get, we like that!” They had been in Revelstoke less than three hours and their mind was made up. Music was on in the plaza and everyone that walked past them said hi. “We were like ‘we must look like people that live here, because this is weird,” Hallewas says. So they moved to Revelstoke in 2008 and two months later bought a house. They now have two kids with Canadian accents. And who was the winner of the spreadsheet? Golden.
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Inside a Revelstoke tiny home. Photo: contributed
Legalize alternative living!
Revelstoke’s alternate living movement pushes for innovative, healthy, sustainable, and alternative new housing options By Emily Kemp Alternate living in Revelstoke, and through interior B.C. isn’t new, but as housing becomes sparse and expensive, its way of life becomes more attractive. Choosing to live in smaller housing fits in with lifestyle goals to live simple, save money and maximize outdoor adventures and mindfulness.
Currently the City of Revelstoke is working on a fix — potentially implementing a cap on the number of vacation rentals allowed to operate in town. The idea is if five per cent of tourists want vacation rental style accommodation, the city will allow for five per cent of these businesses to operate. Anything beyond that will be illegal and will hopefully push people to add their accommodations to the rental market — crucial for keeping employees in Revelstoke — to get their secondary income.
This movement is developing gradually in Revelstoke, particularly as the city deals with the ongoing issue of housing and the tightening of our local market. The City of Revelstoke’s manager of development services Dean Strachan has noticed a shift in Revelstoke’s housing stock since he moved here in November 2013. Back then, there were a significant number of single-family lots available but those have since been purchased and built upon. And as more people scoop up what is left, there is less to choose from, and less variety. “We don’t have the diversity of housing type at the moment,” Strachan says. Revelstoke currently has limited stock in multi-family housing (apartments, townhouses, duplexes). This may change when the Nichol Road housing project Mackenzie Village gets going, where the type of housing built there will be driven by market demand. But meanwhile, Revelstoke is coming into a rental-housing crunch. Strachan explains that we’re at a unique pressure point where it is becoming cheaper to pay a mortgage for a single-family home than it is to pay rent, but finding a home to buy is a problem. “The reason we see that as a critical road block, is that it has a domino effect in the rental market,” Strachan explained. “People aren’t moving out of higher end rentals [and buying] so the issue works its way to the middle and further down.” This is where the growing number of vacation rentals around town (those that utilize online services like Airbnb) becomes a problem, taking crucial housing stock off the market in favour of getting higher returns from shortterm vacationers. “It’s supply pressure from almost a lateral point,” Strachan says. “These vacation rentals can make as much revenue in a few weeks than they would in a few months.”
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In Canada, a micro-home community operates in Terrace, north of Vancouver, called Bluegrass Meadows Micro Village. The future of something like this happening in Revelstoke is burgeoning. A group of innovators are strategizing for a facility called SLICK — Sustainable Living Innovation Centre for the Kootenays — a knowledge centre to test sustainable living options in Revelstoke. They’re playing with the idea of proposing a bylaw that would allow tiny homes to rest legally in a space in Revelstoke. Revelstoke’s Mountain CoLab board member Jean-Marc La Flamme says they also plan to experiment with other sustainable alternatives that add to our housing crop.
Carpenter Jocoah Sorensen is building his home tiny home. Photo: Emily Kemp
Embracing tiny homes in Revelstoke Dealing with Revelstoke’s housing issue from a wider scope has people looking for workarounds of soft densification — adding more living space to current neighbourhoods. Revelstoke’s single-family residential zoning currently does not allow a backyard apartment (defined as a freestanding secondary suite) or a nanny flat on top of the garage (defined as a carriage home), although property owners can try their luck and apply to the city for a bylaw variance that will allow them. Another option is a tiny home — the housing trend that isn’t going away. With the way the B.C. regulation and construction code is, Strachan says a way to make a house more affordable is by making it smaller. “The lowest point in the market isn’t low enough for everyone,” he says. He explains that tiny homes are still built to housing standards, with quality, safety and functionality, but on a smaller scale. But tiny homes are not exactly legal in Revelstoke. If the home is on wheels it’s considered camping — not allowed in the city’s residential bylaw. If they’re a permanent structure, such as placed on a slab, then they’re considered a secondary suite.
“It could be tiny home, a modern modular or a shipping container,” La Flamme says. “Canada has a housing situation that is going to get much worse,” La Flamme says. “There are very few homes up for sale in Revelstoke and the ones that are, are only fitting a certain demographic.” The group, which includes Greg Hoffart of Tree Construction and many more, is hoping to get going as soon as possible and collaborate with the community. They have also been in talks with the city. “We have already stated we would support an initiative,” Strachan says. “Location would have to be carefully selected — you want to fit with a form and nature of the neighbourhood.” Revelstoke Mountain CoLab held a housing innovation night in late June that attracted well over 100 residents interested in making change happen. They discussed ideas such as tiny homes, co-living spaces, passive home construction and other innovative solutions tailored to residents interested pushing alternative living concepts into the mainstream. This future embracing alternative living in Revelstoke is possible if current rules are relaxed. And the opportunity is right around the corner. Revelstoke’s Official Community Plan will be revised later this year and finalized next summer. The process will include thorough community consultation on our land-use needs, with opportunity for zoning bylaws to become more flexible if there proves to be a need. The process will also include a population and housing
Unattached secondary suites are not allowed, but the city has approved some anyway, with a bylaw variance that they are a freestanding suite, as long as they suit the character of the area and it doesn’t impact on neighbours. “We do it in a case by case basis,” Strachan says.
Alternate living in Revelstoke’s future Since the tiny home movement began around the turn of last decade, it has been embraced by some cities in North America. The city of 500,000 Fresno, in California, appears to be the most progressive with legislation, this year updating their zoning code to allow mobile tiny homes as permanent second dwellings, within guidelines.
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A full house at the recent Innovation night on housing in Revelstoke. Photo: contributed
inventory, giving us some real numbers that show our demographics and stock. Housing is a complicated issue that communities are struggling with all over B.C. and Canada. For Revelstoke over the next decade, the issue is not going be going away anytime soon. “There is not one solution that is going to solve the problem,” Strachan says. “Not a project we can build that we solve our problems. It will be a whole bunch of things, that will have cooperation from people, private and public, to help us move through this time of growth.”
Anna Minten and her husband Emmanuel Levesque Dupere want to start building tiny homes in Revelstoke. Photo: contributed
The builder Local resident Anna Minten successfully built and lived in a tiny home for two years before she met her husband and bought a house. Now they want to start a tiny home building company in Revelstoke. There are already a handful of companies in B.C. that build tiny homes but difficulties with the local bylaws often deter people from investing. Minten believes tiny homes will answer Revelstoke’s need for housing and are a sustainable alternative to building apartment blocks that end up empty in the city’s quiet months. “Something of this stature can be small and more temporary. It can move around as the seasons do, as jobs move around,” Minten says. Overall Minten found living in a tiny home was a financial stepping-stone and a lesson in minimalism. “It really did teach me how to live with less, and that has carried through to my home owning stage of life,” she says “I’m not just buying stuff because it’s on sale, and I’m not filling my fridge because I can. I’m really thinking seriously about stuff and think whether I really need it.” Resident Krista Patterson in her tiny home. Photo: contributed
Sophie Daleman wants tiny homes to be recognized in local bylaws. Photo: Emily Kemp
The renter Some of the concern with allowing tiny homes to be legal is the fear that shanty-town communities may spring up, and this is bolstered with negative connotations of transients and travellers. Sophie Daleman has experienced this first hand but rejects the stereotypes about nomadic youth. She lives in an RV transformed into a tiny home in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District with her partner. They both work; Daleman is a server at a fine-dining restaurant in town. She says her minimalistic lifestyle is about choice. “I’ve always lived outside of town in the countryside and I really have this need,” she says. Their rent for one-acre of a 10-acre property is $300 a month, although they’re looking at moving. A neighbour thought they were squatting on the land and complained to bylaw authorities, who informed them they were not allowed to live there due to the zoning regulations. Although the CSRD isn’t within the City of Revelstoke’s control, Daleman says she would like to see some regulation for this type of living. “I think a bylaw that take tiny houses out of that grey zone and insecurity, if it was possible to do it legally it would be helpful for a lot of people,” Daleman says. “I like living simple, in a minimal way. Some people are just going to do it for a few years. Because the money they’re saving on rent they can put on something else, or maybe buy a house in five to 10 years.”
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Photo: Fraser Blyth/Selkirk Planning & Design
What’s the plan Revelstoke?
Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s ski lifts had barely been spinning for a year when the 2008 financial crisis stalled Revelstoke’s plans to develop the next mega-resort. Development is once again picking up steam, reviving debates about how the community should proceed, and about what Revelstoke’s future will look like. Recent development debates have caused significant controversy and division in the community, and served as triggers for wider community discussion about Revelstoke’s future, specifically around development and density. We invited local planner Fraser Blyth of Selkirk Planning & Design to discuss the issues from a planning perspective. He explains why we need density, but should strive for quality above all else. By Fraser Blyth As a planner and urban designer (and for you as a citizen) it’s important to understand why density is a good thing for Revelstoke. As a community struggling with the idea, we need to understand its benefits and make sure it’s done right by focussing on good urban design and architecture. Many people dislike the idea of density without considering its benefits. They think it’s noisy, increases traffic, and allows people to look directly into your yard from a building that’s now shading your garden. Good design can ensure that these effects are barely noticed, if at all. So why do we need density? The simple answer is that if we were to build only single-detached houses we could not afford to pay for our own infrastructure, and we would lack a true sense of place without the vitality that public spaces and density provides. This is not just a financial issue. Density is important for housing affordability, social relationships, and the environment.
Density and Economic Sustainability Density is important for cities to be able to recover costs associated with the maintenance and servicing of infrastructure. Most people don’t realize that single-detached houses often don’t collect enough taxes to cover the costs of the infrastructure they use. To illustrate this point, let’s consider a lot with a frontage along a street that is 100 feet long. That frontage includes, road, sewer line, water line, storm sewer line, sidewalks, and so on. If that lot has one single-family home on it, then the city is collecting taxes from one source (A $400,000 house would be taxed about $3,200 per year). If instead four townhouses ($250,000 each) are built on the same 100-foot frontage, the City would collect almost $8,000. You can quickly see that if the cost to maintain 100 feet of roads, sewer, water lines, etc. year after year is way more beneficial with a townhouse than with a single-detached home. If the cost to maintain this frontage is more than $3,200, the city is then operating at a loss. Often with single-detached development, this is the case.
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What density can do for our city finances and economy is reduce the amount of money we spend on infrastructure, reduce or maintain property taxes and business taxes, so we can put it towards things we want, like our pool, parks, bike trails, health care, environmental protection, heritage preservation, downtown revitalization, and many other cultural and aesthetic enhancements that will make our community attractive to visitors and residents.
Affordable housing One of the biggest issues in Revelstoke is affordability. And density again plays a role. A great test for this is to ask, “How many of you want to live in a townhouse or apartment?” The answer is often very few. However if you ask, “How many of you have lived in a townhouse or apartment?” the proportion is usually much higher. What this says is that everyone needs a different type of living arrangement throughout their lives. Without apartments and townhouses young people are forced to either rent a house with five other friends or leave town. Similarly for seniors looking to downsize, without a variety of housing options there is nowhere for them to go, but somewhere else. It also means that there should be more single-detached homes available to families that need the space. It would take the strain off both the buying and rental market and provide a variety of housing types to suit the social and economic needs of people in Revelstoke.
Density and Social Relationships Density can strengthen social networks just by proximity. Having more people in an area increases your chances of meeting people in your neighbourhood. This is especially true when neighbourhoods are designed for walkability with density and a mix of uses rather than automobile use. As people become more familiar through chance encounters we’re more likely to say hello and start conversations. Social networks are important for our safety. It gives us friends that we can trust to look after our kids in an emergency or check in on an elderly neighbour if they haven’t been seen for a while. It’s really about building a community.
Density and the Environment Density contributes to a healthier environment by concentrating development into a smaller area, leaving more open space for ecological preservation or food production. By having density and a walkable neighbourhood, density helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing car use.
Urban Design + Density = Successful, Sustainable Neighbourhoods For centuries, cities were forced to be dense, walkable places out of necessity. Once the automobile became accessible for most families, planning changed. There was a belief that people should be out of the city, away from the crowds where they can relax in nature. This is where the concept of suburban development began to take hold as an ideal of the American (or Canadian) dream. The rich could afford to escape the clutter and dirtiness of cities and moved to the country. Over the last 60 or so years, we’ve come to realize that suburban development comes with its own set of trade-offs. It costs more to maintain. It requires that people have access to a car. It means people walk less and drive more, creating health and environmental impacts. It means we are less likely to know our neighbours and build strong social relationships. We know that density is important, but how do we implement it in a thoughtful and effective way? This is often where density can have negative effects on a community and density alone doesn’t guarantee a successful sustainable community. Density needs to be combined with good urban design and architecture. These are the keys to building a sustainable place. Higher density is what allows us to have successful businesses on Mackenzie Avenue and build our main community public space, Grizzly Plaza. So how does Revelstoke get the density we need to be more sustainable without sacrificing what we love about our existing community? I’ll explore this in a future articles published in the Mountaineer Magazine, or at its sister publication www.revelstokemountaineer.com. But for now here are a few key concepts to remember: - Density alone is not enough. We need to combine density with good urban design and architecture; - Each neighbourhood should have a mix of different densities to provide a variety of housing choices for people at different stages of their life; - Integrate density intelligently, but transitioning to surrounding neighbourhoods and allowing things like carriage cottages and secondary suites; - Density should be clustered and located along major roads to support transit and concentrate the traffic and visual impact on the major roads; - Mitigate the visual impacts of density with streetscaping and landscaping Fraser Blyth works as an urban designer and planner and runs Selkirk Planning & Design in Revelstoke.
Additionally, density reduces our greenhouse gas emissions and provides the means to pursue alternative energy projects. Multi-family buildings are greener because they typically have lower energy-consumption needs. This is because multi-family buildings share common walls, reducing energy loss. A single family home loses heat from all four walls. Compare that with a townhouse unit that shares walls with units on either side of it. The townhouse unit only loses heat from two walls, thereby needing less energy for climate control.
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Romp with Revelstoke’s ghosts, phantoms and weird phenomena Brennan Storr’s new book A Strange Little Place explores the weird and wonderful stories of the Revelstoke paranormal. by Aaron Orlando Revelstoke native and now Victoria, B.C.-based writer and researcher Brennan Storr’s new book A Strange Little Place: The Hauntings & Unexplained Events on One Small Town (Llewellyn Publications; Woodbury, Minnesota) is a new August release featuring stories of paranormal phenomena from Revelstoke. Storr has spent much of the past few years chasing ghost stories from his youth and compiling them into 33 chapters full of people you know, and places you’ll recognize. Learn about the jealous spirit that haunts the Main Street Cafe, the footsteps that haunt the old drive-in in Arrow Heights, the girl on Highway 23, the haunting of the Holten House, and, of course, the Shadow People of Revelstoke. Storr explores the UFO sightings, Sasquatch files and the sinister mysteries under the snow at Rogers Pass. Paranormal fans will be filled with a sense of creeping unease through nearly three dozen tales in this 240-page book. We’re including an excerpt from one of the stories here:
Brennan Storr
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by Brennan Storr For years, local researchers believed the legend of the Mount Begbie Iceman to have been wholly concocted in 1940 by local newspaper owner Arvid Lundell as a way to promote the opening of the Big Bend Highway. “[Lundell] was putting it forth as a legend,” says Cathy English, curator of the Revelstoke Museum and Archives, “because they were trying to encourage people to come to Revelstoke then.” English says: “The story was that it was—take your pick—a First Nations person, Big Bend miner, or fur trader who had tried to go up over Begbie, had gotten caught, and was frozen and buried in the glacier.” Then in 2007, a visit by Professor James Dickson, an expert in archaeobotany (the study of plants found at archaeological sites) at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, established the legend as being much older. In his 2011 book Ancient Ice Mummies, Dickson explains: Following a 2004 public lecture on Ötzi, a 5,000-year-old ice mummy recovered in the Ötztal Alps on the border between Austria and Italy, Dickson received a letter from a Rosamund Stenhouse-Stewart. It seems Dickson’s mention during the lecture of Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, a 250-year-old ice mummy found near the border of British Columbia and the Yukon, recalled Mrs. Stenhouse-Stewart in a story she had been told by her father, Thomas Livingston Haig, Revelstoke’s magistrate from 1894 to 1897. According to Dickson, Stenhouse-Stewart went on to say her father was “shown by an Indian fur trapper the body of a completely preserved Indian trapped within the ice…. I do not know where, but he mentioned its preservation and complete condition. I believe that he understood that the gathering thickness of the ice had begun to make the body gradually less visible.” For further information, Dickson contacted Alexander Mackie, the B.C. archaeologist who helped document and recover the remains of Kwäday Dän
Ts’ìnchi. Mackie’s inquiries weren’t quite fruitless — he found mention, dating back to before and just after the 1890s, of a body frozen in a glacier somewhere near Revelstoke — but turned up nothing firm and certainly no first-person accounts of discovery. Undeterred, Dickson journeyed to Revelstoke in 2007. He liaised with Cathy English at the Revelstoke Museum and Archives, who, along with her assistant Kirsten Gonzales, spent countless hours looking through official documents and newspaper clippings searching for some mention of Haig’s alleged journey up the mountain. No such mention was found. Indeed the only substantial piece of information on the legend was the aforementioned article, dated June 30, 1940, by Arvid Lundell of the Revelstoke Review — an article his daughter admitted he had fabricated from whole cloth. A flight around the glacier by helicopter was then arranged, and Dickson finally came to a conclusion. Of the mountain, he says, “it makes little sense that there could ever have been a frozen body there.” In Ancient Ice Mummies Dickson describes most such finds as being in or near mountain passes. Finding a body on Mount Begbie was unlikely because there was no apparent reason for anyone, First Nations or otherwise, to climb the mountain. “To ascend Mount Begbie,” says Dickson, “is to go nowhere but up the mountain.” When asked if a member of the early First Nations could have made the ascent for religious reasons, Dickson admits it is possible but has no bearing on the existence of an ice mummy. “It is possible that the local indigenous people attached spiritual significance to such a prominent, striking mountain,” he says. “But that does not mean there was a frozen body….[It is] just an engaging tale. Nothing more.” Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine
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Joel Asher, John Ferguson and Eric Stone stand behind the bar at Chubby Funsters. Photo: Emily Kemp
Revelstoke’s Restaurant Stronghold
Three buddies, three restaurants. Luck, friendship and an ability to laugh has glued together this successful mini-restaurant empire. By Emily Kemp The Big Chubby Idiot. It’s the tongue-in-cheek Instagram account for John Ferguson, Joel Asher and Eric Stone who run a mini-restaurant empire in Revelstoke. These friends from Ontario preside over The Village Idiot, The Big Eddy Pub, and Chubby Funsters, three popular and unique restaurants in town. As each one followed the other in a quest out west, the turns of fate and saying yes to opportunities has culminated in their business and friendship success today.
That contract ended up being for four years and as life tends to do, opportunities began to evolve in this new home. A building in Revelstoke’s downtown went up for lease and Joel pounced on its potential. He gave Eric a call. At the time, Eric was meandering around in life and looking for a change. “I leased it, John sent me all his money and Eric got evicted from his party flat in Whistler,” Joel jokes looking over at Eric. “If you’re gonna tell the story you gotta tell it right.” He turns back with a smirk, “Eric got evicted from Whistler so needed a job and a place to live. And Revelstoke had both of those for him.” The Village Idiot, today a town favourite, opened in July 2008 with Eric joining as manager a few months later.
The story begins Night animals Joel and John met in their twenties through their mutual work in the bar industry in Windsor, Ontario. They connected over ideas and similar values and became business partners in 2005 when they opened a nightclub called Jack Rabbit Slims. Later they added an attached lounge called Sidebar. They knew Eric, the youngest of the three, also through the industry where he worked as a product rep and their bartender. Life was good and things were rolling along nicely until Joel suddenly upped and left in December 2007 for an opportunity in the budding ski town of Revelstoke. With Revelstoke Mountain Resort about to open, Joel’s Revelstoke friends wanted his help with a food and beverage contract for Revelation Lodge and the Mackenzie Outpost. Joel only had a month to pack up and peace out. “It was all a weird type of coincidence timing,” Joel says about the move.
Now it was just up to John to move. At the height of the economic crisis, Windsor was stalling —its local auto industry was falling over and bars were fizzling. The opportunity to take over The Big Eddy Pub in late 2010 was what John had been waiting for. He was just a little curious about this town that had drawn not only two of his friends but his dad and mentor Chuck. “Well I immediately started finding out what it was when Joel and I had a bar for six months and he decided to leave,” John pauses and smiles. “But I’ve known about it, since we first started talking about it.” Joel nods and adopts a grateful stance, “John was a great business partner, who nurtured my need for travel with his patience,” he deadpans. Over the next few years, the three men focused on their businesses. In 2014, they again saw an opportunity. Eric by then had become legitimate and bought into the partnership (although not The Big Eddy Pub) and together they opened the cocktail lounge Chubby Funsters downtown.
Betting on Revelstoke The three restaurants are each deliberately unique, to not compete with each other, and thrive within Revelstoke’s broad food scene. “I don’t know how many more restaurants the rest the town can handle. But as it is right now, I think it’s pretty well diversified,” John says.
Make a Mem
ory!
enchantedforestbc.com
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Best Day Ever!
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They all have a strong reputation through online reviews and if there was a formula, the men say it is being consistent — in the food they serve and in treating staff well. “It’s like anything else in life, hopefully the better you get at it or the more you understand it,” Joel says. “A lot of this industry is about liking it. It’s not an easy industry hours-wise. It’s not an easy industry because it’s ever changing so it’s important to keep up.”
While the trio’s mutual backgrounds in hospitality have helped their success, Joel believes a lot of it has come down to pure luck. “It’s hard to plan change. It either happens to you or it doesn’t I find,” Joel says. “We always kind of just felt things out and when it was time to do something, we just do it,” John says. “We were single, with no real ties to anything. So it made life easy to kind of do what we wanted to do, when we wanted to do it.”
“It was one thing when we were single, for ourselves to live off $150 a week,” John adds. “The bank account could go to zero trying to open something new, like it did in ‘05, ‘08 and even 2010. We spent every dollar we had to do these places. Now you have people counting on you, it changes things a little bit.” Growth potential, a rotation of fresh faces to feed plus outdoors to play in, Revelstoke has been a winning combination for these restaurateurs. Sitting back and taking in what they have achieved, the three appear grateful for the life they have created. “I wasn’t even thinking past the first winter, to be still be involved is pretty awesome,” Eric says.
Working friendship Getting the three men together for an interview was a challenge, but how often do they see each other in their day-to-day? “I haven’t seen these guys in two years,” Joel jokes. They explain they’re in constant contact, if not always in person. “Joel and I see each other pretty much every day. Because we share an office in The Idiot,” Eric says. They collaborate on the direction and themes of the restaurants but each man is the master of his own domain in general operations. Joel looks after Chubbies and Eric tends to The Idiot, while John sticks to The Big Eddy Pub, on the edge of the city. “I’m an outcast,” John jokes.
Their friendship seems smoothed with the familiarity of time and while they made it through the interview with plenty of laughter and their ongoing game of jabs and one-liners, it might take some time to recover from the limelight. “Is it possible to add that we don’t want to do anymore interviews?” Joel asks as we finish up. “I assume this has already broken us.”
The Big Chubby Idiot The Big Eddy Pub Old school favourite known for its Wednesday night wings. Customers flock to its outdoor beach volleyball net and patio. Chubby Funsters The classy one of the three, this cocktail lounge has a drink to suit everyone. Its front patio is popular during Revelstoke’s free Summer Street Fest music series.
“Ostracized across the bridge,” Joel adds. The group presents an easy-going and solid team that seems to be without tension.
The Village Idiot The anchor of the three restaurants and most popular. Known for its mountain sports decor and amazing pizza.
The Villiage Idiot
“On the hard days it’s nice to have some people that all do the same thing,” Joel says. “To share stories with if nothing else.” “We’ve always felt the same about business,” John says. “It’s never really affected our friendship because we kind of feel the same way about most things.”
Future Currently the three hold no big plans to grow their empire. Each are partnered down either with kids, or expecting, and their priorities in life have matured. While there may be things they still want to do, there’s something to be said for enjoying the growth of their current interests. “We always have ideas for what we want to do next, but part of a successful business with successful friendships is also understanding that life happens too,” Joel says. “We all have young families and we want to ensure all our businesses and families are healthy before we undertake more things that take time away from that.”
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Rob Jay and Terra Park of Terra Firma Farms. Photos by Jodi Kay
On Solid Ground
Revelstoke’s prominent organic food producer Terra Firma Farms has moved to larger new location off Highway 23 South. We checked in with owners Terra Park and Robert Jay to learn about their expanded operation. Down to Earth, By Jodi Kay It’s a rainy Wednesday when I pull up to Terra Firma Farms, a small-scale, certified organic farm right here in the Begbie Bench area of Revelstoke. I am first greeted by Begbie, a six-year-old malamute mix, probably the only one around here that can get away without putting in a hard day’s work on the farm. Today is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) pick-up day at the Farm and if you’re one of the lucky 38 CSA members of Terra Firma, you will have been drawn towards the colourful carrots beaming bright pink and gold in the crates, ready for pick up. Rainy, yes — but still some sights of summer. I meet Terra Park and Robert Jay, the owners and operators of Terra Firma, who have been planting, growing and harvesting vegetables here for many years. This certified organic farm is on new grounds this summer — now moved to the old Nelles Ranch property — and currently stretches across over two acres of crops, including six greenhouses, chickens, bees and eight new pigs. The goal for the future is growth: more animals, more acres of crops and more diversity. But for now Terra just wishes the chickens could lay two eggs a day to keep the egg cart full! Since opening in 2010, Terra and Rob have been blown away by the support of this community; this has driven their desire to give back by keeping hungry customers happy and fed. As we walk through the fields and greenhouses, Terra explains that the soil still needs work; it’s mid summer but the crops are a little late on the new land. Her favourite and most rewarding thing about her job is also the most challenging — working the soil (“feed the soil, not the plant” is their motto). They are able to build up their rich, organic soil by recycling plant residue, mixed plant and animal farming, the use of cover crops, and adding minerals in their most natural form. Author and farmer Joel Salatin’s quote comes up: ‘How dare you treat your soil like dirt.’ I can understand why. As we continue to walk, we chat about the different plants and varieties of vegetables, all of which you can find at Revelstoke’s Saturday morning farmer’s market this month — tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumber and zucchini just to name a few. Every now and then Rob bends down to touch
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the soil, picking up a potato here and a root there. The pair have a deep connection to this earth even though they have only been on it a short time. Down to earth from start to finish. The word variety comes up a lot when I talk with Terra, Rob and their two employees, Jesse Johnston-Hill and Dominique Unterberger. And I think that’s what is most important about local, organic produce: the surprise of the first kohlrabi at the market, the colourful bunch of carrots at CSA pick-up day, the mix of salad greens available throughout town, and the anticipation of summer heirloom tomatoes. The team even jokes that there is variety in the weeding, because yes, there is a lot of that too. “These heirloom seeds and plants play an important role,” Terra says. “They have a story to tell, connecting our past to our future through generations.” We stand in the driveway and chat about glory bowls as we swat away mosquitoes. I’m curious what these two get up to on a day off, or if they even have any. “A lot of driving,” jokes Rob, as they have four kids with lots of different activities on the go. Family. Of course. The family home, currently still under construction but scheduled to be completed come winter time, looks over the farm and onto to Mt. Begbie’s peaks. A family heirloom indeed. And what does the Terra Firma Farm family like to eat? Mostly the vegetables leftover from CSA or market harvests, and then there’s kale — lots of kale! See our Summer Celebration Kale Salad recipe
Summer Celebration Kale Salad This salad celebrates so much of summer’s sunny glory. Juicy cherry tomatoes, sweet stone fruit, the beginning of corn season, and the everlasting kale. I find when making kale salads, the size of the kale is directly correlated to the number of people who like the salad. Big, chunky bits of dry kale — no one is really into that and I can’t blame them. Small bits of kale surrounded with sweet roasted cherry tomatoes, salty feta and crunchy seeds — now that’s something people can get into! So my tip is to take time your when chopping kale, chop finely and make sure to remove any hard stems. The tomatoes, quinoa, and corn can all be prepared ahead of time. Keeping ready-to-go ingredients in the fridge make summer meals a lot easier and allows for more time outside enjoying the sun, which is really what this season is all about! For this salad I used a mix of Terra Firma Kale; curly green and peacock kale. Seek out fresh produce from the farmer’s market whenever you can. A few kale growing tips from Terra Firma Farms • Kale can be planted very early as it thrives in cooler weather. Seeds can be planted as early as April, and then again mid-July for a second fall crop. • Pests love brassicas. To keep caterpillars from eating your kale use a lightweight row cover. • And of course, grow in fertile soil. Stressed kale can be more prone to pests, although too much nitrogen can attract aphids (plant lice). • Make salads!
Serves 2–3 as a main, 4 as a side, more as a potluck. Double quantities if needed.
Ingredients: Salad • 1/2 cup quinoa • 1 cup water or broth • 1 + 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes • 1 medium shallot • 1 clove of garlic • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, taste • 3/4 cup fresh corn kernels (from one small ear of corn)
• 2 1/2 cups mixed kale, stems removed and finely chopped • 1 ripe nectarine or peach • 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds • 1/2 cup crumbled feta • Small handful fresh chives or basil leaves
What to do Preheat oven to 325°F/165°C and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half then place on baking sheet. Halve and peel the shallot and place on the baking sheet with tomatoes and garlic clove. Drizzle everything with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt (a pinch or two should do). Place sheet on the top rack of your oven and roast for 30 minutes, until tomatoes are slightly dried around the edges but still juicy. Remove from oven and let cool. While the tomatoes are roasting cook your quinoa. Rinse the quinoa under cold water in a metal sieve for about 30 seconds. Add rinsed quinoa and 1 cup water to a pot and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 13–15 minutes, until quinoa has increased in sized and absorbed most of the water. Remove from heat and let sit with the lid on for another 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Drain off any excess water. Heat 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan over medi-
Dressing • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard • 1 tablespoon honey • Roasted shallot + garlic (from above) • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil • Cracked black pepper, to taste
um-high heat. Add the corn kernels and sauté, only stirring once or twice, for 2 minutes to just char the outside. Remove corn from the pan, reduce heat to low and add pumpkin seeds. Toast seeds for a few minutes, until light brown and fragrant, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove from heat and set aside. Remove rough stems from the kale and finely chop the leaves. Add kale, cooled tomatoes, cooked quinoa, toasted corn and pumpkin seeds to a large bowl. Pit and dice the nectarine and add to the bowl along with crumbled feta cheese. For the dressing add roasted shallot and garlic clove to a small blender. Add red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, sea salt and pepper. Begin blending and drizzle in olive oil with the motor running. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Add a tablespoon of water if the dressing is too thick. Add half the dressing to the salad, mix with your fingertips to combine. Sprinkle with fresh basil or chives and serve with extra dressing on the side. Salad will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 2 days.
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Invigorate yourself with all of Revelstoke’s Glacier House Resort offerings by Imogen Whale If Great Canadian Tours and the Gallery Restaurant at Glacier House Resort are not on your radar, they should be. Remote yet only ten minutes to town, Glacier House offers everything from inclusive multi-day adventure packages to a stunning restaurant with sumptuous meals. Relax at Glacier House’s large lodge, cabins, and restaurant, and get active with an adventure touring company that has impressive summer and winter sports tenures. This all comes with that laid back but passionate Revelstoke attitude and views that can’t be beaten.
Activities for days Glacier House Resort and Great Canadian Tours has long been popular with locals as a hub for winter motorized sports, with sled and bike rentals, tours, and camps. Maybe not so well known is Great Canadian Tours’ awesome summer options. The company offers rentals and guided tours and Revy Riders, the local community dirt bike club has over 80 kilometres of trails to utilize nearby. There is something for everyone; the side-by-side rides are a great chance for those who aren’t experienced with motor sports but want the chance to explore. These can be driven by anyone with a regular driver’s license and they allow family access. For those who love self-propelled play, Great Canadian Tours offers shuttles for downhill biking as well as rentals for paddleboards and canoes with access to their own dock on Lake Revelstoke. Even if you are not staying in the lodge or cabins, it’s well worth the quick drive up to spend a day on the trails or paddling the lake. The access to wilderness is, quite frankly, unbeatable.
Sit back and relax Glacier House Resort has worked hard on The Gallery Bar and Restaurant, which includes a large patio and unobstructed mountain views. General manager Cat Moffat explains the effort is paying off. “We are creating a casual dining experience with exceptional food,” she says. “The atmosphere is relaxed, allowing guests to enjoy the patio. We also offer a kid’s menu.” Recently, Moffat brought executive chef Vigil Turkington on board, whose passion and knowledge have resulted in excellent food reviews. Turkington is a red seal chef, a prestigious Canadian certification in the food industry. Getting his start in Revelstoke as a teenager, Turkington apprenticed with a variety of chefs, working everywhere from high-end restaurants to diamond mines. He brings a refreshing amount of passion and talent to the kitchen. “I really believe in local fare,” he explains. “I try and source locally and am inspired to try a variety of ways to get amazing flavour.” The restaurant changes its menu seasonally, and its summer offering is fresh with light options. It has a selection of vegetarian options and Turkington is more than happy to accommodate dietary requests. The restaurant is currently open for dinner only, and as the sun sets the dining room fills with light from the many windows, with unobstructed views of Mount Begbie and Boulder Mountain. Dinner on the huge patio is encouraged. In a bid to showcase the restaurant to Revelstoke locals, a 10 per cent on food is applied when Revelstoke ID is presented. “It’s certainly worth the short drive out,” Moffat says. Hopping into the car to head home, a black bear pokes his head out and the ambles away. Kids are on a small playground. The train and highway sounds are absent. It is a place like few others and the chance to reinvigorate oneself beckons.
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If photography and walks are more your pace, Glacier House Resort offers trails and wildlife spotting. Be prepared to see hummingbirds, eagles, and even the occasional black bear.
Matt rides a Rocky Mountain pipeline bike - $5000. He wears a Race Face indy jersey - $64.99, Race Face stage shorts - $125, Smith rover helmet - $170, Dakine concept gloves - $30, Five Ten freerider shoes - $160.00 and Sock Guy socks - $12.50.
Images by Sarah Mickel Photography Styled by Skookum Cycle and Ski Models – Matt Tretrault and Nevada
Nevada rides a Giant Reign Reg bike - on sale $2950. She wears a Scimitar Sports skookum jersey - $65, POC trail shorts - $100, Giro hex helmet - $165, Dakine gloves $30, Five Ten freerider shoes - $160 and Sock Guy socks - $12.50
Nevada wears Race Face scout jacket - $170. Matt wears Race Face agent soft shell - $198.
Ute and Inge at the Revelstoke Auxiliary Thrift Store. Photos by Sarah j Spurr
Our one-stop thrift shop The no-guilt retail experience By Sarah Spurr My mother’s, mother’s, mother passed down the art of thrifting and I continue to find each visit to the “OPportunity Shop” a relevant and reliable pursuit. I am thankful for those who do the work and continue to uphold its tradition so I can keep finding everything I never knew I needed and the things I do as well. Thrift shoppers are a keen and clever kind. They explore with curiosity and, at times, determination across the room. Each department is its own visual challenge, like a page from the book of I Spy.
Our thrift shop is the result of 52 years of dedicated work, a place where generous volunteers and paid employees work to create funds to buy health-related equipment for the community. Auxiliary means to provide supplementary or additional help and support. Our auxiliary is connected to the greater British Columbia Association of Hospital Auxiliaries. It is not-for-profit and all of your quarters and toonies are directed back into the community. And it all adds up — $121,354.35 was donated to a number of local organizations in 2015. The top recipients included the Queen Victoria Hospital, Highway Rescue Services and the Community Connections Food Bank.
I bump shoulders with my neighbour as we trade our coins in for treasures at the till, with the familiar faces that stand behind. They study each item for its price tag and make a point to reassure me that I’ve scored something special. They then tuck our findings into bags, which also have more than one life to give. There is satisfaction in extending the lifecycle of objects, and in finding style and quality in items either used or unwanted. It’s exciting to use your imagination so you can walk away with a bargain and it’s rewarding to divert useful and novel items from landfill. The Revelstoke Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop is our local second-hand hotspot, and one of the most popular stores in town. It’s a place where line-ups form before the doors open and everybody is welcome to take a chance on the day’s collection. Revelstoke store manager Sheila Combs boasts that her shop is wildly popular because of their humble pricing and clean, organized storefront, cared for by staff who sort and refresh the shelves daily with their ever changing selection. The flux of affordable inventory in a convenient and central location keeps people coming back. But what is truly classic and cool about this shop is that it exists in the name of its charitable intentions, like the original shops that benefited our grandparents and the communities they built and lived in.
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Thrift shop worker Randy is quick to help unload your donations.
Opportunities to shop: - Every Thursday is a half price sale, while each month
various promotions take place to keep inventory moving. - Over the course of the year, staff collect seasonal items for their annual Outdoor Spring Customer Appreciation Day sale as well as the popular Fall Ski Sale. - A trip to Revelstoke’s Auxiliary Thrift Shop is a lively part of the Revelstoke downtown shopping experience. The store is open from 1 p.m. Tues–Sat and from 7 p.m. on Mondays. - Donations are welcome and you can find information about what is and isn’t accepted on the donations page of rhas.weebly.com. You can also call 250-837-5052 or pop in directly to 315 Second Street West.
Photos of Bob Walker at work by Agathe Bernard
Hanging out in Revelstoke’s treetops
Local tarzan Bob Walker is a master of tree felling By Agathe Bernard “Do you trust me?” Bob Walker shouts from his perch in a giant cedar, 30 metres above the Illecillewaet River. “Yes! It’s me that I don’t trust!” I yell back from a neighboring giant treetop. I’m covered in sweat and scratches and questioning my life choices as I realize I have to install a pulley to rappel myself down to the ground safely. A massive cedar trunk comes crashing one metre beside me, carefully directed with a climbing rope. Why did I risk my life to follow a friend on his casual Monday morning routine? When Bob came over for dinner the night before and asked me to take photos of him falling massive trees, I refused and laughed at his request. I have a major fear of heights! But a few glasses of wine later, as I recounted all the past favours Bob had done for me, from fixing my camper to volunteering to help with home improvements, I gave in and agreed to shoot with him the next day. Dehydrated and hanging from a tree 10 storeys high, I found my focus as soon as I started looking through my lens. Observing this monkey man (actually Bob prefers to be called Tarzan) I watch as he runs up and down the giant cedar, swinging with his chainsaw in hand just the way I imagine a gorilla swings through the branches. I had never considered myself a wildlife photographer, until now. He never stopped to catch his breath, swinging and climbing while shouting instructions to the crane operator and staff picking up the debris that fell to the ground. All of this amidst the deafening noise of heavy equipment and 35 degree heat. Still perched up high, my terror and fear had dissolved and turned into immense respect for what this man does for a living. Bob is a local tree professional skilled in the art of dangerous tree removal. He will assess your trees and work to prevent them from causing damage to property, people or pets. Bob also offers tree planting and pruning, lot clearing, storm cleanup and he’ll even save your cats! You can reach him at Revelstoke Tree Care, 250837-8140.
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SUMMER 2016 Four Times Four - 4 Photographers, 16 Artists Photographers : Agathe Bernard, Rob Buchanan, Keri Knapp, Krista Stovel Artists: Teria Davies, Eve Fisher, Sandra Flood, Nancy Geismar, Julie Kozek, Francine Lanoie, Trish Hartwick, Pauline Hunt, Cat Mather, Mas Matsushita, Karen Millard, Jacqueline Pendergast, Michelle Spragg, Krista Stovel, Coreen Tucker, Sarah Windsor
Roots, Stumped, Growth: Fierce Art Project Catherine Craig, Charise Folnovic, Debbie Loewen, Elaine Baird, Jo C Willems, Leah Duperrault, Mari Ozero, Susan Lind, Trish Hartwick
The Fierce Art Project was supported by a CKCA Program 1 grant.
All Welcome, Admission by Donation These shows will run from Saturday, July 9th - Monday, Sept 2nd.
Gallery Open Tuesday to Saturday 12 - 4 pm, and until 7pm on Thursdays and Fridays. The Revelstoke Art Gallery is located at 320 Wilson Street, behind the Days Inn For more information: phone 250-814-0261, e-mail info@revelstokevisualarts.com, or visit our website www.revelstokeartgallery.ca The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance from the Province of British Columbia, Columbia Basin Community Initiatives and the City of Revelstoke.
250.837.6291
www.revcu.com