Canada

Defying Gravity in Whistler’s Backcountry

Backcountry snowboarding isn’t just a winter sport—it’s an unwavering pursuit of freedom, a canvas for creativity, and a pure rush of defying gravity. It’s a fusion of style, skills, and boundless passion. To capture this magic, here’s a short edit of JF Fortin adding his own flair to Whistler’s backcountry. 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥…

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Tackling the 75km West Coast Trail

I slipped my feet into the white sand. Its cool composure liberated me from the throbbing pain. I was too exhausted to jump into the ocean and wash out all the dirt on my face and my hands, and the sweat that has accumulated on my skin and my clothing. I laid there for a…

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In the Midst of an Incomprehensible Wild Beauty

An army of cars filled with vacationers carrying summer toys such as mountain bikes and leisure crafts tied atop their roofs hurried north on the Sea-to-Sky highway towards the recreational town of Whistler. As for us, we drove south on the empty lane heading to a secluded island. Boat tied up behind the truck, trunk glutted…

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How Living In A RV Made Me Rich

What do we truly need in life? Shelter, food, water, clothes, love, and safety. These are the fundamental biological needs of a human being. However, the modern world has added a troubling item to this list: money. Money has created a society driven more by desires than necessities, fostering consumerism, a relentless pursuit of wealth…

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Celebrating Life

I usually plan a road trip getaway for my birthday, discovering a new place with new faces. Although I am not the type of girl that craves attention on this occasion, but I do believe it is important to highlight the moment. For me, a simple adventure somewhere in nature with people I love is…

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Morning Sweetness

Winter solstice is still a couple of weeks away, but the days are already colder and snow covers the grounds here in the mountains of Whistler. It was such a nice day today, and such an enjoyable morning walk with the pups. I love how I can just open the door of my trailer and…

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La Crémaillère: First Day At the New Home

We are pretty excited about our new purchase: a home on wheels.   An old gondola for storage space.   Cracking the first of many bottle of sparkling. Cheering to my new setting. Loving my new backyard. And the views are to die for. Much better than TV. Getting cozy. Friendly neighbourhood. And again, can’t beat the…

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Preparing for a Winter in a Trailer: Winterizing the RV

Owning a RV is in all a project and adventure. As newbies of the RV culture, there is so much to learn, especially with winter around the corner. Depending on how El Nino will affect our region this season, it is prudent to expect lots of heavy snowfall. Plus, we are sitting on an edge,…

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5 Dog-Friendly Incredible Hikes in the Sea-to-Sky Corridor

The season has changed, leaving place to the cool and crisp air of autumn. Summer has been absolutely crazy, in so many good ways, with work, and camping and adventuring every weekend. But I am now looking forward to quiet days at work, cozy wool sweater weather and wrapping my hands around hot teas and good…

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Hornby Island for a Family Vacation

Raised by a single mother and with an older brother that took on his freedom filled life as soon as I was born, I never really had the chance to understand the term “family vacation”. Of course my mom always made sure we would go on road-trips and explore the beautiful corners and cultural gems of…

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Tofino: The Ocean Is Calling And I Must Go

There is a place on the Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island that was built for dreamers: a place where the salty air is curing, the cold ocean is rejuvenating, and the lush rainforests are reinvigorating. A place where people go to gaze at the ocean in peace, and experience nature at its humblest best. Tofino is indeed…

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Picnic Day in Île d’Orléans

Just 15 minutes from downtown Québec City is located Île d’Orleans. The island has been described as the “microcosm of traditional Quebec” and as the “cradle of French civilization in North America.” On a sunny Monday morning of October, Karine and I drove across the solo bridge, entering a land of farming and agriculture. We acquired provisions in…

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Festival de la Galette Sarrasin

Québécois love their poutine. But they also love their buckwheat. The buckwheat made its way to Québec during the first colonization, principally by the Bretons. During this time, the buckwheat flour was used to make crepes, and was accompanied with baked beans, molasses and a glass of p’tit caribou.  It became a popular meal rich in protein for lumberjacks…

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Rohr Lake – Cayoosh Range, BC

Camping has always been an important part of my life. Since I moved to the west coast in 2003, I camp almost every weekend from late spring to early autumn. In the winter, I camp in the cabins of the backcountry. I don’t mind cold temperatures and am not scared of the wild. In fact, I always…

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A Decade In Such Great Heights

500 weeks ago, I headed west aboard a Greyhound bus on the Trans Canada Highway, bringing along a poor English, a backpack, a snowboard and just a few dollars in my pockets. After spending the summer by the sea in Victoria, BC, working at a Yögen Früz to learn a second language, I migrated to the…

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Yearning For Simplicity

A pack of malicious clouds covered the village of Whistler with continuous precipitation on this Tuesday morning of late August. The cool breeze and the leaves prematurely falling from the maple trees almost made us forget about the endless sunny and hot days that made our summer until now. I opened the door of the…

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10 Easy Camping Food

If you browsed my blog recently, you might have noticed that I have been enjoying the great outdoors frequently this summer. Just like travelling, camping is for me a way of connecting with the nature and reconnecting with myself. After a long busy week at work, I find comfort in the wilderness. But camping isn’t…

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Rainbow Lake – Whistler, BC

Summer has been magnificent so far with suns sparkling the forecast everyday and warm, pleasant temperatures reaching 30˚C each afternoon. Rain was needed and so it did for a couple of days, just enough to soak the dryness of the forest and revive the grass and trees of their pure lush greens. It is wildflower…

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The Road to Home

As soon as flight AA1746 from Grand Cayman landed its wheels on the wet tarmac of Vancouver’s International airport, a double spiral of anxiety and excitement swirled inside my guts. Delicate sleet danced softly toward the ground. I disembarked the craft and followed a crowd of Asian-Canadian passengers. The scents of Tim Horton’s fresh coffee…

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The Return Home: What Would Have Been If…

Since I have been back home, living the sedentary life of a worker, I have had many thoughts about what could have been if I would have chosen another destination after I left Cayman. I thought of Australia, working in a fancy beach resort, or Switzerland working at a classy ski resort, or even try…

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Wilderness Pleasures

It is a Monday in early May. A late peaceful afternoon. I am sitting in the boat, parked on its trailer in the driveway of my house, laptop on my thighs. My dog is laying on the bow. I watch cars pass by, kids on their bikes, cats tempting the grass. The air is warm…

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Family Day Somewhere in the Mountains Far Away

We all left home years ago. Some with a backpack on their shoulders aboard a bus or a plane or in a car packed with all the belongings a teenager could have. We were young and innocent. We were hungry for wild adventures and unique experiences. We were searching for flexibility and freedom. We left…

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Wrap Up 2012

Comes the end of 2012 and looking back at the days that became weeks, weeks that became months, months that made the year. As time flies like in the blink of an eye, my goal is to always keep the calendar full and accomplished so each year is a unique chapter with its own flavor,…

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Time to Be Jolly

  It is that time of the year again to put our hideous winter sweaters on and raise our sparkling glass to cheer to love, joy and peace at last. Christmas is just around the corner and I am so excited as it is my favorite time of the year. The mountains are thick and…

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A Place Called Home

  A series of clips filmed in Whistler while I was home for the Holidays. Riding with homies, playtime with doggies, Dumbo Party at Sushi. There is indeed no place like home!

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Home for the Holidays

  I left on a 4th  of July. Leaving a life of the past. A comfort zone that became too black and white.  A routine that got old. I started a new chapter on an island, where the water is metallic blue and white is the sand.  A new climate, a new territory to explore…

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The Blues of a White Day

  The mountain opens today. The most important day of the year in Whistler. A day expected by all, where skis and snowboards are tuned up, where playlists are created, where kids are geared up for months, in shape, eager and more than ready to play. Crazy passionnates camp at the base of the hill…

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A City Infested of Crazy Canucks

That was it. The moment that made history. But this time there was no gold medal, nor a Stanley Cup. All that was left to the ground were burnt flags, garbage, broken glass, and alcohol streams. All that is left in our minds are degrading images of drunk, high, and sadistic anarchists, criminals, and grungy…

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Whistler Exposed

Whistler is a four-season resort destination located in the Southern Pacific Ranges of The Coast Mountains, and only a short drive from one of Canada’s largest cities, Vancouver. Its two adjacent mountains surrounded by ancient glaciers offer the greatest vertical rise and best terrain variety for skiing and snowboarding in all of North America. This young century-old town…

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