Author: Rain Scott
Traverse Take Two: Flower Ridge Towards Harmston And Tzela Lake
Last summer, Erica and I tried to walk across Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island and many things went very wrong. We even got interviewed by the Sharp End podcast about our helicopter rescue. It’s a year later. We’re still in the pandemic. And we felt like we have some serious unfinished business in the park.…
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Skiing Mt. Allan Brooks in Strathcona Park
We headed out for a ski tour to Mt. Brooks in in early January. Erica and I went with our friends Colin and Natasha. Brooks and Elma are very popular places for ski touring. I did Elma on snowshoes a few years back. Brooks has better terrain for turns and is more popular with skiers.…
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Skiing Mt Cokely on Vancouver Island
We checked out the skiing near Mt. Cokely next to Arrowsmith.
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Is it safe to ski tour this weekend?
I want to tell you a somewhat embarrassing story, back when I did not know much about winter. It was about five years ago in the fall. The leaves on the trees hadn’t even changed yet. My friend had invited me on a backpacking trip in Strathcona Park. A few days before we were supposed…
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Getting started backcountry skiing on Vancouver Island
As a climber, I always felt so sad when winter rolled around. I thought I was stuck inside until the snow melted. Then it turns out I was wrong. Learning to ski was the answer. And not just any kind of skiing. Backcountry skiing. Where you take your skis for a walk up the mountain…
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VIDEO: A tour of Hišimy̓awiƛ
Here is a video tour that I made of Hišimy̓awiƛ, an Alpine Club of Canada hut on 5040 on Vancouver Island. The video covers burning questions such as: What the sleeping area look like If you can charge your phone (spoiler alert: yes) What dishes and cooking equipment is available in the kitchen How do…
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A long traverse in Strathcona Park where many things go wrong
We set out to travel 80km from Mt. Washington to Flower Ridge over eight days. Our goal was to climb eight of Stratchona Park’s tallest and most remote mountains. This included Harmston, one of Island Qualifiers. I wanted a trip that was physically demanding but less scary than my usual mountaineering trips. COVID stress left…
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VIDEO: Sky Pilot near Squamish, BC
We climbed Sky Pilot, our first South Coast summit at 2031 meters. Easy access You can skip the first few hours of arduous uphill hiking by taking the Sea to Sky gondola. This was quite a different experience than climbing on Vancouver Island, where just the driving on old logging roads can take hours. And…
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VIDEO: Nine Peaks and Big Interior
We climbed the Big Interior and Nine Peaks despite persistent whiteouts, navigation struggles and rain.
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Hiking during COVID-19 for folks in Victoria, BC
Updated April 10, 2020 How do physical distancing rules apply to hiking? And what trails are even open anymore? Current guidelines in BC At the time of writing this British Columbians are allowed to go outside and get some exercise. But we all need to: Stay at least 2 meters away from others Avoid groups…
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Hiking to Mt. Assiniboine in October and having it all to ourselves
The fall is the perfect time to head to the Rockies for experienced backpackers.
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