The Comox Valley!

 We are here! My wife, Amber, and I are starting to feel settled after moving into the Comox Valley. We are very excited to be here and getting to know the layout, the activities, and most importantly the people. We spent many weekends driving up here from our previous home of Victoria and were tired of the long travel days. We both asked ourselves "why not just move there!" So we did.

I have joined the Comox Valley Road Runners Club. A fun run club that organizes and supports many events in the Valley. I'm happy to be part of a run club as it has been a few years since the last running club I have been a part of.  I already have a good group of serious runners that want to go for a run anywhere on a moments notice. This includes beautiful trail jogs or long road slogs or even a rip on the shiny new track.  I will even get some club gear to run the 2014 Island race series and represent.   So far the running training has gone excellently, but I have only been back for a month with semi-consistent training. Hopefully I can keep building the volume with some intensity leading into the spring racing.

I'm very excited to join the local Strathcona Nordic Ski Club. I have never been part of a cross country skiing club but feel that this could be the place for new athletic challenges and experiences. I've been told this is the largest Nordic Club in Canada!  They have the Nordic trails around Raven Lodge at Mt. Washington Ski Resort just 20minutes from downtown Courtenay.

I hope to get out and hit the mountian bike trails in Cumberland along with downhill skiing and Mt. Washington. There are so many outdoor active things to do in the valley. I'm very excited to be a part of!  And, my new chiropractic clinic is in "The Hub" on 4th Street in downtown Courtenay.

I'm BACK!

After a four month holiday with my wonderful wife Amber I'm back to training.
I spent some time travelling to Lithuania with the Jr. National Rowing team as their chiropractor before taking a three month vacation (sabbatical?) to Haida Gwaii, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand. We have many good stories and adventures from our travels but ultimately we are very happy to be back to Canada and to our new home in the Comox Valley!

What sport to do? Running, rowing, or riding my bike. Or is it xc skiing, crossfit, or xterra?
Maybe them all. Send me a message if you want to join!

Summer Success!

The Summer Events have come and gone! What a ride.

I have decided that I really like fierce competition and the whole process of reaching a level of fitness where I am competitive. I enjoy training and pushing myself every day. I like how good I feel after a long workout session. 

This year, after competing in a handful of road-running races, some trail runs, a cross-fit competition, a sprint and olympic distance triathlon, I finally felt I was ready for the Xterra Victoria race on July 14th, 2013. The official Victoria Xterra results are not correct, run times are incomplete. But, here is the important part:

The Xterra World championships are in Hawaii on Oct. 27, 2013.

I need to thank my training partner Clay for all the focus and motivation for the practice sessions, recon missions, and competitions through the spring and summer.  He kept me coming back and helping me regaining focus after I wanted to look into a multitude of other distracting things.  

 

 

I'm going to take a break from fierce competition. I will be travelling to Europe with Rowing Canada to be the team medical therapist for the Junior World Championships from July, 29th - Aug. 12th, 2013. I'm excited for the trip and a break from training and racing!

My wife and I are moving to the Comox Valley. A small paradise on Vancouver Island, close the Huge alpine mountains and glaciers alongside the ocean and wild outdoors. I will be there starting work the first week of November, 2013.  Read more here. 

Summer

I have now come to a point where I need to outline a rough schedule of what I'm doing this summer.  So, this is the hypothetical plan of the bigger races:


May 26 - Shawnigan Lake Triathlon (sprint) results
June 1 - Q's Run Series: 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m Centennial Track results
June 2 - Bastion Square Bike Race (crit) (scratch)
June 16 - Elk Lake Victoria Triathlon Subaru (Olympic distance)
June 23 - Whistler 25km Trail race "Comfortably Numb"
July 7 - Gutbuster Ladysmith
July 14 - XTERRA Victoria  Off-road Triathlon! *My Priority - Worlds Qualifier!
Aug. 11 - Gutbuster Mt. Washington!

If you know of any others... I would love to find out. Please message me (derek@drvinge.com)

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Note: If you need any help with injuries please stop by my Sport Med Clinic (www.drvinge.com)

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Follow along with the Training:

Tweets by @DaVinge_

Island Race Series: Sooke 10km

The final race in the 2013 Island Race Series is the Sooke 10km. Put on by the S.T.A.R.R. Sooke Trail and Road Runners, and an excellent club.  I spend some evenings training with this club when I worked in Sooke a few years back. I really enjoyed it the time with the close community of runners.
This race starts from the local High School and winds it's way up and around the Sooke River Rd. to close to the Sooke potholes. It is quite hilly and there never seems to be a flat spot on the race. It is a truly beautiful place to run. You can hear the river in stretches while running through large fir trees and ferns that surround the road as it cuts through the temperate rain forest.

  For me, the first 2-3km were fast, I tried to push the pace to see what I had in me. But, in fact, I was flat. I had no spark and I just held on for the rest of the race the level that I could hold steady. Time to re-group and get ready for the rest of the summer.  It was a nice finish to the race series!

Up next; I'm just putting my summer calendar together. More to follow soon.

Big Boy

It is time to let the big bike go. I'm more into cross-country and this bike hasn't been ridden in months.

2008 All-mountain full suspension bike, great for all types of trails. Size Large. 6" front suspension Marzocchi Bombers, 6" rear suspension with handlebar mounted lock-out. Full avid juicy disc breaks. $2799 New! Great shape and ready to rip. 

http://victoria.en.craigslist.ca/bik/3755455242.html

Island Race Series: Merville 15km

The second from last race in the Island Race Series is the Merville 15k. A small hamlet just north of Courtenay is country roads and small rolling hills. It has one general store which is also the gas station post office and grocery store.

I enjoyed this race!  This race is hosted by the "River Runners" from Campbell River, another 20min up the road. Well organized and delicious food at the finish.  The course wraps around a large rectangular piece of forest and ends just past the Start.

Merville 15k Map and Elevation - the pointer is on the highest elevation point

I felt like the pace needed to be pushed in the first few km as nobody was making the leap. It was right after an athlete said "It feels like a training run" that something clicked in my head that I should push the pace. So, I jumped out in front and lead the race for the first 7km.  It was at the start of the big long hill that Nick passed me and it stayed that way until the finish. I felt alright, but probably went out a bit to hard at the beginning trying to crack the psyche of the group.  Mark Cryderman of Campbell River was catching me though the race, but in the last 3km I just put everything into the final push and it payed off. Race results here. 

Next and final race of the Island Race Series: Sooke 10km. 

Trail Running with Injinji toe socks

A very inspiring video by my friend Darcy of Canada's top Ultramarathoner Adam Campbell.  All shot in the trails around Squamish, BC. I use the toe socks and they make me blister free.

Core Strength Class

At the same location as my LifeMark Sport Medicine Clinic - A 30min core strength class on Wednesdays April to June. FREE!

Check www.drvinge.com for more info

Island Race Series: Comox Valley Half Marathon

Yes! A half marathon this early in the season... perfect timing to test out endurance at race-pace over the long distance. The race put on by the legendary Comox Valley Road Runners. They always have a huge collection of athletes and many in the top rankings of the race.  The race went off without a hitch and many volunteers were out at every corner cheering and supporting the runners. I found that there was an exceptional amount of loud shouts at the 15km mark, perfect to get amped for the final push.

Read a good article here about the race. The temperatures were a bit low, in the 5 C range, and made it challenging to warm up before the race. But, with no frost bite or other serious problems everyone had a successful race.
I encountered a serious psychological brick wall about 3km from the finish. I had hammered it and pushed the pace from the 10km mark up until that point and then I slowly fizzled out. I had put in the work to get a finish time I'm happy with, but that leaves more to be desired for the next half-marathon.

Next up, Merville 15km.

Island Race Series: Bazan Bay

A blistering pace with a crowd of nationally ranked athletes, this race turned out to be a drag race! As you can see in the image below it looked exactly like this from the start!

Oh, wait, sorry that is not at all what it looked like. Not sure where that came from...ahem. But, this is image below is from first 100m into the race.

Well, Ok, that is not it either. But, that is what it felt like how fast we were going. It is a bit of a mix between the top and the bottom picture and you get an idea of how the race went.   I was still feeling a bit sore from the low-back injury I sustained two weeks before. But, I wanted to see how fast I could go. While waiting for the starting gun to go off, I was able to see all the top athletes who have located themselves in the Victoria and Vancouver area. The entire National triathlon training centre was participating, along with former national level runners, age group record holders and a few serious off-the-couch competitive athletes.

The course is flat and fast, not really any hills to speak of except a gradual decline-incline at the 2.5km turn around point.  It was lightning fast from the get go and after tale of the tape nine runners finished under 15min! I was in the top 25 and very happy to be there. I had a great race and enjoyed myself immensely! A new PR.  See results from 2013 here.

Next race, Comox Valley Half marathon!

Island Race Series: Hatley Castle 8km

The race is put on by FrontRunners, a local Victoria running store. They have a great system set up and RaceDay Timing Services have organized the chip timing in the race.  The combination of both companies organizing the race keeps the most fluid and efficient coordination. I enjoy when both these companies come together.

The Hatley Castle is a legendary location for a race, not to mention a National historic site and  BC heritage building. The Castle was commissioned by the Dunsmuir family in 1908, James Dunsmuir was one-time BC Premier and also BC lieutenant governor, in addition to being a wealthy coal industrialist. The castle was purchased from the family in 1939 and has been a military college and now, starting in 1995, as Royal Roads University. A truly beautiful campus in a castle, ocean front and surrounded by huge Douglas fir trees and a temperate rainforest.

  The Hatley Castle 8km race has by far the most hills of the Island race series. I don't know the overall elevation change, but as you can see below, it has significant hills (for a road-race) from sea-level to the top of the ridge.  My plan was to pace easy into the first 5km which was well into the top of the biggest hills and then rip the last 3km.  It worked out for the most part, but it is hard to reign it in when runners are passing on the uphill!
If you see in the map below it is somewhat like a large rectangle, but in actual fact it seems nothing like it.  I found the last 2km on the double track trails very relaxing and like a mountain path.  I ended up fighting for 2nd place at the end but first place (Geoff Martinson) was more than 90 seconds out in front. A great race!

The hunt for the Kludahk Trail

Where is it? And why is it so damn hard to find maps for it?

We spent the extra day off this weekend looking for the infamous Kludahk Trail: a 48 km trail that runs along the ridge above Jordan River between Port Renfrew and Sooke. We had little information to go on as the trail that is on public land has no free-access maps online.  So, a little guesswork from the map to the left, and a bit of Google Maps tracking we set out on our way. I'm sure that's what found you here!

I selected an access point just past Jordan River, ~20km from Sooke. I picked up a logging road and headed North into the woods picking spur roads with the freedom of flipping a coin. We ended up climbing into the snow about 4km off the West Coast Rd. We landed on an assess point for a wide trail heading NW and we decided to take a gamble and climb the mountain.

This is the best map I found online. Good luck!

The pictures below summarize the trail: Snow with crossed with downed Alders. Probably an old logging road with a gentle grade but very ingrown with shrubbery. 

The trail that we found is (roughly) shown below. I took the second road just after Jordan River heading up into the hills above the ocean. First there are a few km of clear-cut logging blocks but then the forest creeps back in. It is so thick that it would be very difficult to bush wack your way through. An old logging trail is the perfect access point. After some careful map perusing we realized we were not on the Kludahk trail.  The actual trail is up higher above the ridge near the lake system that is another 10km+ up the road, or starting in Port Renfrew.

 

After a bit more research, it turns out you can buy maps from the Kludahk Trail Outdoors Club.

Lets go explore more! Check out the mid and north-island trails.  Fit Chiropractic and Sport Therapy.

Island Race Series: Cedar 12km

The Cedar Hill 12k Race was put on by the Bastion Running Club out of Nanaimo, BC. It is a great race on straight and flat hilly country roads. On an out-and-back course it rolls along a large farming area just south of Nanaimo.
The race itself was a slog. I was going to try some new-old tactics; not hammering it from the get-go and saving a bit for the finish. I followed this for the first 4km, but then I couldn't let the lead group get away to far and I changed gears. I'm not sure if I was actually faster overall by trying to take it easy at the beginning. But, it was enjoyable passing people in the last 3km.   I ended up 3rd overall.

New shoes this race, instead of the standard AdiZero racing flats that I have used for the past 4 years. I decided to branch out into some new minimalist racing flats.   I train in the 0mm change NB 00 but I don't think my calfs would treat me very nice with a 12km hilly and hard road. My new NB 730 and really light and smoking fast in bright orange. They have a slight wedge heel-forefoot drop helping the lower leg out in those longer road slogs. My legs definitely felt the lower heel during (compared to my old racing flats) the race but I got through without too many problems. The next few days I was hobbling around a bit. Is it time to make the full switch?

New Balance 730!

A novel approach to interval training I have recently stumbled upon is the New Interval Training. No, seriously, it has been coined by Peter Thompson as the NEW Intervals. See here for more information.  The basis is to do the high-intensity intervals bi-weekly like usual but instead of taking a rest period in-between, transition into a fast jog recovery.  For example, instead of 6x800m intervals with 90sec rest, do 600m interval at 10km pace and 200m at Marathon pace.  The theory is that the training effect of intervals is to adapt the body to more efficiently utilize lactic acid as a fuel source.

Dogn' it

I spent the past weekend hanging out with a playful and hard working dog. I really enjoy this chocolate lab because she is so free spirited and happy all the time. She is able to let loose and mock-fight with the big dogs but also be gently enough to play with small children.

Can I admire a dog? Almost like I wish I could be one myself...  able to run endless repeats of chasing the ball or long scrambles through the bushes. Able to nap it out at any time of the day in any location and is ready to go a moments notice. Once food and water is sorted there is nothing else a good dog really needs. Except companionship.  That is what everyone needs. 

And a good dog is what I need. 

Injinji Toe socks

INJINJI® Any Shoe Video from Injinji on Vimeo.

Cobble Hill 10km

"It got ugly out there" An old friend used to say after a race that involved a lot of grunt work. And, today was one of those races. I found it involved a bit of extra effort mentally to keep pushing myself to the finish line. Meanwhile, I was flailing all over the place and grinding everything out of it.
 What is it about the late stage of the race where you want to drop the pace and just walk it in for the last few km. Is there something wrong with my race strategy? Maybe I'm going out too hard? Maybe I don't have the fitness level that I think I have? Maybe I enjoy beer too much?  The questions will eventually need to be answered.

Well, today was a great race in chilly conditions up the road near Cowichan Bay.  It was put on by the Ceevacs road runners club. It is relatively flat but undulating with small inclines and descents all thought the race.  I found it hard to lock-on to a pace and I felt like someone who drives like my Grampa: with two feel, one on the brake one on the gas, constantly accelerating and slowing.
In the future I hope to improve on my speed (and pacing) and over the next few weeks leading into the longer races I can hammer the finish.
Next week is the Cedar 12km....and a few weeks later is the Courtenay 1/2 marathon!

www.drvinge.com

Island Race Series - Saanichton 8km

 It is now the time of the year for the  Island Race Series (IRS - coincidentally!) supported by the Frontrunners running store. Luckily the island doesn't have below zero temperatures & frozen roads (very often) and a road racing series can start early January and run through till the end of April. Every two weeks a new race occurs around the South Vancouver Island from distances of 5km up to 1/2 marathon.

The first race was the Saanichton 8km around the country fields of the northern Saanich peninsula near the Victoria airport. The Prairie Inn Harriers put on the race with excellent logistics and organization!   It was a chilly 2 C when we arrived with frozen grass and ice in the ditches but the roads were clear and that is all the really mattered. I enjoy the chilly running temperatures of the winter & spring. It is nice to keep cool and not have to use excess energy trying to prevent overheating.


Synopsis on my race;  In the general summary I would say it was very good experience and I was happy with the results. It was right where I wanted to be with the time and pacing but I have an keen interest to place higher.  I feel that I should have been ready for more of the necessary pain-train. I think that in preparation, even a week before, I should have amped myself up for holding on to the upper limits for the long haul. Even though 8km really isn't that far it was the first race to get my body in the zone for road-racing. I have multiple excuses and reasons but it breaks it down to I need to understand what my race-pace speed is and find out how long I can hold on to it.

The next race is the Cobble Hill 10km (near Shawnigan Lake!) on Jan. 27th @ 11am. Join us.

I ended up 12th overall and got out sprinted by a new rival, Nick from FrontRunners. Thanks for the photos!

Beautiful British Columbia

My home province. I happened to stumble across this:

Revelstoke Mountain Resort Review

Overall Quality Points: 88.5

Stats
Vertical: 1713m (5620ft)
Skiable Acres: 3121
Highest elevation 2225m (7300ft)
Runs: 59
Inbound Chutes: 15
Avg Snowfall Base: * can't find anywhere!!
Avg Snofall Alpine: 1200cm unreliable source
Lifts: 4 total -  2 High Speed 8-person Gondolas,  2- high speed quads
Ticket Price: $76 Adult full day, $1049 Adult season
Time Driving to hill: 5min 

The score is based on these quality points out of 10.

Terrain: 9.5 - All around my kind of mountain. Lots of steeps, opened up gladed tree'd areas. Some minor traverses at the bottom.
Snow Pack: 8.0 - I really don't know what the overall base snow level is. I couldn't find this information anywhere, other than the current base (183cm) which isn't that impressive. Either they are trying to hide the lower elevation snow levels or the don't measure it. The alpine gets tons! (1200cm) but I don't know how reliable that is.
Snow Management: 8.5 - Mostly left open, steep enough where they don't need groomers on every run.
Lift Access: 9.0 - This hill does it right. All high speed, gondolas and quad chairs. No wasted time, just straight up efficient. The break in the middle of the Gondola, where you have to get off and then wait in line for the second component is the only downside.
Day Lodge & Amenities: 9.0 - Great lodge at the base with a couple fancy bars and restaurants, a mid mountain lodge with bar and a heating room at the top. An easy going pub at the bottom would be a nice addition.
Cross Country Trails:  7.0 - No xc at Revelstoke mountain resort but 7km outside of town there are 26km of trails.
Ticket Price: 9.5 - $76 Adult full day, $1049 Adult season
Distance to town: 10.0 - 2km. It doesn't get much better than this. You could walk to town if you needed!
Quality of Town: 9.5 - It is a quaint mountain town. Small main street with shops on both sides. No malls or big block shopping centers.
Accomodation: 7.5 - It is hard to find a place to stay.  There are hotels and other places but they get booked up quick! Needs a few more options.

Overall: 88.5

Top of the mountain 

Open glades in the north bowl

M id-mountain lodge! Yes, this is a waitress serving beer on the  deck.

Sun Peaks Resort Review

Stats:

Vertical: 882m (2894ft)
Skiable Acres: 3678
Highest elevation 2152m (7060ft)
Runs: 124
Inbound Chutes: 13 (glades)
Avg Snowfall Base:
Avg Snofall Alpine: 197cm
Lifts: 7 - 3 high speed quads, 3 fixed quads and t-bar
Cross Country Trails: 30km groomed
Time Driving to hill: 25 minutes (14km)
The score is based on these quality points out of 10.

Terrain:  6.0 - I originally thought I would give it sub par, a 5 or less, but I had a look at the map again and decided that it was larger than I thought. There is time to get lost on the hill and many secret pockets to explore. The downfall is that 60-70% of the hill is too damn flat (for my liking) there are many long traverses to just waste time riding out. 

Snow Pack: 5.0 - Yearly averages are in the Sub 150cm range. There website only states annual accumulated snowfall (of 559cm) and doesn't even post avg base level.  This year was an anomaly because they already had 150cm by late December. On the lower hill there are many bushes, logs and stumps showing through on the open runs. Ideally these would become fluffy pillows to drop off, but there is not enough snow for that. 

Snow Management: 4.0 - This low score to me means that there is LOTS of management; groomers on every run. Everything is groomed flat and that is needed due to the pancake status of the hill. 

Lift Access: 6.5 - A variety of lifts ranging from low speed to high speed. One large downfall was the lowest lift (Burfield) took 24minutes from bottom to top! This was 2.5x what I expect a lift to take low OR high speed. It was windy and cold and took too long to get another run in at the end of the day. 

Day Lodge & Amenities: 8.5 - This size of the village is huge! There are tons of coffee shops, pubs and restaurants around the area. The options are endless.
Cross country Trails:  7.5 - 30km of groomed trails around the Morrisey ridge loop with some decent hills to boot.
Ticket Price: 7.5 - $76 Adult full day, $1099 Adult season.
Distance to Town: 6.5 - It is 58km winding road that takes around 1hr to drive the distance. I gave an extra 1.5 bonus point because Sun Peaks is now a municipality itself!
Quality of town: 6.0 - I particularly like small valley towns and neither the Sun Peaks municipality or the city of Kamloops fills this void. They both have everything a person would need, but the vibe isn't quite there for me. Good for families and small groups!
Accomodation: 8.0 - The resort and surrounding town of Sun Peaks has plenty of places to sleep including an on-hill hostel! Kamloops has everything you would need in price range for sleeping.

Overall: 65.5 points

 

 

 

 

Alpine Resort Review

I have decided to focus on some Alpine and Nordic skiing.  First  of all, I'm not that good at it but I want to get better.  I have recently completed a little road trip through a handful of BC ski resorts and wanted to get a total sensory experience of a resort. I have ranked my exposure to each resort and nearby town.
This ranking is completely my point of view; I will review the overall ability of a ski resort to cater to my every need. I have judged these resorts on an unbiased very selfish and biased scale as I'm a self described powder hound/glades hungry typical skier. I don't want to see crowded out groomed ski runs or scraped dry mogul fields; I want steep and deep powder glades hidden from the masses of tourists (which is hypocritical because I'm in essence a tourist!).  My preference is that I want an easy-going pub and lounge area on the day lodge instead of a 5-star dressed up restaurant. I want to be able to get to the nearby town within a few minutes not an hour+ drive. Here are my outlines of grading based on a ten point scale;

Terrain: A zero is flat with no ability to ride through trees, a 10 is steep and gladed out trees with not too many tuck-outs or traverses.

Snow Pack: Checking the overall base and mid-mountain snow, but overall quality of snow, wet vs. dry.

Snow management: Is every run groomed, is or are there some open rough open country.

Lift Access: fixed-gear low speed old chairs or high-speed/gondola new engineering marvels.

Day Lodge & Amenities: Mid mountain lodges easy access, base of hill pubs with relaxed atmosphere.
Cross Country Trails: First, do they have some, are they groomed, quality of trails.

Price of ticket: lower price is better. This is comparing day pass vs. seasonpass in alpine and nordic.

Distance to Town: What is the drive to the nearest town. I don't want to be needing to drive a few hours to home or hotel.

Quality of town:  What is the town's vibe and feel.  Pubs, restaurants, cool coffee shops...

Accomodation: Are there places to stay or rent in the area.


Please see following Mountain Resorts Review:

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
Revelstoke Mountain Resort
Silver Star Resort
Sun Peaks Resort
Fernie Alpine Resort
Mount Washington Alpine Resort

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Review

Stats
Vertical: 1260m (4133ft)
Skiable Acres: 2800
Highest elevation 2450m (8033ft)
Runs: 120
Inbound Chutes: 85
Avg Snowfall Base: 252cm
Avg Snofall Alpine: 650cm
Lifts: 4 total - High Speed 8-person Gondola,  2 fixed grip quads, and a 2-person old chair.
Ticket Price: $83.75 Adult Day, $1399 Adult season pass.
Time Driving to hill: 25 minutes (14km)

The score is based on these quality points out of 10.

Terrain: 8.0 - Very steep and lots of open chute areas to really let loose. Up to 10km long trail from top to bottom gives a good workout for circuits of the gondola. The bottom is quite flat with a long winding traverse/trail to get down to the bottom.

Snow Pack: 8.0 - Decent with an average consistent base level covering up everything. There are almost two different mountains here with snow levels. The upper bowls get almost 3x the amount the lower flats get.

Snow Management: 7.0 - Many open glades are left raw and open, the lower mountain has too many groomer for my liking, but with the flat terrain there is nothing they can do.

Lift Access: 6.5 - The high speed 8-person gondola saves this mountain. It is only 12 minutes and reaches the full vertical of the mtn of 1260m. The problem is that you need to ride the slow fixed-gear quad if you want to stay in the powder at the top. Or else you have to make your way down to the gondola every time.

Day Lodge & Amenities: 8.0 - It has everything that you would want, a comfortable day lodge lunch area, nice washrooms, a ski gear shop, a few restaurant/pubs with indoor and outdoor seating. 

Cross Country Trails: 9.0 - Excellent groomed trails just past the base of the resort. Groomed daily with a new stand alone xc lodge for warming up in. 

Ticket Price: 6.0 - Quite pricy for my liking ($83.75) for a day pass, but lots of good terrain opened up. XC skiing was ($10) day pass, in my mind worth it due to the amenities at trails. 

Distance to Town: 7.0 - A bit of a hill climb (14km) up to the base of the hill, with a single lane bridge over the Columbia river slowing things down if there is lots of traffic. 

Quality of Town: 7.0 - The old downtown is cozy an cute with a multiple of ski-shops, coffee shops and bars/restaurants. The town is split by two large highways that creates a big divide in town. 

Accomodation: 7.0 - There are a new cabins on-mountain or above the pubs and bars, a very affordable 

Overall: 73.5

View of the hill from the bottom

 

 

Cross Country ski lodge