Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2025 i Explore Magazine

As 2025 draws to a close, we’re preparing to celebrate Explore Magazine’s 45th anniversary. Forty-five years is a long time. I would know–I’m barely older than that myself. Founded in 1981, Explore is a proud member of Canada’s legacy print media, with a heritage of quality storytelling, informative journalism and tactical information for inspiring outdoor experiences. I’ve been fortunate to be here for more than a quarter of Explore’s epic run. I jumped into the editor’s chair in late 2012, after about nine years at a variety of other publications. (I even helped lauch an “Explore competitor” back in 2005. Explore won.) A lot has changed in that time. While the magazine itself was healthy when I joined, this only meant we had a strong reputation to maintain and critical…

In the opening chapters of Jack London’s 1906 novel White Fang, a pack of half-starved wolves stalks two mushers across the frozen Yukon. It doesn’t end well. Few modern outdoor enthusiasts encounter hazards that are extremely life-threatening. The worst I’ve ever dealt with personally is breath crystalizing on my moustache while snowshoeing, creating a “stash-sicle” that took a few hours to thaw and remove (and looked super cool). But in between those ends of the spectrum, winter adventures pose unique hazards. Planning and training are crucial for safe, comfortable adventures. Gear like a ZOLEO device is vital; cellphones are not reliable for primary emergency communication. Here are six winter hazards, plus how to recognize, avoid and survive them. Hypothermia Dangerous in any season, hypothermia can become life-threatening when exacerbated by colder…

Yakima SupDawg Premium Rooftop SUP & Surfboard Mount $479.99; yakima.com This purpose-built, low-profile platform with integrated rollers and slider adjustments makes loading your long SUPs (up to 90 centimetres wide) significantly more efficient—and it accommodates two boards. It’s a clean rooftop solution that cushions your boards with soft padding and comes fully equipped so you can throw it on and go. About 6.4 kilograms in weight, this lockable paddleboard rack is a practical solution for your SUP trips. Thule DockGrip Kayak Rack $399.95; thule.com A modern alternative to foam blocks, Dockgrip’s broad, cushioned pads support a variety of hull shapes such as flat-resting kayaks and SUPs and help reduce pressure points to support hull health. With T-Track and FlipFit brackets, it conforms to a variety of Thule rack systems and…

On a ski-tour last winter, I found myself outnumbered. As I prepped my gear in the trailhead parking lot, I looked at my three companions and realized I was the only one skiing. Everyone else was on a snowboard. I smiled. I would have plenty of time to snack while they switched from split-board to snowboard and vice versa. Our little group was a representative sample of the good news of snowboarding’s resurgence. The last time I remember being the odd one out on the slopes was in 1999, around snowboarding’s pinnacle. The sport was first introduced in the 1970s but wasn’t really embraced until the early 1990s when it rode skateboard’s draft right into popularity. Its fresh, counterculture vibes made it especially enticing to teens who wanted to do…

''Why do you always put the rain cover on your pack?” I ask Papila, our lead guide. There has been almost no rain. It seems like a pessimistic thing to do, at odds with her habitual good cheer. “It is for the dust, Holly-didi” she replies, flashing a smile. I’m resting in a tea house in Pangboche, at an altitude of 3,810 metres. Our hiking group left Lukla six days ago. We’re now three days away from Everest Base Camp, the literal and symbolic high point of our trek. This is my second time trekking this trail, my first being back in January 2009. In 2025, I am two years into my gender transition, growing in confidence as I interact with the world as Holly. Despite the fact that Nepal…

The wind burned my cheeks as we stood on the deck of our Tundra Buggy and this young polar bear emerged from the distance. As the wind rippled around him and snow gathered on his nose, he gazed at us with an air of curiosity and innocence. This was the special moment we’d been waiting for. This trip came soon after I lost my big brother Paul. My heart was shattered, but witnessing these magnificent bears endure and thrive against all odds gave me such strength and courage in my grief journey—something I still carry with me, five years later. Location: Churchill, Manitoba…

I’ve always hated winter. It’s cold. It’s dark. My nose won’t stop running. When November rolls around, I pine for long summer days—paddling dark lakes, outrunning thunderstorms, trekking through swarms of mosquitos along muddy trails and stargazing at midnight in shorts. So, I was surprised to find myself zipped into a parka on a snowy -15 C day in January, following the footprints of a fox—or was it a coyote?—along the snow-packed Sheffield Conservation Area trail. My job as a travel writer takes me around the world. Typically, when the weather gets cold in Toronto, I fly to warmer climes—I go swimming in the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica or enjoy flavourful Pho in Vietnam. But when COVID-19 hit, I had a choice: stay inside, warm yet sad, or learn…

My dog Angel loves winter camping. My past two dogs did as well, but this half-border collie and half-golden retriever has taken the season on like a pure-bred husky. Her first time out, Angel wanted to pull the sled; my previous dogs had just wanted to ride on top of it. As Angel is my third dog, I’ve learned a few things about taking a canine companion along on a winter trek. The Dog House First, I prefer hot tenting while winter camping. So does Angel. I haul a canvas tent and wood stove, setting it up each night and keeping cozy warm with the heat of the stove. Cold tenting (using a four-season nylon tent with no heat source inside) has its advantages, though. You can travel farther, faster…

What do you mean explore is 45 years old?! It could be my dad! Those were my first thoughts about explore’s 45th anniversary. One of my earliest projects as Editorial Assistant for explore was to do a deep dive into the history of the magazine, a task that took me into library archives, through black-and-white catalogues and into articles with hand-drawn maps. Somewhere between yellowed pages and faded photos, I became oddly attached to this publication I had only just begun to know. Explore and I were suddenly old friends. Forty-five is a long time in magazine years. Since the first issue hit stands in 1981, explore has weathered the same storms that have swept the publishing industry—and the world. Shifting technologies, vanishing newsstands, a race toward clicks over flips,…

BRIGHT COLOURS The Apt Pack $314; pingora-gear.com All of Pingora’s backpacks come in bold colour combos, including the aptly named Vivid 35. Winter-focused, it has a large avalanche tools pocket and back panel access to the guts for easy finding without unpacking. A roll-top closure adds extra volume for accommodating voluminous winter gear or light hut trips. The Trendy Toque $70; arcteryx.com Blocks of colour are almost as trendy as an Arc’teryx toque. Now you can have both with the Arc’teryx Colour Block Toque. The two-tone pattern jives with the two material blend: a mid-weight merino wool with a sweat-wicking, recycled-fleece lining. The Puffy Pant $285; cotopaxi.com Cotopaxi is synonymous with retro-inspired rainbows of colours and its Fuego Down Pants give the look a next-level warmth. A recycled, weather-resistant exterior…

There’s a song that often plays in my head as I ski along the skin track or break trail on beautiful days,” says Breanne Johnson from her home in Whitehorse, Yukon. She can’t remember who sings it, but the tune has been with her since the early days of being in the mountains on skis. It goes a little something like this: Hey there mister, take a good look at this country. It’s the Eden and the Apple of my eye. When you come down from your office in the city, I will meet you by the river by and by. Because I will not let this pass me by. “It also plays when I am trudging along in a whiteout or along a long ski traverse. Whenever really. It…

Ice climbing—and this is coming from years of online and in-person commentary directed my way—is often viewed as a brutal and miserably cold sport that only social misfits enjoy. The second part may be true, but over the last 40 years, I’ve learned a lot about staying warm while doing the coldest sport on the planet, and also while skiing, hiking, running, biking and even rock-climbing in freezing temps. A lot of this knowledge came from trial and error, but I’ve also been curious about how people survive in the cold. This is what I’ve learned. First, “layering” doesn’t work. The idea with layering is that you can stop and peel your first layer off as your activity begins to make you get too hot, then stop and take another…