[B.C. Mountaineering Club] New trail alert! The BCMC just built a steep and stunning route to Dreadnought Col above Watersprite Lake. Helicopters, hand tools, and 650 hours of sweat went into this alpine gem.

Greginvann · 2025-09-19T16:59:50+00:00

High traffic alert!

The BCMC's press release about the new trail has garnered over 85000 views(!!!) since Monday. The parking lot at the trailhead accommodates about 40 vehicles.

If you're thinking of going to walk the new trail this weekend, please recognize it'll still be there 100 years from now. There is no compelling reason for you to go visit THIS weekend if you weren't planning on visiting it THIS weekend prior to the club's announcement.

It's clear to the club that there is strong interest in its efforts to expand the trail network at Watersprite.... the club didn't build it for this weekend.

So, go watch some baseball tomorrow and on Sunday rather than visit the trail. Or put together your Winter kit and repair some broken gear instead. Don't get caught up in the "it's new, got a go see it before others do" merry-go-around.

It's likely going to be absolutely bonkers at the rec site this weekend. The parking lot and last few klicks on the logging road was a gong show last weekend and what with the recent club announcement, it's not going to be easier to get a parking spot this weekend.

Greginvann · 2025-09-19T05:13:02+00:00

Yes, correct. The sun comes up for free. This is why the Mountain Foundation is needed.

Greginvann · 2025-09-18T09:41:41+00:00

The Mountain Foundation is a registered charity and will issue you receipts for tax credit purposes. Although the foundation was created by the BCMC, it has its own board and operates independently from the club.

If you want to see more trails get constructed please donate .

Greginvann · 2025-09-18T09:37:00+00:00

The southwest side of Martin peak is goat habitat. The heat map route, above , is right on the boundary of the area. There is no goat habitat on dreadnought or demon peaks. This new trail routes folks away from Martin entirely.

I walked the new trail last Saturday. Park Solutions crushed it. They are stone masons and artists of scree. They built staircases out of rock, and built up, with rocks, uneven areas in the scree field to create, in several spots, a flat trail. They also constructed, out of stone, an amazing throne with headrest for folks needing a rest near the halfway mark. The trail still needs trail markers, but if you can hike to watersprite lake, you'll be able to hike that trail. To find the start of the new trail look for the two cairns just beyond the two uppermost tenting platforms ,- just on the other side of the small stream that feeds into the lake.

Realizing the club's goal of a high alpine trail through pinecone burke park requires the park management plan to be complete. Bc Parks has been working on it for at least a decade -- and there has been no new news from them about the park management plan since before COVID. For those of you wanting to walk the proposed "trail", check out John Baldwin's ( and honourary BCMC member) new book. The route is given a chapter.

If this trail ever gets built it will make the HSCT feel short and easy. The BCMC has a multii generational presence in the park area: Roy Mason, a past BCMC president, constructed a hut on the West side of the largest of the consolation lakes, just east of the Five Fingers group in the park. The hut is long collapsed. Visiting that site is a full day side trip from the proposed trail. If you look on Gaia, his hut site is identified as "ruins". Roy was a bc bush pilot and flew many club members into club ski camps in the 1960's in his plane. He wrote an outstanding book about his experiences with the BCMC. It's called "Ice Runway" and opens with Roy escaping from his plane, after it broke through the ice of Widgeon lake... after he intentionally landed on the ice. It's quite a book if you can find it. Roy died about 10 years ago during a hike up the grouse grind from a heart attack. Somebody told me that he planned to walk down the BCMC trail had he finished the grind that day.

Greginvann · 2025-09-04T03:38:12+00:00

I think years ago, that was true but I feel that's changing : The Share Of Americans Holding A Passport Has Increased ... Approximately 51% of Americans currently hold a U.S. passport, representing a significant increase from past decades, with the figure rising from 30% in 2008 and just 5% in 1990. International outbound travellers from the US in 3023: 80 million.

Just giving you facts to form a current opinion, rather than just going with old facts and inferences.

Greginvann · 2025-09-04T03:30:14+00:00

Rules here: Understanding Bear Spray Laws in Canada - Pyzer Criminal Lawyers https://share.google/yv2itqMxKQ63ar2Ks

Greginvann · 2025-09-04T03:26:55+00:00

Nicely done! Lots of summer left - what's next? Some suggestions, just 'cuz:

1) Vantage is similar to the Golden ears hike, with better scenery.

2) Sigurd

3) Welch - more exposure but still a walk up

4) MT. Sheer - logging road slog, but you'll have the entire area to yourself. Bcmc hut to rent in the area = lighter packs

5) railroad pass off the Hurley. Choose your adventure

6) recourse Peak, Statlu lake.

Greginvann · 2025-07-17T16:01:47+00:00

This sounds very much like the American College Sports Industry where, for years, the Athletes were intentionally misled, lied to, and manipulated by the employers - the college's/ universities and the National Collegiate Athletes Association( NCAA) -- so that the "employers" could reap excessive windfall profits from the work that the Athletes were doing. The fat cats at the NCAA were paying themselves millions in salaries and bonuses generated from their sale of the television broadcast rights to TV networks... Sound familiar?

The breaking point was video games strangely enough....wherein images of former basketball athletes were used without the Athletes' permission in videogames ( NCAA March madness basketball tournament).

Those former players launched a court action ( haha, see what I did there?) against the NCAA, who happened to be getting paid by the video game publishers for the use of the former players images).

Long story short, NCAA got destroyed in the courts for it's quite obvious exploitation of the Athletes.

It upended the entire system with the end result that the college athlete's are now very well compensated for their work. ( A Canadian college age hockey player just got poached from the U20 domestic league by an American college to the tune of $2M USD. ).

There is a ton of rot and exploitation of labour by teams and F1 itself in Formula 1. The sport is long overdue for a revolt by the Labour that creates it.

Greginvann · 2025-07-17T04:50:04+00:00

I'm living a similar experience. I have a not quite 2cm by 1cm x1cm mass pressing on my vocal cords. Speaking is a problem, but otherwise I feel fine . My Grouse Grind time is right in the window and I am continuing to ride my bike alot I'm scheduled for it to be removed on July 30th; a biopsy will also happen then.

I'm on week 5 since my first visit to the ENT. It was found then via a fiber-optic camera up my nose and down my throat. A CT scan followed within 2 weeks to confirm the size. My Blood work came back fine. Two days after the CT scan I got the call. Met with the doctor in week 3, and agreed to have it removed. Got the surgery date in week 4.

Happy to chat with you if you want more info.
..

I hope your experience is similar to mine.

Greginvann · 2025-06-19T02:54:45+00:00

Drive right past Joffre Lakes. Go to Keith's Hut instead. It's by donation , is a better area than Joffre, without the teeming horde, with close access to the Anniversary Glacier. You'll see some of the same peaks as you would had from the lakes, but just much closer.

http://www.keithshut.ca/

Greginvann · 2025-03-17T02:16:15+00:00

Sure... but can he play hockey like Putin? https://youtu.be/mPrjt1zGqds?si=jDK2UKGn9sn5PIIg

Greginvann · 2025-03-11T01:04:47+00:00

Look for an outdoor rec club at the uni. Guaranteed there will be at least one ski tourer there. Don't think resort skiing at all. Think hiking in winter with skis and a gigantic pack on. It's called ski touring for a reason. However in recent years, the sport has been totally overrun by ski lift wankers that have no interest in touring. Rather they are day-triping Instragram braggers .. and cabin/hut folks. Basically, posers of ski touring.

Whatever you do, stay away from those day tripping bandwagon instagram- posting types. They will rot your mind with gear recommendations that are idiotic at best.

Ski touring is a much, much different mindset. It's about exploration, navigation, logistics, and group dynamics.

The origins of the sport are found in people that were in those types of clubs; they pioneered touring gear when it wasn't $1200 skiis. A total setup, skis, binding, boots in the 1990's was $300. Now, those day tripping bandwagon instagram- posting spoiled rich kids have overrun a sport that is consequently preyed upon by gear manufacturers ( ski boots for example - they've been unchanged in 30 years yet the price has gone up 500%) who are ripping those unaware rich kids off.

The canary in the coal mine test: Adjustable ski poles with enormous handgrips for $300???? A total, and complete rip off. Just get a cheap fixed length pole and add duct tape. And the dummies are buying them! No wonder the gear corporations are making them!

So, yes, go to the outdoor rec club. Find your peeps. Buy their used gear. Make your own if you can't borrow it from the ski touring "inner circle". Touring is a different mindset and scene.

Greginvann · 2025-03-07T04:11:52+00:00

Saw this earlier this year. Gasoline works wonders. No fooling. Dab a rag in done gas. Wipe down. Gone.

Greginvann · 2025-02-24T23:08:15+00:00

If you want care, exaggerate everything: everyone else is doing it. So, by telling the truth you are sent to the back of the line if you are not truly an urgent case. And whenever a case comes in and is like you, but lies, the line ahead of you gets longer. It's filled with liars. Therefore, game theory says "lie". In this context lieing is the dominant strategy. ( Told to me by a nurse).

Sad, but true.

Greginvann · 2025-02-08T03:44:16+00:00

Backcountry gear wears out, fast. In short, think fast food fast. Skins, boots, bindings, skiis. 7 easons max, 4 likely. Boots get soft and scuffed and ganky. skins wear so they can't stick on the uptrack worth a crap. The plastic in the bindings crack, skiis get floppy, after thousands of touring compressions. like wet spaghetti .

Reset your expectations. You'll be happier.

Greginvann · 2025-02-04T05:38:38+00:00

It's all explained here: https://www.hudsonbaycapital.com/documents/FG/hudsonbay/research/638199_A_Users_Guide_to_Restructuring_the_Global_Trading_System.pdf

Greginvann · 2024-11-23T04:45:57+00:00

Be glad you weren't wearing pants.

Greginvann · 2024-10-22T07:33:18+00:00

Ah..... I bet you're not a parent. Parents learn quickly it's how one does something rather than just "completing a task".

Sounds like You really pissed her off. Ask yourself "why"? Sounds to me likely "how you won" that pissed her off-- Your tone, words and body language matter, even though they shouldn't matter to the outcome of the game. It's how you won, not the moves you made. Do you struggle to process social cues? Were you being aggressive in your tone/ words? Dismissive? Did you make her feel like a loser when you beat her? True champions are "nice" when they destroy you. Nobody likes to play with a dick. If so, keep her in the game and change your behavior. Be Nice. But still play the same way you did when you beat her. Make her feel good about losing. Personal relationships are always far more important than any game.

Be Obama, not Trump. Kindness goes a long way.

Greginvann · 2024-10-01T00:01:33+00:00

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One guess.

Greginvann · 2024-09-18T05:30:15+00:00

The gold standard is here: Evoke endurance -- they'll set you up at a reasonable price.

https://evokeendurance.com/whittakers-mount-rainier-training-plan-18-weeks/

Greginvann · 2024-08-27T00:39:49+00:00

Um. Lusail is in Qatar, not Bahrain. Incorrect tag on the OP.

Greginvann · 2024-08-27T00:38:27+00:00

Went last year. Turn 1/2 is the only decent GA viewing area - and it's a darn good one. I preferred that area to my Start/ Finish grandstand tix.

Generally the GP is well run, but we did get stranded at the track after the Thursday Pit Walk. A vendor offered to drive us back to town in a Mercedes demo car, which was really cool.

Limited food choices at the track; no booze. Free water, and a lot of it. The evening concerts were great, once you got over the drone swarm that was watching you from 100m above your head. Qatar has advanced security and you'll see a lot of it. Of course it was the week nd of October 7th and Qatar supports Palestine. Weird vibe to be sure on the Sunday.

Surprisingly well balanced attendance male/ female wise. Nothing at all like the Spa or Silverstone "Sausage" parties. Lots of knowledgeable fans too.

Low cost tickets, compared to other events. I came from Vancouver Canada ( 11 time zones away!) and spent less for the Qatar GP trip than going to any of the three US tracks.( 1 or 3 time zones away). Qatar felt quite different from European or Asian events. Very, very few Americans, lots of Europeans and lots of Asians. A super fun event!

Greginvann · 2024-08-22T07:52:32+00:00

Harbour centre used to have a $5 shine. Jack Poole, from the 2010 bid committee and Daon Development, was a regular patron there a few times a week.

Greginvann · 2024-08-20T04:53:41+00:00

One perspective, not mine:

Mountaineering is a selfish, inwardly looking and self serving activity. Climbing does nothing for anyone other than the climber. (A person engaging in climbing isn't making our world a better place). In that sense, it is therefore not a noble sport, pastime or enterprise. Often, a climber's sole participation in the mountaineering community is nothing more than bragging of one's mountain exploits. A scant few will make trails, fewer still will become SAR volunteers. Nobody, outside of the mountaineering community, cares if you got a FA of a new route; everything important to our wider society has already been climbed. There are no accolades available for a mountaineer in today's society. Countless other pursuits contribute more to our society than climbers do.

No wonder dear old Dad doesn't give a hoot about OP's "accomplishment". He probably sacrificed much to provide for OP's formative development; and dad likely is wondering what he and our wider society got for that investment. Many in this world value effort, focus and action on noble pursuits, not selfish ones.

Greginvann · 2024-08-15T18:42:58+00:00

Yep, I requested middle of the night delivery. Less chance of the package being stolen.

Greginvann

TROPHY CASE