The Columbia River that flows through Golden is one of the many gems we have in our backyard.  Just the kayaking or canoeing is reason enough but the other day we went out for a couple hour trip from Nicholson(9 km south) and ending at the airport in Golden we saw at least 3 bald eagles, a heron and osprey.  At times you can see bear and moose.  Really a  treat.  
We have our own inflatable kayaks but if you are interested in joining me for a trip, Selkirk Sports here at Kicking Horse Resort has a couple for rent and they are super easy to inflate.  The Columbia is a great place for kayaking for basically any level as there is no whitewater involved.  The biggest challenge is sometimes going into the wind which makes it a lot more work than just floating with the currant. 
Great way to see a different side of our area.  Give us a call here at Vagabond 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca 

Where else would my first hike of the summer be to?  Yes to T2 at Kicking Horse. June 16th and it was as usual beautiful. 
We had a great vacation to Croatia do do some sailing which was a "once in a lifetime experience."  With some friends, we spent a week sailing from Trogir to the islands of Hvar and Vis(our favourite). 
Now back to work and Vagabond is open for the summer.  A couple of things to report from Kicking Horse.  The General Store which has been closed since last summer is now under new ownership and is open daily.  Our guests love it because they can pick up a bottle of wine or some beer without having to drive to Golden.
Also Kicking Horse announced that Rudi's Bowl is being added to the controlled territory of the resort.  Right now that means very little difference as skiers have been going up to the area anyways.  But I suspect before the end of the summer they will also announce that it will be added to the resort.  In other words, they will be doing avalanche control and will have ski patrols in that area.  It will continue to be foot assess but there are suggestions  a lift will eventually be put up to that area.  It does offer a lot of more intermediate terrain.  I am not in any hurry to have it gain lift asses but it will be inevitable. 
Give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca to book your stay. 
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Columbia river is rising by the minute.  The river flows through Golden and is one of the many hidden gems in our area.  Friend Patrick and Lori joined me for what was going to be a float down the river.  Perfect day with blue skies and beautiful scenery in every direction.  We drove to a little town called Parson which is about 30 minutes south and put the kayaks in the water.  It didn't take long to realize we had some work ahead despite the strong current.  It was windy and windy to the point of whitecaps.  The ending point was Columbia Wetlands Outpost which is about a 10 km trip.  What should have been no more than 2 hours, took 3 with no time to take a break.  You stopped paddling, you went backwards.  Which may have been a better option.   Despite the extra work, it was still an amazing day with all sorts of bird life to see and no-one else on the river except us.  Outstanding. 

It doesn't get much better than being able to ski and kayak in the same day.  Patrick from Selkirk Sports here at Kicking Horse joined me for exactly that on April 27th.  It was a beautiful day and with the lifts already closed  but yet plenty of snow yet, for the season we skinned up to the top of one of the runs above Vagabond.  It took us about 2 hours to get to the top and about 10 minutes to get down(a few breaks to enjoy the scenery).  And then a couple hours later we headed down to the Columbia River which is a 10 minute drive and went kayaking for an hour or so.  Fantastic day.  Vagabond is  closed for another month and will reopen for the summer season in June.  Give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge to book your stay. The skiing may not be in option but the kayaking certainly is.  The sightseeing gondola and grizzly bear refuge opens in June and goes until October.  Those are just a couple of the many things you can do in our area. 

We really didn't 't get any spring skiing at Kicking Horse this winter.  Except for a couple days, it was winter from start to finish.  But finally the warmer weather hit a few days ago and with amazing snow coverage Patrick from Selkirk Sports joined me for a skin up the slopes behind Vagabond.  We made it about half-way to the top and took about 1 and a half hours mostly skinning but in a couple spots we took our skis off and climbed up which made it a lot easier on the steeper terrain. After a short rest, we skied down which took us about 10 minutes with a number of stops.  Awesome day and a great work-out.  There may be one more trip up yet before we put away the skis. 

Another ski season is in the books here at Vagabond.  And wow.  What a great ski season we had.  Over 1000 cms of snow at the top of Kicking Horse which was a record.  And it is still coming down as I type this up. I managed to get up for 100 days of skiing this winter which is the most I have ever done in one year.  And most of those are climbs to either T1 or T2.  The video is from the second last day on April 14th.  I did go skiing on the final day but the visibility was very poor and my body said "enough is enough." One run down on the final day just to say I skied the final day.  We had some great guests over the winter with a great many of them returning year after year and a number have already booked their stay for the 2018-2019 ski season  Now we get a month and a half break to recharge and then we will reopen Vagabond in early June.  It already looks like it could be the busiest summer we have ever had.  I am looking forward to some great hiking, kayaking and mountain biking.  All we need now is to get rid of all our snow which may be awhile yet. 
Give us a call here at Vagabond at 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca to book your stay or fill out the form on this page and I will get back to you. 

We are in the last few days of operation at Kicking Horse.  Vagabond has been closed for a couple weeks so it gives us a chance to relax and enjoy the skiing.  And boy has it been a treat.  I have done some extra exploring near the resort with some friends and have actually tried some new terrain just out of bounds.  We always carry avalanche gear.  
It has been an awesome winter.  We will take a break and get ready for the summer season and from the looks of the early bookings, it will be very busy again. 
Vagabond has an early bird discount for the 2018-19 ski season.  If you book direct for the next little while you will receive a 10% savings.  But this has to be done direct by either phoning us at 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca 
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The snow keeps coming.  Although we have shut the door for the ski season at Vagabond, the skiing continues.  I went with a couple of friends Ken and Spencer the other day just out of bounds off T2 at Kicking Horse.  Despite being here for 15 years this was the first time I had skied this run.  Since it is out of bounds, I never recommend doing this unless you have all the necessary avalanche gear and go with someone who knows the terrain because it is easy to get into trouble. It was a fabulous run. 
We are taking reservations for both summer and next winter at Vagabond.  Give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca 
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort  closes on April 15th and then reopens in May until October for the summer.  Vagabond will also be reopening in June. 

We are still finding fresh powder and the season is almost done. We just need to work a little harder to find it. With warmer weather now the condition's vary from top to the bottom here at Kicking Horse. And it will vary depending on what side of the mountain ..north facing or south facing. Patrick from Selkirk Sports and I headed up to the top of Terminator Peak a couple days ago.  Although it was sunny it was super windy at the top.  Maybe the worst wind I have experienced.  We  had a tough climb with a cold wind blowing.  But it was definitely worth it as we found untracked powder to the bottom.  Nobody else wanted to go except for a couple of old farts...us.  
Sweet run.  Vagabond closes for the winter season on March 29th and will be reopening for summer in June.  The resort is remaining open until April 15th so we will still have a few more weeks of playing. 
How good is that?  Book your stay this summer or next winter and give us a call here at Vagabond.  250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca 

I did a fantastic trip recently near Kicking Horse.  Along with some friends including one who is a guide, we went into Rudy's Bowl and Ozone.  It involved about a half hour boot hike, then a great run into Ozone and then a couple of trips skinning to the top of Rudy's Bowl and then skiing  down to the bottom of Kicking Horse.  We left the base of the resort about 10 and returned about 3pm.  We had all the avalanche gear including transceivers and everyone knew how to use them properly.  I have been in this area a few times and love it.  I could see doing this more and more often as the resort gets more popular and that is happening.  Not that we have any major lift lines but it will get that way eventually.  There is a solitude to skinning up to the top of a mountain which is most cases is probably just as much enjoyment as skiing down.  We took along a couple of our guests at Vagabond.  It was fun to show them another side of what this area has to offer. 
The area we went into is probably going to be part of the actual Kicking Horse Resort soon and will certainly be a lot busier than the day we went with maybe another half dozen people in the area. 
It was a very special day.