Volume

22

NO FEAR OF FALLING

Words by Laurissa Cebryk

Article photo by Micaiah Kind

BASE jumper Angelique Vinnedge loves being airborne. Throughout history, humans have been fascinated–even obsessed–with the art of...

Volume

22

ON THE SHARP EDGE

Words by Chad Herbert

Photos by Anastasia Skye

Local swordfighters get medieval at the Comox Valley Combat Guild A rare beam of sunshine reflects off a long steel blade, catching the...

Volume

22

HOME IN THE HILLS

Words by Ryan Stuart

Photos by Alex MacKay

It took a community to build Vancouver Island’s backcountry hut. I'm inching along the narrow ridge leading to 5040 Peak, a ski on either side of...

Volume

22

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL LAND

Words by Andrew Findlay

Photos by Jenn Dykstra

The history and community behind Courtenay’s beloved Airpark. When my kids were younger, I logged long hours at the Rotary Skypark, going...

Volume

21

THE MOUNTAIN CENTRE IS HERE. BUT DO YOU KNOW WHY?

Words by Alycia Traas

Photo by Kyle Hansen

The Vancouver Island Mountain Centre and Sports Society make Strathcona Park’s mountain terrain and experiences accessible to...

Volume

20

ABOVE AND BEYOND

Words by Ryan Stuart

Opening Photo by Chris Istace

Article Photos by Juanita Wells

The Comox District Mountaineering Club is doing hard work on the ground, encouraging our community to enjoy and protect the great outdoors. If...

Volume

20

STROKE OF MAGIC

Words by Alaina Vesper

Photo by Bastian Fluery

Accessing a glacier for a spring paddle board session is leagues above one couple's regular adventures. My boyfriend, Curtis...

Volume

19

THE BRIGHTEST PATH

Words by Nora Bingham

Photos by Meredith Rose

A serendipitous trip to New Zealand provides soothing reprieve from the west coast winter. Escape. Run away. Get lost. Get...

Volume

19

STOLEN MOMENTS

Words by David Benton

Photo by Jenn Dykstra

Time slows and memories collect and blur together while climbing amongst the Valley’s age-old terrain. Desperately pinching...

Volume

19

HIDDEN RICHES

Words & Painting by Nick Hutton-Jay

Long before it became a popular tourist destination, two adventurers stumbled upon the unexpected while exploring the Upana...

Volume

19

ON A WING AND A PRAYER

Words by Kyle Hansen

Photos by Marc Jardine

The misunderstood sport of speed flying requires practiced skill and careful calibration. It can also take a leap of faith. My heart...

Volume

16

THE NIGHT RIDE

Words by Mical Dyck

Photo by Lorenz Jimenez

Night riding can be eerie, there’s no question about that. Casting shadows as I pedal through the forest plays tricks on the eyes. Seeing movement where...

Volume

15

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Words by Paula Worthington

Photos by Jenn Dykstra

Cycling opportunities in the Valley are growing, combining the best of the area’s food, wine, and scenery into a selection of man-powered...

Volume

15

RACING THE LIGHT

Words by Leah Knutson

Photos by Mike LeBlanc

A team of Comox Valley runners road trips to the Alberta/BC border  to test themselves with the Sinister 7 Ultra Marathon. In...

Volume

15

SPINNING GOLD

Words & Photos by Leah Ballin

A search for wilderness, adventure, and single track in the land of the midnight sun. I feel most at home in vast wilderness...

Volume

15

PIONEERS AND BROKEN DREAMS

Words & Photos by Tim Ennis

Exploring northern Vancouver Island’s San Josef Bay with Cove Adventures. Drive northwest past the ferry line-ups, strip malls, and...

Volume

14

GRAVITATIONAL PULL

Words by Nicole Rippel

Photos by Jenn Dykstra

Straight across the strait, a manicured bike park and cycle-forward community provides a draw for amateur and experienced riders...

Volume

14

SPIN IT TO WIN IT

Words by Clay Ward

Photo by Eugene Chung

A trio of world-class athletes steps up  to provide off-season training for young riders. When the days grow short and the nights...

Volume

14

INTO THE GREAT WHITE OPEN

Words & Photos by Gordon Ross

For the intrepid traveller, Antarctica offers remote beauty. Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest of earth’s continents....

Volume

14

STRAIGHT AND TO THE POINT

Words by Blayne Prowse

Photos by Lorenz Jimenez

For a skilled bow and arrow craftsman, the pursuit of stump shooting provides a path toward engaged living and a deeper awareness of our place in the...

Volume

14

THE DIRTY AND THE DEDICATED

Words by Ryan Parton

Cumberland braces for Dodge City X, the village’s first off-road triathlon. To some, it’s the Village in the Forest, to others...

Volume

14

CHOSEN ROADS

Words by Erica Spizawka

Photo by Brian King

By four-stroke engine or clipless pedals, a Cumberland rider finds power in two wheels, however they spin. Do I love my mountain bike...

Volume

13

On a swell and a prayer

Words by Ryan Stuart

Photo by Dave Prothero

In one year, a local paddler goes from rookie to evangelist in the fastest man-powered boat on the water. What a difference a year...

Volume

13

Ready & Abel

Words by Neil Borecky

Photos by Patrick Kitto

Iconic and quirky, Mount Cain is more than a mere ski hill. It's a cog set of individuals making turns for themselves and for the...

Volume

13

Power Move

Words & Photo by Bevin Clempson

A longtime admirer of hip hop dance gets out of the corner. If you’re of a certain age, you’ve likely watched Flashdance. As a...

Volume

12

Coffee & Coastlines in Peru

Words & Photos by Sara Kempner

My first impressions of Peru came on a domestic flight between Lima and Cusco. Bleary eyed after 20 hours of travel from Vancouver Island, I sat on the plane...

Volume

12

Strathcona Park

Words by Andrew Findlay

Photos by Lisa Bettany

Getting by with a little help from our friends. The map of British Columbia is festooned with splotches of green, and we've got the...

Volume

12

How they roll: A crash course in roller derby

Words by Bevin Clempson

Photos by John Bonner

Over the years, I’ve quietly contemplated whether I have the skills—and the lady balls—to try roller derby. It’s a fascinating sport. When the...

Volume

12

Now on Deck: Cumberland Skatepark

Words by Cam Matthews

Photos by Alex MacKay

After returning from an extended period of travel, in our case driving a van to South America for 18 months, one forms a desire to obtain items which would...

Volume

11

Paradise Meadows

Words & Photos by Wendy L. Macdonald

The name says it all. They say you should stop and smell the roses if you want to enjoy the journey. I’ve discovered my own...

Volume

11

All Points to the Water: Compass Adventure

Words by Ryan Stuart

On the water, the fastest way between two points is rarely a straight line. Sailing, surfing, paddling, it's all about understanding and anticipating the...

Volume

11

Fly Tying 101

Words by Jack Bindernagel

Photos by Dave Prothero

The joy of making a DIY fly. 1 Start with a stainless steel saltwater hook, in sizes 4 to 8. Pinch the barb with pliers to...

Volume

11

Up, Up, & Away From It All

Words & photos by Sarah Hauser

Comox Glacier bike & hike The Comox Glacier is such an iconic mountain for the Comox Valley. Since moving here in the fall of 2006,...

Volume

11

My first XTERRA: Why not?

Words & gallery photo by Jason Stevens

Article photo by Jodi Mucha

It was some time in April, while I was sitting in my chiropractor’s office, having just injured my back filling our newly made, raised garden beds. As we...

Volume

11

A Voyage from Sea to See

Words & photos by Ben Neufeld

Many can say they have travelled to countries and continents around the world, tasted food from the most exotic of places, or dipped their toes in the waters...

Volume

10

Coal Hills BMX: Staying on Track

Words By Tara Bursey

Photos By Stew E Radford

Before the Coal Hills BMX Track in Cumberland opened in 2007, my loving parents shuttled me to Nanaimo several times a week for 10 years. I returned to racing...

Volume

10

Outrigger Canoeing in the Comox Valley

Words by Laurel Archer

Photo by Dave Prothero

Working together with water, wind and tide. What is that? A question often posed by onlookers as Comox Valley Canoe Racing Club (CVCRC)...

Volume

10

Free-Diving, With A Catch

Words by Galyn Franklin

Photos by Jeremy Koreski

Bringing peace to your soul and food to your table. I hold my breath, feeling a trickle of cold that distracts me for a second; there...

Volume

9

Japow: Magic on the slopes of Japan

Words & Photos by Max Oudendag

If you're a true powder junkie, you're always on the hunt for the deepest, softest and fluffiest snow. I live my life on this search, counting down the days...

Volume

9

The Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society

Words by Hilary Doucette

Photo by Bill Jorgensen

A place to belong and find peace. As you walk through the sliding door of the barn, the smell of the earth is the first thing you...

Volume

9

Finding our way: Learning lessons on the mountain

Words by Mike Mccall

Photos by Sara Kempner

Navigation is integral to our daily lives. It’s not just for seafarers, mountaineers or explorers, but a learned skill that is used by most of us every day....

Volume

9

Up, Up, and Away

Words by Greg Knowles

Photo by Todd MacSween

Taking flight on the water. Fall, winter, and spring storms rolling in from the Pacific push strong winds up the Georgia Strait,...

Volume

9

Setting goals In The Snow

Words by Nigel Harrison

Article photo by Ananda Van Welij

Gallery photo by Bernhard Krieger

Helping skiers be their best at home and abroad. By the time you read this I will have awoken from my first ski dream of the winter;...

Volume

8

The Sisterhood Of Bikes

Words By Bree Armstrong

Photo By Lauren Labossiere

Roll into Cumberland on Wednesday evenings from late April to early October and you will spot a group of about 30 - 40 women gathered in front of The Riding...

Sep

27

ONLINE ONLY

Lacing Up Community Spirit

Categories Volume 8

Soccer in the Comox Valley is more than just sport. The slightly dewy grass is freshly cut, filling the air with the sweet smell of...

Volume

7

Peaceful Paddling

Words By Gary Ball

Photos Heather & Keith Nicol

The joy of kayaking in Baynes Sound. The most profound way of connecting with myself and with the natural world is through kayaking....

Volume

7

The Ultimate Singletrack Experience

Words By Tara Miller

Photos By Dave Silver

Discovering new limits racing the BC Bike Race The air is electric and alive with energy. Cumberland is packed with people. 600...

Volume

7

Lost In The Wilderness

Words & Photos By Sara Kempner

A close encounter with the Cumberland Lake Wilderness Society For those of us fortunate to live in the Comox Valley, we find ourselves...

Volume

6

As The Disc Spins

Words By Max Oudendag

Photos By Nick Hutton-Jay

A renegade disc golf course spurs a community to create a forest playground. This story has the feel of a fairy tale. For some...

Volume

6

Magic In The Mountains

Words & Photos By Sarah Seads

Nearby alpine gems inspire locals and visitors alike. An endless coastline, mild climate, and constant ocean breeze are all part of...

Volume

5

Complex Terrain

Words & Paintings By Clive Powsey

Strike inwards on foot from Vancouver Island’s inhabited perimeter and, in a few hours walk beyond the strip malls, residential neighbourhoods, industrial...

Volume

5

Pulling Plastic

Words By Dave Benton

Photos By Lorenz Jimenez

Indoor climbing gives wet weather adventurers a new way to play on rainy days. Desperately clinging to a blob of wall-mounted epoxy...

Volume

5

Finding Forbidden

Words By Ryan Stuart

Illustration By Ian Adams

Separating truth from fiction in the Comox Valley’s back yard. There may be no finer view in the Comox Valley than the one from the...

Volume

5

Where The Trail Begins

Words By Ryan Parton

Photos By Lorenz Jimenez

The reverent, irreverent and occasionally inappropriate stories behind Cumberland’s eclectic trail names. Trail building in...

Volume

4

Pedal Power

Words By Kerry Hale

Photos By Ross Bodenmann

The Comox Valley enjoys a reputation for clean living, and rightly so. With inviting beaches meandering along vast stretches of coastline, epic mountains...

Volume

3

Giddy Up

Words & Photo by Kyle Hansen

Gone are the days of bundled up rides, getting home with frozen toes, and wet rain jackets. Today, we leave the saddles at home and make our way through a...

Volume

3

An Ocean Playground

Words By Stuart Robinson

Looking out over the sheltered waters of the Comox Bay, is there a better place to experience the ocean and all it has to offer?a Summers are special here...

Volume

3

Bouldering At Comox Lake

Words & Photos By Amanda Shpeley

From skipping stones to devouring ice cream cones, Comox Lake is a fond place for childhood memories. I enjoyed countless summer days focused on the water, all...

Volume

2

Confessions Of An Average Sailor

Words By Sarah Clark

Photos By Richard Barry

“I used to race Lasers when I was a kid” is what I wrote on the new member release form. A half-truth. It should have read, “I used to bob around a...

Apr

20

ONLINE ONLY

A River Runs Through It

Categories Volume 2

On a summer afternoon with life jacket-less tubers bobbing by, teenagers jumping off cliffs and dogs fetching sticks, it’s hard to believe the Puntledge...

Volume

2

Alpine to Ocean

Words By Sarah Seads

Illustrations By Ian Adams

It’s go time. I know the big day has arrived when I see canoes in the parking lot of Mount Washington Ski Resort. The annual Royal LePage Snow To Surf Race...

Volume

1

Inspiration in a Mountain Town

Words & Image by Raphael Van Lierop

In the fall of 2011 I walked away from my role as the director of a big-budget video game production at a studio in Vancouver. I was looking for something...

Volume

1

Riding is Awesome

Words By Eugene Chung

Photos By Benn Webb

Old school, new school, ski school no school. Freestyle, freeride, slopestyle, no style. Front side, back side, new lines. Singles lines, family days, winter...