Winter Assembly schedule

Celebrate winter with
Algonquin Outfitters!

The 13th Annual Winter Assembly will get you excited about winter! Join us for an activity-packed day with something for everyone. All events take place at Algonquin Outfitters in Oxtongue Lake, February 17, 2007. Rental and demo equipment is available at no charge if participating in the events and lessons. Please sign out equipment in the store before the lesson starts. Call 1-800-469-4948 (705-635-2243) for more information.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Ongoing Events: 10am—4pm

• Equipment demonstrations: test-drive high-tech snowshoes & cross-country skis - thanks to Tubbs Snowshoes, Atlas Snowshoes, Madshus Skis, Salomon Skis

• Winter campfire: warm up around the campfire!

• Cross Country Tips: meet Glenn Buckmaster at the ski oval for informal lessons. See specific lessons at 11, 1 and 2:30 pm. Please sign out rental equipment inside (no charge if you are taking a lesson). Please get ski equipment before the lesson starts.

• Ice climbing: join Summit College staff & students and learn about this popular winter sport. Ongoing activity - follow the signs on the lake and trail to the climbing site.

• Quinzee Building: take snowfort-building to the next level. By the lake (conditions permitting).

• Winter Campsite:Summit College staff and students will be setting up a winter campsite - drop by and chat about winter camping!. By the lake (conditions permitting).

• Winter Disc Golf: if you can toss a Frisbee®, you can play Disc Golf - try it out on the lake!

• Don’t forget to sign up for door prizes inside! Door prize draws at 12:15, 4:30 - you must be present to win!

Morning events

• 10 am til 12:30: Dogsledding - with Winterdance Dogsled Tours. Meet and pay at the dog truck - follow the sound of barking!

• 10 am til finished, Quinzee building: join Summit College students and build a traditional snow house.By paddle hut.

• 11–12, Cross-country ski lesson - novice classic: instructor: Glenn Buckmaster. Get skis inside ahead of time, meet at ski oval.

BBQ lunch: 12-2 - Opens at noon. Buy food tickets inside please! Thanks to Chef Chuck!

Afternoon events

• 12:15, Door prize draw: At the front counter - you must be there to win!

• 1-2, Waxing 101 for cross-country skiers: instructor, Glenn Buckmaster. Upstairs in the store. Waxing is easy - learn the basics!

• 2-3, Snowshoe 101: Meet at demo area on the lake. Learn about and try new-fangled snowshoes! Short hike included.

• 2:30 - 3:30, Cross-country ski tour: instructor: Glenn Buckmaster. Meet on the oval. A roving lesson on the groomed Blue Spruce trails.

• 3:45, Fun snowshoe race: Just one lap around the oval! Prizes for adults and kids! Meet at the snowshoe demo area.

• 4:30, Door prize draw, snowshoe race prizes: at the front counter - you must be there to win!

Special Sunday event: 9:30am - 12pm, Sunday, Feb. 18

• 13th Annual Snowshoe trek to Ragged Falls: trek leader, Gordon Baker. An adventurous annual tradition! Free snowshoes for use by participants, or bring your own. Meet at the AO store front counter by 9:30. Car pooling required. Dogs that play well with others are welcome if well-behaved and on a leash.

Summer jobs at Algonquin Outfitters

Algonquin Outfitters is now accepting resumes for the following seasonal positions:

• Retail sales associates
• Rental shop and outfitting staff
  
• Maintenance staff

Spring, summer and fall positions are available at our Huntsville, Oxtongue Lake, Opeongo and Bracebridge locations. We are seeking people who love the outdoors and enjoy sharing their knowledge of the outdoors with others.

Accomodation is available at our Oxtongue Lake and Opeongo locations.

Our staff enjoy working with a diverse range of people; spending time in Algonquin Park and other beautiful areas; paddling, hiking, biking, travelling, camping and other outdoor activities.

If you are interested in joining the Algonquin Outfitters team, please email your resume to Beth at our Oxtongue Lake store.

We thank all who apply, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Some scenes of life at AO:

Rental staff at Oxtongue Lake getting ready for a canoe delivery

One of our outfitters packs a group trip

Opeongo water taxi driver and customers before boarding the boat

The Winter Assembly returns February 17

Winter fun in the great outdoors is the theme of the 13th Annual Winter Assembly, hosted by Algonquin Outfitters, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2007. 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. The Winter Assembly 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.

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, make a snow house, enter a snowshoe race (and hopefully finish!), play snow games, watch ice climbers in action and more! Representatives from a variety of manufacturers will be on hand to talk about the latest in cross-country ski equipment, ski waxing techniques, snowshoes, winter camping gear and demonstrate new winter products. Lunch is always a highlight of any winter activity and barbeque fare, like hamburgers and sausages, will be available.

Equipment for all activities will be provided free of charge for Winter Assembly 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).

Please note that there is a charge for dog sled rides and a family rate is available.

The final schedule for the 13th annual Winter Assembly is not yet cast in stone, but in the meantime, here is a general overview of the day:

Saturday, Feb. 17, 2007:

9 am: Algonquin Outfitters opens

10 - 1 pm: dog sled rides. Please sign up to make sure you get a turn!

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

12 - 2: lunch

1 - 5: afternoon program (skate ski lessons, ski and snowshoe demos, ice climbing demos, wax clinic, etc.)

Sunday, Feb. 19:

10 - noon: 13th 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 Winterdance Dog Sled Tours.

Banff Mountain Films a success!

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour stopped in Huntsville for two nights this year. Thanks again to all the nice people at the Algonquin Theatre for helping make the event go smoothly.

If you missed the shows in Huntsville or would like to see if the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is playing in your area, check the World Tour schedule here.

As Charla (our road warrior from Banff) mentioned, the hardy individuals criss-crossing the continent showing films are keeping their own blog. Check it out for great stories of life on the road and some behind-the-scenes stories!

If you'd you'd like to to find out more about any of the films and the people behind the camera, or perhaps purchase the longer version of some of the action films we showed, I've included links to the filmaker's sites.

Here is the list of the films we showed each night, in alphabetical order:

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Film Menu

Huntsville, Tuesday, Jan. 23

Anomaly (custom edit)
USA, 2006, 16 minutes, Directed by Todd Jones
Website: www.tetongravity.com
ANOMALY n. (a·nom·a·ly) 1. Deviation or departure from the normal or common order, form, or rule 2. One that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to classify. Hard to define, never easy to apply. Yet, this has come to embody a year of extraordinary feats, tribulation and continued progression within the Ski & Snowboard arena. Anomaly, TGR's newest 16mm and HD ski and snowboard release, showcases the freakish and abnormal abilities of today's top athletes as they push the boundary of what is humanly possible.

Aweberg
Special Jury Award
Canada, 2006, 26 minutes, Directed & Produced by Will Gadd
Website: www.gravsports.com
Will Gadd and Ben Firth are two top Canadian ice climbers. They thought climbing "awesome" bergs would be a lot of fun, so the Aweberg trip was born. The bergs looked great, but the reality was somewhat different. Note that the sounds of the picks in the film are much quieter than in real life!

Kids Who Rip (Custom Edit)
USA, 2005, 12 minutes, Produced by Rod Parmenter
Website: www.kidswhorip.com
Kids Who Rip highlights amazing young athletes in the action sports community. This special edit for the Banff Mountain Film Festival features remarkable kids who love to ski, snowboard, skateboard and surf.


Patagonia – A Travel to the End of the World
Norway, 2006, 40 minutes, Director/Producer: Vebjørn Hagen / TV 2 AS
Website: www.ousland.no
Attempting the first unsupported traverse of the Southern Patagonia Icecap, Børge Ousland and Thomas Ulrich start from the small village of Tortel in August 2003. After three days of paddling into the Patagonian fjords with two kayaks each, they reach the bottom of the Jorge Montt Glacier; from here they carry their equipment up and start skiing across the ice cap. This film is most of all about the spirit of adventure. Few expeditions have had to master so many different skills to reach their goal.

Roam (Custom Edit)
Canada, 2006, 18 minutes, Directed & Produced by Darcy Wittenburg, Jamie Houssian
Website: www.thecollectivefilm.com
Roam is a mountain-bike film that follows the travels of the world’s top riders as they explore new places to ride, and visit some of the notorious meccas of mountain biking such as, Moab, UT and Whistler, BC.

The Simplicity Factor
Canada, 2006, 7 minutes, Directed & produced by Nathan Cando
Website: www.fanaticalfilms.com
The Simplicity Factor is a segment from The Top 20 Classic Boulder Problems of North America. Featuring an all-female cast of athletes, it looks at bouldering's overall appeal while showcasing ascents of several famous boulder problems.

The Thrill Seekers (Extreme Film School)
UK, 2005, 3 minutes, Directed by Roland Arnison, George Arnison
Website: www.nakedsledge.co.uk
One of the 12 productions from the Kendal Mountain Film Festival Extreme Film School "48-hour Film Marathon". Two brothers try their hand at mountain biking, climbing and another extreme sport on a camping weekend with hilarious results.

Huntsville, Wednesday, Jan. 24

Asiemut
People’s Choice Award & Special Jury Mention
Canada, 2006, 56 minutes, Directed and Produced by Olivier Higgins & Mélanie Carrier
Website: www.asiemut.mine.nu
In 2005, Olivier Higgins and Mélanie Carrier went on their first cycling expedition - 8000 kilometers across Asia. In six months they pedaled from Mongolia to Calcutta, India, traveling through Xinjiang, the Taklimakan Desert, the high Tibetan plateau and the jungle of Nepal. Why? Not only to discover the world, but also to discover themselves.

The Best of Jo
Canada, 2006, 3 minutes, Directed & Produced by Logan Carlstrom
"The Best of Jo" is a stop-action Lego film about a coffee-addicted guy named Jo. He is eager to try all the mountain sports available to him, such as climbing, skiing and fishing.

Conversing with Aotearoa/New Zealand
USA, 2006, 15 minutes, Directed and Produced by Corrie Francis
Website: www.corriefrancis.com
In an age of technological integration and urban life, people turn to the natural world for a wilderness experience. What draws us to the remote corners of land and sea when we realize something in our lives is missing? In this animated documentary, New Zealanders attempt to fathom their deep, personal connection with their land.

First Ascent: Didier Vs. The Cobra (Custom Edit)
USA, 2006, 25 minutes, Directed by Peter Mortimer
Website: www.senderfilms.com
The elegant, granite Cobra crack in Squamish, British Columbia is perhaps the hardest crack climb in the world and the Swiss climber Didier Berthod is among the world’s best crack climbers. Far from the spotlight, Didier spends months in his epic quest to snag the first ascent.

First Ascent: Thailand (Custom Edit)
USA, 2006, 8 minutes, Directed by Peter Mortimer
Website: www.senderfilms.com
Steep towers of untouched rock jutting out of the ocean. And the best part is, with only the sea below you, there’s no rope. Thailand is a dream come true for David Lama, perhaps the best on-site climber in the world, and purportedly the future of the sport. Amidst the exotic beauty of the Andaman Coast, Lama and friends take 60-footers into the drink, and bring deep water soloing to a new level.

Ride of the Mergansers
USA, 2004, 11 minutes, Directed & produced by Steve Furman/ Furman Technologies
Website: www.rideofthemergansers.com
The hooded merganser is a rare and reclusive duck found only in North America. Every spring, in the Great Lakes region, the wary hen lays and incubates her eggs in a nest high in the trees. Just 24 hours after hatching, the tiny ducklings must make the perilous leap to the ground below. Ride of the Mergansers brings this hidden drama to the screen.

Yes to the No
Canada, 2006, 10 minutes, Directed by David Mossop
Websites: www.rockymountainsherpas.com; www.biglines.com
A look into the sport of noboarding, which is snowboarding without the use of bindings. The sport of snowboarding was essentially started by skateboarders and surfers looking for a winter alternative to the two summer sports. Now that snowboarding has reached its peak, there is only one way to change the way snowboarding is done, and that is to take the bindings off the board and really surf the mountain.

Winter is here, really...

After an additional 10 cm of snowfall yesterday and the coldest night of the season predicted this evening (-26 C with wind chill of -34! Brrrr), I think it is safe to say that we are getting firmly back on the winter track.

Speaking of tracks, our friends at the West Gate just phoned in with this good news: the Fen Lake Ski Trail is groomed and track set. It's looking good for cross-country skiing in Algonquin Park! The cold conditions tonight will set up the tracks nicely and the trails should be in great shape this weekend. More snow and more seasonal temperatures are in the forecast for later this week. The park's day hiking trails should be in fine condition for snowshoeing as well.

If you are heading up north without skis or snowshoes, drop in to our Oxtongue Lake store and check out the great selection we have for sale and for rent!