Joe Azougar sat on his cabin porch on a remote plot of land not too far from Cochrane, Canada enjoying his breakfast when a bear crashed through the woods charging towards him. His German Sheppard sprang up and ran at the bear, attacking it while Joe ran inside his cabin, slamming the door. Moments later, [ more... ]

Two off-duty police officers in British Columbia responded to a report of an erratic driver launching his Mitsubishi Lancer into 65-foot-deep ravine. One of the officers had crampons in his vehicle to climb to the stranded car, and the other tied a harness out of a couple dog leashes he found in his vehicle. Police [ more... ]

A new law requiring skiers in Nova Scotia to wear helmets took effect yesterday, and scofflaws will be subject to $250 fines. Over the past decade this region of Canada has seen about one traumatic brain injury per year, and the new law seeks to reduce concussions. I suppose we get all “nanny state” upset [ more... ]

Some Canadian National Parks are now requiring hikers to carry bear spray. They’ve also banned cycling and dogs during peak bear activity months. The law falls under their National Park Act, and fines could be as much as $25k for not carrying spray, though it’s hard to imagine them actually charging someone that much for [ more... ]

A camper in Canada woke up in the middle of the night to a bear peeing in the woods next to his tent. He did what anyone in a dead panic who happened to be holding a gun and had no firearms training would do – he shot at the noise. Turned out just to [ more... ]

The most useful equipment in your first aid kit? A cell phone. A 45-year-old Canadian man managed to scramble onto a ledge after getting off trail and then realizing he could no longer go up or down. He was in shorts and a T-shirt, but the ridge must not have been too small since he [ more... ]

It’s one thing if you’re awaiting the opening of a lift while avalanche work is done, it’s another if they have to delay opening the avalanche work because skiers are in the blast zone. That’s not safe for anyone. This season Whistler-Blackcomb has had a bit of an issue this year with backcountry skiers skinning [ more... ]

Those long, dark, cold winters really take a toll on the Canadian psyche. Ice canoe racing is growing in popularity in Quebec. What used to be the only way across the river is now a team event in which crews run, paddle, and hopefully avoid swimming from one side of the river to the other. [ more... ]

Canada, or ‘America’s Hat,’ has an extraordinary amount of snowy hillsides that abut roads in their own national parks. This video shows how the park drops bombs from helicopters to run avalanche control. Lighting the charges and throwing them out the door of a chopper is pretty insane. At least if something goes wrong when you’re doing it outside you can run away.

via Adventure Journal

Sunshine Village ski area in Banff fired four longtime staffers days after a ski patroller reprimanded the resort owner’s son skiing out of bounds. The junior patroller busted the kid with four friends and told them to get back inbounds. Twelve days later four of the resort staff were fired by the kid’s dad after [ more... ]