Elizabeth von Rummel, born into aristocracy in turn-of-the-century Germany, came with her family to live on a ranch in the Alberta foothills, when working on it became the alternative to life in her World War One-ravaged homeland. Then, when most people were settling into middle age, Lizzie struck out on another challange; for 32 years she ran backcountry lodges like Skoki and Assiniboine, for which she received the Order of Canada and the friendship of hundreds of people whose lives were enhanced by her special charm.
Take the snowiest mountains in Canada, add two Austrian immigrants, an army of adrenaline-addicted skiers (kings, queens, billionaires, average people and everyday ski bums) and throw a helicopter into the mix for an unforgettable story of mountain adventure. The tale begins when two childhood friends-Hans Gmoser and Leo Grillmair-leave postwar Austria and travel to Canada in search of adventure. They stumble upon employment taking skiers across the vast glaciers and through the thick forests of Western Canada. When skiers start asking the immigrant mountaineers if it would be possible to use a helicopter to reach the best high-altitude powder, the two find themselves catapulted into a project brimming with more adventure, success, tragedy and fame than they could have dreamed. Complete with archival and contemporary photos, this is the inside story of the people, thrills, accidents and innovations behind the evolution of a sport from a dangerous, ramshackle and lawless enterprise into a multi-million dollar industry offering reliable access to one of the world's most exciting forms of recreation.
In Plain Sighthighlights a selection of natural wonders and outdoor adventures located in southern Alberta. The places featured in this book have been chosen for their utter uniqueness, beauty and splendour. Some are easy to get to and easy to get around in; others require a bit more time and energy. Overall, you will be stimulated, enlightened, delighted, amazed, uplifted and broadened by the experience. These are truly awesome places, in the very real denotation of that adjective. All are in plain sight, though they are little visited by locals or tourists. The book contains chapters on Waterton Lakes National Park, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Dinosaur Provincial Park, the Whaleback and a number of other special places. The narrative covers the geological record and the natural and human history of the places in order to explain how each locale is unique and worthy of further investigation.
Hit the trails with naturalist and raconteur Bob Henderson in this four-book bundle! From folklore to heritage, with a hefty dose of the Scandinavian outdoor-living ethos of friluftsliv, Henderson fires the imagination, urging Ontarians to reignite their relationship with nature. Includes: Every Trail Has a Story More Trails More Tales Nature First Pike’s Portage
Draws on Canadian exploration, history, geography, anthropology, literature, and philosophy, striking a balance that will delight serious naturalists and armchair historians alike.
Introduces the reader to the exciting world of heli-skiing and alpine adventure through the life of renowned adventurer and robust entrepreneur Hans Gmoser. Hans Gmoser (1932-2006) was the most influential mountaineer in Canada of the last fifty years. Through innovation, hard work, perseverance and an appetite for adventure, Gmoser evolved from penniless immigrant to mountain guide for kings, queens and prime ministers. He also played a major role in creating what is now western Canada's dynamic mountain adventure community. Known primarily as the inventor of heli-skiing and the founder of Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), Gmoser also garnered recognition as a talented rock climber, tireless expedition leader, successful mountain guide, renowned filmmaker, community organizer and vibrant businessman. Told from all aspects of his fascinating life and including some of Gmoser's own words, Chic Scott weaves together a compelling story based on the diaries, expedition journals, film commentaries and personal correspondence of this charismatic and inspiring figure.
LIMITED TIME OFFER Canada is packed with intriguing places for travel where heritage and landscape interact to create stories that fire our imagination. Scattered across the land are incredible tales of human life over the centuries. From the Majorville rock formation (dated as being older than Stonehenge), through the systems of walking trails developed by pre-contact Native Peoples, and the fur trade routes, to the more recent grand stories of the Chilkoot Gold Rush of 1897, Bob Henderson, the traveller, captures our living history in its relationship to the land – best expressed through the Norwegian quote "nature is the true home of culture." The diversity of fascinating content includes the ancient James Bay landmark (the "Wonderful" Stone); the mountain treks of naturalist Mary Schaffer Warren; the west coast observations of George Vancouver; practices such as dog sledding, warm winter camping and canoeing that allow for heritage insights; the trails of Dundas, Ontario; the exploits of missionary Gabriel Sagard; the recluse Louis Gamache of Anticosti Island; the abandoned gravesites along the coast of Newfoundland – to name but a few. As historian Michael Bliss once said, "We have to find a way to make history smell again." Author Bob Henderson brings the "fragrance of the past" into the present and invites us to imagine and participate. "Like an enthused hummingbird too eager to land, Bob Henderson leads a wide-ranging tour of the vast garden of Canadian history and landscape. Once entrusted with the scent of intrigue we are invited to follow these stories and trails deeper, make them speak and inform our own travels and impressions. Here are stepping stones and touchstones, paths toward richer engagements via a storied and fabulous past." — Alexandra & Garrett Conover, co-authors of The Snow Walker’s Companion "I pulled off the river; a log cabin set back in the woods had caught my eye. Though very old it was in good shape — there was no lock on the door. A framed note beside it read, ’Leave as you found it.’ The interior was neat and tidy, a complete set of blackened pots hung on the walls, a small stack of kindling by the open door of a Findlay stove. ’A perfect place,’ I thought to myself. As I turned to take in the rest of the cabin I saw before me Canada/Yukon rivers, Labrador fiords, Prairie medicine wheels, Superior’s north shore, portage and trail - it was all there before me, across space and time. As I stood there ghosts emerged from the walls, trappers, cowboys, ill-fated explorers, lucky canoeists — all in the same room, all eager to tell their stories. Such is the nature of Bob Henderson’s wonderful book." - Ian Tamblyn, songwriter Watch for More Trails, More Tales coming November 2014.
Since moving to the Rockies of western Canada in 1984, Lynn Martel has spent countless hours and days exploring the mountain wilderness with her many experienced friends as well as some of the best known and well-informed professional guides in the outdoor adventure business. Waking up in tents and backcountry huts; hiking and skiing up valleys, over passes and across glaciers; rock climbing; mountain biking; caving; paddling and horseback riding have all become integral parts of Martel's life in the Mountain West. Since the mid-1990s, Martel has shared the beauty and the magic of the region's inspiring wilderness destinations through finely crafted tales of her own adventures and also those of the Rockies' most colourful and iconic adventure personalities. Her vast amount of experience and insight into the most popular activities available to tourists, locals and the most skilled and competent weekend warriors infuse this collection of 20 of her best adventure stories. Complete with colour photographs and maps, difficulty ratings, seasonal details and general information, these stories will inspire those seeking to experience adventures at their own level in and around Kananaskis Country, Canmore, Lake Louise and Banff, Yoho and Jasper national parks.
Mapper of Mountains follows the career of Dominion Land Surveyor Morrison Parsons Bridgland, who provided the first detailed maps of many regions of the Canadian Rockies. Between 1902 and 1930, this unheralded alpinist perfected phototopographical techniques to compile a series of mountaintop photographs during summers of field work. Mapper of Mountains also tells the story of the Rocky Mountain Repeat Photography Project, which studies the changes sustained in the Rockies, repeating the field work accomplished by Bridgland almost a century ago.
