Made in Banff

Now is a great time of year to explore Banff National Park and maybe even catch a glimpse of some wildlife. Here are some tips to enjoy Banff’s fauna all while staying safe and – above all – cool.

Viewing tip # 1: Play it cool, man. Banff is home to plenty of wildlife star power: grizzlies, wolves, elk, and moose. These are Banff’s prime time players, mountain town equivalents of Marlon Brando, Karen Kain, or Arcade Fire. They’re kind of a big deal and everyone’s pining for a glimpse. Canadians are purportedly far too respectful and modest to go chasing after stars, right? They say when Wayne Gretzky was in his goal-scoring and assist-threading prime in the 80s, he could walk around as he pleased in Edmonton and the good people of the ‘City of Champions’ would always let him be. People respected his personal space – very cool.

The same logic applies in Banff. I think it’s uncouth – even trite – to go chasing after these animals. They need their space and this is their home. Don’t force things: get an early start, pack a camera, and maybe, just maybe, magic will happen. Know that approaching wildlife at roadside bear jams is the mountain parks equivalent of a fully grown adult fainting and screaming at the sight of Justin Bieber – decidedly not cool.

Viewing tip # 2: Hiking in groups and carrying bear spray are Banff’s version of Converse shoes and tattoos. Confession: I no longer own any Converse shoes (a travesty I know) or have any tattoos. In my eyes, however, musicians and fans who don these at rock shows have instant indie street cred… they look the part. The same applies to getting out and about in the park. Here are two simple ways of fitting in and staying safe while hitting the mountain trails. Continue Reading →

Mark Kriddle on the newly route-set Sally Borden climbing wall. Photo: Meghan Krauss.

Have you ever been in a climbing gym and gotten stumped at a particular spot along the route? The thought that usually crosses my mind as I cling to the wall, knuckles slowly turning white is, “What kind of perverted person would design something like this?” How (insert *!@#  here) am I supposed to switch my hands? Or rotate my foot? Or whatever move the hold in front of me is prompting me to do, but seems impossible at this very moment. I just had to meet the masterminds behind the route-setting here at the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre and give them a piece of my mind - I mean ask them a few questions. What I discovered was that route-setting is more of an art then I had realized.

Here are the eight things I learned about the art of route-setting:

#1      Everyone has their own way of doing it.

With so many different climbers, it’s important to have different route-setters with different styles and inspiration. As Chris Neve tells me you need to create “enough variety for people to really be tested on.”

For Chris, “I usually think about a grade and try and find the holds that match that grade. I like to get one kind of move that I want to do in a route. Sometimes that will be at the bottom, middle or at the top. I’ll make sure that move happens and I’ll just build around it.”

Mark Kriddle, on the other hand, “work(s) mostly from the bottom up. Normally I’ll start with hand holds first so I’ll start taping where I want the hand holds.”

As for Matt Wade, he “personally lay(s) the entire sequence down on the floor and then put(s) the route up in one big shot.”

#2      Inspiration comes from all sorts of sources.

These guys set approximately six new routes every week, which can prove challenging to keep the inspiration flowing. As Matt tells me, “I get a lot of inspiration from climbing outside or watching competition videos.”

As Chris said, “You find a pretty cool move and you try and replicate it in the gym because you think other people will like it as well. Sometimes when we have our bucket of holds, you’ll just see a hold you want to use.”

Continue Reading →