ILCP Rave
Cristina Mittermeier, iLCP President and photographer speaks for the Great Bear Rainforest from iLCP on Vimeo.
This fall I will be guiding the ILCP Team in the Great Bear Rainforest. ILCP brings together the world's best photographers to capture the people and wildlife of the Great Bear. I had the priviledge to meet Christina in Bella Bella when i finished my Standup4GreatBear Expedition. I am really excited to work with Christina and her team this fall.
Standup4Greatbear Presentations and SUP Racing
I also got out to race my Surftech Joe Bark SUP at the first ever Squamish Paddling Club twoonie race on Saturday night. It was a 7 km race and we started at the Mamquam Blind Channel at the Adventure and paddled out past Nexxen Beach into a very strong headwind. The conditions were challenging but fun and the downwind section allowed me to make up a lot of time. Downwind is where these SUP's really excel. They are designed to be surfed in big swell and wind chop. You will be hard pressed to find a race where you paddle upwind on an SUP but i thought it would be fun to just be involved with the paddling community on this twoonie race.
Tonight is more conditioning with Jen's men's class and tomorrow night Jen and I will be heading to Deep Cove to race our SUP's at their 7 pm event.
The Morning Commute- Squamish Style
Its really important to make sure that you are paddling early when on Howe Sound or on any fiord during the summer months. You want to stay away from the really strong inflow winds that develop during the day as the land heats up and draws air from the ocean. The sound can be a really nasty place to be when the winds kick up.
We had everything in favor for us on this SUP, no wind, dropping tide and the outflow of the Squamish River. Jen and I drove our vehicles to Brittania beach where Carla and Allison were already enjoying their first coffee of the day. We dropped our vehicles and drove back to Nexxen. We loaded up the boards and paddled south to Brittania while enjoying the incredible scenery that included the Chief, Shannon Falls and Mount Garibaldi. The trip was a relaxing two hours and our reward was a delicious coffee at Galileo. It was an amazing way to start the day and weekend.
Thanks to the Squamish SUP crew, Ron, Carla, Allison, Darren, Rich, Nicole, James and Lance who did an amazing job. It was a lot of fun paddling with you guys.
RBC Blue Water Project 13 - Tides Canada
Great commercial put out by RBC. Highlighted are my friends from Hartley Bay. I have worked with Marven Robinson for years. Marvin is a steward of the Gitga'at land and is a bearviewing guide in the fall. Eva Ann Hill is family. She adopted me into her Raven Clan. These are some of the people who inspired my standup4greatbear expedition.
Surftech Kalamalka Classic Sup Race Weekend in Vernon
I just got back from a great weekend in Vernon where Jen and I went down to race in the Kalamalka Classic SUP race in Vernon. Kevin and Michelle from Okanagan SUP and Kalavida Surf Shop put on a great race for all the SUP racers on Kalamalka Lake. The vibe was great, met some awesome people and the weather was hot with flat conditions.....perfect for all involved.
I also had a chance to finally meet Bodie Shandro from Surftech Canada. Bodie and Surftech have really supported me on my Standup4GreatBear mission. Bodie provided a 14' Joe Bark Expedition board to handle the variable conditions that i would encounter on my expedition. The board rocked. Thanks Bodie. Surftech is a leader in the surf and standup paddleboard industry and they were the main sponsor for the Kalamalka Classic SUP race. The future is huge for S.U.P in Canada and the Surftech brand will eventually be seen in everybody of water here in Canada. As an ambassador for Surftech I am excited to promote the sport and do my best to get everyone "on board."
Back to the race. Saturday we had a 3.5 mile sprint race. I had a blast just being with a bunch of standup paddleboarders who were really excited about the sport. Beau Whitehead a great paddler and sponsored Naish rider from Washington won the race. I chased him around the course and place second. That evening we had a really good dinner put on by Gatzke's with awards that followed. Sunday I raced the 10 mile length of Kalamalka Lake. Beau was the King of Kalamalka in the unlimited division and i was second. Calvin, who paddled his own custom wood built SUP was first in the 12 6" category. I covered the 10 miles in 1 hour and 55 minutes on my Bark Expedition. Sheila and Mike were amazing as well and Jen had a great race on Saturday and Sunday as well placing second in each race. I really enjoyed the competition, the beautiful weather and paddling the lake with friends. The Okanagan is an amazing place to SUP and the sport is really starting to take off there. Thanks to Sheila and Mike who hosted us for the weekend up at Silver Star. I am really looking forward to more racing. It was such an incredible workout over the weekend that i am feeling those miles today.
This week I am back in Squamish for more sup lessons and paddlefit classes. This Thursday I will be presenting the Standup4GreatBear slide show to friends and supporters in Squamish at the new Escape Route at 8:00pm. Sunday, the 27th, i will be at Ecomarine on Granville Island in Vancouver presenting with the Pipdreams Project. Come and check it out.
Geez, i need to get more sun. The coastal weather here in Squamish has not helped in that department. It finally felt like summer in the sunny okanagan.
I also had a chance to finally meet Bodie Shandro from Surftech Canada. Bodie and Surftech have really supported me on my Standup4GreatBear mission. Bodie provided a 14' Joe Bark Expedition board to handle the variable conditions that i would encounter on my expedition. The board rocked. Thanks Bodie. Surftech is a leader in the surf and standup paddleboard industry and they were the main sponsor for the Kalamalka Classic SUP race. The future is huge for S.U.P in Canada and the Surftech brand will eventually be seen in everybody of water here in Canada. As an ambassador for Surftech I am excited to promote the sport and do my best to get everyone "on board."
This week I am back in Squamish for more sup lessons and paddlefit classes. This Thursday I will be presenting the Standup4GreatBear slide show to friends and supporters in Squamish at the new Escape Route at 8:00pm. Sunday, the 27th, i will be at Ecomarine on Granville Island in Vancouver presenting with the Pipdreams Project. Come and check it out.
Geez, i need to get more sun. The coastal weather here in Squamish has not helped in that department. It finally felt like summer in the sunny okanagan.
Global TV interview for Standup4greatbear
I had a chance to go into the Global TV studios to talk with Sophie Lui about the Standup4GreatBear Expedition. Sophie herself had been to King Pacific Lodge and the GreatBear Rainforest in 2008. She had the amazing opportunity to see a Spirit Bear and knows whats at risk with the proposed oil tankers up there.......enjoy. Standup4GreatBear. Standup4yourcoastline.
Young Students at Boundary School Standingup4 their coastline.
Last week I had the chance to visit Caroline Falconer's Grade 4 class at Boundary Bay in North Vancouver. It was Caroline's class that really inspired me on my Standup4GreatBear Expedition. The day before i left for my journey i received 29 letters from the students stating their support for the wildlife and people of the Great Bear and thanking me for what i was doing. I was really touched. They were really into the expedition and followed me live on the Spot Tracker. I told them as soon as my Surftech Joe Bark Expedition board made it down to Squamish I was coming in to see them. I was really excited to get down there to show them my appreciation for their letters and their support.
The presentation went really well. I was blown away at how well informed these students were about their coastline. A number of students were able to name all five species of salmon we have on our coastline. They all had questions about the expedition and many of them shared stories of experiences they have had on the ocean and with wildlife. Another teacher in the school brought her grade 2's and 3's in so there was close to 50 in the class. All of Miss Falconer's class were sporting their standup4greatbear bracelets and were proud to show them off.
I brought my 14 foot board right into class along with my paddle, spot tracker, glass ball, lifejacket, camera's and sealion tooth. A lot of the kids had a chance to check out the gear and lift the board and paddle. They were all part of my expedition and I was so impressed to see all of them excited and fired up about their coastline. Thanks to all the students for having me and thank you to Miss Falconer for being such a great teacher and role model. You have helped instill important values in these students which they will carry their futures. You have also inspired them to standup4 what they believe in and have helped them to understand how important the health of our ecosystems really are. I really hope i get a chance to see these students again........we are all part of standingup4greatbear. Thanks for the amazing card.
For those interested in a presentation on the GreatBear Rainforest and the expedition please contact me a norm@mountainsurfadventures.com or call 604-848-8792
We Say No to Enbridge Oil
I am now back in Squamish training for an upcoming SUP race, teaching SUP lessons and spending the weekends having fun.
If your interested in learning how to standup paddleboard just send an email. Contact us as well about our incredible SUP trip to the GreatBear Rainforest this August.
The picture above was at the Kitimat feast. I am standing with crazy man Frank Wolf who will be walking, biking, rafting the 1200 km length of the proposed oil pipeline from Fort McMurray to Kitimat starting this July. You can follow his journey his journey here.
Oil Spill Model from Living Oceans Society
http://www.livingoceans.org/programs/energy/model/spill_model/oil_spill_model.aspx
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