Experience The Mountain Parks Blog
...all about the Alberta-to-British Columbia mountain parks, including life in and around the parks. Not all our news and stories are here, though, so you might want to check our news section and Bob's "tweets" —conveniently placed in the upper right of each page.
Jasper, Alberta; the mitts are off!
In January 2012, we were proud to announce the inaugural Yukigassen: Canadian Rockies Snow Battle! It was a major success, teams from all over the region gathered to compete for the chance to be named the first ever champions of the Canadian Rockies Snow Battle. In fact, we decided to host the National Championships for the next 5 years right here in Jasper!
The mitts are off and the battle is on! Jasper will host the Canadian Rockies Snow Battle on November 24-25, 2012 at Centennial Park, in Jasper. Get your friends or co-workers together, pick your most creative team name, and prepare for a snowball fight like you’ve never experienced before! Moonlight Madness is also taking place on Friday November 23rd, so come prepared to shop till you drop before the tournament as Jasper stores will be open late and offering fantastic deals.
Yukigassen (Japanese for “snow battle”) has been popular in Japan for almost 25 years, but is just hitting Canada and is a perfect fit for our snow-filled winters. The game is a unique combination of dodgeball and capture the flag, using snowballs. The snow flies fast and furious - 180 snowballs per 3 minute period flying through the air!
“Yukigassen is an exciting new sport for Canadians and what better place to host a snow battle than the Canadian Rockies? We are thrilled to be the host venue of the Canadian National Championships for the next five years and to be supporting the MS Society of Canada with a portion of the registration fees,” says Maggie Davison, CEO of Tourism Jasper.
Want to be handing out red cards rather than hurling snowballs? Officiating is an essential part of a Yukigassen tournament, with a minimum of six referees per game. Anyone interested in becoming a ref can participate in a free training clinic during the week of November 20. The clinic finishes with a ‘Learnament’ where referees can practice their new skills and fire some snow balls themselves. Referees and volunteers will also get some great perks: a special hotel rate at Mountain Park Lodges, a 2-for-1 ski pass at Marmot Basin and entry to a Volunteer Appreciation Grey Cup Party on November 25th.
Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink
Winter is upon us, time to winterize your RV
Make sure you do it right by protecting your investment. This basic DIY procedure is shared by Campfire In A Can, originally written by CampingRoadTrip.com.
- Make a trip to the local RV store to procure all the essential materials for maintenance. The necessary items are:
- Cleaning wands for the holding/waste water tank
- A compressed air adapter
- New water filters
- Pliers and wrenches to remove plugs
- RV antifreeze
- Water pump converter and WD-40A water heater bypass will be required, unless it's already installed.
- Grab the owner's manual and remember to review all the specifications, even if you have been prudent about maintaining your RV. Don't forget that every RV is different in function and style, so some of us will require additional materials to perform this maintenance and alternate servicing techniques. It may be helpful to employ a partner to assist you during the maintenance process.
- Remove all in-line water filters.
- Empty out the fresh water tank and the hot water heater, allowing ample time for the water to cool after you have turned off the heater.
- Take out the drain plug and undo the pressure relief valve.
- Continuing with the draining process, empty out and flush the black and gray wastewater holding tanks. Some RVs have tank flushing systems; if yours does, use it.
- Clean the tanks of debris and remnants using your cleaning wands. Remember to leave the valves opened and apply the WD-40 to the termination valves.
- Attach the compressed air adapter to the fresh water inlet, setting the compressed air adapter to less than twenty pounds per square inch (PSI).
- Make sure to check each faucet one at a time, including the shower and toilet. The compressed air will remove any remaining water.
- Use the compressed air adapter to clear out the water heater.
- Replace the drain plug and shut the water heater bypass valve.
- Detach the compressed air adapter, storing it in a safe place.
- Close all opened valves.
- Attach the water pump converter, fastening the kit's clear tubing to the pump's inlet side. In the other side, pour the antifreeze.
- Turning on the water pump to pressurize the system.
- Check every cold and hot valve, opening each slowly until the antifreeze appears.
- Afterward, close each valve. Add additional antifreeze, if necessary. Make sure to remember to close the shower valves during this process. The toilet will need to be flushed until you see the antifreeze as well.
Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink
The winner of our Trivia Quiz #5 is...
The winner of our Trivia Quiz #5 is Robert Spikings, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.
He got all answers right and his name was randomly drawn. Congratulations Robert!
The author Graeme Pole is generously offering a fifth set of 3 companion guides.
For the record, the three questions asked were:
1. On which mountain summit do the boundaries of three national parks meet?
- Mt. Goodsir South
- Snow Dome
- Mt. Balfour
- Neptuak Mountain
The correct answer is "Neptuak Mountain".
2. Tom Wilson claimed the discovery of which two Rocky Mountain lakes in the summer of 1882?
- Lake Louise and Emerald Lake
- Lake Louise and Sherbrooke Lake
- Emerald Lake and Moraine Lake
- Moraine Lake and Lake Louise
The correct answer is "Lake Louise and Emerald Lake".
3. Waterton Lakes National Park includes this number of vegetation life zones:
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
The correct answer is "Six".
Good luck!
Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink
Jen Lowery's review of the KEEN running shoes
KEEN A86 TR Trail Running Shoe Review by Jen Lowery
This lightweight shoe is extremely versatile. Not only a great minimalist shoe on the trails, it’s comfortable for both walking – on and off the trails – and wearing as a casual every day shoe. With a unique lacing system, the A86 ensures a perfectly snug fit on the foot. The treads offer a confident grip on dry trails but can be slippery on wet or snowy terrain.
~ Photos courtesy of Christian Semm
~ Review by Jen Lowery (See her story on running in the Canadian Rockies)
Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink
Attention all (local or not) artists!
- Open to all ages.
- Logos can be either hand-drawn or digitally created.
- All entries must be original ideas.
- A winner will be selected by a panel of Parks Council judges.
- Entries must include your name and phone number.
The winner will receive a Free All-Day Family Pass (up to four family members) to the World Waterpark at the West Edmonton Mall!
Recent Posts
- Getting Off The Grid. Great for Adventure Lovers!
- And the second place in the Friends & Family category goes to...
- And the second place in the Videos category of our 2012 RECESS IS BACK readers' contest goes to...
- And the second place in the Landscapes and Sunsets category of our 2012 RECESS IS BACK readers' contest goes to...
- And the second place in the Wildlife & Flowers category goes to...
- And the winners of our 2012/2013 Photos and Videos Contest are...
- 2012/2013 Photos/Videos Contest
- oTENTiks are coming to a mountain park near you!
- Submissions to our 2012/2013 Photos/Videos Contest are now over...
- Please be patient...
