Tag: Canada (Page 1 of 2)

Top 30 countries ranked for adventure (2021)

The US News and World Report has again ranked countries according to how well they break from the norm and fulfill people’s wanderlust and desire for adventure.

The top 30 adventure rankings for 2021 are »

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Primitive in Tofino

From Benoit Lalande via Vimeo »

Gisele Bruhwiler moved to Tofino when the now renowned Canadian surf town was nothing more than a small fishing village. Since then, she has raised an entire family of pro-surfers, but did so the old way, showing them how to sail and live off the land. Despite speaking a different language and being generations apart, Gisele and her grandson Kalum share an unconditional love for the ocean and this primitive lifestyle that’s been lost with changing times.

PIEPS and Black Diamond announce a product safety recall of the DSP avalanche transceiver beacons

PIEPS and Black Diamond have announced a voluntary product recall of their DSP avalanche transceivers.

Recently, PIEPS, the European producer of the avalanche safety device, and Black Diamond, its North American distributor, came under fire with concerns the DSP avalanche transceiver beacon could inadvertently switch from “send” to “search” mode, rendering the device useless to the wearer should they be caught up in an avalanche.

From the PIEPS website »

PIEPS has conducted extensive evaluations of the safety and performance of the affected products, including internal and third-party testing. The results conclude that the products comply with international standards, are properly designed, and perform as intended.

Nevertheless, PIEPS has recently developed a hardcase carrying system to be used with the DSP PRO, DSP PRO ICE and DSP SPORT that the transceivers can only be used when set and locked in the “send” position.

More information about the product safety recall program can be found at both the PIEPS and Black Diamond websites.

Both PIEPS and Black Diamond also announced the recalls on Instagram.

Film » On The Verge in British Columbia

As the last stands of old-growth trees come under threat of logging, climbers in Powell River, British Columbia face an uncertain future of the place that has come to define their lives and legacies.

Presented by Arc’teryx, June 2020

Confronted with the decision to fight for these last ancient trees and potentially lose access or look away as the valley is stripped for timber, On The Verge is a snapshot of outdoors culture in British Columbia. The way we reconcile industries that give us access to the wilderness with the destruction they cause. The desire to protect our backyard but keep it for ourselves at the same time. The importance of these places to the people who have shaped them and been shaped by them in return.

Switzerland remains the best country in the world » Canada has moved up to the second spot » U.S. News 2020 Best Countries rankings

For Switzerland, the 2020 ranking is the the fourth consecutive yearhas been judged No. 1 by residents of 36 countries. Canada was chosen second, overtaking Japan in the U.S. News’ fifth annual survey.

The Best Countries report, produced from an annual global survey of more than 20,000 people in 36 countries including the United States, reflects increasingly negative views of the world and within countries. Nearly half of survey respondents say conditions around the world have worsened in the past year. Likewise, an increased percentage of people say the gap between the rich and poor has grown and that nationalism is increasing.

According to the ranking, here are the Top 25 Countries in the World

  1. Switzerland
  2. Canada
  3. Japan
  4. Germany
  5. Australia
  6. United Kingdom
  7. United States
  8. Sweden
  9. Netherlands
  10. Norway
  11. New Zealand
  12. France
  13. Denmark
  14. Finland
  15. China
  16. Singapore
  17. Italy
  18. Austria
  19. Spain
  20. South Korea
  21. Luxembourg
  22. United Arab Emirates
  23. Russia
  24. Portugal
  25. India

The Bottom 5 of the U.S. News 2020 Best Countries rankings are

  • Lebanon
  • Serbia
  • Oman
  • Belarus
  • Tunisia

See the full report.

 

 

Meet Michael Inuarak, the young musher, as he prepares to take part in the annual Nunavut Quest

For the past weeks, 22-year-old Michael Inuarak has been preparing for the gruelling, annual weeklong Nunavut Quest traditional dog sled race where competitors traverse an unforgiving sea of ice and tundra.

This year, the race starts in Inuarak’s hometown of Pond Inlet and ends more than 300 kilometres away in Arctic Bay.

Kieran Oudshoorn, writing for the CBC:

“I love the race. It’s a very exciting time,” said Inuarak.

“There was one time when my dogs were running after a polar bear and I had no rifle. So I was sweating and trying to avoid the polar bear as much as I can.”

The last three times Inuarak participated in the Quest, he placed third — an impressive feat for such a young musher.

Inuarak is proud of how well he did, but hopes he will do better this year.

“I’m not worried. I’m just a bit nervous because of all the fast racers who are going to be ahead of me. And I’m not using as [many] dogs as I normally do.”

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Canada’s Yukon Territory is Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

Foders:

With its untamed wilderness, gold rush past, and party-hardy reputation, Canada’s northern frontier offers a wild time—in every sense of the word.

The call of the wild emanates from just about everywhere in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Some locations are expected (evergreen forests, rugged mountain peaks, remote lakes) while others might surprise (a former brothel-now-bar, a wild-west-esque can-can show, a divey saloon). Looming large over this vast frontier north of the 60th parallel and east of Alaska are the stories and storied remains of the Klondike gold rush. Beginning in 1887, when word of gold in them thar (northern) hills reached southern cities, a stampede of 100,000 dreamers and schemers sailed north to Alaska, trudged over mountain passes into Canada, and sailed down the Yukon River to reach the gold fields. Take inspiration from their courage (or craziness) and find some wild times of your own.

June 23

1940: Henry Larsen, a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was the second to sail the Northwest Passage, crossing west to east, having left Vancouver 23 June 1940 and arriving at Halifax on 11 October 1942.

Road Trip: Canada’s 10 most visited National Parks

Canada’s national parks and historic sites hosted a staggering 24.7 million visitors last year. Not bad for a country with a population of only 36 million people. Which of it’s 39 national parks are the most popular? Here are the top ten:

  1. Banff National Park in Alberta – 4,059,503 visitors
  2. Jasper National Park in Alberta – 2,345,130 visitors
  3. Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park in Quebec – 1,143,276 visitors
  4. Pacific Rim National Park in British Columbia – 1,056,801 visitors
  5. Mount Revelstoke National Park in British Columbia – 795,749 visitors
  6. Yoho National Park in British Columbia – 688,157 visitors
  7. Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta – 536,865 visitors
  8. Prince Edward Island National Park – 530,247 visitors
  9. Kootenay National Park in British Columbia – 521,286 visitors
  10. Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba – 355,523 visitors

British explorers train in Yellowknife for winter expedition to North Pole

Jimmy Thomson, CBC News:

To this day, there is no record of anyone reaching the North Pole under their own power, without resupply, in winter.

And

English explorers Alex Hibbert, George Bullard, and James Wheeldon want to meet the challenge, and have been preparing for the journey in the Yellowknife area. They’re hoping to set out for the North Pole this fall.

All are veteran explorers — Hibbert and Bullard set a world record for the longest unsupported traverse of Greenland in 2008, while Wheeldon and Hibbert spent a winter together in northern Greenland. But they have never worked together as a trio.

Follow Alex Hibbert and George Bullard on Twitter.

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