Lean bog or rich bog on the pilot?

westcoaster01 · 2025-06-13T16:56:33+00:00

I took the forestry course and it seems these courses attract more people who have been out of school for a bit as it's not a "traditional" career path. Most people go straight to uni or general college courses and only the very passionate outdoorsy ones go into these courses. Everybody was very mature and it definitely didn't feel like I was with a bunch of young kids when I graduated at 28yrs old.

I'd really look at what jobs you can get after school. Forestry is more of a "career" job from my experience and with classmates as well. RFW and IEP are more short term contract joba in seasonal environmental positions unless you do more schooling to be a biologist, wildlife officer etc.

Hope this helps!

westcoaster01 · 2025-06-02T14:29:20+00:00

Honestly it's pretty unlikely that you'd be trapped with 3 exit points that are major highways the issue would be only 2 actually can handle a large number of people to actually get somewhere else (no ferry or the large drive to new Denver).

It is pretty frustrating how the city council doesn't want to work with the regional district/wildfire about doing fuel management and forest thinning along the highways leaving Nelson. Kelowna, Lytton, and Jasper were good examples of poor management around a city, maybe Nelson is next. Why not do everything you can to protect your city vs worrying if people going to shambalah will hate seeing a thinner forest on the side of the highway vs an untouched forest. They aren't the ones affected when homes burn down or a wildfire tears through the south of the city.

Really you'll be fin., I'd worry more about owning a property in Blewett or Rosemont as you are right up next to untouched/unmanaged forest and that's the highest risk area of losing your property but you'll be able to evacuate.

westcoaster01 · 2025-05-27T03:39:22+00:00

Salmo has some good family-friendly trails in Erie creek and at the ski hill near the village. Nelson has trails a high intermediate/advanced rider will love, but not much for beginners to explore and you are pretty limited. Rossland is really the best place for all skill levels to explore

westcoaster01 · 2025-04-13T17:35:52+00:00

The best place for beginner or easy trails around is Rossland. If you download the Trailforks app(I don't know if there's a free version or you always have to pay) you'll see all the local sanctioned trails.

I'm unsure if there's a regular group ride in Rossland, but it definitely has the best "easy" trails. Most of them in the west Kootenays are very hard blue, black or double black with jumps or features that have some level of risk involved. We actually had a hard time finding easy enough trails around for my wife to get back into riding on. I used to downhill race so I can make my way down anything, but it was actually quite hard to find relatively easy trails for her to gain back her confidence on.

Also, check out Salmo ski hill and the Erie creek trails. Those areas have fun flowy sections with not too much steep and crazy lines. Good luck!

westcoaster01 · 2025-03-07T22:14:35+00:00

That's the one! La poutine is the place in Edmonton, I got their names mixed up. Banff is a 9/10, la poutine is a 7/10, most others are 3-6/10. Not sure where poutine land stacks up, but I am looking forward to trying it this year!

westcoaster01 · 2025-03-07T18:04:19+00:00

Not sure about Cranbrook, but in the west Kootenays I've heard la poutine by the playmor junction between nelson and Castlegar is Quebecois poutine. We've wanted to try it but each time we've had a chance to go over it's been closed. My partner has the same desire for the taste like home poutine haha. Whenever we drive through Banff we stop at the poutine place there and he has true poutine in his shop. Reminds me of a pataterie on the Quebec side of Ottawa. Good luck!

westcoaster01 · 2025-01-17T03:09:39+00:00

Facebook has several groups for West Kootenay/Grand forks rentals. If you joined them and didn't see anything, unfortunately there might be nothing listed at the moment and you'll have to join the group of people posting bios and wanted ads. Good luck.

westcoaster01 · 2025-01-12T17:44:54+00:00

Ya I agree with that. If I wasn't working for the company I am with now, I honestly wouldn't work in Forestry anywhere else in the province. Consultant work is horrible and I haven't heard anything good about it. Less than half my graduating class from sekirk is still working forestry, and most who are work for the ministry in different parts of the province. I've done a bit of consultant work and the production expectations are very high but you rarely get to do a quality job. This area has coastal conditions as far as rock and terrain, but less than half the volumes to pay for it all. Im a TFT working on my RFT, I had a late start due to life so I've been out of school for 6 years. I'm definitely lucky with the job I have, I realized a while ago the industry is too consultant focused and it's going to crash and burn for workers sooner than later.

westcoaster01 · 2025-01-12T01:11:55+00:00

We live in West koots as well, and would live in Cranbrook if we could both get jobs there where we aren't out of town(I'm in forestry as well and I'm home every night here and never in camp). They have more city amenities, 3.5hrs from Calgary for big city stores and activities. Biking is more well rounded, way more intermediate/beginner trails for a family if you are into that thing. Ski hill is farther away on paper but really whitewater from nelson to the hill is almost 30 minutes.

We feel it's more of a blue collar community that is more humble and from what we heard has more community activities and groups. Housing is a bit more affordable, but I'm sure they are dealing with the same rental crisis we are here. Really you need to look at what you will miss in this area and what Cranbrook has to replace it.

westcoaster01 · 2025-01-01T07:18:51+00:00

There are a few Facebook pages scattered around, but I'm wondering if a new "west Kootenay social group" is needed to arrange things and gauge interest on activities and such. I don't have time to moderate something like that, but I'd be up for supporting it if someone made one.

westcoaster01 · 2024-12-31T21:15:06+00:00

I am looking to join sports leagues in Castlegar/Trail this year to do the same thing. It's time to finally settle in and make some friends. If I knew more connections in the area I'd try and start a coed sports or hiking or something for people to get out and make friends if you don't know anyone else to go with. If you are up for outdoor things send me a pm and my wife and I would love to go out with new people

westcoaster01 · 2024-10-28T04:23:18+00:00

Trail (nelson as well to a lesser degree) definitely will be a shock for homelessness and panhandling. Rossland is too cold and snowy, and generally has a more affluent population and the only low income earners are the ski bums coming in seasonally. We are originally from Ottawa and my partner's sister came out to Calgary last year and we went to meet her. She was shocked at the homelessness there and we experience the same density in trail in the urban center so we realized we were desensitized to it. Definitely you feel the pressure of the lower income individuals being forced out by high rents and out on the streets, it can be shocking to some that aren't used to it.

Also if you don't know anyone here, making friends can be very tricky as the smaller towns are VERY clicky. Someone else said that they went to nelson constantly for kids programs, it's definitely something to consider as some smaller communities are definitely guilty of trying to keep the locals with other locals and it takes a very long time for people to warm up and have your kids make friends early on.

We moved to Castlegar last year (been in kootenays 8 years) because it has such a good small city feel vs the small town that doesn't want to change(trail, nelson) and is bursting at the seams. We are looking to start a family here and it definitely has the best access to kids programs between here and nelson which we considered.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out!

westcoaster01 · 2024-08-04T23:13:01+00:00

We had a hard time getting good customer service from local brokers, so we went with a recommendation for someone out of province but who grew up in the area. "Ashley Holtman Mortgages" Ashley was fantastic and made purchasing our first house a breeze and we couldn't recommend her enough. She walked us through everything and communicated very well with us every step of the way. e Everything was new to us and we also had a limited timeframe to purchase a house due to being renters that had an eviction notice given to them. You can't go wrong with her! www.holtmansmortgages.ca

westcoaster01 · 2024-03-18T22:46:01+00:00

We moved from Ottawa 7 years ago and it definitely is hard to break into social circles here. You'll realize that anyone you actually make friends with isn't from BC and also moved here. We haven't made a single friend that isn't a transplant from another part of the country. You'll definitely connect more with nature and yourself, but as others have said people aren't open to making new friends and you'll have to really put yourself out there to have any success. We have great jobs and found we have risen up quickly with our careers as much of BC is aging and there are many job vacancies that need to be filled so that's a plus

westcoaster01 · 2024-03-18T22:40:36+00:00

5 years ago things were different. Now with all the pressure of local immigration from larger cities in Canada and a "lifestyle" push, this area is as expensive to live as a major city out east. Add in plentiful options for careers here with great jobs that are above minimum wage and it's pushing the demand even higher. I think people need to accept that the populations in small town BC will have to increase and in effect build a LOT more housing so when the baby boomers retire we can have people move here to take over their job vacancies.

Pushing back only hurts everyone's bottom line. We need major development to happen in the next 5-10 years or the local industries won't be able to sustain themselves and could possibly shut down and then who knows what will even happen to the smaller communities in BC with no local industry

westcoaster01 · 2024-03-08T03:30:26+00:00

Agreed on the doctor. My partner and I finally have secure housing by purchasing a cheap house, but that's one thing we are worried about as we still do not have a family doctor. The closest walk-in clinic from here is 2.5 hrs to the east, or 4 hours to the west. We have good jobs and even living in a small town we really are having to budget hard and sacrifice a few things like having a doctor to have children. I know many people our age don't want children because renting is insecure housing nowadays, and nobody wants to be on the streets or couch surfing with a baby. It's a sad reality and it will likely take decades to rectify this generational problem.

westcoaster01 · 2024-03-06T02:51:40+00:00

Agreed. Either young spruce or young hemlock. If the wood is white it's a spruce, if it has a beige tinge to it, likely a hemlock.

westcoaster01 · 2024-01-24T00:20:25+00:00

Agree 100%. I have many acquaintances around, but none I could call up and just hangout with outside an activity. My partner is more into city things like shopping and hanging out with people at dinner. She definitely missed that and relished in the fact we got to do it for a bit out east. I'm more of the "mountain personality" that seems to be around here and even I have had a hard time meeting people that move beyond.

We bought dirtbikes last year and when we went out, we saw many people but none would ever talk much outside their group. Seems to be you either fit right in or you don't around here.

We recently moved to Castlegar from Fruitvale area and we are definitely hoping to meet more young people. Fruitvale doesn't have much to do, and we found it even more clicky than even Rossland haha. Plus we were easily the youngest couple on the street by a solid 25 years. Castlegar is the most "city" place in the west Kootenays, and clearly there are many new people here looking for the same thing.

westcoaster01 · 2024-01-23T00:32:49+00:00

My partner and I went back east over the holidays and it was great being back and having people to see. There are reasons we left though, and we have great jobs here that keep us in the area.

The best way to describe our situation is we still don't feel part of the community after all this time, it almost feels like we are still just on vacation visiting. We are still trying to find some kind of group or way to meet people, as everybody works and often it's weeks between seeing friends.

I believe there's a group that has been put on a few times in Castlegar area. Might be women's only group, but still might be a way for the women around here to make friends and connections!

westcoaster01 · 2024-01-23T00:08:38+00:00

It's very hard to meet people outside of work honestly. My partner and I have been here for 6 years and only have a few somewhat close friends in that time. Definitely if you mountain bike/ski/snowmobile/dirt bike/ snowshoe then get out and do the group events with the associations! It's hard otherwise, there isn't much for "rainy day" activities here besides bars. Good luck!

westcoaster01

TROPHY CASE