Elk Valley vroomers. Golden’s baddest-as descent. Making herstory. Family packin'.
CHOKE SMOKE. DIG IN. FLY HIGH. On the fire line with the Rocky Mountain and Flathead Unit Crews.
MARK GALLUP
Fernie’s most far-out photographer.
GRANDMA GO-GETTER
CBC ICON CAROL OFF
CRESTON GOES DARK
Timeless Beauty
In the Southeastern corner of British Columbia, an intentional detour off Highway-95 will take you to our one-and-only traffic light intersection and the heart of downtown Kimberley. With the Canadian Rockies in our front yard and the Purcell Mountains in our backyard, Kimberley is the perfect starting point for memory-making and adventure-seeking. We can’t wait to have you.
Photo: Kari
11 Stunning Golf Courses Within
25 Minutes
Experience the Columbia Valley Golf Trail! The 11 stunning courses offer unique golf experiences spanning from family friendly charm to world-class in the communities of Spur Valley, Radium Hot Springs, Invermere, Windermere, and Fairmont Hot Springs.
Building Award-Winning Custom Homes In The East Kootenays.
Tresses
and Treads
Over the last 40 years, legendary East Kootenay photographer Mark Gallup has captured some of the adventure world’s greatest names in some of the planet’s most spectacular mountain settings. And then some. This image was shot for outdoor and industrial wear brand Helly Hansen at one of the Elk Valley’s coal mines.
On the Cover
12 ROUND UP
Crowsnest set to fly, a Columbia crusader, where’s this faucet?
14 Q AND EH
Master Canadian broadcast journalist Carol Off on our age of anger, anti-social media, and grandkids.
19 SPIRITS FROM AN IMMATERIAL WORLD
Stories, celebration, and mountain-town main-street soul ring truest at Golden’s new distillery.
20 SPRY ROLLER
22 ALOFT AND ABOUND
From Duck Lake to Donald, the East Koots in full flight.
25 WANDER WOMAN
Kimberley filmmaker Trixie Pacis’s search for story.
27 DARK MATTER
Creston’s indie film fest shines the spotlight on drama noir.
29 HIGHWAY OF THE LOST
What happened to the Big Bend Highway?
31 DRESSED TO EXCESS
Meet Cranbrook’s Laurie Dickson. A 5’3” grandmother who out-drives, out-motos, and out-trains you.
Humourist Sarah Stupar reflects on her hot, bothered days as a faux-pioneer fashionista.
LIFE ON THE LINE
For nearly 50 years combined, members of the Rocky Mountain and Flathead Unit Crews have fought fires for a living. Theirs, and ours.
46
TRUE STORY, FALSE LINE
In an era of simmering cross border conflict, the Ktunaxa remind us of lands divided, promises broken, and damage to be undone.
50
CYCLES AND LIFE
i. Psycho Thriller: Golden’s Mt. Seven
ii. Elkford: What’s at the End of the Line?
iii. She Shreds: Kimberley’s Kayla Lissel
iv. Pack It Up, Pack It In
64
?aqam band member AJ Ellenwood performs at the Yaqit ʔa·knuqⱡi’it (Tobacco Plains) Indigenous Day Celebration in June 2024. For more on this year’s event, and the annual Tobacco Plains Border Walk, see True Story, False Line, page 46 — Nicole Leclair Photo 34
FULL GALLUP
Adventurer. Observer. Icon. Behind the life and lens of Fernie’s most far-out photographer, Mark Gallup.
Meet Our ~
CONTRIBUTORS
SARAH STUPAR
Sarah Stupar is a freelance writer and stand-up comedian who was born and raised in Cranbrook, but left as soon as she could for the bright lights of the city—where she promptly learned what a redneck she truly is. After living in three different countries and multiple cities in Canada, Sarah has settled in Calgary, where she can get her city fix but still be close to home. She is also proud to be Métis. Check out Sarah’s take on her time as a post-pioneer fashionista, page 31.
JAYME MOYE
Adventure journalist Jayme Moye is a two-time North American Travel Journalist of the Year and recipient of the Banff Award for Mountain Literature. Jayme lives in Nelson, where she is a podcaster for the Columbia Basin Trust’s award-winning Headwaters series. Her byline also appears in National Geographic, Canadian Geographic, Outside, Adventure Journal, Alpinist, and Kootenay Mountain Culture. Jayme profiled Fernie photographer Mark Gallup, story on page 64.
TROY HUNTER
Troy Hunter, the Special Initiatives Coordinator for the Ktunaxa Nation Council Society, holds a Master’s in Constitutional Law, and occasionally works as a journalist. A self-taught photographer since receiving a Kodak Brownie from an Elder, Hunter wrote and produced the 2024 short film Taming the Wild Horse. He photographs models of yaqsuʔmiǂ (Ktunaxa sturgeon-nosed canoes) and dolls depicting Ktunaxa life. Troy wrote True Story, False Line, page 46.
Freewheelin’
Bikepacking has become an increasingly popular way to explore remote landscapes, like this vista on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route just south of Butte, Montana—shot by East Kootenay cyclist Dan Clark on a pedal-powered 2,400-kilometre journey from New Mexico to Kimberley. Check out Cycles and Life , page 50, for more tales of the tire.
KORE
PUBLISHER
Darren Davidson
EDITOR
Britt Bates
COPY EDITOR
Danette Polzin
ART DIRECTOR
Ashley Dodd
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Sarita Mielke
Janneke Guenther
AD SALES & DESIGN
Alesha Thompson
DISTRIBUTION
Jesse Heinrichs
SOCIAL MEDIA
Danette Polzin
PUBLISHERS EMERITUS
Karen Vold
Grady Pasiechnyk
kootenaymedia.ca
WRITERS
Jenny Bateman
Kevin Brooker
Darren Davidson
Andrew Findlay
Jesse Heinrichs
Troy Hunter
Erin Knutson
Jacquie Moore
Jayme Moye
Jeff Pew
Danette Polzin
Dave Quinn
Sarah Stupar
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jenny Bateman
Elora Braden
Dan Clark
Hunter D'Antuono
Mark Gallup
Ian Hylands
Nicole Leclair
Aidan Lee
Jake Paddon
Joe Roberts
Stacia Schmidt
Jesse Winter
Mark Wolfe
We gratefully acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional and unceded territory of the ɁamakɁis (Ktunaxa) and Secwepemcúl’ecw (Secwépemc), as well as the chosen
‘Berta buoyancy, loss of a Columbia crusader, the Crowsnest takes off
Water. From Koocanusa to the Kinbasket, the Columbia Basin’s got a whale of it. In fact, depending on who you talk to, there’s reportedly a big faucet that just turns right on and pours Canadian water southward as far as Southern California.
As of The Trench Spring/ Summer issue deadline in early April, the White House continued to mull over updates to the Columbia River Treaty, despite the fact the vital international water-sharing arrangement was all but inked after seven years and 19 rounds of negotiating. The Treaty was first signed in 1961 to mitigate downstream flood concerns throughout the U.S. Pacific Northwest and generate hydroelectric power along the Columbia River system. Today, the Columbia generates 40 per cent of U.S. hydroelectricity, irrigates $8 billion a year in American crops, and provides a lot
of our neighbours' drinking water. The new treaty would see a 25 percent reduction in the amount of water Canada sends south for hydro power. What if Uncle Sam wants more? While many assume Washington’s aforementioned mysterious mega-spout would likely draw from the Columbia, history shows the supposed super-valve may one day be in ‘Berta.
As veteran Canadian political affairs writer Michael Harris pointed out in an article in The Tyee this winter, there is no infrastructure in place to to send B.C. agua anywhere near Malibu or Disneyland.
But dust off U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) proposals from the 1950s and you’ll find plans for “a massively constructed continental water management scheme to divert water from Alaskan rivers south through Canada.”
In 1964, Harris writes, a California engineering firm proposed damming the Yukon, Skeena, Fraser, Peace, and Columbia rivers to divert both Alaskan and Canadian water south as far as Mexico.
Harris quotes Wendy Holm, a retired professional agrologist, farm columnist, and author on water, free trade, and the hidden costs of the Site C Dam. Holm said that while the U.S. Army’s trillion-dollar aim to make sure the U.S. would never run of water tanked, today a large amount of upstream U.S. storage capacity is conveniently in place. Key pieces include the W.A.C. Bennett Dam, the Peace Canyon Dam, and now Site C.
“Want a selfie of you with THE VALVE?” Holm emailed Harris. “Go to Dunvegan, Alberta, just on the border of B.C.” Holm explained that the North-
Power play — Located on the Kootenay/Kutenai River in Northwest Montana, the 129-metre (422-foot) Libby Dam provides power to eight U.S. States. The Kutenai then flows back to Kootenay Lake before joining the Columbia River system. The 14 dams on the Columbia generate 40 per cent of U.S. hydroelectricity and irrigate $8 billion a year in American crops. — Hunter
D’Antuono
west Alberta town’s proposed Amisk Hydroelectric Project—which would be the biggest hydro project in Alberta history—“could be designed as the ‘elbow’ that would siphon water from the north-flowing Peace River and send it south.”
“All of the different engineering plans drawn up by the USACE [in the 1950s] show a facility with hydro-technology capable of directing water not only north into the Peace River system—as nature intended—but also into diversion channels to head south,” Holm says.
The Amisk Dam is being proposed to aid parched Alberta farmers and relieve flood dangers. But Holm says it also happens to be conveniently “situated exactly where those engineers, back in the 1950s, placed it to divert Peace River water south.”
Critical capitalism, Co-
lumbian conspiracy, or clear, cool aid for a long-time neighbour? Guess it all depends on what tap you drink from.
The Columbia River Treaty lost a man described as “a great titan for justice” this winter when Cranbrook’s Mario Scodellaro passed on.
Author Eileen Delehanty Pearkes, an expert on the Columbia Basin, recalls that the former hockey and baseball star always felt Canada had received “a raw deal” on the original Treaty.
“In the final decade of his life, as a treaty renegotiation process began, Mario was set about speaking up for the river,” says Delehanty Pearkes. “The higher up he went—in tireless meetings with politicians, treaty negotiators, and even in a letter to Justin Trudeau—the braver he got.”
“And yet,” the writer adds,
Photo
“Mario was also willing to listen. He considered other views and adapted his own position when necessary. At an advanced age, he studied and deliberately mastered much of the complex math involved in the Treaty. He believed in getting things right and lived his values in a tireless one-man campaign, inspiring others to do the same.” Scodellaro was 95.
Tariff. A beautiful word for some. Others, not so much. Having worked with bluechip brands and government during stints in Europe, the Middle East, U.S., and Canada, Kootenay trade pro Michael Hoher has some sage advice for local businesses dealing with our cross-border dilemmas of the day.
“In good days, but especially
bad, surround yourself with experts,” says Hoher, who’s helped over 200 businesses as the Southern B.C. rep with Community Futures’ Export Navigator program.
“Find those you can relate to. People who have the knowledge, the connections, and someone who has some distance from your business. You’ll get faster answers, better resources, and clarity.”
Export Navigator assists B.C. companies in finding new markets elsewhere in Canada, North America, or anywhere in the world. Before moving here 19 years ago, Hoher worked with Sheraton Hotels, Magna International, and the Austrian Consulate General, and then launched an international industrial machinery export business.
“The situation is changing
every day,” says Hoher of the economic knuckleballs currently handcuffing global economies. “It’s like quick sand.”
Passing cowboy country, coal mines, and mountain town characters topped year-round with toques, travellers would be hard pressed to find a stretch of highway more charmingly hoser than the Crowsnest. Thanks to $110,000 in funding from Ottawa’s Pacific Economic Development Canada agency, Kootenay Rockies Tourism has helped build a campaign for historic Highway 3, a veritable kaleidoscope of low-key Canadiana, promoting the route as ‘B.C.’s best-known and best-loved east-west touring route.’ The effort is being launched with the
93, who lobbied for a weir to stabilize the water levels at Koocanusa Reservoir north of the 49th parallel, above the Libby Dam. The former hockey star, who passed away this year at 95, had seen firsthand the displacement and what he felt was unfair compensation to Canada since the ‘60s. — Photos Courtesy Scodellaro Family and Tom Shypitka
website Hwy3BC.ca. The aim? To attract more visitors to Elkford, Sparwood, Creston, and the rest of the 20 rural communities along the 841-click stretch between the Alberta border and Hope. Got visitors
headed this way? Tell them to hit the Crowsnest, and take off, eh.
– Trench Staff
Build the weir — That was the mantra of Cranbrook’s Mario Scodellaro,
Carol Off knows how to talk to people. Over five decades as a Canadian journalist, she figures she’s conducted 25,000 interviews, many of those during her 16 years as host of CBC radio’s foundational nightly talk show, As It Happens. She released her new book, At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage last November, which chronicles what she sees as our waning ability to talk to one another about differences of opinion—political, moral, and otherwise. Off is married to Linden MacIntyre, Canadian journalist, novelist, and long-time correspondant for CBC’s The Fifth Estate. Off spoke to Trench contributors Bob Hall and Darren Davidson following her engagement at Selkirk College’s Mir Centre for Peace in March.
(This interview has been edited for length and context.)
Had you ever been to the Kootenays before? I hadn’t. Everyone’s heard of the Kootenays and raves about the Kootenays. It turned out to be spectacular. I should be being paid by somebody for all the publicity I’ve been giving the place.
Cover any stories here?
We have definitely done As It Happens interviews with people from around that region. But with journalism of a national sort, you don’t end up on the radar unless something bad has happened. So maybe it’s a good thing I can’t recall what we did. (Laughing)
Why did you decide to write At A Loss for Words? It seemed to me the en-
Q AND EH
As It’s Happening
A master Canadian broadcast journalist, Carol Off shares thoughts on our age of anger, anti-social media, grandkids, and why some tax needs no axe. (And it’s not the tax everyone’s talking about.)
How would you describe the book? It’s a warning about how language can become manipulated, and how we could become manipulated by language. How language could be hijacked, weaponized, and bleached of its meaning. So it’s a cautionary tale about where this kind of adversarial, wedge-driving, in-fighting, angry politics eventually leads us. And hopefully we can avoid it.
signed to get them angry. That’s what populism does, that’s what demagoguery does. The populist says, "I’m the one who has the answer, elect me and I will fight against those globalists, those gatekeepers, those woke radicals, those Marxists …," whatever name you want to give it. But they never properly define the enemy because it’s your imagination that will then assign who that really is. Get
SMALL COMMUNITY REPORTERS GO TO CITY HALL, SCHOOLS, COVERING LOCAL STORIES. THEY’RE FILING A HALF-DOZEN STORIES A DAY SOMETIMES BECAUSE THEY’RE SO SHORT-STAFFED … SOME PEOPLE SAY, "WELL I DON’T NEED TO KNOW." UNTIL YOU DO.
tire political landscape was changing. Now we know it is because it’s so apparent, but I started writing it two-and-a-half years ago just as I was leaving As It Happens. I was leaving at a time when the entire structure of our conversations were changing, they were so much more adversarial, people were so angry, there was this rage-farming going on. It felt like a breakdown in our civil society was beginning.
What points from the book do you emphasize at your speaking engagements? People want to know what my prescription is to recover civil society and the conversations that we used to have. How do we talk to each other again? I don’t have a lot of solutions, except to get off their social media more often, which I now call anti-social media. People are being swept away by a politics that is designed to get them worked up, de-
rid of ‘them’ and you’ll be restored to your proper place in the world and everything will be okay after that. That’s the way populism has rolled since it was invented.
How do you get people to listen to those points? I think people are listening, but they are listening with their emotions. But people tune out and can’t take it anymore because they are so whipped-up emotionally. Rage-farming is exhausting.
What about younger folk, are they aware of the change in the landscape of politics and social discourse? I think younger people are better off than we are. I have two granddaughters—one who is 10 and one who is 12—they’ve been getting media training since grade four. What they are learning is basically how to tell what is true. Older generations don’t have it. I told a young journalism student that we’re worried about this generation because they live in this media landscape on their phones. She said she’s far more worried about her grandparents who scroll all day long. They don’t know where the information comes from or where they get it, but it’s on their phone so it must be true. Just like it used to be on TV.
The book has a chapter on taxes. How does someone who believes in the power of good government and fair taxation convince others that taxes are a good thing? Everybody has some institution that they actually got something out of and appreciated. Whether it’s the public school system, university, where they work, a hospital … all of these
institutions are government. This idea that government is Big Brother or an organization that pontificates and drinks each other’s bathwater idea, that’s not what government (should be) doing. Government’s job is to organize and to grease the wheels of these institutions. Everything we do—driving on the highway, going to the airport, taking our kids to school, just knowing we live in a safe place where we are going to have opportunities—all of that comes from government through institutions. Government is too amorphous, it’s too large and mysterious…I think it’s the invisibility of government that makes people have questions about it.
provincially, the CBC is one of the few places left in Canada that has the resources to have all those reporters. That’s not happening any place else.
If the CBC was in fact axed, wouldn’t a media business in the market step up and fill the void due to consumer demand? They’ve had every opportunity to do so and they haven’t. Do you think you’re going to get all your news from Silicon Valley? A lot of private sector ‘news’ has been reduced to social media like Facebook, Instagram, X—and those platforms are entirely dedicated to making money off your algorithms, not keeping you informed about
What do you have to say to Kootenay folks who paste “Defund The CBC” stickers on their pickups? I don’t think they’re imagining what it would be like to have the news desert they’d have if that happened. I talk to people who say, "We don’t need the CBC, I get all my news from my phone." That’s like saying I don’t need farmers because I get all the food I need from the grocery store. The profession of news gathering is drying up all over world. The local reporters who go to city hall, town council, schools, covering local stories. And often in small communities, they’re filing a half-dozen stories a day, sometimes because they’re so short-staffed. Some people say, "Well, I don’t need to know." Until you do. Nationally and
your community. They extract data from your platforms and sell it to the highest bidder. And they can only do that as long as you stay engaged. The longer you stay engaged, the more money they make. And they’ve learned we stay engaged if we’re emotional, angry, or scared. That’s what keeps us attached to our phones. They’ll give you whatever they think will keep you there, and that’s not information about your community.
Some suggest the CBC should in fact be 100 percent publicly funded, like the BBC and Australia’s ABC. What do you think? I’ve been a long time believer that the CBC should not be competing with the private continued on page 16
January, 2002. Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Off with Asadullah Aryubwal, a critic of Afghanistan’s warlords. Because of this interview, Asadullah had to flee for his life. He and his family now live in Toronto.
•
•
sector for ads. If it was properly funded so it could follow its original mandate, it wouldn’t have to
What’s life been like after your Well, I left the CBC. But I’ll never leave work. I love working. I just don’t want a job with a boss. I’ve started a Substack about things I thought would matter to Canadians I Give You My Word. I have contracts for more books and some speaking engagements. To tell you the truth, I didn’t expect the book to have a life beyond last November’s U.S.
Are kitchen table chats with your husband Lyndon as high thinking as folks might expect from two veteran journalists, or do you debate about how the dishwasher’s loaded? We have those conversations (laughing). But yes, they’re pretty intense. They always have been. We met in the late ‘80s. And it’s been one long, intense conversation ever since, in a good sense—about the world, what we’re reading, about what we’re thinking. We’ve seen so much and travelled so broadly that we can start to see the repeat of patterns and stories we’ve covered before.
election. I was writing a scary story about something that could possibly happen. I didn’t think it would. But it did.
On to lighter matters … you’ve got two grandkids. Have they taught you anything about life you didn’t already know? I tell people that had I known grandchildren were this much fun, I’d have had them first. It’s a constant delight. There’s no greater thing than being a grandma or grandpa.
Any advice on how to make a marriage work when the two of you are in the same business? Have friends who aren’t in the same business. We used to have dinner parties where the conversation got so heated. A friend said, "Carol, if I can give you some advice—you have to start inviting some listeners."
And listening is what your book is about. It is. It’s about listening as much as it is about getting your point across.
– Bob Hall
An old storage barn north of Golden’s downtown that once served as a woodshed for Home Hardware is a dazzling new star in the expanding universe of Western Canadian micro-distilleries.
Named for a local fable around the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of the bell at Golden’s St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the Stolen Bell Distillery opened last fall by Aussie-Kootenaian owner Ru-
Spirits from An Immaterial World
Stories, celebration, and mainstreet soul ring truest at Golden’s new distillery. Trench writer Jacquie Moore bellies up.
mountain town where the staff can walk down the road to find out how people are enjoying their spirits.
“Whenever I make a delivery, I talk to bartenders about what locals and tourists are ordering and if they love the current batch or want it tweaked,” says Stolen Bell sales manager Wes Routley. “If I hear ‘oh, it’s a bit grassy,’ Evan can pivot on a dime to adjust the flavour profile.”
while diverting stress on the municipal wastewater system by giving away its stillage as a feed supplement for pigs and chickens.
So far, the Stolen Bell’s spirits are available exclusively at bars and restaurants in the area, and in private liquor stores only in the East Kootenay. However, if imbibing even closer to the mothership is what you crave, then the best is yet to come. Later this year, the
I TALK TO BARTENDERS ABOUT WHAT LOCALS AND TOURISTS ARE ORDERING AND IF THEY LOVE THE CURRENT BATCH OR WANT IT TWEAKED.
pert Michell. Since then, it has produced between 400 and 500 litres of craft spirits every other week.
Overseen by head distiller Evan Cronshaw—the former brewmaster at Whitetooth Brewing across the street— the operation is home to a copper hybrid still that was custom made by Vancouver Island’s Revival Stillworks. At 1,000 litres, it’s the largest such apparatus in this part of the province and was designed to produce a variety of spirits including gin, vodka, and whiskey.
Aside from its unique still and the distilling expertise operating it, the Stolen Bell is set apart by its central location in a charming
Provincial rules governing craft distilleries in B.C. easily align with owner Michell’s personal vision to use entirely local agricultural products. He and his staff foster relationships with local producers of haskap berries, fruit trees, and a variety of botanicals to enhance flavours of the gin and vodka.
“We want to tell the stories and celebrate the flavours of the area we love.” And, he says, “Evan’s got this massive hit list of things he wants to try, including florals and pea flowers, to change the taste and colour of the gin.”
The distillery also supports farmers in the area
distillery will add a vibrant, elegant cocktail lounge to their space.
“It’s our goal to holistically develop products for the lounge so that those visitors can try them before anyone else,” says Routley. “When we land on a product that really hits well, we’ll queue it up for a quarterly launch.”
In the meantime, you can find Stolen Bell products on a shelf near you. So raise a glass to the East Kootenay’s excellent spirits—the entrepreneurial, the handcrafted, and those that stir us.
– Jacquie Moore
Distinguished distillin' — Stolen Bell’s still, the largest of its kind in Interior B.C., was handcrafted on Vancouver Island. Midsized stills can run from $150,000 and up.
— Elora Braden Photo
HEALTH
Spry Roller
Meet Cranbrook’s Laurie Dickson. A 5’3” grandmother who probably out-drives, out-motos, and outtrains you. Who’s the only person stopping you from beating her? She’ll tell ya. It’s you.
Sometimes you’ll hear couch potatoes chide their super-fit pals: “Why do you need to be so strong? You work in an office!” Know that you won’t be able to bust out that nonsense on Cranbrook’s Laurie Dickson, whose entire life has been devoted not only to supreme fitness, but using it to accomplish physical tasks of which most could only dream. Her latest challenge? Smashing golf balls like no other five-footthree grandma ever has.
“I grew up in Kimberley, playing pretty much all sports,” says Dickson, whose current age might best be described as 58 going on 21. “Neighbour kids would knock on our door, but not for my brothers. They’d ask, ‘Can Laurie come out to ride with us?’”
Whether it was on bikes, either road or mountain, or even on horseback, Dickson possessed a competitive fire that compelled her to take on anyone—boys included.
“Then I got into motocross,” she recalls, referring to the bold sport that involves racing powerful motorcycles across rowdy terrain. “In Canada, there wasn’t much for female events back then, so I competed in the States.” Recruited by the U.S. Motocross National Women’s Team, she fashioned a brief career as a semi-pro. Dickon’s trajectory changed in her late twenties, however, when she found herself as a single mom of two with a need to support the family.
“That’s when I got into the professional fitness business,” she explains, “and I’m still there today.” Even with two grandkids now bidding for her time, she manages and owns the Aspire2bFit Athletic Club, offering private training within the surprisingly extensive facilities of Cranbrook’s Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort. Her expertise is
Gripped and ripped — Dickson, once recruited for the U.S. women’s motocross team, has represented Canada in all-natural body building and won the Alberta Long Drive competition — Nicole Leclair and Laurie Dickson Photos
undeniable: she won two world championships as a fitness model in the sport of bodybuilding.
Like many, she didn’t catch the golf bug until later in life. “A friend took me out and I loved it right away,” she recalls. Unsurprisingly, “I was pretty good at it, especially the driving.” Dickson
DICKON’S TRAJECTORY CHANGED IN HER LATE TWENTIES WHEN SHE FOUND HERSELF AS A SINGLE MOM OF TWO WITH A NEED TO SUPPORT THE FAMILY.
has since worked her handicap down to an ultra-respectable 8.9. Although she doesn’t have a home course—she says, “there are too many great ones around here to just pick one”—she loves St. Eugene, where she carded her personal best 82 from the white tees, and where she continues to refine her swing with club pro Cindy Soukoroff.
As for long-drive competition, she fell into it. “In 2021, I saw it on Instagram and it looked
very cool.” Noting an event of Amateur Long Drive Canada, she says, “I drove to Calgary and entered the over-45 division, and I won!” True, it was a mere 216 yards, but she was still a novice in the game.
“These days, I can get it out in the 260s,” says Dickson, who
aims to test her limits this summer. “I plan to compete when I can, and hit it as far as I can.” As she likes telling her clients, “You put up the stop signs, and you can take them down.”
One last question for Laurie: can she crush a ball with her bare hand? “I don’t know,” she laughs. “I’ll have to try.”
– Kevin Brooker
Aloft and Abound
From Duck Lake to Donald, the bi-annual arrival of hundreds of bird species highlight the East Kootenay’s precarious place amongst the world’s colossal flyways.
it's the return of our feath ered friends that makes the most audible difference of all.
The flight in for them is far from first class, but the accommodation, regionally anyway, can be five-star.
Two significant areas of the Rocky Mountain Trench
passes 16,969 hectares of land, is described by the B.C. government as a vital component of the Pacific Flyway—a waterfowl migration route that stretches from wintering grounds in coastal South America to nesting grounds along the Arctic Ocean.
The Columbia Wetlands Waterbird Survey (CWWS), published by biologist Rachel Darvill in 2020, explains, “the ecosystem plays an important role as a migration stopover habitat for birds, providing refuge where birds can fuel up and rest during the necessary long migratory flights, which require substantial amounts of energy.”
To put into perspective the magnitude of the migration, the CWWS, which was only able to survey approximately 39 per cent of the Columbia Wetlands
Flight mode — Over 230 species have been observed using the Columbia River wetlands as a migratory corridor. Clockwise from top: tree swallow, bald eagle, western grebe, common goldeneye, American white pelican, osprey. — Steve Ogle Photos
ecosystem, still managed single day counts of 20,000 individual birds on more than a few occasions.
The survey referenced a prior study of the area done in 1977 by the Canadian Wildlife Service, which concluded that “the Columbia Wetlands is probably the most important migration corridor in British Columbia, and competes with the coast in it’s ability to hold and feed
large numbers of birds at critical moments during their annual migrations.”
The wetlands between Brisco and Spillimacheen are one example of that. These wetlands, on more than one occasion, had single day counts of over 3,000 birds. The south end of Lake Windermere is another hotspot, and on a late-September day in 2017, had more than 4,500 birds resting their weary wings.
Darvill’s survey, written for local not-for-profit Wildsight, was conducted over the course of five years with the effort of 230 volunteer citizen-scientists. During this time, of the 237 species that have been found in the Columbia Valley wetlands, they observed 163 them—30 of which are listed as ‘at risk’.
The shoreline and wetland habitat, in a region that is predominantly forested, allows for an incredible amount of biodiversity. The same can also be said for the regions’ grasslands, such as the Skookumchuck Prairie, an area just south of the Columbia Valley and
These designations attract both conservation research and funding for the area, and show the area's importance on a global scale. The Columbia Wetlands Waterbird Survey was conducted and written for the purpose of advocating the area’s candidacy
THE COLUMBIA WETLANDS IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT MIGRATION CORRIDOR IN BRITISH COLUMBIA.
to the north of Cranbrook.
Nature Conservancy Canada describes the zone as wildflower grasslands, punctuated by wetlands and sparse stands of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, each of which support species at risk.
It is also an important breeding habitat for the federally threatened Lewis’ woodpecker and the long billed curlew, a shorebird that migrates from the west coast to breed in the dry, short grasses of the interior.
The Skookumchuck Prairie has been given designation as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), which is assigned in a collaborative effort that involves multiple conservation organizations. It has also been given designation as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the conservation society Birdlife International.
as a place that's deserving of the IBA status.
The Skookumchuck Prairie isn’t the only area with both designations in the region: the Creston Valley Wetlands also fall under that category.
Wildlife biologist and photographer Steve Ogle explains that Creston is noteworthy because not only is it home to the province's second-largest colony of western grebes, it's also the province's only known site for Forester’s terns.
“Our riparian areas are important, especially if things are hot and dry— you tend to find the birds gravitating to wetter areas,” says Ogle.
He also notes that the wetlands and shoreline complexes have a higher diversity of species visiting them, especially during migration.
“When I’m thinking about Creston, I’m thinking Duck Lake is the hot spot, or the epicentre.”
Duck Lake, aptly named, is one of many wetland areas in the Creston Valley.
“It’s another underrated bird-watching spot,” says Ogle. “You just don’t want to be there in July because of the mosquitos, which are crazy.”
The insects are important though, as they sustain the many birds, bats, and mammals that live there.
Duck Lake may be an underrated bird-watching zone, but according to Ogle, the southern end of Kootenay Lake is probably one of the most under-explored bird watching areas in the whole province.
He explains that the lack of access is a barrier, but that the mudflats that can
continued on page 24
Mighty rights of passages
There are avian superhighways, stretching from the top of the planet to the bottom, bi-annual rush hours packed beak-to-butt with billions of birds. Connecting summer breeding regions with wintering grounds, there are eight of these global migratory bird routes, four in North America, called flyways.
The Creston Valley and the 17,000-hectare Columbia River Wetlands, stretching from Canal Flats to Donald, make up a major expressway along one of the routes—the Pacific Americas Flyway. It runs from Northern Alaskan to the southernmost tip of South America and is bounded by the Rockies and Pacific.
Birds that travel these enormous, perilous distances rely on internal biological clocks and magnetic compasses, as well as sign posts from the heavens—the position of the stars, sun, and moon—to keep their voyages on time and on route.
The bird arena is packed with all-star travellers. Based on the length of its tiny body, the Rufous hummingbird flies the farthest migratory journey of all birds—19,000 kilometres—while Arctic terns hold the record for any of the planet’s migratory creatures. Terns flap and flow for 97,000 kilometres, round trip, from the Arctic to Antarctic. The great snipe flies the fastest during its trip, reaching cruising speeds of 97 km/hour.
The ever-present threat of starvation, dehydration, predation, climate change, and mankind's toll on avian habitat are all a part of the twicea-year trip. Some might say the world’s birds are simply winging it. But they, and we, know better.
Americas Flyway
mississippi Americas Flyway
atlantic Americas Flyway
east atlantic Flyway
central asian Flyway
east africa west asia Flyway
east asia australian Flyway
black sea/ mediterranean Flyway
Migration station — The western grebe breeds in freshwater marshes before wintering on inland lakes or coastal waters between B.C. and Mexico. A species sensitive to boating and shoreline development, the bird nests safely in wetlands, like those in the Columbia Valley, with quiet, shallow waters. — Steve Ogle Photo
be found in the spring and fall are absolutely incredible. The mudflats, which are normally present outside
can be seen in the hundreds.
“Man-made changes in water levels will actually kill off a lot of birds,” he adds,
It almost seems difficult to trip in the Trench and surrounding area without falling on a top-tier birding location.
It’s no wonder folks like Ogle, Darvill, and the 230 volunteers of the Columbia Wetlands Survey are so keen to wander outside,
MAN-MADE CHANGES IN WATER LEVELS CAN ERADICATE MANY BIRDS — BUT FOR THE MOST PART, WHERE THE COLUMBIA RIVER SITS IN THE TRENCH IS MOSTLY INTACT AND UNAFFECTED FROM THESE DANGERS.
of the high-water season, are visited by a vast number of shorebirds moving between the Arctic and South America. When unaffected by unnatural water levels caused by dams, Ogle says the sandpipers and plovers
something that has been known to happen in the Kinbasket area. He says that for the most part, though, the Columbia River where it winds through the Columbia Valley Trench remains intact and unaffected.
break out the binoculars, and peer in on our pretty, plummaged, part-time pals.
– Jesse Heinrichs
Wander Woman
From LA to Manila, Kimberley film maker
Trixie Pracis searches for story.
How does she fit it all in? One moment, Kimberley's Trixie Pacis, 35, is accepting a prestigious TV award in Los Angeles; the next, she's wandering through the neon-lit streets of Kyoto. She surfs in the Philippines, skis in Kimberley’s backcountry, and leads a workshop on mountain filmmaking in Nelson. Her social media is a steady stream of film festivals, backcountry expeditions, and beaches.
Pacis is a gifted filmmaker whose work is about resilience, ascension, and documenting untold stories: forgotten adventurers; an artist dangling from a glacier's ceiling; immigrant communities carving space in unfamiliar landscapes. They’re stories of people pushing beyond their comfort zones and redefining what is possible. In a rare feat, her first three documentaries all screened at the 2025 Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, and have toured across North America and
the United Kingdom.
Despite her fast-paced career, Pacis remains calm and grounded—as if she’s found a stillness in all the motion. Sitting in my living room, she sips coffee and quietly shares her journey into filmmaking.
“Filmmaking wasn’t always the plan. I never had a clear map," Pacis admits. "I just followed the stories that called to me. It’s only in the last few years that all my diverse skills aligned."
Pacis studied literature at Simon Fraser University, envisioning a career in writing. After graduating in 2012, she moved to the U.S., interning at Los Angeles Magazine and later at a Santa Monica talent agency—fetching coffee and buying birthday gifts for agents’ wives while getting a behind-the-scenes look at the industry. “It was a great introduction to film,” she says.
The following year, she returned to Vancouver to work at a talent agency, where she helped actors tape auditions and received her first exposure to directing. In 2015, she joined an independent production company called Drive Films, where she was immersed in all aspects of filmmaking: script development, budgeting, hiring crews, and working on bustling sets.
"That’s when it hit me," she
says. "I didn’t want to just organize film projects. I wanted to create them."
Just as her career was gaining momentum, Pacis and her boyfriend, Luke, decided to take time off to travel and, eventually, freelance around the world. After a stint spent travelling in India, they relocated to Slovenia and picked up gigs in writing, editing, and film production. Pacis became a production assistant on a feature film with a Filipino crew that needed to shoot in a snowy landscape; she taught them how to layer clothing and prevent their camera lenses from freezing.
Upon returning to Canada, Pacis landed in Banff, where she stumbled across the story of Mary Schäffer—an early twentieth-century explorer, photographer, and mapmaker who had been left out of the history books and is relatively unknown beyond Banff.
“In 1908, she travelled through the Rockies,” Pacis explains, “with 22 horses, sacks of flour, and big canvas tents in search of an elusive lake that is known today as Maligne Lake.”
In 2020, Pacis applied to the Banff Centre’s Adventure Filmmakers Workshop, where she pitched her documentary Wildflowers. The film follows historian and author Meghan J. Ward, who
continued on page 26
Pacis’s Other Notable Accomplishments:
• LA TV Week’s 2023 40 Under 40 Award – Recognizing forty trailblazers under forty who are redefining innovation in media and entertainment.
• 2022-24 Director of Acquisitions and Programming for ChimeTV – As part of America’s first Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) cable network, Pacis screened hundreds of AAPI films, series, and trailers, ensuring diversity on screen.
• Women’s Philippine National Rugby Team (2010 to 2019) – “People are often surprised that the Philippines even has a women’s rugby team,” she once told CNN Philippines. But they do—and she was part of it.
Cold shot — Pacis’s short documentary Wild Aerial , which premiered at the Banff Mountain Film Fest last year, follows aerialist and climber Sasha Galitzki to icebound locations—replete with dizzying heights—throughout the Canadian Rockies.
Aidan Lee Photo
recruited an all-women team to retrace Schäffer’s journey—exploring the historic route and legacy of Canadian women adventurers whose contributions have often been overlooked. The film became a celebration of perseverance and determination—values that shape Pacis’s work.
On a ski tour one winter, Pacis met aerialist Sasha Galitzki, who rigged silks high above glaciers and cliffs. That meeting sparked Wild Aerial,
THESE
taineering Club of Alberta, a Filipino group helping newcomers to the country embrace Canada’s outdoor spaces, helping them find confidence in the mountains and rediscover their innate strength.
For Pacis, these stories are deeply personal. Her father, Ting, once a bank executive, became a delivery driver to support their family after immigrating to Canada. Her mother left behind a celebrated pop career to start over in Can-
ARE STORIES OF PEOPLE PUSHING BEYOND THEIR COMFORT ZONES AND REDEFINING WHAT IS POSSIBLE.
a documentary capturing a daring performance of Galitzki’s—suspended above an ice canyon, untethered— while exposing the fragile beauty of Canada’s changing mountain landscape.
“It's Sasha attempting the longest and most difficult outdoor routine of her life,” Pacis explains. “The film shows how she blends artistry and adventure in a brand new way, blazing a trail for others.”
Wildflowers and Wild Aerial premiered at the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival in 2024, earning Pacis critical recognition and establishing her as a distinct voice in adventure filmmaking.
Her next documentary, Ahon—meaning "rise" in Filipino—follows the K8 Moun-
ada as a stay-at-home mom.
"Eventually, she started touring again, and my sister and I went with her to L.A., New York, Washington, D.C.,” Pacis explains. “One moment, she was just mom; the next, she was a pop star on stage."
Pacis grew up witnessing what it meant to reinvent oneself, to adapt, to take risks—qualities that shape every story she tells.
Currently, she’s juggling multiple projects—filmmaking, screenwriting, and maybe even writing a book. But she’s in no hurry.
"The best stories," Pacis says, "unfold at their own pace."
– Jeff Pew
ESCAPE UNWIND INDULGE
Picture this — After five years chasing stories that simply resonated with her, Pacis can now be considered a director, producer, videographer, and screenwriter. — Stacia Schmidt Photo
Dark Matter
Creston’s indie film fest shines a light on drama noir.
Dark, gritty, deeply moving—and poised to leave a haunting impression. These are the films showcased at Creston’s Bleeding Tree Film Festival: an indie film event dedicated to dark drama, a sub-genre often overlooked in cinema. Founded by journalists and professors Mark Wolfe and Kerry McArthur, the festival was born from their experience in media and film, and a desire to carve out space for stories that defy traditional labels.
Following a successful debut in Cranbrook, the festival moved to Creston for its second year in 2024. While the decision was largely technical, Creston also holds personal significance—it’s where Wolfe and McArthur’s first feature film, The Orchard, premiered at the Tivoli Theatre. And with the Creston Hotel and Jimmy’s Pub across the street from the theatre—providing accommodations, dining, and a networking space for attendees—it comes together as an ideal spot for a film festival.
The journey to establish-
ing Bleeding Tree started with The Orchard making its rounds on streaming platforms and film festivals. It was often categorized as horror, but something about that label didn’t quite fit for its creators. This sparked a realization: perhaps there was a missing sub-genre within the film industry. Enter ‘dark drama,’ stage right.
ma, tragedy, addiction, ignorance, or poor decisions, may (or may not) spiral into dark places.
“Dark drama is a real thing,” Mark explains. “Even the Batman and Joker films are dark dramas. Yet when you go on IMDb or something like that, there’s just one tiny description of it.”
Testing their theory of a
As described on the festival’s website, dark drama is a short or feature-length story about a protagonist who starts off with good intentions but, due to trau-
missing genre, Wolfe and McArthur launched the festival concept on FilmFreeway—an online hub for filmmakers—and received an overwhelming response
from filmmakers struggling to find a home for their work. Bleeding Tree Film Festival was born—and from its inception, it was not just for screenings. Bleeding Tree also fosters real relationships, offering filmmakers networking opportunities and meaningful discussions about their films, rather than just laurels.
The first year drew approximately 100 film submissions, and this year, while they expect upwards of 150 submissions, only about 15 films will make the final cut. The 2025 festival’s theme is DIY Filmmaking, with a focus on independent and emerging filmmakers. And despite its heavy themes, the genre isn’t just about despair—there are also films that incorporate humour and hope.
More than a film festival, and reflecting the genre itself, Bleeding Tree is about connection. Wolfe and McArthur have created a space where filmmakers feel valued, and where audiences experience powerful storytelling. The suc-
DESPITE THE FILMS’ DARKNESS AND FREQUENTLY HEAVY THEMES, THE GENRE ISN’T JUST ABOUT DESPAIR: THERE ARE FILMS THAT SHINE WITH HUMOUR AND HOPE.
cess of indie dark dramas like the 2022 Canadian film Skinamarink, which turned a $15,000 budget into over $2 million in revenue, proves that the genre has a bright—and yet very dark—future.
The 2nd Annual Bleeding Tree Film Festival takes place May 2-4, 2025, in Creston. Get all of the details at www.bleedingtree.ca.
– Danette Polzin
Mood to mingle — Bleeding Tree Film Festival isn’t just about showcasing films: it’s about connecting their creators to one another and a larger community. — Mark Wolfe Photo
PAST BLAST
Highway of The Lost
The Big Bend Highway was built as a vital gateway between B.C. and Alberta. Today, the road’s stories, and those of conscripted Eastern European immigrants who helped build it, rest deep beneath waters.
The Big Bend Highway was both a stellar feat of engineering and a symbol of hope during the Great Depression. Built between 1929 and 1940, the 305-kilometre gravel road was part of the Central Trans-Provincial Highway connecting Alberta to British Columbia. It followed the Columbia River’s northernmost reach running from Golden and Revelstoke through the northern Selkirk Mountains.
"The road's construction helped connect remote communities while employing a massive influx of eager workers," says Derryll White, a historian with the Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History (CBIRH).
"The highway became a cornerstone of Canada's early transportation network,”
White explains, “and its arrival was key to the modern landscape we see today on our maps."
Initially called Route A, the formidable highway was renamed Highway 1 in 1941. It followed one of the few routes first built by the wagoneers of the Pacific Ocean’s early colonizers, connecting them with the rest of North America. Early day motorists were often so nervous about travelling the Big Bend, they’d instead opt to go by rail with their cars carried on the very trains they rode safely inside. Passing through the treacherous Selkirks—and closed in the winter—the route was “regarded as a perilous gravel road that featured steep grades and runoffs from melting snow in the summer.”
River before road — Workers on the Big Bend Highway project barge their cars from a boat encampment along the Columbia River in 1936. River barges loaded with vehicles, supplies, and workers, then pulled by tugboats and steamships, were common sights of the day on the Columbia. Photo Courtesy of Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History (CBIRH) and Golden Museum
Construction of the Big Bend, much done by simple pick and shovel, was dangerous. And dark.
The labour force employed for the Big Bend Highway came from diverse backgrounds, and many of them were conscripted. Among them were individuals who had been imprisoned in internment camps during World War II, classified as 'enemy aliens'. They were primarily Eastern Europeans bunched into the label of Austro-Hungarian
the Big Bend. Exploitation, common during the era, was evident in large-scale industrial projects such as roadwork, mining, and logging.
Two decades before World War I, reliable routes between Golden and Revelstoke had already become paramount. Before the Big Bend, travel between the towns relied heavily on river routes or the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)— but emerging automobile ownership hastened the construction of a sturdy
from Revelstoke to Golden was five hours shorter than the Big Bend’s duration. Traffic dwindled.
Things got worse for the once-miraculous mountain thoroughfare. A decade after the west stretch of the Big Bend between Revelstoke and Mica Creek was renamed Highway 23, the Mica Dam was built in ‘73. Parts of the road were flooded by McNaughton Lake, now Kinbasket Lake. Other sections of the fading highway were bypassed in the
THE HIGHWAY WAS A CORNERSTONE OF CANADA'S EARLY TRANSPORTATION NETWORK, AND KEY TO THE MODERN EAST KOOTENAY LANDSCAPE.
immigrants, or Galicians.
These marginalized groups—including Poles, Ukrainians, and Czechs— were subjected to extreme working conditions and exploitation for a minimal wage. According to archeologist Sarah Beaulieu's thesis, Remembering the Forgotten Archaeology at the Morrissey WWI Internment Camp, the men interned at the camp (now a ghost town south of Fernie) received a paltry wage of $0.25 a day for their labour. This treatment extended to any work the prisoners completed on
road connection. Once completed, the Big Bend quickly enhanced local economies, fostering new transportation routes and helping open isolated areas to the rest of Western Canada, boosting tourism and trade.
Despite the toil, loss, and the endeavour's success, the Big Bend’s life was short, lasting a scant 33 years.
In ‘56, the decision was made to route the Trans Canada between Revelstoke and Donald through Rogers Pass. When the new highway opened in September of 1962, travel time
‘80s for the creation of the Revelstoke Dam project. Today, an unsubmerged eastern section of the Big Bend is a forestry road for lonely logging rigs or campers bound for Marl Creek Provincial Park.
The legacy of the Big Bend now rests below the waves of the Kinbasket and along stretches of empty rural roadway. And with that legacy, the hidden achievement of workers felled by the unfair reality of progress.
–Erin Knutson
Dressed To Excess, Ma’am
Resident Trench humourist and actress Sarah Stupar reflects on her hot, bothered days as an overdressed and faux-pioneer fashionista.
Before Cranbrook, there was Fort Steele. Once a bustling boom town, the appearance of Cranbrook reduced Fort Steele to a tumbleweed museum. But the history of the town will always be a part of Cranbrook’s history— and this commitment is now more formal, as the Cranbrook History Centre takes over the management of “The Fort.”
It might be second nature to Cranbrook residents, but the Fort can be kind of
Keeping in character as a person from the 1890s, while interacting with people from the present day, turned out to be a much more awkward proposition than I had expected. Many things have changed since the 1890s, but the biggest, most obvious change in the past 130 years is how we dress. Thus as costumed actors whose mission was to interact with tourists as if we were real people from 1898, we spent most of our time harassing visitors for
clothes transport ed back to Fort Steele would certainly find themselves in jail. En tire busloads of people showing up in modern dress would probably cause some kind of Jonestown Massacre mass suicide, as citizens of the Fort would surely interpret these hoards of underwear-clad strangers as a sign of end times (the bus would also be frightening). It was my passion for acting that drew me to
CITIZENS OF THE FORT WOULD SURELY INTERPRET THESE HOARDS OF UNDERWEAR-CLAD STRANGERS AS A SIGN OF END TIMES.
hard to explain to people who have never been there. As a history buff and budding actress in my youth, I dreamed of working there. Interacting with characters from the past felt like time travel, and I badly wanted to be a part of it.
It turned out to be an achievable dream, but it wasn’t exactly as I imagined. Scrolling through my own Instagram feed the other day, I found a caption from my time at the Fort: “Lowkey part of my job is walking around calling tourists prostitutes for being outside in their underwear.”
walking the streets in their underwear.
If by some sorcery a modern day citizen was transported back to 1898, this would most certainly be their experience. Women of the day were still practicing the thousand-year tradition of wearing long skirts; an ankle was cause for scandal, let alone the knees that were on regular display from visitors. Showing knees was as equally criminal a proposition for men as for women, and a man going out in public without a hat would be shunned by polite society.
A person in modern
working at Fort Steele, but as an adult it was my love for sharing tips with tourists that left me frustrated. Foreign visitors would innocently approach and ask genuine questions such as where to get a good meal in Cranbrook. They would be perplexed as we insisted that we had never heard of a town called Cranbrook, that they must be talking about Joseph’s Prairie, and that there was nothing there but swamp, and Fort Steele was the superior city.
Street scenes felt more comfortable, as the convention of us playing actual
which dealt with the cause of women’s suffrage, with town characters interacting to give their opinions for or against, tended to inspire the most reaction from visitors.
While many watching the scene would quietly laugh or tut-tut, the women whose real-life outfits matched ours (signalling membership to perhaps a Fundamentalist Mormon or Hutterite community) usually had the most spirited reactions—open boos!
Meanwhile some visiting Albertans would take the theme of women’s suffrage as an invitation to complain about Rachel Notley (the implication being something along the lines of
have an impact on my dress sense forever after. People often assumed that it must be the least favourite aspect of our job, to be so “over dressed” in the summer heat—long skirts, shirts covering from wrists to neck, hats, and even gloves—but the summer I worked at Fort Steele was one of the best of my life. An entire summer spent outdoors, yet I, a pale redhead, did not get a sunburn even once!
– Sarah Stupar
Life On The Line
Nature-built to burn then bounce back, East Kootenay forests are the foundation of our economy, ecology, and communities. For nearly 50 years combined, members of the Rocky Mountain and Flathead Unit Crews have fought fires for a living. Theirs, and ours.
W: KEVIN BROOKER
Nicole Leclair Photo
“I
was the greenest of the
green,” says Jason Kipp, chuckling now at the memory of being a 17-yearold on his first day as a wildland firefighter. “I literally had zero bush experience, and the only job I’d ever had was flipping burgers at Willy’s.”
Fortunately, that naiveté did not last long, as it simply cannot if you hope to survive the gruelling task of battling wildfires in far-flung wilderness locations. Though now retired, Kipp went on to a legendary decades-long career working out of the Cranbrook Fire Zone of the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS)—which is basically three or four times longer than the typical tenure of those precious few who are able to surmount the danger and difficulty in the first place.
“It was a different time, that’s for sure,” Kipp recalls, noting that he got both the
job offer and an order to mobilize on the same day. Yes, that was irregular even for the era, but the BCWS had made a point of doing things differently since 1992. That’s when the government launched a plan to solve two critical issues at once: on one hand, a shortage of fire-fighting candidates, and on the other, limited employment options for First Nations youth. So began a tradition of all-Indigenous fire crews whose legacy has since diminished but still exists, particularly in the north.
Jason Kipp, a status Musqueam, was a beneficiary. “I had relatives in Cranbrook who were telling me it was a pretty good summer job. And of course, I knew there would be some crazy cheques. So my Uncle Max got me an interview," he says. "But then spring came and went, and nobody called. I hadn’t even been to boot
the ?aquam territory for the Globe and Mail, received the Edward Burtynsky Climate Photojournalism Award for this image of Alaskan smokejumper Carson Long working a drip torch. The photo appeared in The Narwhal last year.
FIRST NATION, FIRST CHAPTER — (Top) In the early ‘90s, facing a shortage of firefighting candidates, the province began offering jobs to First Nations youth. Jason Kipp, a status Musqueam (centre), went on to a legendary decades-long career with the B.C. Wildfire Service Cranbrook Fire Zone. (Above) Photographer Jesse Winter, who in 2024 was assigned to cover prescribed burning on
FIT AND PHYSICAL — Sarah Mabee-Hall, Madelaine Thomsen, Gabriella Hazaras, and Sydney Sunderland. Thomsen is a former university rugby player and now a resource technician for the Rocky Mountain Unit Crew. Tryouts for the B.C. Wildfire Service are rigourous. (Far right) Helena Marken, a member of the Stormriders Unit Crew based out of 100 Mile House, finishes the sledge lap of the WFX-FIT test. The sledge simulates a charged hose and is the last of four different rounds each firefighter must complete during the fit test, in less than 14-and-a-half-minutes. — Photos Courtesy Nicole Leclair & Williams Lake Tribune
camp, so I figured it was back to Willy’s.”
That was, until that fateful day, June 6, 1996, when Kipp learned that there had been a drop-out from the crew and the spot was his. It taught him a hard truth about his new life: you always know you’re going somewhere gnarly, you just don’t know when and where that will be. What’s more, it’s unlikely to even be in your own region. “Grab a bag,” he was told that day. “We’re going to Ontario.”
A couple days of rough travel later, the unit made rudimentary camp on a nameless peninsula on a nameless lake. Recalls Kipp: “They dropped us off and said, ‘We’ll be back in three days with the food.’ It felt like being in some sort of army deployment going to fight a war. I’m old enough to remember the TV show M*A*S*H, and it was like that, with the wall tents and the helicopters flying around and guys hustling equipment everywhere.”
It didn’t take long for ever-present peril to reveal itself. “We woke up in the middle of one night with a hundred-foot wall of fire roaring towards the camp. Guys were panicking, trying to cut logs to bridge over to a neighbouring island.” Luckily the firefront swerved away and incineration was averted. Sure, that might seem to us civilians like a near-death experience, but for those veterans, it was just another day at the office.
the BCWS employs some 1,300 wildland firefighters. Though much has changed over the years in how they handle their business, an outside observer might not notice because the principal tools and techniques remain much the same: travel, somehow, and almost certainly via bushwhacking, to the fire. Devise a strategy. Hack away trees and any other combustibles to dig a fire line. Find water. Haul hose. Pump it to the hot zone, fill your backpack
tank. Mostly, though, it’s grinding, filthy labour. Your friends are the chainsaw, rake and shovel, plus the iconic firefighting tool, the pulaski, a combination axe and grub hoe which will be in your hands for many, many exhausting hours in a row.
Yet the idea that someone could be hired with zero qualifications is definitely a thing of the past. As she prepares for her seventh season in the game, Kimberley’s Madelaine Thomsen is a prime example of how
wildland firefighting has evolved from opportunistic seasonal payday to among the most noble of trades. For one thing, she arrived with plenty of credentials, academic and otherwise.
“I studied environmental science at UBCO,” says Thomsen. “I had a good background in teamwork from having played on the rugby squad there. And I’d already worked at various jobs in forestry, as well as some contract firefighting.” At age 30, she is
See FEMALE CONTINGENT page 40
“We woke up in the middle of one night with a hundred-foot wall of fire roaring towards the camp. Guys were panicking, trying to cut logs to bridge over to a neighbouring island.”
East Kootenay FireSmart™
The East Kootenay FireSmart Program follows the principles of FireSmart BC and FireSmart Canada, to encourage RDEK residents to adopt FireSmart practices to increase neighbourhood resilience to wildfire and minimize its negative impacts.
To connect with a Local FireSmart Representative and learn more about FireSmart in your area, visit: engage.rdek.bc.ca/FireSmart
On Elephant Hill, a mammoth blaze.
IN 2017, the Elephant Hill Fire, near Ashcroft, B.C. exploded into one of the biggest wildfires in the province’s history. The Rocky Mountain Crew was one of the first units called in to control the mammoth blaze. Over 75 days, the fire grew to 191,865 hectares (over 1,900 square kilometres). The crew spent two weeks controlling the south flank of the fire and successfully tied it into the highway on the last day of the deployment. The fire destroyed more than 100 homes, caused more than $27 million in damage to insured property and belongings, has cost an estimated $1 billion per year in ongoing ecosystem loss, and created 38 million tonnes of greenhouse gases—roughly a year’s worth of pollution from more than eight million cars. Investigators concluded the fire was caused by a careless smoker.
The cost, and fire culture not lost.
B.C.’S MOST COSTLY WILDFIRE YEAR was in 2023. A total of 2,217 fires burned almost 25,000 square kilometres of forest and grassland. The cost of fighting those fires was over $770 million. A suggested solution to B.C.’s increasing number of wildfires? Fire guardians trained in Indigenous and western fire practices would work year-round to reduce fire risk, help properties become fire safe, and conduct cultural burns that restore forest health. In 2023, the Ktunaxa Nation’s ʔaqam community conducted a large prescribed burn on their traditional territory near Cranbrook, with the assistance of the Rocky Mountain and Flathead Unit Crews.
A DAY IN THE LIFE — (Clockwise from top left) Scorched vehicles near Ashcroft's 1,000 square kilometre Elephant Hill fire (Kevin Church/Global News photo). Rolling fire hose (Jesse Winter photo). A fire line built with chain saw, heavy equipment, and soaked from the above by helicopter and buckets, and hand-soaking stubborn embers (B.C. Wildfire Services photos). Rocky Mountain Unit Crew supervisor Peter Black prepares for flight (Nicole Leclair photo).
SMOKE SCREENS — Wildfire assistant Adam Osuchowski in the Cranbrook Zone wildfire coordination officer seat. The Cranbrook Fire Zone reaches from Yahk to the Alberta border, and from the U.S. border to Elkford and Wasa.
— Nicole Leclair Photo
FEMALE CONTINGENT
continued from page 37
now one of four crew leaders on the 20-member Flathead Unit which, along with its Rocky Mountain equivalent, shares the base at the Cranbrook Fire Centre. And recently she accepted a promotion from the ministry, as proven performers can do, to become a year-round employee, serving as a risk reduction technician during the winter.
While the BCWS has had a female contingent for a while, Thomsen would be happy to see it grow.
“Over the past few seasons, I think there were six women in our group of 20 firefighters, but it it would be good if the ratio was 50-50,” she says, noting how having a variety of people and backgrounds contributes so much to team morale and unity. Part of the recruitment
challenge might be that women are generally less interested than men in jobs like this, but there’s also the hurdle that each firefighter has to pass the same difficult fitness test every year.
“It’s called the WFXFit test,” she explains. “You can check it out on YouTube, and honestly, it’s no joke. They put up this big 30-degree ramp and you have to haul various loads up and down. The max weight is a 65-pound pack plus a 10-pound weight belt. And you need to complete all these moves in 14-and-ahalf minutes.” Thomsen thought she was fit when she first took the test, but didn’t pass. So she went back to the gym and seriously amped up her weight-intensive cross-fit program.
“I’m fairly short and I’d been more of a sprint-
er type, so I needed to bulk up," she says. "I’ve passed every year since, but I admit that sometimes it makes you pretty sore for a couple of days.”
Meanwhile, a woman may be as strong and competent as it’s possible to be, but attitudes are slow to change. Thomsen still meets people who simply can’t believe that women do this job.
“Some local resident drives up looking for information and approaches the biggest dude on the crew. And I’m over here thinking, ‘Hey, man, you’re talking to my rookie!’”
and Burly
bearded, nobody would doubt that Rhys Wiechula is a fire-fighting boss. Entering his 14th season, Wiechula steadily climbed the ranks to wildfire technician and is now in charge of both Cranbrook units, a year-round position that sees him involved in a host of duties from front-line deployment to remote command in front of multiple screens. The amount of coordination demanded is immense, and it’s not merely the front-line infantry. There are also, for example, helicopters, bulldozers, camp logistics, and vehicle fleets to manage.
Wiechula came to the trade from what is still a reliable source of recruits: tree planters. In other words, people who take ironic delight in referring to an especially gruesome 17-hour day as a
See 65,000 EVACUEES page 42
Data taken from wildfires over the decades has produced models that can now accurately predict fire patterns … having a good idea of where a fire might be in two days is obviously very useful.
Two Live Crews
ROCKY MOUNTAIN UNIT CREW FOUNDED: 1992
FLATHEAD UNIT CREW FOUNDED: 2011 (B.C.’s newest unit crew)
REGION: Cranbrook Fire Zone. Yahk to Alberta border, U.S. border to Elkford and Wasa.
DISPATCHES BEYOND SOUTHEASTERN BC: Alberta / Quebec / California / Washington State / Australia.
CREWS DISPATCHED HERE: Alberta / Ontario / Quebec / U.S. / South Africa / Mexico
COMBINED NUMBER OF FIRES FOUGHT BY BOTH CREWS SINCE 2011: 200+ wildfires / 35+ prescribed
Quite a Unit
22 Resources per crew 4 Crew leaders 11 Chainsaws 22 Hand tools 6 Pumps 11 Lengths of hose
A Decade of Dry : Major East Kootenay Wildfires Since 2015
2015 White Swan
2017 White Swan
2018 Meachen Creek & Lost Dog
2020 Doctor Creek & Talbot Creek
2021 Bill Nye Mountain & Torrozo
2022 Connell Ridge 2023 Jubilee Mountain
2024 Ravenshead
WHEN EDUCATION BECOMES
— Nicole Leclair Photo
65,000 EVACUEES continued from page 40
“sufferfest.” Folks who don’t use fire emojis lightly. Although his first few seasons were comparatively quiet, that soon changed.
“Twenty-seventeen was a turning point,” Wiechula recalls. “A lot of us hadn’t been around for the 2003 Kelowna fires, and it felt like a wake-up call for the whole organization.” That year, fires from the Cariboo to Ashcroft set B.C. records for the most evacuees—65,000—and the largest single fire. Such widespread threats to highways and communities sparked a multi-agency acceleration of efforts to both prevent and defend against fiery catastrophe. With some bad seasons since—last year was our fourth-worst in history—the urgency has only grown.
Wiechula has been in the thick of it. “The growth in programs and overall professionalism has been huge. We implemented so many changes since then, like active collaboration and training with the six community fire departments in our region, and increased emphasis on infrastructure protection.” A vital term entered the everyday lexicon: the WUI, or Wildland Urban Interface, which is priority number one in any fire scenario. The province has also seen the wisdom of creating more full-time positions. “Our summers are so hectic, it’s nice to have that space in the winter to develop and improve systems we can use the next year.”
FORCES FROM AFAR — A sprawl of camp tents and a soaked shirt bare testament to the efforts of a Mexican firefighting crew flown into B.C. to assist with fires last year. Firefighting forces are often dispatched all over North America to assist one another. The Rocky Mountain Crew has received help in years past from unit crews hailing from South Africa, the U.S., Quebec, Ontario, and neighbouring Alberta. — Jesse Winter Photo
Much of it also involves advanced learning. Wiechula attended a conference in Vancouver last winter on the emerging science of modelling fire behaviour.
“Data taken from wildfires over the decades,” he says, “has produced numerical models that can now accurately predict fire patterns given particular fuel types and environmental conditions. Having a good idea of where a fire might be in two days is obviously very useful.”
Expect more science applications in the near future. This September will see the debut of the world’s first university program dedicated to wildfire science at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. Meanwhile, collaborations with other government agencies as well as NGOs (non-government organizations) are expanding. For example, Nelson-based Living Lakes Canada has been working with the BCWS on a program of mapping all potential water sources for firefighters, many of which are concealed. The work yielded its first real-world application in last summer’s Argenta and Johnson’s Landing fires. They were able to provide accurate locational maps to BCWS phones and tablets in an area where it is notoriously difficult to find water in conventional ways. Notably, too, the surveying work had been assisted by the volunteer-driven Argenta Safety and Preparedness Society, which also contributed to the effort once the
44
SOME DESTROYED, SOME SPARED — Rocky Mountain Unit Crew boss Peter Black was part of a contingent of B.C. firefighters that travelled to the devastating fires of Los Angeles to observe firefighting techniques and colossal structural loss. The key to avoiding the loss of homes and businesses due to forest firefighting is simple — fire smarting, says Black —Photos Courtesy Peter Black and Associated Press
Cali in The Koots?
After witnessing the Los Angeles maelstrom first hand, an East Kootenay wildfire veteran offers home and business owners some wise advice.
PETER BLACK’S MEMORIES
of fire’s destructive nature are fresher than ours. That’s because last winter the BCWS Rockies Zone unit supervisor was summoned, on a squad with 19 other B.C. firefighters, to battle the catastrophic Los Angeles outbreaks.
“We’ve never experienced anything quite like that,” he reports, “with the fuel type, the winds, and a general lack of water.” Still, the Canucks received praise from local firefighters. “They were shocked at what we were able to get done as a crew.”
Meanwhile, what people noticed about those fires were numerous cases of side-byside homes with one utterly destroyed and its neighbour fully intact. So, Peter, what can homeowners do to ensure—heaven forbid it comes to pass—that they’re on the right side of that divide?
“Easy,” he says. “It’s called fire-smarting, and it goes a really long way.”
The FireSmart program began in Canada in the 1990s as a means of centralizing the best practices in wildfire preparedness, prevention, and mitigation. Today, British Columbia FireSmart (https:// firesmartbc.ca) is a one-stop site to guide you on that journey. There you can find a local representative who will do a free assessment of your property and provide the specific steps you need to take to minimize risk.
“Sometimes during a fire,” says Black, “we’ll come across structures that are simply undefendable because people have let trees and brush go to where they’re literally touching their houses. They’ve done zero maintenance.” But FireSmart teaches things like which trees are the
most susceptible to wildfire and which landscape choices are most resistant.
“Another key thing,” he notes, “is that these days you can build with fireproof materials. Sure, it’s a matter of convincing people, and it obviously costs more. But if you saw what we see, you’d understand why that investment is a no-brainer.”
ELEMENTAL — Comprised of grassland and a fibre mix including tamarack, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and lodgepole pine, Columbia Valley forests are meant to burn roughly every 14 years. For centuries, fires like this prescribed burn near Cranbrook were intentionally set by First Nations. Flames would clear deadfall, thin brush, grass, and low-hanging branches. Healthy grasslands and revitalized forests would regenerate within a year. — Jesse Winter Photo
lightning-strike fire actually took off. This underscores the fact that the public has its own role to play in wildfire mitigation—see sidebar for what you ought to be doing.
Technology is also rapidly evolving. Whereas once there was only one radio per crew, now everybody carries one, plus a smartphone and satellite-enabled personal locator beacon. Recent additions include a mobile StarLink internet receiver for each unit, an obvious game-changer. Drones are being tested; while they can’t accomplish what a helicopter can, they are showing promising results in remotely triggering controlled burns.
You always know you’re going somewhere gnarly, you just don’t know when and where that will be.
So
what does the 2025 fire season hold for British Columbia? Difficult to say, but rest assured that every day that passes there are experts increasing their understanding of where the threats are likely to appear. Meanwhile, blazes or not, wildfire crews rarely rest. Do you think heavy rains across the zone are an excuse to sleep in? Forget about it. You’re still up at dawn for a hard-core 90-minute workout before spending the day maintaining equipment. Obviously, this life ain’t for everyone. But if you’re a strong 20-something (yes, it’s
a young person’s game) with an itch to do something worthwhile with your life, there are few better paths. It therefore bears noting that the BCWS now recruits yearround. Imagine, you can make as much as 60K a summer, or even more if you’re willing to train up to joining the special forces of wildland firefighting: small initial-attack crews, including fixed-wing parachutists and those who rappel from helicopters. Yay! Hard work plus danger! Not only will you build character and make friends for life, you will
put yourself at the front of the line for each and every employer to come. And, bonus—you’ll have a golden opportunity to spend a few winters exploring Asia or Central America, as many firefighters do.
Just remember to do a lot of surfing and rock climbing to keep that iron core intact. You’ll thank yourself next spring, and so will everyone else in B.C.
STARLINK & DRONES continued from page 43
Chief Eustace Francois at St. Eugene Mission in September, 1951 with the Staff of Authority and the Medal of Queen Victoria.
The staff is a symbol of sovereignty under the British Commonwealth, comparable to the B.C. Legislature’s Mace. Both represent authority and the right to govern.
Photos Courtesy Ktunaxa Nation Council.
True Story, False Line
In an era of simmering cross-border conflict, the Ktunaxa remind us of lands divided, promises broken, and damage to be undone.
W: Troy Hunter
To understand Ktunaxa colonial history, we begin with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), established in 1670. The Ktunaxa never ceded their Aboriginal title lands and were aware of their rights through interactions with the HBC, a colonizing force bound by British law, including the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which mandated treaties for land acquisition.
Both Britain and the U.S., despite independence, enacted laws requiring treaties for Indigenous lands, demonstrating a shared principle of recognizing Indigenous land rights. Further, the 1794 Jay Treaty granted Indigenous peoples free border-crossing rights— though it was later undermined by court rulings and U.S. restrictions.
“The Jay Treaty is currently only recognized by the United States and not equally recognized by Canada,” says Nasuʔkin Heidi Gravelle. "The Jay Treaty Border Alliance is working on many of the issues that we face as First Nations people at the border. Unfortunately, until we get Canada to recognize the Jay Treaty and get the United States to change the inappropriate rules that are currently in place, it is still a barrier and not working for the best interest of our inherent rights as First Nations peoples that were cut in half because of that imaginary line.”
"What is the meaning of this boundary line?” Tobacco Plains Indian Band Chief David poignantly asked the question in the late 1800s. “It runs through the middle of my house. My home is on both sides. Why should you, without asking me or considering me, divide my property in two and also divide my children?"
legislature displays the mace.
Indigenous oral histories in British Columbia affirm that the staffs and medallions given to First Nations were not mere trinkets, but symbols of a nation-to-nation relationship acknowledging King George's Royal Proclamation. These gifts, including medals bearing Queen Victoria's likeness, were presented at a time when British Columbia lacked the resources for treaty-making. Instead, the colonial government secured access to Indigenous lands and resources through a constructive arrangement, promising generous reserves and wealth-sharing in future treaties. This arrangement reflected the Indigenous law of reciprocity: the Ktunaxa, in good faith, allowed Europeans into their territory with the expectation of fair treaties and large reserves, similar to those in Alberta or Montana. However, these promises failed to materialize, leaving a legacy of unfulfilled obligations.
The notion of being a "King George Man" signified protection and safety, particularly in contrast to the perceived dangers posed by Americans towards Indigenous peoples. This identity, associated with the Hudson's Bay Company and British authority, fostered trust and cooperation between Indigenous communities and those aligned with the Crown. Historical accounts illustrate how this notion played out in various situations, even saving lives and influencing decisions about land and belonging.
"What is the meaning of this boundary line? It runs through the middle of my house. My home is on both sides.”
– Tobacco Plains Indian Band Chief David, abt. 1830-abt. 1891
The Hudson's Bay Company's westward expansion overlapped with American interests in the same region, leading to the 1846 Oregon Treaty that established the 49th parallel as the boundary. Despite the fact British sovereignty in the area was contested, British control in Ktunaxa territory solidified around 1865, marked by the completion of the Dewdney Trail and Governor Frederick Seymour's dubious distribution of royal staffs adorned with silver crowns to Indigenous leaders. Despite the recognition, reserves were established in Ktunaxa territory in 1886 without treaty or consent.
Fast forward to 1951, Chief Eustace Francois of ʔaqam Community (formerly known as the St. Mary’s Indian Band) told the Cranbrook Courier that he “carried the traditional Staff of Authority, handed down since 1870” and he wore “the big silver medal which bears the image of Queen Victoria and the perquisite of each Indian Chief and is handed on in succession.”
The Ktunaxa Staff is a symbol of their sovereignty under the British Commonwealth comparable to the B.C. Legislature’s Mace. Both represent authority and the right to govern. The Ktunaxa actively display their Eagle Feather Staff, much like the
Despite the Ktunaxa having obtained the Staff of Authority from the British Crown from the Government of British Columbia in 1870, the matter of sovereignty was noted as entirely lacking in the 1981 Kootenay Nation Land Claim and Declaration.
“We, the Kootenay Nation, have suffered, endured and survived a multitude of injustices,” states the 44-year old document. “The greatest injustices we as a people have tolerated is the disruption of our inalienable right to sovereignty. Initially we experienced the blatant encroachment of the first Europeans; later the oppressive and opprobrious reserve life; lastly, our sovereignty has become a mockery giving us only token recognition. This last is an especially offensive affront to our collective sensibilities.”
As of the fall of 2022, with the coronation of King Charles III, there is promise of deeper recognition. The coronation included Commonwealth flags attached to royal guidons practically identical to the Ktunaxa Royal Staff of Authority, suggesting a potential pathway for recognizing Indigenous sovereignty within the Commonwealth by inviting Indigenous participation in future events of this magnitude.
This aligns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which
Walk, This Way
The Annual Border Walk at Tobacco Plains raises awareness of a Ktunaxa homeland divided, and invites everyone to celebrate too.
For almost thirty years, the Yaqit ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation has organized the Annual Border Walk at Tobacco Plains, straddling the border between British Columbia and Montana. The event, which runs this year on Friday, June 21 and is open to everyone, coincides with National Indigenous Peoples Day. The celebration highlights the impact of the colonial border on the Ktunaxa people while showing support for Ktunaxa sovereignty.
The Ktunaxa Eagle Feather Staff traditionally leads the Border Walk procession—not just because it is the national flag of the Ktunaxa Nation but because it is sacred.
The Border Walk aims to raise awareness of how the imposed border divided Ktunaxa homelands, disrupted their livelihoods, and severed family ties, forcing a choice between American or Canadian identities.
Members of the Ktunaxa bands, along with Sister tribes from the States, will attend and walk together across the Roosville Border Crossing, 45 minutes south of Fernie on Hwy 93. Visitors are welcome to join the walk.
Participants should arrive at the border at 9:30 a.m., with the walk departing at 10 a.m.
After the walk, there will be events at the Yaq?it ?a·knuq?i ‘it / Tobacco Plains Indian Band Administration building at 5500 Village Loop Road in Grasmere, including: lunch, live music from recording artist George Canyon, dance demonstrations, Pow Wow drum and traditional games.
The Ktunaxa Nation is made up of seven communities, five of which are in Canada and two in the United States. The Ktunaxa Nation includes Yaqit ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation (Tobacco Plains), ʔaqam Community (Cranbrook), ʔAkisqnuk First Nation (Columbia Valley), Yaqan Nukiy or Lower Kootenay Band (Creston), ʔaqanqmi Kutenai Tribe of Idaho, and the Ksanka community on the Salish Kootenai Indian Reserve in Montana. The Ktunaxa Nation flag has seven eagle feathers.
CONTINUE FROM PAGE 47
supports Indigenous peoples' right to maintain their political institutions and participate in state affairs if they so choose.
In 2007, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was created and it included Article 36, which addressed the Ktunaxa situation of being divided by borders.
“Indigenous peoples, in particular those divided by international borders,” the article says, “have the right to maintain and develop contacts, relations and cooperation, including activities for spiritual, cultural, political, economic and social purposes, with their own members as well as other peoples across borders.”
“States, in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples,” Article 46 continues, “shall take effective measures to facilitate the exercise and ensure the implementation of this right.”
"This border will not stop us from practicing who we are,” says Nasuʔkin Gravelle of UNDRIP
the 49th parallel.
On the border and economic friction between Canada and the United States, Nasuʔkin Gravelle says “politics has proven that colonial structures, governments and policy are only as good as their people in power.“
“That’s why I respect our First Nations Leaders, and Elders and specifically our ancestors, we value our land that we come from, we are here to take care of our land and our people and to only take what we need and leave it better than how we found it. It is because of fundamental principles and values that we are still here. And will still be here after.”
It would appear the notion of a King George person still resonates within the Canadian portion of our First Nations, despite a dividing line which has torn the Ktunaxa house in half.
MONTANA
IDAHO WASHINGTON
BRITISH COLUMBIA
ALBERTA
SULLIVAN MINE WILDFIRE PREVENTION
Teck’s Legacy Properties team is dedicated to managing post-closure activities at the historic Sullivan Mine in Kimberley, B.C., which operated from 1909 to 2001. Our commitment extends to maintaining over 3,000 hectares of land within and surrounding the City of Kimberley.
Forest management is an important part of reducing wildfire risks to our community. In 2025, we will conduct wildfire threat assessments, prescriptions, and forest fuel reduction treatments on our property around Kimberley.
W: Dave Quinn
and Life Cycles
Kidlets’ bike parks and bad-as descents. High-rolling herstories and marathon peddles into No Mans Land. Three Trench writers take y’all out for a rip.
When it comes to the vast scale of the wild Kootenays, boots sometimes just ain’t enough, and the bicycle has long been a key tool and toy for Kootenay explorers of all ages. From the fifty-pound fake motocross pedal bikes, to the handle-bar spangles and
sparkly banana-seat heyday of the ‘70s, to the lavender BMX scene of the ‘80s. From Cranbrook’s infamous, spandex-clad Tuesday night road rides to the Kootenay Rockies Gran Fondo, bikes are a staple of Kootenay life. Rising up from the primordial,
shockless, pedal-clipped, leadweight soup of early mountain bikes tearing up elk and cattle trails, into the endless labyrinths of hand and machine-built all-season trails, electrification, and thousands of dusty kilometres of bike-packing bliss, the Kootenays has
always kept its feet firmly on the pedals of mountain bike culture as well.
Everyone recalls the thrill of facing the whiteknuckle fear, skinned knees, and ego pain of that first wobbly crash on the path to twowheeled oneness, the pride of purchasing that first ride,
Y2slay — Twenty five years ago, Golden’s Nate Briggs captured the 2000 Psychosis Hard Tail category on a bike with v-brakes and what looks to be maybe four inches of suspension, with a time of 18:36. “Hard to see under the padding, but I'm wearing a SAIT track suit from the 70’s,” Briggs recollects. “I was in college at that time and some buddies on the school team found those in an equipment room, so we all wore them to the bar one night, then I used it for Psychosis. Also that's a kayak helmet … ’cause I was broke and they were cheaper than bike helmets.”
the heartbreak of theft, or wipeout write-off. So tuck in your arms, lift that butt off the seat, lean into the wind, and let your shirt-tails flap as we dive into the muddy, thrilling world of East Kootenay Bike Culture.
Psycho Thriller
Was Golden’s Psychosis Downhill the world’s most brutal mountain bike race?
W: Andrew Findlay
Joe Schwartz will never forget the feeling of sitting in the start gate at the top of Mount 7. It was 2000. Red Bull Rampage was still a year out from its inception. Back then, Schwartz was a Kona-sponsored rider on the way up. He felt compelled to put his bike in the back of a pick-up and drive to Golden for Psychosis, a DH race that, in a few years, would grow from a grassroots event that was as much about beers as it was about biking, into a must-do race for many of the top gravity riders in the world.
“At that point, there was no event that compared in terms of rowdy, raw mountain biking,” Schwartz says. “There’s nothing like standing on the top of Dead Dog trying to get psyched to drop in and looking thousands of feet down into the valley where it ends.”
Launched in 1999 on Mount 7, one of the original rogue trail zones in Golden, Psychosis was flat-out mayhem on two wheels. There didn’t seem to be enough superlatives in the mountain biking lexicon to adequately describe the race.
From its beginnings to
its final running in 2008, big names in the bike biz showed up to test their skills, among them Chris Kovarik, the late Steve Smith, Sam Hill, Claire Buchar, Tyler Morland, Curtis Keene, Nathan Rennie, Kyle Strait, and many others. When Red Bull jumped aboard as a major sponsor in the early 2000s, the marketing machine touted it as “the world’s most demented downhill race.”
The stats speak for themselves. The race starts with a 35-degree pitch of loose shale and that’s far from the steepest section. It then drops 1,200 vertical metres over 7.3 km of dusty and rooty high-speed and high consequence trail. There’s a mid-race lung buster of a hike-a-bike, and back in the day, a massive roadgap that kept ambulance crews and first aid attendants busy.
The current official course record was set the final year by Australian and multiple World Cup winner Kovarik, who crossed the
DementYa — After acquiring sponsorship rights for what was an entirely volunteer effort, Red Bull dubbed Psychosis "the world’s most demented downhill race.” — Photos Courtesy of Ian Hylands (top) and Joe Roberts (bottom)
finish line in 12:35.14. To get a sense of just how physically punishing that is, the 2024 winning time at the UCI World Cup downhill at Mont Sainte Anne was just under four minutes. That’s mini golf compared to the twelve-
and-a-half minutes of white-knuckle plunging from the start gate atop Mount 7 down Dead Dog, Moonshine, Skid Marks, 3K/True Value, and Snake Hill/Tail Gate to the finish line beer garden at the rodeo grounds.
Last summer, due to popular demand and a sense of nostalgia, the Golden Cycling Club hosted a special 25th anniversary running of Psychosis.
SEE HUGE SUCCESS ON PAGE 53
“At that point, there was no event that compared in terms of rowdy, raw mountain biking.”
- Former Kootenay pro rider Joe Schwartz
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 51
“We felt we needed to honour the legacy of the event,” says Andy Bostock, director of skills development for the Golden Cycling Club. “The last event was 2008 and still the reputation of the course would see countless visitors coming to Golden to challenge themselves on the notoriously difficult course. So, we knew there was still interest in the race coming back at some point.”
It was a huge success. The event sold out at a cap of 200 racers in two categories: Psycho Men’s and Pyscho Women’s, both 18+ only. Children need not apply.
Alexander Schmidt, a heavy-duty mechanic and longtime Golden resident, wouldn’t have missed it. He raced Psychosis nine times, and also rode the 25th anniversary event on his old Santa Cruz V10 that had basically been “a mantle piece" since the last time he pointed it down Dead Dog at the Psychosis start gate years earlier.
“No one died, but there was always a heap of gore,” Schmidt says.
Weekend festivities included a historic photography gallery and talk show at the local brewery, after parties at the bar, and a town that was buzzing again with the Psychosis vibe.
“I’ve raced every event from 2003. I’ve ridden the course hundreds of times and it’s still the most intimidating course to race because it's just very steep, very fast, and vey long,” Bostock says.
Rusty Gillespie still gets misty-eyed when he thinks about Psychosis. He took over as volunteer race director for the third running of the race.
“We wanted to bring it up to the level of a world-class event that would attract the best riders from around the world,” Gillespie says.
In the early days, it was grassroots to the core. Race plates were re-purposed paper plates, and racers had barely crossed the finish line before someone would thrust a frothy beer into their mitts, and then another. After racing in the morning, participants traded baggy bike pants and pads for a dry suit and booties and then hopped into rafts for a running of the rowdy Kicking Horse River. Then more beer and music, until the wee hours.
When Red Bull got involved with some modest sponsorship dollars, it allowed Gillespie and his team of volunteers to tidy up a few things, like plumbing water into the rodeo grounds. It also put the event on the international map. For a race director, Psychosis could turn a guy’s hair grey overnight. Gillespie remembers one year popping into the road gap for a mid-race inspection. One competitor had just crashed and blown out some of the fencing. Spectators had crowded closer into the landing transition, excited to see the top-tier riders send it big. Gillespie says he had to force the crowd to retreat and help him hastily fix the fencing. A few seconds later, another racer crashed and tomahawked through the very spot where a crowd had just stood. Catastrophe averted.
“Psychosis became the biggest event in Golden, but it wasn’t making much money. It was a massive undertaking
Psychosis riders braved a descent that dwarfed all others time-wise— twelve-and-a-half-minutes, including bizarrely, a hike-a-bike mid course.
The Golden Cycling Club says the 25th anniversary Psychosis was just a one-off, “a necessary, collective community nod to a legendary race of downhill guts and glory.”
EXHAUSTING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53
for volunteers,” Gillespie says.
Melissa Huntley agrees. She and her partner Mike Rubenstein, former GM of Kicking Horse Resort, ran the safety crew for 10 years and says pulling off the event required an exhausting effort by volunteers.
“Watching those pro riders on the course was mind-blowing,” says Huntley, who saw the race grow in reputation and allure during her time as a volunteer.
That hit home years ago while cycle touring in Bolivia with Rubenstein. They had stopped at a tiny bike shop and were talking to the staff, who wanted to know where they were from. When Huntley said “Golden” and “Kicking Horse Resort,” she got blank looks.
But when she mentioned Psychosis, their faces lit up.
“They were like, ‘No way. That’s where you’re from?'” she remembers with a laugh.
Seeing Psychosis come alive last year for the 25th anniversary brought back memories for many past volunteers and racers.
The Golden Cycling Club says the 25th anniversary Psychosis was just a one-off, a necessary, collective community nod to a legendary race of downhill guts and glory. There are no plans to put it on the annual event calendar.
“The event stopped in 2008 due to volunteer burn out, and the club needs to utilize our volunteers to expand our trail network for a broader demographic of riders,” says the club’s Andy Bostock. “To be honest, people who ride a trail like Dead Dog are a small percentage of riders who visit Golden.”
Psychosis may be gone again, but it won’t be forgotten any time soon.
If the shoe spits — (clockwise from top) Photographer Jake Paddon captured mandatory finish line refreshments on the podium; local yokels made Psychosis happen year after year after year; no false flags here; cycling photo pro Ian Hylands covered the race for Red Bull and snapped this shot of an air apparent; the 25th, and final…
Summer Events & Races in Fernie
May 3 Feast For a Cause Fundraiser Dinner
May 10 Judgement Night VI Charity Boxing
June 15
June 21
Summer Season opens at Island Lake Lodge
Summer Season opens at Fernie Alpine Resort
July 1 Canada Day Festivities
July 4-6 Fernie Gravel Grind (Celebrating 5 years!)
Aug 8-9 Wapiti Music Festival
Aug 30 Tears & Gears Mountain Duathlon
Aug 31 Fernie Lions Demolition Derby
Discover Fernie’s vibrant scene filled with arts and culture events, live entertainment and mountain races for all ages, year round. The above is just a highlight of all the great events you can expect this summer in Fernie –find many more online. Stay longer and enjoy everything that Fernie has to offer.
She Shreds
From Crowsnest to Kimbo, Kayla Lissel’s mountain bike journey has arrived at a destination defined by community, shared knowledge, and the making of herstory.
Wondering whether to choose metallic or resin brake pads? Seeking the East Kootenay’s best rides for your particular skill level? Need to find the best gear to protect your most sensitive bits? Kayla Lissel has the answers.
Lissel—with her warm personality and easy, frequent laugh—works at Bootleg Bike Co. in Kimberley B.C., where she shares her knowledge and passion for mountain biking with the public. She’s also a coach and local leader in women’s riding.
Lissel began her journey into the sport seven years ago, and has experienced incredible growth since. From trail chaser to pack leader, she’s evolved into a confident, highly-skilled rider who coaches other women in the Kimberley area.
Lissel first put her feet on the pedals on the rugged single track of Crowsnest Pass, where she challenged herself with arduous climbs like Big Bear and tricky descents on School of Rock, where her shouts of felicity and fear echoed off the stone slabs. Soon after, she wound up on Vancouver Island: a pivotal relocation for her cycling journey. The Island’s slippery root systems and rugged rock rolls proved to be both a technical challenge and an invitation. Lissel was quickly enamoured with life on two wheels
and decided she wanted to build a career in the bike industry.
A transformative moment for Lissel occurred when she witnessed a talented woman conquer a daunting road gap—something she had only seen male riders attempt. This brief moment inspired Lissel and opened her eyes to the possibilities that lay ahead for her and fueled her determination to push her own career and limits. She wanted to see the gap from above.
When asked if her skills have improved more from riding with women or men, Lissel reflected thoughtfully. “I’m inspired by those who are passionate about riding,” she says. “Whether they climb like champs or descend like rockstars, there’s always something to learn from every rider.”
Motivated by her role models, Lissel took on the role of a coach, happily sharing her knowledge with others. She teaches her students the art of riding with confidence, understanding their bikes, and mastering technical skills,
within them their own love for mountain biking.
Lissel’s boundless passion, unwavering determination, and easy laugh have made her a spectacular example and an admired local mentor, particularly for the young women who join the Kootenay Freewheelers, a social bike club based in Kimberley.
Lissel’s ride through life to arrive at the career she has now is a testament to her perseverance and passion, and a reminder that every turn of the pedal, every crash, is a part of the story.
Lissel’s coaching isn’t just for the Freewheelers and the ladies: it’s for anyone with a bike who wants to tackle the trails with more confidence and have fun on two wheels. Her groups are small, relaxed, and fun. To learn more, contact Kayla at kayla.lissel@hotmail.com
Kayla Lissel has advice for young women wanting to try out mountain biking: “Get a bike and just ride, ride, ride. Ride with friends or on your own. Learn your bike. Wash your bike. And then ride more.”
including jumps—and, ultimately, she fosters
W + P: Jenny Bateman
In 2024, Redbull Rampage—an iconic, invitation-only freeride mountain bike event held annually near Zion National Park in Utah—invited women to participate for the first time. Lissel, ever the mentor, invited the young gals of the Freewheelers Bike Club to watch the monumental moment at her home in Kimberley, B.C.
Pack It Up, Pack It In
Cycling into the wilds. Alone or with your family. Completely loaded. It’s a lot more fun than it may at first sound.
the long haul —
In recent years, bikepacking has risen from the trail dust of fringe, type-2 fun enjoyed by a few hardy masochists to a family-friendly weekend pastime that sees thousands of pedal-powered adventurers hitting the backroads and trails every weekend.
Sure, there are still plenty of options for masochism in the sport that can cause saddlesores just from reading about them.
Kimberley’s Chris Ferguson looks back fondly on
gruelling, ultra-distance ‘bikepacking races' where he went up to 24 hours or more with no sleep or real rest. In 2024’s BC Epic race, he completed the 1,040 km, 11,000 vertical metre TransCanada Trail route in three days and 13 hours on a single-speed bike.
“With these races, you are going with an absolute minimum of gear and are definitely not smelling the roses at all,” understates Ferguson.
At the other end of the
spectrum are family adventures like those pioneered by Dan, Alice, Koby, and Avafei Clark. The family has regularly left their Kimberley home to pursue some of the longest self-propelled family adventures imaginable. These include a circuit of Hokkaido, Japan, 10 weeks riding Mexico’s Baja Divide, a 3,500 km trip from Inuvik, NT to Jasper, AB, and an eightmonth trip from Patagonia to Bolivia in South America.
To Dan, an elementary
school principal, backpacking feels restrictive at times, with limits based on how far you can go with the food you can carry, while bikepacking opens up longer distances and more varied route options.
“In recent years, I’ve dreamed up several routes looping from the Columbia Trench into the Rockies and Purcells. In several days, it is possible to connect distant drainages between resupply points using the network of gravel roads
In for
Fernie’s Chris Hall on the Elk Valley Trail, en route to the coast. — Mark Gallup Photo
W: Dave Quinn
Family pack — (above) Dan Clark and his family of four in the midst of their 10-week bikepacking
South America. (top) A bikepacker’s myriad machinations. — Photos Courtesy Dan Clark & bikepacking.com
and quad tracks in our backyard backcountry,” explains Clark.
“On my last trip, smoke blocked my route between Nipika and Fernie on day two, but I was able to adjust and ride out through Whiteswan Lake, covering 280 km in two days. A day later, my son Koby and I rode up the St. Mary’s across Sanca Pass. We camped in deep wilderness on a high pass en route to Kootenay Lake, and again on return over Gray Creek Pass on day three.”
These two trips within a week took in a huge area of the Purcells and the Southern Rockies, an experience not possible on foot with a heavy backpack.
“We were fortunate to discover bikepacking trips as a family when our kids were young,” Dan continues.
“We enjoyed hundreds of days together riding and camping in a wide range of landscapes. We could carry everything we needed on our bikes, take breaks when we wanted, and build strong connections as a family far away from the distractions of everyday life.”
Clark has learned that bikepacking with kids requires adjusted objectives and schedules to ensure everyone is comfortable and having fun. "On family trips, there's a lot of gear and food, so the adults had better be prepared to pedal hard," he laughs. "It's also helpful to have some family boundaries. For example, we don't break camp in the rain.”
Clark credits advances in gear with helping make some of their family adven-
tures possible, including the Followme Tandem and the Bicycle Bungee, both of which allow younger riders to be towed by adults.
Clark also notes that not all destinations are great for family trips.
“On one section of Mexico’s Baja Divide, there was no water available for several days. We carried 18 litres of water and were extremely frugal with its use," he explains. "My bike weighed 125 lbs with water and equipment, on a trail so rough we couldn't use trailers! The route was amazing, but overly ambitious for a young family.”
While the family has forged a lifetime of memories on bikepacking trips in Japan, the Andes, the Arctic, and Mexico, Clark points out his window to some of the best bikepacking on the planet.
“We're very fortunate to have bikepacking options in every direction from the Trench. Some of the valleys in the Rockies, like the Palliser River, the East Fork of the White River, and the Bull River have amazing gravel roads and spectacular scenery and very little traffic," he says. "Bikepacking in this area also allows you to connect one valley to another with short hike-abike sections or rough quad tracks that would stop most vehicle traffic.”
Like anything that helps people go faster, farther, and for longer trips, it's important to practice notrace travel on bikepacking adventures, especially if your wheels carry you into remote wilderness areas. Take only pictures, and leave only tire treads.
trip through Mexico’s Baja Divide. The Clarks have bikepacked around Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture, and completed both a 10-week, 3,500 km trip from Inuvik, NT to Jasper, AB, and an eight-month trip from Patagonia to Bolivia,
Lapland
Elkford has big plans, including a visionary partnership with the Wapiti Ski Club and the Elkford Trails alliance to retrofit Wapiti Ski Resort’s T-bar to allow mountain bike tow capacity, fast-tracking riders to the top of a network of machine-built downhill and cross-country trails. While this idea has yet to drop into confirmed total funding, trail ideas abound in the Elk Valley. Just downstream, the neighbouring Sparwood Trails Alliance received $39,000 in federal trail funding from the Pacific Economic Development Fund to expand their trail network.
Down with Donatello
Beginning in 2021, the Elkford Trails Alliance started construction of over 11 km of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-inspired trails, all within a nunchuck swing of Elkford’s main drag. Cowabunga! Shredder, Turtle Power, Splinter, and The Foot are some of the ten TMNT trails, many of which are winter groomed for fat bikes.
Ender Sender
With pristine pavement to pump, dirt to jump, and big plans for a little hill, there’s a $400,000 treasure at the terminus of Highway 43.
W: Dave Quinn
The story of the Elkford Bike Park is a story of Kootenay community. District of Elkford councillor and avid rider Jason Meldrum has come a long way since his youthful days of sissy bars and banana seats. As current president of the Elkford Bike Club, he recently oversaw the construction of the community’s new $400,000 bike park.
“Back in 2020, I kept meeting other local families hauling their kids to Crowsnest to ride the trails and bike park. There was an obvious need for this in Elkford,” explains Meldrum, as he recalls overwhelming community support from the moment the idea hit the social media feeds.
“Teck has been a huge
supporter of the project, as has the District of Elkford, who partnered with us early on.” Meldrum is also quick to credit his wife and others as key to the success of the park.
“Other than the generous Columbia Basin Trust donation of $250,000, this was not a corporate build project,” explains Meldrum.
“I get goosebumps when I think about all the $50, $500 donations. One local business even cut a $10,000 cheque with a note about how proud the owner was of us. Locals showed up with cold drinks and warm meals for the volunteer builders, and riders young and old did gruelling, hot work to help pave the pump
track," Meldrum says. "FR Rentals in Sparwood even donated an excavator for free. The Elk Valley Thrift Shop Society gave us our first donation to get us going, and our last donation to help us cross the finish line.”
The park has beginner-to-advanced dirt jump lines, with room for future additions if needed, plus a skills area and bike repair station with tools and a pump. "Until Kimberley finished their paved pump track, we proudly held the title of the only Velosolutions paved pump track between High River and Kelowna,” Meldrum says.
The bike park has become a true community hub, and a busy day sees
Pump you up — Elkford’s track was built by Swiss company Velosolutions, which has bike park partners in 24 countries. — Photo Courtesy Elkford Biking Club
bold, dirt-jumping teens making way for minis on strider bikes, all the way through to tentative septegenarians lapping the track.
According to Meldrum, biking in and around Elkford has always been a thing, but has exploded in the past five years.
“Elkford is becoming a mecca for riding. You can do some dirt jumps and laps on the pump track, then head out to the trail network, and back for some relaxing and dinner. We have it all for a great day or weekend stay in Elkford," he says.
“We're at the end of the road, but that's where the fun begins.”
FULL GALLUP
Adventurer. Observer. Icon. Behind the life and lens of Fernie’s most far-out photographer, Mark Gallup.
W: JAYME MOYE
“My first photo published in a proper ski magazine happened to be of a snowboarder.” Powder magazine published this photo of Damian Buckley in the half pipe at Sunshine Village, shot in 1986.
n the world of snowsports photography, Mark Gallup needs no introduction. Straight out of high school in the 1980s, he was already landing covers for iconic magazines like Powder. Later, as a globetrotting senior photographer for Transworld Snowboard, Gallup documented countless firsts in the fledgling sport, from the first backcountry snowboarding expedition in British Columbia using snowmobiles to the first-ever descent of a Himalayan peak on a snowboard. Gallup’s work became so influential in snowboarding that the late, great Jake Burton retained him as his personal photographer.
But the story that best exemplifies Mark Gallup’s extraordinary skills as a photographer isn’t about photography. It isn’t even about snowboarding. Beth, Gallup’s wife, tells it while seated in the couple’s shared office, a loft inside their home in Fernie.
The year was 1992. Beth was out camping in Kananaskis Country. Mark was driving from Calgary to meet her in the wilderness. Suddenly, he glimpsed a deer out of the corner of his eye. It was running down toward the road. He sensed the deer’s intent was to reach the river on the other side, a trajectory that would put it straight in front of his car. So he ducked. The deer went through the front windshield, swung around, and took out the passenger side window on its way out of the vehicle.
“There's glass and hair embedded all along the interior roof of the Volvo,” Beth says. “And Mark, because he observed and anticipated, he just kind of sat up and kept driving.”
Observation is Gallup’s secret superpower. “In photography, his ability to observe is what allows him to capture the moment,” Beth says. “It’s not just having the technical skills, but observing and anticipating.”
Gallup, who notoriously shies away from boasting about himself—“a humble master,” as Powder’s director of photography Dave Reddick puts it—is listening from his desk on the far side of the loft. He doesn’t disagree.
“If I’d lived in the early days of my ancestors, I probably would have been a tracker,” he says. Fortunately for the snowsports industry, he became a photographer.
A photo illustration featuring dozens of the international titles for which Gallup has provided cover shots. A book chronicling his career is slated for release in 2026. — (above and bottom opposite) Nicole Leclair Photos/Illustration
The tRENCH | Spring Summer 25 65
"This was the most published image of my career. Andrea Binning finding herself in a predicament as we watched from a helicopter.” The photo was taken on a shoot in the Coast Mountains’ Waddington Range, an expedition based from a 140-foot yacht anchored in a fjord to the west. Binning was able to point her skis across the substantial sluff and avert a 60-foot cliff below. She cartwheeled down a chute, losing everything—skies, poles, and pack. And dislocated her knee. “But after that, we went fishing.”
ark Gallup grew up in Calgary. His dad worked as a geologist in the oil sands of Northern Alberta. His mom, a Dene Cree who survived the Canadian government’s residential school system, founded Calgary’s first Indigenous-owned and -operated group home.
Gallup’s first camera was a 15th birthday gift from his parents, a little Canon point-and-shoot. He’d bring it to ski team practice at Sunshine Village, where he and his buddy Neil would sneak away from the slalom course and duck the rope to find powder.
“I think that’s where a lot of this started,” Gallup says. “Looking for powder and taking pictures of my friends. Pretty soon, it was all I wanted to do.”
After graduating high school in 1982, Gallup moved to Banff. He got a job at a photography shop (back when people needed their film developed), and skied 100 days a year with his camera, amassing an arsenal of action shots he could sell to magazines. He credits the legendary street photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) as his primary influence.
“It was his timing,” Gallup says. “When you’re taking images of people on the street, it's an absolutely fleeting moment. He had to be ready with the camera, and ready to shoot it before it even happened.”
Athlete, inventor, and business legend Jake Burton Carpenter, considered the godfather of snowboarding, photographed in Whistler. “The company hired me to shoot one-on-one with Jake, an annual for several years. He was an amazing human, always attentive and present in every situation.” In 1997, Sports Illustrated wrote an article titled “Chairman of the board Jake Burton took a childhood toy and launched an international craze.” Burton passed away from cancer in November, 2019. In 2022, the worth of the family-run business was estimated at $800 million.
Gallup quickly became known for his intuition behind the lens. He too, had a knack for timing, and his freelance photo business took off. Four years later, he and Beth moved back to Calgary and started Gallup Photography.
In 1992, Gallup was invited to France for his first photo shoot for snowboarding manufacturer Burton. There, he met company founder Jake Burton at dinner. Burton insisted Gallup try snowboarding and personally took him out for his first shred session the next morning.
“It was so good, I didn’t touch a pair of skis again for 20 years,” Gallup says. Burton became one of his close friends, as did several of Gallup’s colleagues.
Gallup and professional snowboarder Craig Kelly, known as the “godfather of freeriding,” were so inseparable that when Kelly died in an avalanche in 2003, people assumed they were together (they weren’t) and that Gallup was also dead (he wasn’t). Gallup and professional freeskiing pioneer Scot Schmidt, who lives in Montana, have skied together every year for the past 30 years, and counting.
Gallup is currently working on a compilation of
his life’s work: a coffee table-style photo book to be published by Rocky Mountain Books. Looking back, he says the 15-year-old version of himself could never have anticipated all the adventures he’d get to go on because of his camera, or all the amazing people he would get to meet.
He counts his high school ski team buddy Neil as one of those people. Neil Daffern went on to become a pioneer in snowboarding, co-designing the first twin-tip snowboard, which paved the way for freestyle snowboarding as we know it today. Daffern died in a helicopter crash at a snowboarding competition in 1990. His parents, Gillean and Tony, are the original founders of Rocky Mountain Books. Gallup can think of no other publisher he’d rather work with.
The book is slated for release in 2026, which is also the 50th anniversary of Rocky Mountain Books.
“A segment of my book is going to be the early days of my photography, so it will feature Neil, which is going to be so cool,” Gallup says. “I’ve been going through all the prints, and finding the negatives.” He sifts through a pile on his desk and comes up with a 4x6 photo. “Look at this! 1983. Neil is on one of his homemade boards.”
~Story continued on Page 72~
“My current day job. Two guides at Island Lake Lodge assessing the snow conditions.” In 1988, Gallup was an original shareholder at Island Lake Lodge, along with professional extreme skier Scot Schmidt and pro snowboard pioneers Craig Kelly, Jason Ford, and Jake Blatner. “The rest were people with real money.”
This dog represents the wild nature of the early days we spent exploring the Alaskan Chugach Range in the mid-90s.
“In 1992, I documented the very first snowboard descent in the Himalayas.” This Holy man and his son lived alone in a high valley of the Langtang Himal, along with a pig and donkey. The athlete team managed to snowboard as high as 19,000 feet, but fell short of the peak they’d aimed to summit due to bad conditions. “They were surprised to see us return alive.” The team celebrated with a roast pig dinner. “I’m grateful for living through this experience. And I’m grateful it wasn’t donkey.”
Preeminent snowboarder Craig Kelly. “The action shot of Craig reminds me of moments when everything is right in the world. Craig and I had a connection that can’t be explained. He popped out of nowhere, making a turn in the perfect spot. He couldn't see me, and I couldn't see him until that instant. Big flakes falling from the calm, grey skies. The smell of our Swiss guide’s pipe wafting through the air.”
“We used to hold a music festival in the meadow at Island Lake Lodge called The Gathering. This photo of Craig was taken at my campsite.” Craig Kelly perished in an avalanche along with six others in January, 2003.
Shin Campos hunting for mushrooms at Chatter Creek Lodge, near Golden, in the early 2000s.
~Continued from Page 68~
When it comes to his greatest accomplishments in work and life, Gallup says it’s the relationships. Most notably, the partnership he’s forged with his wife.
“Without sounding like Hallmark or anything, having Beth in my life for 40 years and being a really good team together, because we bring different things to the table. She brings her brains and I bring the colour commentary.”
"It’s true,” Beth says. “My business cards for Gallup Photo were Vice President in Charge of Everything Else.”
hen Gallup and Beth relocated from Calgary to Fernie in 2010, it felt like a homecoming. He and Beth had fallen in love with the snowy Kootenay region two decades prior, spending countless weekends chasing pow in either Nelson or Fernie. From 1995 to 2000, they rented
“We’d spend time at Trout Lake on time off, sometimes shooting, sometimes just riding sled laps. This was a typical scene on the Galena Bay ferry, in the West Kootenay on Arrow Lake. A hard-working local.” The photo was taken with a Swedish-made Hasselblad film camera and print film.
“Corporate and industrial photography was always fun, getting off the snow and creating for clients.” The welding image was taken for Finning at the company's Sparwood location. Finning is the world's largest Caterpillar equipment dealer. The second image was part of a campaign for Helly Hansen workwear at one of four steelmaking coal mines, then owned by Teck and since acquired by mining company Glencore, now Elk Valley Resources.
British Columbia ski mountaineer legends
Trevor Petersen and Eric Pehota
“demonstrating what happens when you have beans for breakfast.” The photo was taken from a ridge top. “They’d just skied that ice tongue behind them and were about 200 feet off the ground.”
Gallup later took a ride himself.
Canadian snowboard legends Victoria Jealouse on Brohm Ridge near Squamish and Annie Boulanger in Whistler. “It was always an honour to work with the women of snowboarding. A lot of filmers and photographers preferred working with the guys, but when the ladies called, I knew they needed proper representation in the sport and I always did my best to give them the time they deserved."
a home in Fernie while Beth co-managed nearby catski resort Island Lake Lodge (the Gallups were among the original shareholders), and Gallup put Fernie on the map for backcountry skiing and snowboarding by staging shots for major brands and magazines there.
Moving to Fernie was also part of Gallup’s healing process. “We’d lost six friends in six years,” Beth says. “And then Mark didn't want to take pictures anymore. He tried. He said, I'm not going to end my career this way. I'm going to do one more season out. And then in January, another friend was killed.”
Beth sold her portion of a Calgary-based marketing and creative agency and the couple bought The Guide’s Hut, an outdoor retail shop in downtown Fernie. Gallup managed the store and channeled his creative energy into making music. “Playing the guitar is really cathartic,” Gallup says. “The friends that I play with here, it’s like music therapy. There’s no structure or anything, just sound.”
He also did some guide training, learning how to help keep people safe in the backcountry. He even worked as a tail guide at Island Lake Lodge, where he and Beth still have close ties. And eventually, Gallup started taking photos again.
“You know when something is in you and it’s been there for a long time, and if you abandon it, it’s going to find you again?” he says. “Well, it found me again.”
He and Beth have since sold The Guide’s Hut and Gallup now works in the photography program at Island Lake Lodge. Recently, Scot Schmidt came in from Montana with a big group and Gallup spent the week catskiing with them.
“So I guess I’m back to looking for powder and taking pictures of my friends,” he says, leaning back into his chair.
“You’ve gone full circle,” says Beth.
Gallup smiles wryly. “Or I haven’t gone anywhere. One of the two.”
Cranbrook Business Centre | Centre d’affaires de Cranbrook
Michelle Kleindienst, michelle.kleindienst@bdc.ca
Account Manager | Directrice de comptes
bdc.ca
THE MARKETPLACE
Affordable. Easy to design. And a terrific way to support local media.
The Trench’s Marketplace section is the perfect venue for hometown retailers, hospitality hot spots, professional service providers, accommodators, and boutique businesses of all sorts.
The Trench reaches 15,000 readers an issue and then some, throughout your local, tourist and rubber-tire markets in the Columbia, Creston, and Elk Valleys. We can even design the ad for you, no charge.
Each issue of The Trench is a collectible celebration of local lifestyle and culture, with terrific pick-up appeal.
Need more info about distribution, rate options, and story line-ups? Get in touch any time!
darren@kootenaymedia.ca
250.505.9759
alesha@kootenaymedia.ca
250.430.1330
KIMBERLEY FLY FISHING
WORLD-CLASS GUIDED TRIPS FOR ANY SKILL LEVEL
Welcome to the best fly fishing in British Columbia, nestled in the Rockies and Purcell mountain ranges. Our full-day and overnight trips include a licensed guide, all the gear you need, transportation, and hearty riverside meals. We also offer peaceful river drifts to experience breathtaking landscapes from the water.
Our fully-stocked shop, both in Kimberley and online, has all the gear you need: flies, lines, fly rods and reels, river boots and waders, and high-end apparel.
Our team of experts, with decades of experience fishing in the East Kootenay will answer your questions and help uplevel your ability.
220 Ross St., Kimberley
250.427.2278 | 888.592.2278
kimberleyflyfishing.com
@kimberleyflyfishing
LILAC MEDIA DESIGN STUDIO
Elevate your business and brand with leading-edge design and dynamic social media strategies. From logos to print design to digital content, our East Kootenay-based studio engages your dream clients and helps the new season of your business bloom. Ready to stand out? Get in touch today!
hello@lilacmedia.ca @lilac_media
FERNIE FILM LAB ALL CHROMES
Shoot it on film!
Your local film lab in the East Kootenay.
We develop 35mm, 120, and 4x5 film in C-41, B&W, E6, ECN-2 — even experimental film soups. Passionate support for analog shooters across the valley.
allchromesfilmlab.com @ferniefilmlab
MOON CYCLE BIKE GEAR, RENTALS, AND REPAIRS
Our friendly, welcoming staff will help you find the perfect bike or gear for your specific needs, and ensure you have a safe, fun ride—whether you cruise singletrack, grind gravel, or rip downhill. Certified technicians take meticulous care of your bike, with tune-ups and repairs always timely.
Moon Cycle supports your holistic and healthy life. We also have an espresso bar, healthy smoothies, superfood lattes, and ice cream — as well as a full lineup of soulful gifts, books, altar items, and bodycare. Our woman-owned business supports community events, provides excellent customer service, and helps you ignite your passion.
501 9th Avenue N, Golden 250.344.7980
mooncycle.life
@mooncycleinc
FOUR POINTS BOOKS BOOKS • GIFTS • STATIONERY
Four Points Books is an independent bookstore with locations in Invermere and Golden, B.C. We offer a wide selection of titles for all ages and interests, including extensive nature and guidebooks for our beautiful valley. Four Points Books also carries stationery, puzzles, and gifts.
Visit us online or in-store in downtown Invermere or Golden.
1225A 7th Ave., Invermere
250.341.6211
409 9th Ave., Golden 250.344.5600
fourpointsbooks.ca @fourpointsbooks
ELIZABETH LAKE LODGE
CRANBROOK’S GETAWAY TO NATURE
With trails to Elizabeth Lake Bird Sanctuary right out the door, our Canadian alpine lodge provides a stunning and peaceful escape for any nature lover.
Wake up to sunshine and gorgeous views from your windows, all of which are adorned with European-style flower boxes. With full kitchens, heating and AC, luxurious Hypnos beds, heated Italian bathroom floor tiles, and high-speed wifi, you’ll feel connected and comfortable.
Our full mini-golf course is open from 9 a.m. until dark every day, and provides challenging fun even for adults — and no reservation is needed.
We look forward to seeing you!
590 Van Horne St. S., Cranbrook 250.426.6114
elizabethlakelodge.com @elizabethlakelodge
SOLAR COUNTRY ENERGY
COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL • MARINE • RV
Harvest the power of the sun with state-of-the-art solar panels. Our residential, commercial, marine, and off-grid installations use high-quality and affordable systems, for best possible value.
Qualified and experienced, our team of experts is based in Invermere and services all of B.C. and Alberta. We have over 3.5 megawatts of installation experience over the last five years — the equivalent of powering 350 homes annually.
We’ll show you the production potential of various options, clearly explain how it works, and take care of every step in the process — and we provide free estimates!
AUG. 9 & 10, 2025: CELEBRATE ARTS, CULTURE & HERITAGE
Taking place around the Columbia Basin, the Columbia Basin Culture Tour invites you to meet people behind the scenes at galleries and museums, visit studios and venues not normally open to the public, shop for original art or fine crafts, and enjoy special events. Self-directed and free of charge, the tour features the work of skilled local artists and fascinating cultural and heritage sites. The tour is managed by the West Kootenay Regional Arts Council and funded by Columbia Basin Trust.
Attend this year’s tour: August 9 & 10, 2025, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
@wkartscouncil cbculturetour.com
WYCLIFFE REGIONAL PARK
NEW FOR 2025 Wycliffe Regional Park will be offering 20 nonserviced seasonal campsites in a beautiful family-friendly setting.
Open from mid-May through September annually.
Wycliffe Regional Park amenities include:
• HIKING AND BIKING TRAILS
• HORSESHOE AND BOCCE PITS
• BALL FIELDS
Plan your next summer getaway right in our beautiful backyard.
EVENTS
FERNIE
tourismfernie.com/events
May 2
REUBEN AND THE DARK. Knox On 2nd. knox.tickit.ca
May 3
FEAST FOR A CAUSE LONG TABLE DINNER. Fernie Memorial Arena. feastforacause.ca
May 9-10
RUCKING IN THE ROCKIES RUGBY FESTIVAL. Prentice Park. elkvalleyrugby.ca
May 10
FERNIE GOLF CLUB OPENING DAY. golffernie.com
May 10
JUDGEMENT NIGHT VI. Fernie Memorial Arena. fernieoldschoolboxing.ca
May 13
RYAN HARRIS. Knox On 2nd. knox.tickit.ca
May 17
TRAIL RAZR VII. fernietrailsalliance.com
May 24
FERNIE TOURNEY - PDGA DISC GOLF TOURNAMENT. James White Park.
May 24
FERNIE COMMUNITY YARD SALE. Wildsight.
May 31
JAFFRAY OFF ROAD MAYHEM 2025. Jaffray Community Hall.
June 7
NADGT DISC GOLF TOURNAMENT. James White Park.
June 15
SUMMER OPENING AT ISLAND LAKE LODGE. islandlakelodge. com
June 21
SUMMER OPENING AT FERNIE ALPINE RESORT.
June 21
6TH ANNUAL SUMMER SOLSTICE RIDE FOR MENTAL HEALTH.
June 21
FERNIE FUN 5. Annex Park. ferniefunrun.ca
Saturdays. June 23 Start
JAFFRAY-BAYNES LAKE FARMERS’ MARKET & PANCAKE BREAKFAST. Baynes Lake Community Hall.
June 27-29
FUN FIELD FESTIVAL. Grasmere. funfieldfestival.wixsite.com
July 1
CANADA DAY CELEBRATIONS. Multiple locations.
July 4-6
FERNIE GRAVEL GRIND. anythinggoesevenseries.com
July 5-6
ANNUAL FERNIE GOLF OPEN. Fernie Golf Club.
July 9, 16, 23, 30
WEDNESDAY SOCIALS OUTDOOR CONCERT SERIES. Station Square Historic Downtown.
AWAKEN IN THE WILD RETREAT. Quantum Leaps Lodge And Retreats.
SPARWOOD
July - Sept., Fridays SPARWOOD MARKET. Big Green Truck.
June 9 - 15
COAL MINER DAYS. coalminerdays.com
ELKFORD
June 27-30
WILDCAT DAYS. Various Locations.
Embedded in America, one sees the same, not the different.
My mesmerization with the U.S. started thanks to a little rifle.
Mom and Dad bought it for me at the coolest toy store my sister and I had ever seen—Spokane’s legendary White Elephant, also renown for its booty of discount, real-life war surplus inventory. As of that holiday, America was officially cool in my grade five books.
Plenty of junkets southward and down followed in the years ahead. “Across the line,” as our Kimberley relatives used to say.
But it was 30 years after that toy gun fell to pieces, when a career in journalism had provided a loose grasp of geopolitics, that my affinity for the U.S. grew even greater due to deep observation. For eight years, every six months I’d make a 5,000-kilometre road trip for work, visiting
outdoor shops and resorts everywhere from Missoula to Bend to Bellingham to Coeur d’Alene. I admired the hard-working hipsters and all-American folks at the breweries and bike shops. But it was the bluer collar, red-‘round-the-neck U.S. residents that tended to resonate. They reminded me of the used car lot characters, miners, and warehouse workers I’d grown up around, the steelier types who make up the seas of red that surround islands of blue on voter maps across the U.S. Northwest.
These were the Americans I tend to recall when trying to understand today’s Uncle Sam and his posse.
“You serve in Afghanistan?” I asked a buzz-cut Montanan gas station attendant. In his fifties, his forearm bared a faded blue ink Marines tattoo, and his
hip a holstered pistol.
“The first time?” I added, letting him know I was old enough to recall Reagan’s ‘80s when American forces covertly backed Afghanistan’s defeat of invading Soviets. “I did, sir,” he said. “We were smuggling stinger missiles to the mujahideen. Thanks for remembering.”
Or the burly, slick-haired realtor in the Washington resort town who, within a second of me noting my uncertainty about the reality TV star surprisingly elected president, gave his blunt opinion on POTUS, and his pledge to serve and protect—’til death, he added. He then offered an unexpectedly kind inside scoop.
“You looking to make a sale, brother? Head a few blocks west. That place is exactly what you’re looking for. Good luck. And God bless.”
There were Americans who’d moved their families from foreign lands to the middle of rural PNW nowhere for a better life.
A worn out postal worker in a Seattle dive bar who reminded me this was in fact the last downtown dive bar that hadn’t yet been gentrified. A sombre senior lady who said she’d been cast off from her family and was now alone in the city.
I was often struck by the number of folks down south who said they loved Canada. Admired it. Some had the same fond memories and connection to my country as I did theirs.
America, the beautiful. Canada, the true, strong, and free. Right on, bud.
Neither Canadians nor Americans hear much about the similarities and shared values they have with neighbours across the road, let
alone those across the border, seas, or political aisle. Sadly, for many of today’s messengers to the masses and our modern-day messiahs, good news doesn’t pay the bills. Anger and fear do. Chaos is even better for business.
But here’s a shot in the darkness.
Try turning everything off and read nothing but your local news for a bit. Try shaking buddy-fromacross-the-way’s hand. Ignore the Greenpeace, WEXIT, or MAGA cap and listen to the memories of a neighbour’s elderly aunt or grandfather. Meet your perceived adversary’s promising young daughter or son. Share a laugh.
Look past the stripes, and maybe we’ll see into the stars.
