Tofino Thanksgiving

Evening session

Mid-October is usually cold, dark and rainy which isn't very fun for biking or climbing and still to early for skiing. With that in mind, I had booked a trip to Tofino where it doesn't matter if its raining because you are planning to be cold and wet surfing anyways. Much to our surprise, the fall ended up being really warm and dry which meant unseasonably warm sunny beach days in October.

Mount Bourgeau/Harvey Pass

Distance: 21km

Elevation: 1130m

Time: 5hrs

Bourgeau Lake below the summit of Mt. Bourgeau

The hike to Harvey Pass starts in Banff National Park from the Bourgeau Trailhead (just west of the Sunshine Road). It is a grind up through the forest for the first 7.5km with minimal views, but once you reach the treeline at Bourgeau Lake you are rewarded with stunning panoramas and alpine lakes. The hike to Bourgeau on its own isn't be worth the effort, but once you start gaining elevation towards Harvey Pass, the views are spectacular.

Grassi Knob Hike - Canmore

Grassi Knob Loop

 Distance 9km

Elevation 795m

Time 3hrs

Grassi Knob summit shot

Helen Lake Hike - Icefields Parkway

Helen Lake Hike

Distance: 15km

Elevation: 550m (to the Headwall)

Time: 4hrs return

Kona takes in the view of Helen Lake from the headwall

Kicking Horse and Terminator Ridge

Kyle scoping out freeride lines at the top of Kicking Horse

The trails at Kicking Horse Bike Park in Golden, BC are steep, rough and endless. We spent 2 days riding the hill with Peter and Kristina enjoying gondola accessed downhill trails. Sadly our first day was cut short by thunderstorms, but that didn't stop us from having an epic alpine weekend.

Retallack

The whole crew (Photo: Jon)

What do you get when you combine 12 friends, a fridge full of Kokanee, repurposed military vehicles, helicopters and epic single track deep in the Kootaneys? An unforgettable birthday party at Retallack!

North Shore Triple Crown MTB

Distance: 73km

Elevation: 2543m

Time: 10:01