Explore Magazine Winter 2023

Of all the ways to define a challenge, the simplest works best: a call for special effort. It applies to everyone. It’s not enough to declare that skiing a black diamond is a challenge; or that snowshoeing a 10-kilometre route is a challenge. For some, neither may be. For others, both are beyond comprehension. A call for special effort means only you know when you’re being challenged. If you’re red-faced and out of breath, yeah, then it’s probably a challenge. If you have to focus, buckle down and push hard to complete the task—consider yourself challenged. This season, we sourced 10 of the most exciting winter challenges around Canada (page 28). Sure, there are some that even the author has no intention of undertaking—the Ice Mile comes to mind, a…

Breathing deeply, I tried to relax as I glided down a short hill. I was cross-country skiing along the lower portion of Tumbler Ridge’s frozen Babcock Creek to an icy formation known locally as The Seeps, but my nerves were getting the best of me. Part of a multi-day, late-winter trip to the region, I’d been snowmobiling, snowshoeing and skiing in borrowed gear in -30 C weather—and I wasn’t at my best. Our goal had been to get a sense of the incredible geology, paleontology and human history found in the Tumbler Ridge Geopark, but as I skirted past boulders and over slushy sections of snow, I kept catching the edge of my ski on the rolling stream bed. I couldn’t keep up with the group, let alone appreciate the…

Innovation is taking a detour. The water-repellent coating that makes rainfall bead on outdoor gear is getting less durable and less effective for the sake of human health and the environment. The reason is PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a class of about 5,000 human-made chemicals that do a really good job of resisting oils, stains, grease and water. So good, they’re used on everything from furniture to non-stick cooking surfaces and a lot of outdoor gear. Manufactures have long coated the outside of apparel, footwear and more with PFAS in the form of DWR (durable water-repellent) coating. It’s the first line of defence: the shield that beads water on a jacket and prevents body oils from clogging up waterproof-breathable membranes. But PFAS are toxic and never break down,…

Tim O’Brien expected a gathering of van- and RV-living nomads last spring to be five days of partying and dancing on roof tops. “Instead, it seemed like half the people were in their vans streaming movies or playing games,” he says from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where he lives when he’s not travelling. O’Brien blames Starlink. The satellite internet provider owned by Elon Musk released a mobile satellite internet kit designed for RV and van owners last spring. The simple set up makes fast internet accessible everywhere, enabling work from anywhere and changing vanlife culture in the process. “There’s good and bad to it,” O’Brien says. “It lets people have an adventurous lifestyle who couldn’t in the past. But it is going to have a negative impact on the community…

I’m a reader—always have been, (hopefully) always will be. Although the allure of adventure pulls me away from my cozy reading nook and into the fresh air, I never leave home without a paperback to escape into. Sometimes reading about people’s wild escapades is just as exciting—especially if you don’t have to endure the hard parts yourself. Chosen by me, explore’s™ managing editor, content & community, along with president and editor-in-chief David Webb and four of our regular contributors, these books will satiate your adventure-lust during the brittle winter months. Cozy up and escape. Alison’s Recommendations Never Alone: A Solo Arctic Survival Journey by Woniya Dawn Thibeault For fans of The History Channel’s show “Alone,” this heartfelt and vulnerable memoir dives into Thibeault’s struggles with self-doubt, worthiness and listening to…

Most outdoor enthusiasts are quite comfortable spending a sunny day wandering the frozen woods during the winter season. But when the sun goes down, the night air turns crisp and the sap in the trees starts to crack due to dropping temperature, well, those same people would totally avoid sleeping out for a night or two. However, with proper gear and some tips and tricks, you can stay warm—even cozy—snoozing on a bed of snow. Sleeping Pads Sleeping pads are essential when sleeping on the snow. If it deflates, you’ll get a major chill from the cold ground. There are lots of choices: open-cell foam, closed-cell foam, combinations of both, inflatable mattresses. Get the pad that will keep you higher off the snow and one that you can afford. I…