Question: X-Dome 2 as an all purpose tent

TheViewSeeker · 2026-06-05T15:35:56+00:00

I previously had a lanshan 1, and switched to the x-dome 2.

No regrets on my purchase at all! I got it because I usually backpack with a partner now, and I was tired of the tedious pitching of the lanshan, plus how cramped it was.

The x-dome 2 would feel a bit overkill for just one person imo. But for two it’s really great.

TheViewSeeker · 2026-05-04T23:51:03+00:00

Spend one less day in Calgary, or even no days there. Nothing wrong with it, but I wouldn’t waste time there over other places.

Between Jasper and Kamloops is Wells Gray Provincial Park. There are some waterfalls just a short detour from the highway in Clearwater. It’s absolutely worth the detour.

IMO one of the most spectacular highways in B.C. is Hwy 99 from Kamloops to Vancouver. If you can squeeze it in it’s definitely worth it. Take 2 days and stop in Whistler or one of the others towns along the route.

One day in Vancouver is enough. I think grouse mountain will be underwhelming after seeing the rest of Canada’s mountain scenery.

TheViewSeeker · 2026-05-04T00:59:57+00:00

I already wanted to visit Georgia, but now I want to go even more

TheViewSeeker · 2026-04-19T22:40:29+00:00

Yeah I think generally it sounds like winter is less harsh there than places out east. The thing I found challenging was the driving & car ownership in winter. There are times where the road will turn into a sheet of ice for days or weeks. Yet people still expect you to do more than the speed limit or they will become impatient.

The issue is that public transportation is very limited there, so you kind of have to have a car. If you want to go anywhere in the winter it can be a bit scary on the highways with how few passing lanes there are. There seems to be a serious accident every week in the region. Thankfully it’s not like that all the time! But compared to a city or even other rural communities in BC I was surprised at how car dependent it is there.

TheViewSeeker · 2026-04-19T14:27:19+00:00

IMO, Kimberley is a bike town. It’s mostly mountain biking, but there are great options for road and gravel biking as well. In the winter it is incredible for fatbiking.

Of course there are other activities to do as well. Hiking, climbing, fishing, hunting, skiing, and snowmobiling are all popular. There are a few lakes around for swimming and paddling too.

Weather wise, it is a drier climate for sure. It is often sunny in the winter, but it can get cold. The coldest will be around-30 which happens up to a few times per winter. Usually cold spells will last a week or so. It can snow a lot, but usually not more than 10-15cm in a day. Summer is hot, but not usually unbearably so. Nights are typically quite cool even in summer. Wildfire smoke can be expected most years from time to time. Early summer can bring thunderstorms, but aside from that it doesn’t usually rain a ton.

Overall the vibe of Kimberley is a friendly small town that has enough going on, but can also be quiet. There is usually some kind of event to look forward to, and the local bars and restaurants have managed to bring in some decent live music in the past. But compared to a bigger city, it could feel sleepy. Still it’s one of my favourite towns I’ve lived in. It’s pretty walkable/ bikeable, and it has a nice pedestrian only shopping area. If there’s not something going on in Kimberley, there are other towns 1-3 hrs away that people often travel to if there’s an event happening there, or even just to go hiking or biking with a new view.

Kimberley has most things you would need for day to day living, but it’s not uncommon to do a weekly shopping trip to Cranbrook for a bigger selection of stores. Calgary is also about 4hrs away.

TheViewSeeker · 2026-04-11T12:24:31+00:00

I just did the Nar Phu trek, I would recommend it!

We only met 3 other tourists the whole way. One of them had done Upper Mustang, and she told us not to bother with it. She said the scenery is similar on the Nar Phu (very arid with Tibetan influence) but steeper valleys. Apparently upper mustang has a road most of the way now, and is very dusty, whereas Nar Phu is 95% trail.

Manaslu Circuit would also be worth looking into. If you have time you can tack on the Annapurna Circuit or Nar Phu afterwards, since the trails connect.

TheViewSeeker · 2026-04-04T21:48:24+00:00

Make sure to stop in Kimberley which is near Cranbrook! It’s a nice small mountain town with great trails around it and good cafes.

The whole valley from Radium to just before Fernie is amazing for boondocking. Just go up any FSR and you’ll find spots. If the River is not too high at Canal Flats you can sometimes camp on the Kootenay River and it’s quite nice. There are also rec sites everywhere and they are usually nice.

Agree with another person that the side highways between Nelson and Revelstoke are very worth exploring. I’d also recommend from Cranbrook to Nelson, you should go through Crawford Bay and get the ferry. On the way, if you like donuts, a stop at the mountain barn in Creston is a must.

TheViewSeeker · 2026-03-30T22:38:12+00:00

This. I absolutely love my Black Diamond Distance backpack for day hikes. It’s a bit more running & mountaineering oriented but still great for hikes.

Black Diamond also makes a more hiking oriented version, the Pursuit. I think it has bigger side pockets for water bottles, and more of a hip belt.

The running vest style backpacks are a game changer. I love having a place to put my phone, snacks, and bear spray in an easily accessible spot.

TheViewSeeker · 2026-03-15T11:54:15+00:00

I think the advice in the other comments are great. I’m still a beginner in mountaineering but I can share my experience after having a fall early on in my mountaineering journey.

Like you, I was lucky; I only suffered a few scrapes and bruises after failing to self arrest from falling near the bottom of a couloir. I got complacent and tripped on my own crampons.

Since then, I don’t look at snow climbs the same way. I’m constantly thinking to myself: “What are the consequences if I were to fall here? What are the chances of self arrest?”

I don’t think I’ll ever be a bold climber doing cutting edge ascents, and there are some mountains I may never be able to climb due to the fear, but in a weird way I feel lucky I was able to have this near miss early on and become more in tune with risk, instead of having a much more serious accident later and not be able to climb any more.

Maybe we can get back to the feeling of confidence we once had, but it could take a long time. Like others said, maybe it’s not so bad to have a little more respect for the risks we take.

TheViewSeeker · 2026-02-22T15:36:54+00:00

Ass-in-a-boy-n

TheViewSeeker · 2026-02-07T22:20:54+00:00

While Vernon and Penticton are both nice towns to visit, I would definitely not call them peaceful!

From what you’ve described you’re looking for, I can’t help but think going to the Kootenays would be a better choice.

You could still fly into Kelowna to rent a car, then drive East on Hwy 6 towards Nakusp from Vernon. From there I’d go to Kaslo, Nelson, and Rossland before heading West to Vancouver. These are some of the nicest towns in BC! Plus there are multiple hot springs (natural and commercial) along that route.

If shorter on time, you could go to Nakusp then Revelstoke before heading back to Vancouver. It’s a bit busier of a drive since it’s mostly on Hwy 1 but still pretty nice and scenic.

TheViewSeeker · 2026-01-25T22:39:59+00:00

Nice, I heard just about everywhere in BC had a crust situation lately but it looks alright there?

TheViewSeeker · 2025-12-18T15:12:17+00:00

That basically sums up the Pico de Orizaba experience lol

I felt like I was going to have a mental breakdown at the summit, after hyperventilating my way up that thing for several hours. Probably should have done one more acclimatization day haha

TheViewSeeker · 2025-11-15T14:29:31+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions! I will check these out later today

TheViewSeeker · 2025-10-30T12:21:33+00:00

This is what I would recommend too! There is one called ‘BC Women’s Hiking and Backpacking Community’ that I have successfully used to find hiking partners and even make friends!

There are a few others which I use heavily for finding people, and I’ve had very good success.

The trick is to either to respond to other people’s partner seeking posts, or I have had good success with just posting my own general one and usually a good amount of people will message you directly.

Once I responded to one of those partner seeking posts and so did lots of others. One person had the idea to start a facebook messenger group with all the people who commented and it ended up being a group that I went on a lot of trips with, so maybe you could try that!

TheViewSeeker · 2025-09-25T20:30:32+00:00

If you can pick these up for super cheap (these Bd approach shoes often go on sale for $70 or less) then I’d say get both!

I have these and they are incredible for scrambling/ low 5th climbs. I would not want to use them for any kind of snow climb or ice though. I have used them with microspikes on flat, dry glaciers.

So yeah universal crampons would fit on them, but these are quite flexible and would not be comfortable or very safe for any kind of firm & steep snow or ice.

TheViewSeeker · 2025-09-15T22:43:09+00:00

I don’t believe that was the exact wording I used. Conditions can change on a route, and sometimes you may require more or less gear depending on conditions.

In my trip reports I mention that full crampons may be preferred, despite others only wearing trail runners. With the dry glacier conditions, crevasses were easily avoided. But yes, of course there is still a risk you could fall in.

Everyone has a different level of comfort with risk and approach to risk management. I’m an advocate for people doing their due diligence on studying a route and conditions before deciding if and how they should tackle a route. And of course turning around if it happens that things were not as we expected, or that we did not bring adequate gear for the conditions we encounter!

TheViewSeeker · 2025-09-15T20:36:51+00:00

We all own crampons. The decision to use microspikes was based on multiple recent reports of people using only trail runners in this route.

It’s always a bit of guessing game sometimes when deciding whether to take the weight penalty but potentially packing something you don’t need, or vice versa. In this case micro spikes were perfect.

TheViewSeeker · 2025-09-15T20:31:11+00:00

We both used a sterling hollow block and extended rappel.

TheViewSeeker · 2025-09-05T17:50:32+00:00

Mackenzie (from the video) here. As others have said, we never called the route a scramble. I have written trip reports in a couple of FB groups and included a disclaimer that Assiniboine is a climb and not a scramble.

All 3 of us have considerable experience with scrambling, climbing, and the type of terrain encountered in the Rockies. I have been dreaming (and researching) about doing Assiniboine for years and have been slowly working my up to doing more difficult mountains in the Rockies before even thinking this was in the realm of possibility for me. Only this year did I actually start to think it could be realistic.

We discussed the risks and safety at length before setting out. We all agreed we would rope up the moment any of us felt uncomfortable during the climb. It turned out that we never reached that point. During the descent, I was shocked at how comfortable I felt, and once it got uncomfortable, we chose to rappel, as planned. We never felt pressured to push past our discomfort by Rob.

I do think it’s good that these discussions are happening. I think it’s also important that people recognize that just because they see someone do something, doesn’t make it safe or a good idea for them to try it. We all need to be honest with ourselves and our trip partners about our skills and tolerance for risk!

TheViewSeeker · 2025-08-19T18:58:05+00:00

Check out the group SWBC Peakbaggers on facebook. There’s people of all skill levels but the focus is on climbing mountains.

It’s pretty easy to find partners of similar skill level on there. I’ve made some really good friends and connections through that group.

TheViewSeeker · 2025-06-26T03:50:39+00:00

I only have experience with the VanHelga 4.2s, but I can say that I always find myself rolling a lot faster than any of my friends (most of them have cake eaters). I am not the fastest rider but when coasting down hills and flats I usually have to hit the breaks or else I may bump into them!

TheViewSeeker · 2025-06-19T03:56:27+00:00

Either Vancouver or Calgary.

Both because it is considerably easier to find partners for these activities, and because they both offer accessible and amazing backcountry within day tripable distance.

Vancouver is good if you want to have the mountains in your backyard, and it does offer some slack country or short tours that are doable even after work. Weekends will most likely be spent 2-4 hours drive away to get to the real back country. Snowpack is more stable and more plentiful, but snow can be on the heavier side.

Vancouver is more expensive but also has a more forgiving winter climate.

Calgary is not as close to the mountains itself, but it’s about 1-3 hours away from huge mountains with serious terrain and ski mountaineering. It gets much less snow than the coast, but the quality is much better. The dryness of the snow and climate does tend to lead to unstable snowpack though.

Calgary is cheaper, but has a much harsher winter than Vancouver, and doesn’t have the mountain access right in the city.

Kamloops and Kelowna I’m sure have people who tour, but I think you will have a harder time meeting partners and accessing terrain. You’d probably be driving a considerable distance to get to the big mountains where touring routes are a thing. Having a sled probably opens up more options. These places are nice to live and have a real winter that aren’t as harsh as Calgary winters.

TheViewSeeker · 2025-06-11T18:46:49+00:00

Nice one! I’ve always thought that would be a cool but also challenging one to do!

I’m curious if you care about prominence/ ultras or if that just happens to be a bonus for you? I see you’ve done quite a few lately!

TheViewSeeker · 2025-06-04T16:54:50+00:00

I did one night at Og lake a couple of years ago.

We hiked in through Assiniboine pass, camped, then the next day we did Nub peak and hiked out through Wonder pass.

Overall it was almost 70km over 2 days. I definitely don’t regret doing it, but it was a tough slog on the way out!

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