My island

• Posted on February 11, 2008 at 5:38 PM
• Previous
• Next

Looking down to the Comox Valley from Mount Washington on a rare sunny winter day.

I spent Saturday at Mount Washington Alpine Resort, my home ski hill, teaching telemark skiing. Tele skiing is one of my passions; I try to convert as many people as possible every year to my way of turning by teaching lessons through the ski school at Mount Washington. It’s also a good way of getting a pass and testing gear in some pretty extreme conditions. Mount Washington regularly hosts the deepest snowpack in North America. They often need a giant snow blower to clear the access road.

So, to answer the first question posed in response to my first blog, I live at the base of Mount Washington in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. Made up of the towns of Comox, Cumberland and Courtenay, it’s about half way up the east coast of the island, an hour north of Nanaimo. The “Valley” is actually a coastal plain bordered by the Strait of Georgia, the water separating the Island from mainland, and the Island Ranges, a jumble of basalt and granite peaks rising to 2,200 metres.

From a gear reviewing stand point it would be hard to find a better base in Canada. The Valley is snow free most of the year, which makes it easier to test summer gear in the middle of winter. And I can do just about any sport or activity within half an hour of leaving my house. There’s a good climbing crag, ski hill, several paddling runs, trails for running and mountain biking, lakes, ocean and plenty of mountains for hiking, mountaineering and, at this time of year, with more snow than almost anywhere else on earth, ski touring.

Not many people realize the Island is so diverse, let alone one small part of it. Do you have any questions about Vancouver Island and the Comox Valley? Looking for some good places to check out next time you’re on the Island? I’m always happy to pass on advice.

Talk to you soon.

Ryan