Best Wishes for a Holiday Season

On behalf of the lodge members and staff of the Backcountry Lodges of BC Association, I would like to wish you and your loved ones all the best for the holiday season.

As we look back on 2023, our thoughts are with the people living in the regions of British Columbia who experienced extremely challenging wildfire conditions. We wish them all the best for a speedy and complete recovery. Many of us will be anxious as we consider the many challenges 2024 may bring us. We feel cautiously optimistic that, with the help of Mother Nature, people will rise to the challenges facing us. Our member lodge owners will continue working hard in order to provide you and their staff with an opportunity to enjoy B.C.'s inimitable backcountry in as safe a manner as possible. 

We are looking forward to 2024 and hope you get an opportunity to enjoy our pristine backcountry environment. We encourage you to reconnect, regenerate and recreate responsibly in nature as often as you can.

Take good care.

Brad Harrison
Executive Director, BLBCA
ed@blbca.com

Experience "Losing Blue" From Home

Immerse yourself in a visual journey through ancient mountain lakes in "Losing Blue," a cinematic poem about climate change impacts.

Join Living Lakes Canada and the National Film Board for an exclusive online screening on Wednesday, Jan 31 at 5 PM PST / 6 PM MST. The film will be followed by a 15-minute talk on the science behind the film. There will also be a Q&A with the film’s science advisors, Janet Fischer and Mark Olsen, and filmmaker, Leanne Allison, so audience members can ask questions and better understand the impacts of climate change on mountain lakes and watersheds. Living Lakes Canada is an award-winning water stewardship NGO with more than 20 years of experience working with community groups to protect freshwater.

Dive into the beauty and science behind these iconic high-elevation lakes.
Don't miss it - Register Below

Mountain Escapes Podcast Returns

Go podcast-binging over the holidays. Don't miss the latest episode with the BLBCA's Executive Director, Brad Harrison.

Brad is owner/operator of Colwest Alpine Adventures. Jeff, our regular producer, turns the tables on Brad, putting him in the hot seat. Brad shares stories from a lifetime of working in BC's mountains, starting in the headwaters of the Kootenay Valley; through years of running the General Mountaineering Camp for the Alpine Club of Canada, challenges of operating Golden Alpine Holidays, a backcountry lodge system, to his current position as executive director of the BLBCA. A common theme is the important role that Brad's father, and his family, played in his early upbringing through to this day. Zac Robinson wrote "A Family for the Outfit" in 2008, a wonderful insight into a family's dedication to bringing ACC members to the mountains.

Mountain Legend, Bernie Schiesser, Steps Aside

Bernie was flying his plane through the Canadian Rockies in the 1990s, looking for a location to set up a backcountry lodge. Fellow guide and neighbour Eric Lomas accompanied them, and the rest is history, Campbell Icefield Chalet was born. Bernie is the truest of mountain legends, he is the real deal, guide, host, explorer, you name it. Bernie and his wife, Terri, have decided to step back from operating their backcountry lodge and take a break, so to speak. A break well earned.

To say you could write a book about Bernie's life would be a gross understatement. Lynn Martel wrote a wonderful article about Bernie a few years ago, don't miss it at Wildly Supply Co. I also suggest watching this 12-minute video, Bernie in conversation with John Gow.
 

Share your backcountry adventures, tag photos with:
#myBCbackcountry | #exploreBC

Our members operate in many First Nations' traditional and unceded territories, including the Ktunaxa, Secwepemc, Syilx, and Stoney Nakoda Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in these territories and recognize that these are special places.