Winter Fun Day is coming up on Feb. 11: don't miss it! UPDATED, Feb 9, 2012

Important Winter Fun Day Update! 

Our original mushers had to cancel due to circumstances beyond their control. The good news is that our old friends from Winterdance are coming up with THREE teams of happy huskies. Dog sled rides will available from 10 am till 12:45 pm only. Get here early if you want to mush! Cost is $35 per sled.

Modified original post:

 
Yes, there is snow in the north! Utah the wonder dog is very pleased:

Happy dog on a snowbank this week.

If you still don't believe me, check out this picture of my ski tracks from two days ago. I can't reveal the location of this backcountry powder paradise but trust me, it is in Muskoka:

Learn to telemark and you too can make turns like this in the middle of nowhere.

And because we love snow, Algonquin Outfitters is celebrating, for the 18th year in a row! Winter fun in the great outdoors is the theme of Winter Fun Day, hosted by Algonquin Outfitters, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. As you can see above, we've got lots of snow up here and are looking forward to another great event. This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake location, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of Huntsville. Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, winter camping and dog sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to simply have fun in the snow.

This year’s event will pack a host of activities into a single day. You could drive a dog team, learn how to build a snow shelter, try skate skiing, go on a snowshoe hike, learn about winter camping, enter a snowshoe race (and hopefully finish!), play snow games and more! Representatives from Atlas and Tubbs snowshoes will be here to show off ( and let you try out) their newest new winter products. Lunch is always a highlight of any winter activity and barbeque fare will be available (sorry, no vegetarian options).

This year, we have several igloo builders attending to demonstrate their skills using the amazing Ice Box igloo tool. With any luck we will have an igloo village at the end of the day! Don't be afraid to grab a shovel and pitch in.

Last year's igloo taking shape.

Equipment for all activities will be provided free of charge for Winter Fun Day participants and a heap of door prizes will be given away throughout the event.

For more information, please call Algonquin Outfitters, 1-800-469-4948 (705-635-2243).

A scene of the snowshoe demo tents from last year. 

 For more pictures of last year's Winter Fun Day, please click here.

Please note that there is a charge for dog sled rides and a family rate is available. Dog sled rides are booked that day on a first-come first-served basis, so sign up early and avoid disappointment. Sign up first at the dog truck, then pay inside.

Here is a general overview of the event:

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012:

9 am: Algonquin Outfitters opens

10 - 12:45 pm: dog sled rides - please sign up to make sure you get a ride!

10 -12: morning program (x-c ski lessons, ski and snowshoes demos, snowshoe hike, igloo building, dog sled rides, etc.).

Formal XC ski lessons are scheduled for 11 am, 1 pm and 2:30 pm. Lessons are geared towards to both new skiers and experienced skiers wishing to improve their technique. Skate and classic techniques will be covered and the lesson will be tailored to the needs of the group. Informal lessons and tips are available in between scheduled lesson times.

12 - 2: BBQ lunch available

1 - 5: afternoon program (ski lessons, ski and snowshoe demos, more igloo building, snow games).

Sunday, Feb. 12:

10 - noon: 18th annual Ragged Falls Snowshoe Adventure Hike (show up at Oxtongue Lake store by 9:30 if you need snowshoes).

Advance registration is not required - simply show up! All events take place in the immediate area of our Oxtongue Lake store (except the Ragged Falls hike - car pooling req'd).

Dog sled rides are provided by Winterdance. For more information on their programs and Iditarod race team, visit their web site.

Ski lessons are provided by Ski for Life. For more information on their programs visit their web site.

When optimism knows no bounds...

This photo taken today, at about 9:45 AM. The thermometer does not lie: it is -25℃, Swix Polar is the recommended ski wax, the weatherstick is pointing straight out (whatever that means) and snow conditions indicate that winter has arrived. Note canoe and kayak on the truck. These folks were looking for open water.  Seriously.

We advised them that it might be difficult to find in these parts and, if they did find some, potentially very hazardous.

Can I call this the first "ice-out report" of 2012?

Winter Fun Day in pictures

Algonquin Outfitters' Winter Fun Day at Oxtongue Lake was a great success by all accounts. Not only did lots of people show up and have fun but the weather was good, the ice on the lake cooperated, and the fresh snow really helped. Our staff, assorted volunteers and other helpers all contributed 110% to make it a fine weekend in the snow. Thanks everybody!

The Oxtongue Lake store was ready for action first thing in the morning

The demo area on the lake got busy early on

Jeremy and Mike made a giant pile of snow on Friday. By Saturday, Nate was able to hollow it out into a liveable Quinzee. 

Our igloo-smiths, Andrea and Paul, got going on the IceBox igloo

The friendly Chocpaw dogs are always ready to pull

Two men and boy are no problem for six Alaskans

These two are pretty happy campers. Thanks to the Blue Spruce for use of the trails!

The Atlas Snowshoe demo tent was busy all day - thanks to Paul Young of Atlas.

These young fellow took our advice to "have fun in the snow" quite literally.

Dan Mahony of Ski for Life explains the finer points of XC skiing.

Dan demonstrates the "no poles" drill with a beautiful sky behind him.

The group tries to keep up with Dan.

After a private lesson with Joan Mahony, this little girl is a "skier for life."

The igloo grew steadily all day.

On Sunday, the 16th annual Ragged Falls snowshoe hike took place.

Ragged Falls is always spectacular!

We saw some interesting animal tracks. I'm thinking mink.

The woman in green and the bearded man recently moved to Canada and snowshoed for the first time at Winter Fun Day!

Winter Fun Day is coming up Feb. 12

Winter fun in the great outdoors is the theme of the annual Winter Fun Day, hosted by Algonquin Outfitters, Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011. We've got lots of snow up here and are looking forward to another great event. This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake location, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of Huntsville. Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, winter camping and dog sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to simply have fun in the snow.

This year’s event will pack a host of activities into a single day. You could drive a dog team, learn how to build a snow shelter, try skate skiing, go on a snowshoe hike, learn about winter camping, enter a snowshoe race (and hopefully finish!), play snow games and more! Representatives from Atlas and MSR snowshoes will be here to show off ( and let you try out) their newest new winter products. Lunch is always a highlight of any winter activity and barbeque fare will be available.

Equipment for all activities will be provided free of charge for Winter Fun Day participants and a heap of door prizes will be given away throughout the event.

For more information, please call Algonquin Outfitters, 1-800-469-4948 (705-635-2243).

Igloo building with the Ice Box

Trying out snowshoes on Oxtongue Lake

Sled dogs need a lunch break too

Please note that there is a charge for dog sled rides and a family rate is available. Dog sled rides are booked that day on a first-come first-served basis, so sign up early and avoid disappointment.
Here is a general overview of the day:

Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011:

9 am: Algonquin Outfitters opens

10 - 4 pm: dog sled rides - please sign up to make sure you get a ride!

10 -12: morning program (x-c ski lessons, ski and snowshoes demos, snowshoe hike, igloo building, dog sled rides, etc.)

12 - 2: lunch

1 - 5: afternoon program (ski lessons, ski and snowshoe demos, snow volleyball.)

Sunday, Feb. 13:

10 - noon: 17th annual Ragged Falls Snowshoe Adventure Hike

Advance registration is not required - simply show up! All events take place in the immediate area of our Oxtongue Lake store (except the Ragged Falls hike - car pooling req'd).

Dog sled rides are provided by Chocpaw Expeditions. For more information on their programs visit their web site.

Ski lessons are provided by Ski for Life. For more information on their programs visit their web site.

If you are on Facebook, check out the Winter Fun Day Facebook page. Let us know you are coming, see a slide show of past events and tell us what you think!

The long-awaited film list for the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour in Huntsville

Let me tell you, it was hard picking this year. There were many good films that got left off our list and it would have been no problem planning three evenings of movies. Do you think the people of Huntsville and beyond would support three shows? Let me know by making a comment below. 

In any case, you will find a wide range of subject matter when the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour stops in Huntsville this year, with everything from fly-fishing in Russia, to skiing in Kashmir, to madmen jumping off cliffs, to tragedy and redemption in the mountains, to cute kids on bikes and even a bit of hair growth! Thanks to Seana Strain and Paul Price of the BMFF for their assistance in planning this year's program. Tuesday night has a total of two hours and nine minutes of films and Wednesday is a bit longer, at two hours and 11 minutes. There will be an intermission and great door prizes! Like last year, I have not consciously tried to pick a theme for each night. There may be one but we will have to wait till movie night and see what develops. There are several ski-related films but that was was mostly because there were more ski films in the line-up.

Go to both nights and save! Remember, if you go to both shows and save your ticket stubs, you can receive a one-time discount of 15 % on any regularly priced item at Algonquin Outfitters in Huntsville or Oxtongue Lake.

Please note that the films are listed in alphabetical order, NOT in the order they will be shown. There is a slight chance that the film selection may change as new films can still be added to the availability list.

Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011. Showtime: 7:30 PM.
Get tickets by clicking here.

AZADI: Freedom

• Canada, 2010
• Directed and Produced by Anthony Bonello
• Classification: General - no advisory
• Focus: Skiing, Mountain Culture

AZADI: Freedom takes a look at Kashmir in the wake of the violent militant insurgence of the 90s through the lens of skiing. The unique role that skiing is playing in rebuilding tourism in Kashmir is explored using cinematography, animation and story of local characters. The film crew explore the future presented to young Kashmiri as they venture into the mountains, backcountry skiing. The world’s highest skiable gondola sits amid the most militarized region in the world, yet the freedom of adventure is drawing foreigners back to this former Shangri-La. Photocredit: Anthony Bonello, from the film 'AZADI: Freedom' 

Chimæra

• Canada, 2010,
• Directed by Dave Mossop
• Produced by Malcom Sangster
• Classification: General - no advisory
• Focus: Skiing

Chimæra refers to a mythological fusion of forms or a foolish fantasy. Shot with a unique camera system capable of shooting over 1000 frames per second, this film slows our perception of reality and offers an unprecedented look at a skier's life. It is an experience that blurs the borders between real and imaginary.

Eastern Rises 

Award at 2010 BMFF: Best Film on Mountain Sports, sponsored by ‘Live out There’

• USA, 2010
• Directed by Ben Knight
• Produced by Travis Rummel
• Classification: Parental guidance - coarse language
• Focus: Fly-Fishing, Environment, Culture

The Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East may as well be the end of the earth. Its enormously wild landscape is swarming with bugs and bears and threaded with rivers full of massive mouse-eating trout. In this stunning film, fishing is poetry; Bigfoot lurks in the fog and fishermen risk life and limb in decommissioned Cold War helicopters to explore rivers that have never been fished before. Photocredit: From the film 'Eastern Rises'

Fly or Die

Award at 2010 BMFF: Special Jury Mention

• USA, 2009
• Produced by: Nick Rosen and Peter Mortimer
• Classification: General - coarse language
• Focus: Rock Climbing, BASE jumping, Free BASE

Cutting edge climber Dean Potter is innovating climbing for the future: the Base Free Solo. By combining free solo climbing and base jumping, Dean is on his quest to master the various disciplines that lead up to this bold evolution of the sport. Photocredit: From the film 'Fly or Die'

Kranked Kids - Just down the Road

• Canada, 2010
• Directed and Produced by: Bjørn Enga
• Classification: General - no advisory
• Focus: Mountain biking / Humour

A coming-of-age mountain bike parody.

Last Paradise

• New Zealand, 2010
• Directed and Produced by: Clive Neeson
• Classification: General - no advisory
• Focus: Human Adventure / Extreme Sports: Surfing, Skiing and others

In the remote wilderness of New Zealand, when necessity was the mother of invention, a maverick bunch of kids concocted a dream which they would one day share with the world. Through 45 years of stunning original footage we relive the journey of legendary extreme sports pioneers on the roads less travelled, to paradises which have long since gone. But for one.  Photocredit: From the film 'Last Paradise' 

Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011. Showtime: 7:30 PM.
Get tickets by clicking here.

A Life Ascending

Award at 2010 BMFF: Best Film on Mountain Culture, sponsored by Petzl 

Award at 2010 BMFF: People's Choice Award, sponsored by Timex Expedition

• USA, 2010
• Directed and Produced by Stephen Grynberg
• Classification: General – no advisory
• Focus: Ski Mountaineering, Culture, Human Story

Living with his wife and two young daughters on a remote glacier in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Ruedi Beglinger has built a reputation as one of the top mountaineering guides in the world. A Life Ascending follows his family’s unique life in the mountains and their journey in the years following a massive avalanche that killed seven people. The film ultimately explores the power of nature as both an unforgiving host and profound teacher. Photocredit: Stephen Grynberg

Life Cycles

• USA, 2010
• Directed and Produced by Ryan Gibb and Derek Frankowski
• Classification: General – no advisory
• Focus: Mountain Biking

Life Cycles provides some of the most visually stunning images the mountain sports world has ever seen. It’s a beautiful celebration of the bicycle, and is sure to amaze anyone who has ever ridden one. Photocredit: From the film 'Life Cycles'

Rush Hour Dream

• Germany, 2009
• Directed and Produced by Kerim Jaspersen and Christian Menn
• Classification: General – no advisory
• Focus: Paragliding, Environment

An office worker in Düsseldorf, Germany, falls asleep in the tramway on his way to work and wakes up on a beautiful mountainside to discover that he is carrying a paraglider in his laptop. Photocredit: From the film 'Rush Hour Dream'

Still Motion

• Canada, 2010
• Directed and Produced by Jonathan Schmidt
• Classification: General - no advisory -
• Focus: Environment / Wildlife

Compiled from the highlights of a whole year of wildlife research, these still images from motion-triggered wildlife cameras to create an intricately sequenced movie-like production of Alberta’s amazing wildlife. Playful fawns, stalking cougars and curious elk take centre stage. The film asks an important question: just who is looking at whom? Photocredit: From the film "Still Motion"

The Longest Way

Award at 2010 BMFF: Best Short Mountain Film, sponsored by Mountain Hardwear

• Germany, 2009
• Directed and Produced by: Christoph Rehage
• Classification: General - no advisory
• Focus: Human Adventure / Humour

Time lapse of a 1-year-walk from Beijing to Urumqi. Unlimited growth of beard and hair. Photocredit: From the film 'The Longest Way'

The Swiss Machine

• USA, 2010
• Produced by: Nick Rosen and Peter Mortimer
• Classification: Parental Guidance - coarse language
• Focus: Rock Climbing, Big Wall, Mountaineering

Ueli Steck may be the greatest speed alpinist the world has ever seen. In this film, Ueli tells of his record-breaking ascents in the Alps, accompanied by stunning aerial footage that captures him racing up 8,000 foot alpine faces. When he joins Alex Honnold in Yosemite, Ueli sets his ultimate goal: to take his one-man alpine speed game to the largest, highest walls in the world. Photocredit:
From the film 'The Swiss Machine'

WildWater

• USA, 2010
• Directed and Produced by Anson Fogel
• Classification: General - no advisory
• Focus: White-water paddling

When ordinary people share a singular passion, the extraordinary emerges. WildWater is a journey into the mind and soul of white-water, into the places only river runners can go, places of discovery, solitude and risk. It’s a visually stunning feast for the senses, and an expedition into new ideas. Photocredit: From the film "WildWater"

More from the winter wonderland - see what you are missing?

Early morning light on a local pond

Sunrise in the woods - it's a little Group of Sevenish, if I do say so myself

Algonquin Park is in winter wonderland mode!

Don't be standing under this tree when the snow drops!

It is not often that you hear "snow squall warning" and "flood warning" in the weather forecast, but that is what we had earlier this week. After the big snowfall (40 cm in some places) last Friday/Saturday, there was the torrential rain on Tuesday, which washed a lot of the snow away. Then on Wednesday it snowed again, and it is amazing what a difference a little elevation makes. Here in Oxtongue lake there is probably twice as much snow as there is in Huntsville, and I heard a report today that at some higher elevations in Algonquin park, there is up to 18 inches of snow on the ground. Winter is here.

Having said that, the best activity at the moment is still hiking. The ground is very wet, water levels are very high, lakes are very mushy and travel by ski or snowshoes might prove to be more trouble than it is worth. Give it a week or so, we'll get a little more snow, the ground will drain a bit, making a better and more solid base. The weather forecast for the next week is very favourable for firming things up.

All the pictures in this post were taken today, so you can have an idea of what it is like right now. According to some visitors from the south, the snow starts at Gravenhurst!

 

You might find the trails a little wet...

 

Oxtongue Lake is about half-frozen

We don't need Christmas lights with colourful kayaks like these

Outfitter Creek is in spring flood mode and the lake is very high

A tale of two poles

Anyone who has attended our annual Winter Fun Day will be familiar with the friendly, hardworking dogs and mushers from Winterdance Dogsled Tours.  For the last few years, they have traveled up from Haliburton to provide the dog sledding experience at our event (which, in case you missed the post below, is on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011).

Last winter, Hank DeBruin, who owns and operates Winterdance in partnership with his wife Tanya McCready-DeBruin, undertook what many consider the ultimate challenge in the mushing world, the famous Iditarod race in Alaska. The Iditarod is billed as "the last great race on earth," and Hank and his team spent over a year training and preparing for the adventure. As you can imagine, an project like this requires fundraising, training, planning and specialized equipment. Algonquin Outfitters helped in a small way by providing Hank with a pair of Swix nordic ski poles. Apparently, the poles had an adventure of their own and Tanya graciously offered to write the tale below.

A big thank you to Gord and Algonquin Outfitters for donating a set of ski poles for Hank to use during the Iditarod.  While Hank and the dogs ended up with some amazing tales of their 700 mile Alaskan journey, the ski poles ended up with a tale of their own.

Having missed the dog truck when it pulled out of Haliburton for Alaska, the ski poles flew on a commercial jet with the kids and I,  as we traveled to Anchorage to meet up with Hank and the dogs for the start of the Iditarod, a 1000 mile dogsled race across Alaska.  Upon claiming the ski poles in Anchorage we noticed a note attached to them which read "Nice poles, love the new design, too bad they are a bit short for me!"  The poles already had admirers.

Hank, wearing bib 45, and the team at the ceremonial start of the Iditarod

They were to be forgotten again three days later, on the official starting day, and had to be rushed to Willow (one of the check points) to get to Hank in time.  He was within minutes of his starting time and the dogs were already being hooked up when the poles arrived. He quickly took one pole and slid it along the outside of his sled bag, underneath a cable support.  The power of 16 Siberian Huskies about to start the world class dogsled race called Iditarod is nothing short of breathtaking. As the team was being moved up to the starting line, kept under some control thanks to 10 volunteers, the ski pole slipped out and the end caught in the snow as the sled went around a corner only feet away from the starting gate.  With the force of the dogs, and before Hank could grab it, the pole got bent to a 90 degree angle in the middle and snapped.  With a sharp end sticking out, Hank quickly pulled it out of the sled to prevent the bag, a dog or person getting injured from it.  He tossed it out of the way, towards the fence that kept the spectators and dogs separated.  Before it even hit the ground though, a boy about 10 ducked under the fence and caught the pole midair, waving it around like the best trophy in the world. That pole is likely now in his home as a souvenir, wherever that may be.

Hank and his very motivated-looking dogs shortly after the pole-snapping incident

With no time to run back and grab the second pole, Hank and the team left the starting gate pole-less.  Mushers use ski poles to pole with one hand, often paddling with their opposing leg in a fluid motion.  It helps the dogs along the trail and also works well to keep the musher warm and awake.  Hank found a stick 70 miles down the trail which served as a rudimentary pole.

If required gear gets lost/damaged during Iditarod, a team's support crew are allowed to ship replacement items to a check point for the musher to pick up. We quickly took the other pole to the US post office and mailed it to McGrath, 300 miles into the race and the first place it would arrive in time for Hank to receive.  As the postal worker put stickers and tags on it addressed to "Iditarod Checker, for Hank DeBruin, McGrath, Alaska," he commented that he had never sent such a strange parcel before.  The second ski pole was placed on board a bush plane and flown to McGrath.  It was waiting for Hank in the checker's hand when he and the team arrived in McGrath, four days later.

That pole was in Hank's hand much of the next five days, along the Kuskokwim River, through the brutal -40F temperature of Alaska's interior gold region of Cripple, and finally out onto the mighty Yukon River.  And that is likely where that pole still is.  About five miles out of the check point of Galena, a small Eskimo village on the Yukon, the ski pole got jammed in a piece of ice and lurched out of Hank's grip.  One rule with running a huge team of dogs is that you NEVER walk backwards from the team, as there is too great of risk that they can unlodge the anchor and continue on down the trail, leaving you behind.  At dawn, with -40F temperatures, being alone with no supplies is a life threatening danger.  Hank stopped the team and looked back at the ski pole standing up in the ice 10 feet behind him, and decided it wasn't worth the risk.  He and the dogs continued on.  That ski pole may still be in the Yukon River or it may be in a house in Galena.  When Hank pulled into the tiny village he mentioned to the checker that he had lost a nice ski pole about 5 miles back. The checker had raised an eye and said "Really?"  Maybe someday if Hank and the team return to the Yukon River we will learn the fate of the second ski pole.

So if you find a pole something like the one above out in the boonies of Alaska, drop Hank a line, I'm sure he would be happy to have it back!

Not resting on his Iditarod accomplishments, Hank has written a book about his Iditarod experience and he and the team are busy preparing for the 2011 Yukon Quest dogsled race. Good luck to Hank and the Winterdance huskies!

Snowflakes in the forecast! Woo hoo!

The weather forecast for Huntsville  today - look at those snowflakes!

Here at Algonquin Outfitters, we get excited about winter. It's time for skiing, snowshoeing, snowman building, sledding, skating, snowboarding and, yes, those other fun things like shoveling and winter driving.  So, when this morning's weather forecast showed the little snowflake icons for Sunday and Monday, we all gave a hearty cheer. Some people may not share our enthusiasm for snow. It is safe to predict that Sunday's snow won't last long and "real winter" won't start until late November or so.

And while we are discussing winter, here are a few dates to keep in mind:

AO presents Warren Miller's WINTERVENTION
Friday, November 5

Do you have a skiing or snowboarding problem? Do you always take "just one more" run? If you answered “yes” to either of these, it may be time for a Wintervention. Narrated by skiing icon Jonny Moseley, Warren Miller’s Wintervention is the definitive solution for the snow-obsessed. Wintervention takes riders like Chris Davenport, Jonny Moseley and Lindsey Vonn on a global tour of Alaska, Norway, Canada, Antarctica and beyond, delivering a successful Wintervention for all of us in need. Warren Miller films attract a cult-like following and mark the official start of winter for sports enthusiasts everywhere. Warren Miller premieres are an experience, a party and a phenomenon not to be missed.

Join Algonquin Outfitters for a Wintervention on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 pm, at the Algonquin Theatre. Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for students. Tickets are available at the Algonquin Theatre box office at 37 Main St. E., by calling the box office at (705) 789-4975 or 1-888-696-4255, ext. 2352 or on-line at algonquintheatre.ca.

For more info on the movie, visit Warren Miller Entertainment.

For a little pre-season stoke, watch the official trailer for Wintervention below:



Algonquin Outfitters presents the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
Tuesday, Jan. 18 & Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011

Algonquin Outfitters is once again bringing the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour to the Algonquin Theatre for two nights. Each evening will feature a different selection of films. Get a taste of wild mountain adventures, and more, as the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour rolls into Huntsville.

For the last thirteen years, Algonquin Outfitters has hosted this spectacular showing of mountain films in Huntsville. Films in world tour bring the spirit of adventure to life on the screen. A wide variety of stories - from mountain sports, mountain culture and the environment - will entice and inspire viewers.

The tour features a collection of the most inspiring and thought-provoking action, environmental, and adventure mountain films. Traveling from remote landscapes and cultures to up close and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports, the World Tour is an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world. The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is produced by Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre, and features award-winning films and audience favorites from approximately 300 films entered in the annual festival in Banff, Alberta. The world tour spans the globe, making its way to North and South America, Europe, South Africa, India, Poland and Iceland.

Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for students. Folks buying tickets for both shows can exchange their two ticket stubs for a coupon offering a 15% discount on their next purchase at Algonquin Outfitters.

Tickets  are available at the Algonquin Theatre box office at 37 Main St. E., on-line at http://www.algonquintheatre.ca, or by calling the theatre box office at (705) 789-4975, or 1-888-696-4255, ext. 2352.

For more information on the Banff Mountain Film Festival, visit the World Tour web site.

Algonquin Outfitters presents the 17th Annual Winter Fun Day
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011

Self-propelled fun in the great outdoors is once again the theme on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011. This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake location, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of Huntsville. Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, kick-sledding, winter camping, ice-climbing and dog sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to have fun in the snow. Free cross-country ski lessons are available, thanks to our friends at Ski For Life.

Stay tuned to this blog for more info!

Ice out frenzy has begun!

Someone called me the other day and commented on how that open water at the Opeongo Store sure looked inviting...

Ha Ha! They were looking at the Google Street View image in the previous post (see below), which of course is a frozen (pardon the pun) moment in time, of an unfrozen lake. This is not the case right now. Despite all the warm weather, sun and rain, lakes in Algonquin Park (and outside) remain securely frozen solid. Folks were cross-country skiing yesterday and came back with mixed reviews but the trails are still open. Many south-facing slopes are 90% snow-free though there is still knee-deep mushy snow in the woods.

 Due to its shady location the Quinzee built Feb. 19 is 

still hanging in there on March 14

 

The Igloo, built on Winter Fun Day, has 
suffered from exposure to sun, wind and rain

 The same Igloo a few weeks ago

So, you ask, any predictions yet? Given the current state of snow and ice, you might think we are headed for an early spring. Then there is the fact that, only a week ago, my ice-out guru informed me that the snow pack was "very resistant" and that Algonquin Park lake ice is solid, high-quality ice. Gazing into the ice-crystal ball, I see that it is still mid-March, so anything can happen (including a major snow storm like the one we had on March 25, 2008), night-time temps are going to be below zero all this week and the current 14-day forecast is calling for a return to seasonal (as in coolish) temps later in the month. Hmmmm.

  Gord's annual photo of the Oxtongue Lake bridge spanning a very frozen lake

My prediction is that it still too early to call and that you will visit our booth (# 4120) at the Toronto Sportsmens Show, March 17 -21, to chat about your canoe trip plans for this season. If you are a regular Sportsmens Show visitor, don't forget that the show has moved to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre!

Still life with dock, boots and solid white ice

The unusual sight of leaves blowing across a frozen lake

Get in on the spring action! 
Enter the Canoe Lake Ice-Out contest.