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Calgary Outdoor Club - Volunteers
|  | President and Membership Coordinator
Ben Cheong
| Ben has been in Alberta since 2005, having first lived in Lake Louise and now Calgary. He grew up spending most of his time cycling, hiking, backpacking in the hot humid tropical jungles of Singapore and Malaysia. Living on an island, he spent a lot of time sea kayaking and was a gym rat. He much prefers the cooler drier atmosphere around here.
These days, Ben enjoys hiking, backpacking, camping, kayaking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and is usually trying to learn something new. He also has wanderlust and likes to travel to places he hasn�t been to before.
His pace is usually tortoise like, mainly because he�s a slowpoke, is genetically anemic and tends to bring too much unnecessary things in his pack.
On his days off, if he is not doing any of the above, you�ll find him at the movies or out riding his motorcycle.
The duties of the President include:
- Promoting the objects of the Society
- Promoting membership in the Society
- Making policies for managing and operating the Society
- Approving an annual budget for the Society
- Paying all expenses for operating and managing the Society
- Maintaining all accounts and financial records of the Society
Contact Ben or any Board member at exec@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
As Membership Coordinator, Ben is responsible for:
- Managing the membership database
- Answering e-mails to the "info" mailbox
- Developing rapport and fostering a friendly, comfortable atmosphere with people inquiring about the club
- Writing/compiling the club newsletter
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Ben Cheong. |
|  | Treasurer
Louise P
| Louise was born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, lived in Ottawa for about 14 years and then moved to Calgary in 1998 to be closer to the mountains (of course!!). She is an avid skier and snowboarder, and is currently an instructor of both at C.O.P. (in addition to working for the Government as a Federal Crown Prosecutor). She is also an avid mountain biker and bikes to work all year long (yes, even when it's -30, but it's a short, flat ride...:). She also hikes, roller blades, runs, golfs - pretty much anything that will get her outside and keep her active and challenged. She does most things at a crazy level and probably should be slowing down by now (although there's little sign of that happening :)
Louise coordinates mainly ski/snowboard events in the winter and mountain biking events in the summer. She has travelled all over Europe and parts of Asia, and is planning her next big trip to New Zealand (to bike or ski/snowboard there, of course)! She now has a wonderful sidekick (Oreo) which she tries to incorporate into all of her activities (although she hasn't found a snowboard that will fit 4 paws yet).
The duties of the Board include:
- Promoting the objects of the Society
- Promoting membership in the Society
- Making policies for managing and operating the Society
- Approving an annual budget for the Society
- Paying all expenses for operating and managing the Society
- Maintaining all accounts and financial records of the Society
Contact Louise or any Board member at exec@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Louise P. |
|  | Director at Large
Jeremy
| Jeremy moved to Calgary in 2004 to pursue work and the great outdoors like most of the local population. He has traveled all over Canada, United States, Europe and Jamaica. He now calls Calgary home after living here longer than any other place. When he is not participating in active sports, his hobbies include motorcycles, website programming, flying kites and R/C airplanes, and increasing his free t-shirt wardrobe at volunteer events.
Hockey is Jeremy’s primary sport, but other favorites include: hiking, mountain biking, crossfit, running, rafting, tennis, rollerblading, downhill skiing and anything else fun and adventurous.
Jeremy is drawn to the club by the camaraderie and the community spirit of the active outdoor lifestyles. He will be coordinating primarily hiking, cycling and running events, but may get creative from time to time. The pace will be moderate, accommodating everything from rookies to elite mountain ninjas! Attitudes must be friendly and supportive, with an occasional hint of fun-spirited competition! Beginners are always welcomed and encouraged to come out! Jeremy is also open to suggestions and doesn’t mind coordinating events by request!
The duties of the Board include:
- Promoting the objects of the Society
- Promoting membership in the Society
- Making policies for managing and operating the Society
- Approving an annual budget for the Society
- Paying all expenses for operating and managing the Society
- Maintaining all accounts and financial records of the Society
Contact Jeremy or any Board member at exec@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Jeremy. |
|  | Director at Large
Tony W.
| Tony grew up in England and came to Calgary in 2004 for work as a Manufacturing and Test Engineer. Tony enjoys many sports including hiking, backcountry camping (including in winter), mountain and road biking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, ice skating, kayaking, running and rollerblading. He also likes hockey (Flames season ticket holder), sailing (holds a Canadian Yachting Association day skipper license), photography (holds a SAIT photography certificate), website design and fixing his friends’ computers.
Tony plans on coordinating hiking, cycling, backpacking and snowshoeing events. He is considered a hardcore outdoor enthusiast who enjoys challenging activities and doesn’t get deterred by the variable weather. However, he plans to coordinate slower pace events initially, and then gradually introduce higher rated events. Tony prefers to stick to the planned itinerary; however he will consider side trips as long as safety and return times are not an issue. His priorities are for people to have fun, stay safe, enjoy the event and encourage friends to join the COC.
Tony’s all time favourite trip is a toss up between traveling around Costa Rica, which included a New Year’s Eve horseback riding trip around an active volcano followed by a dip in a hot pool watching the volcano spurt at night, and a trip to Morocco which included tenting overnight in the desert after riding a camel all day. His favourite COC event was his first winter camping experience to the Point campsite, which involved snowshoeing, setting up camp, carving seats in the snow and ice around the fire, and making new friends.
The duties of the Board include:
- Promoting the objects of the Society
- Promoting membership in the Society
- Making policies for managing and operating the Society
- Approving an annual budget for the Society
- Paying all expenses for operating and managing the Society
- Maintaining all accounts and financial records of the Society
Contact KTony or any Board member at exec@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Tony W.. |
|  | Club Founder Event Coordinator
Rhonda S
| Rhonda is a software developer, originally from Red Deer, living in Calgary (most of the time) since 1993. She is the founder of the Calgary Outdoor Club, and therefore its first president and dictator (and, naturally, its very first ex-president, as of Oct 2005).
She stole the Outdoor Club idea from the Atlanta Outdoor Club, which was started by a friend during Rhonda's 14-month stay in Atlanta. The COC was the third 'sister' club after the AOC and MOC ( Maryland Outdoor
Club), and has now spawned four more clubs, the TOC (Toronto Outdoor Club), EOC (Edmonton Outdoor Club), CCC (Calgary Culture Club), and V-ROC (Vancouver Regional Outdoor Club).
Due to asthma, Rhonda is a slow (but enthusiastic) hiker. Rhonda hikes year-round, with snow shoeing and x-c ski events supplementing the winter hiking schedule. Do note, however, that she is a fair-weather hiker and in the event of yukky weather will either move a hike to a different location (if the weather's nicer somewhere else), or cancel/reschedule the hike if it's yukky everywhere. During bear season, Rhonda is a "hike nazi", keeping her hikers in tight groups of six or more in bear country. Her hikes are often posted at a slower pace, with an average of 3-4km/hour.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Rhonda S. |
|  | Partner Data Manager
Larissa
| Larissa has lived in Alberta for most of her life, except for five formative years in England. She loves England's history, art and architecture as well as its proximity to Europe. She enjoyed playing the role of the north American abroad. She stayed long enough to obtain British citizenship and then, like many Brits, she emigrated. The two things, largely, that have formed her are a love of English literature and the Canadian Rockies. Her mother, who was President of the Rocky Mountain Ramblers, got her into hiking when she was 17. It seems to have stuck as she has been doing it ever since.
Her outdoor interests include hiking, mountain biking and (learning to play) tennis in summer and x-country skiing in the winter. She likes a moderate to fast pace for her events as she is a bit of an adrenalin junkie but she will never knowingly lose anyone.
Her indoor interests include literature, history, politics, current events, travel, movies, music, architecture, colour and design. She welcomes a good debate, particularly as her views are not always popular. A word of warning: she loves to laugh.
As Partner Data Manager, Larissa is responsible for:
- Communicating with partners and sponsors
- Entering/updating partner and sponsor information (ie. banner ads, content on Partners and Sponsors page)
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Larissa. |
|  | Safety Committee Member
Ben Wards
| During the summer, Ben enjoys venturing off trail into remote areas of the Rockies. He enjoys discovering scrambles not in Kane’s books. He likes to keep the size of his groups small and likes to stay together! In the winter, he has an addiction for making turns. He has had a season pass at Sunshine for the last couple of years and can’t get enough of the place. When his addiction to making turns has been tempered, he likes to explore the countless valleys of the Rockies and Columbia, ski touring on skinny and fat skis. Group members are expected to help out on route finding, decision making, and sharing chocolate with the coordinator. Ben is self-admittedly gramatically challenged and can't spell worth a darn, but don't hold that against him - his events are fantastic!
As a Safety Committee Member, Ben is responsible for:
- Assisting the Board with safety policy and procedure changes
- Monitoring COC events and ensuring they comply with the Safety Policy
- Reviewing and updating the Safety Policy as required
- Answering inquiries sent to safety@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Ben Wards. |
|  | Safety Committee Member
Marko Stavric
| | Marko is a quiet guy and prefers to lead by example. He’s been a resident of Calgary since 1990, arriving here at the age of 11
from former Yugoslavia. He spends most of his weekends in the mountains, enjoying the peaceful pace of the Canadian Rockies.
He stumbled upon the Calgary Outdoor Club in 2004 and started coordinating events in 2005.
Though he prefers to organize scrambles and hikes he does enjoy a variety of other outdoor activities. He likes a moderate to quick
pace but will take time to enjoy the scenery, take photos and stop for lunches. He enjoys meeting new people and is eager to coordinate exploratory trips.
As a Safety Committee Member, Marko is responsible for:
- Monitoring COC events and ensuring they comply with the Safety Policy
- Reviewing and updating the Safety Policy as required
- Answering inquiries sent to safety@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Marko Stavric. |
|  | Lead Volunteer Coordinator
Martine
| Martine came to Calgary from Quebec many years ago to take an engineering position with an oil and gas company. She now manages administration for a global firm that specializes in oil and gas mergers and acquisitions.
She joined the COC in 2005 and soon began coordinating events. Her main interests are downhill skiing, mountain biking, road biking and cross-country skiing. She also enjoys traveling, movies and reading.
Martine is a die-hard skier and a moderate pace mountain biker. She generally sticks to her planned itinerary. A perfect event would involve skiing hard on a beautiful sunny day or mountain biking which ends with a great downhill.
As Lead Volunteer Coordinator, Martine is responsible for:
- Recruiting event coordinators from experienced and knowledgeable membership base
- Training and coaching event coordinators on club procedures
- Reviewing events posted on the COC calendar, excluding safety components (reviewed by the Safety Committee)
- On a quarterly basis, conducting a coordinator review
- Answering inquiries sent to volunteer@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
If interested in becoming a Coordinator, please review our Coordinator Checklist, and contact us with your interest at volunteer@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Martine. |
|  | Volunteer Coordinator and Difficulty Rating Auditor
Barbara B.
|
Barbara is a downtown person during the week, but always aims to escape on the weekends. She loves discovering new places, and areas that offer something unique generally make it to the top of her list. Throw in some bushwhacking or a view of a glacier and she will be there. In winter, snowshoes and the GPS take her events off the beaten path, while in summer, she aims to get higher to experience those great mountain views. As many of her events go off-trail, you should always come ready to explore. Bring a smile, and don't be in a rush to get back to the city.
Favourite hikes/scrambles/backpack events to date include Bow Hut, Cirque Peak, Mount Temple, Glacier Lake, Garden Wall, Grinnell Glacier, Birdwood Traverse, Mount Tyrwhitt, and Hiking in Arches and Canyonlands. Future plans include increasingly longer and more challenging hikes, scrambles and backpack events. There are so many places to discover, yet never enough weekends!
More distant goals include taking a mountaineering camp, scrambling in Colorado, maybe hiking the Dolomites, and a trek to Everest Base Camp for the thrill of being there when expeditions are beginning their summit push, to experience high altitude, make it to the icefall, and to simply get away from it all and experience a completely different culture. Go higher, go further, and you will experience things that others only dream of.
As the Difficulty Rating Auditor, Barbara assists the Volunteer Coordinator Squad in reviewing Difficulty Ratings of events when they are posted to ensure they are consistent with our Difficulty Rating scale.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Barbara B.. |
|  | Waiver Administrator and Lead Issues Corner Team
Michelle P
| Michelle is one of the few people around actually born in Calgary. After
spending some time in that other Alberta city (Edmonton), she returned in
2004 and rediscovered the mountains of her childhood. She discovered the
Calgary Outdoor Club in 2007, looking for someone to hike with
while her husband was out of town.
Michelle enjoys trying anything, including kayaking, canoeing, sailing, hot
air ballooning, hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing. She likes a slow to
moderate pace. Hardly ever without a GPS (or more accurately, her husband
Gord & his GPS), she is happy to take scenery stops and side trips without
worrying about getting lost. She firmly believes enjoying the day and the
company is the goal, not the top of the mountain.
Look for Michelle to organize easy to moderate cross country ski and snow shoe events
in the winter, and biking and hiking events in the summer, as well as anything
new that looks like fun. She doesn't let weather be a factor and will not
cancel trips unless the weather is really really bad.
As Waiver Administrator, Michelle is responsible for:
- Collecting waivers from club volunteers
- Recording waivers received on the web site
- Following up with volunteers on missing waivers
- Storing previous and current years' waivers in a safe location
- Answering e-mail inquiries sent to legal@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
As leader of our Issues Corner team, Michelle is responsible for:
- Reviewing, assessing and addressing complaints against COC members and volunteers
- Contact the Issues Corner team at complaint@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Michelle P. |
|  | Ambassador for Adults with Developmental Disabilities
David Meisner
| David is an avid outdoorsman and has been an enthusiastic participant in the Calgary Outdoor Club since July 2004. He has a developmental disability on the autism spectrum and is the COC’s Ambassador for Adults with Developmental Disabilities.
In addition to hiking, David participates in backpacking events, skiing, skating, snowshoeing, cycling, go-karting, laser tag, rollerblading, gymnastics and other sport/adventure activities, as well as our volunteer activities such as Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, Tree Wrapping in Fish Creek Provincial Park, and Trail Maintenance in Kananaskis Country. David attends sometimes with his mom, Margaret , or, if Marg isn’t into it (ie. go-karting, laser tag), David may attend with one of his favorite support partners. David’s other interests include off-highway quading and skidooing and he works at Totem Building Supplies part time.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by David Meisner. |
|  | Training Coordinator
Carolyn L
| Carolyn has been living in the west for over 18 years. Most of that time has been in Calgary, but she did spend 5 years living in a small community on the Alaska Highway. Originally from Toronto, she was lured here by those amazing, inspiring mountains and cleaner air.
Carolyn discovered scrambling when she joined the Calgary Outdoor Club and scrambling is, without question, her passion. She’s not concerned about beating anyone’s time to the summit and is perfectly content leading from behind when necessary. Safety is more important than bagging a peak and she sticks mostly to the easy/moderate scrambles but will take on a more challenging peak as long as it doesn’t involve razor edge ridges. ‘Interval Hiking’ is what Carolyn likes best (hike at a moderate pace for awhile, stop, take pictures, hike at a moderate pace, stop, take pictures, and so on). Carolyn has been known to bushwhack and will deviate from a planned route if an alternate route makes more sense or offers hands on scrambling.
Carolyn also coordinates hikes from time-to-time (to develop greater endurance for scrambles) and occasionally posts family hikes, so she can share her love of the outdoors with her children. However, when children are included, it’s all about the pace they are comfortable with and only in good weather. Carolyn also enjoys downhill skiing, speed walking, sport climbing, biking, camping, canoeing, birding (with her kids) and snowshoeing. She plans to add Kayaking to the list. Other interests include music, writing, photography, dancing, and traveling.
Carolyn’s favourite trips to date include Mount Edith, Mist Mountain and of course, Yamnuska (she met her husband on Yam).
As Training Coordinator, Carolyn is responsible for:
- Investigating opportunities for training and development
- Organizing training sessions for volunteers and members
- Answering inquiries sent to training@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Carolyn L. |
|  | Training Coordinator
Sylvia(1) A.
| Sylvia lived in Calgary and Banff many years ago, and returned to Calgary in 1996. In between, she travelled the world, and lived in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Her outdoor interests include biking, inline skating, ice skating, hiking, snow shoeing, downhill and cross country skiing and camping. In the winter, she supplements with swimming, pilates and weight training. She believes in the importance of giving back to her community and volunteers extensively with various organizations throughout the year.
Sylvia coordinates urban biking, inline skating and urban hikes as well as bowling and other social events for the COC.
As Training Coordinator, Carolyn is responsible for:
- Investigating opportunities for training and development
- Organizing training sessions for volunteers and members
- Answering inquiries sent to training@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Sylvia(1) A.. |
|  | Content Editor
Lynda
| Originally from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Lynda has lived in Calgary since 1980, with a nine-year break spent in Invermere and Golden, British Columbia. She’s called Calgary home (again) since 2001, and has been an enthusiastic member of the COC since 2005.
With the exceptions of hiking, skiing, cooking and eating, this COC content editor loves nothing better than to fix a typo, spelling mistake or an awkward sentence.
Lynda also enjoys snowshoeing, camping, canoeing and dabbling in other outdoor activities as well as social events, and is always open to new adventures.
As the Content Editor, Lynda is responsible for:
- Ensuring correctness and accuracy of website content
- Ensuring correctness and accuracy of event details and write-ups
- Ensuring correctness and accuracy of member data, including calendar postings
If you notice any problems with the website content, please send them to
Lynda at content@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Lynda. |
|  | Content Editor
Wendy Wong
| Wendy has called Calgary home since she was 3. She didn't discover winter sports until forced out of hibernation due to a volunteer commitment. Once she realized she was not going to freeze to death, she decided to check out what she had been missing. Unable to convince friends to join
her in her quest of things new and different, she ventured out on her own - from paragliding to snow shelter building. Her goal is to try at least one new sport (or race) per year, so when she saw dogsledding on the COC event list, she knew she had to join!
With an art and teaching background, Wendy is able to spot a typo in less than 30 seconds and constantly fights the urge to correct all spelling errors and crooked wall hangings. However, members need not be afraid of (or avoid) her as she has no authority to expel you from the
club for spelling mistakes!
When she is not running or playing volleyball or hiking/snowshoeing, Wendy is out enjoying her favorite or new culinary and cultural/artistic happenings. She's also fond of curling.
As the Content Editor, Wendy is responsible for:
- Ensuring correctness and accuracy of website content
- Ensuring correctness and accuracy of event details and write-ups
- Ensuring correctness and accuracy of member data, including calendar postings
If you notice any problems with the website content, please send them to
Lynda at content@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Wendy Wong. |
|  | Photo Historian
Geoff C
| Geoff has lived in Calgary for almost 10 years, but grew up in Vancouver and Victoria BC. He enjoys hiking, scrambling, snowshoeing, skiing, canoeing, backpacking and car camping. He seeks the best powder snow on the mountain when downhill skiing. His indoor favourites include bowling just for fun, reading action novels, and for work, performing chemical laboratory testing.
Geoff likes to coordinate medium-sized groups travelling at a moderate pace. He likes to stop and take photographs whilst on the outing. He stays close to plans unless he spots something really interesting - and the group agrees to join him.
As one of our Photo Historians, Geoff is responsible for:
- Managing our Fotki albums, and posting photos submitted by club members.
- Selection and posting of photos to the slide show on our homepage
For photo related questions or submissions, Marg can be reached at photos@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Geoff C. |
|  | Photo Historian
Margaret M
| Marg was born in Taber and moved to Calgary right after high school with her high school sweetheart and now long-time husband.
Marg's outdoor interests include cycling, hiking, multi-night easy-to-moderate backpacking trips, cross-country skiing, skating and camping. She also enjoys gardening, off-highway motorbiking and snowmobiling. One of her passions involves assisting people with disabilities to be active and included in mainstream community life. She volunteers with Alberta Association for Community Living (www.aacl.org/), Calgary Community Living Society, and Autism Calgary (www.autismcalgary.com/)
She discovered the club through some hiking friends and joined in 2004. She likes the wide range of activities available for varying ability levels, and the friendly people. Marg coordinates cycling, hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, skating, camping and easy scrambling and caving events for the club.
If you sign up for one of her events, here are a few tips: Marg is a slow-paced hiker who likes to stop to enjoy the views, catch her breath and take photos. Marg's events may be cancelled at the last minute if snowfall warnings or possible unsafe driving conditions become an issue. Even though weather conditions may turn out to be wrong, she prefers to error on the side of caution for out-of-town events, and will usually offer an alternate (although perhaps different) activity.
As one of our Photo Historians, Marg is responsible for:
- Managing our Fotki albums, and posting photos submitted by club members.
- Selection and posting of photos to the slide show on our homepage
For photo related questions or submissions, Marg can be reached at photos@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Margaret M. |
|  | Photo Historian
Bee
| Bee moved to Calgary in June 2011 from the UK due to her partner’s work. She took early retirement just before leaving the UK after over 30 years in education as a teacher, lecturer and administrator.
She loves hiking and biking, and wants to take advantage of the winter activities while in Canada. She wants to try cross-country skiing and snow shoeing which she has never done before. She also likes reading, local and social history, gardening and all aspects of food, especially eating!
She has found everyone at COC events incredibly welcoming and wanted to give back to the club by joining the volunteering team.
As one of our Photo Historians, Bee is responsible for:
- Managing our Fotki albums and posting photos submitted by club members.
- Selection and posting of photos to the slide show on our homepage
For photo related questions or submissions, Bee can be reached at photos@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Bee. |
|  | Webmaster
Ed
| The most important event in my life took place in Portland Oregon on May 6, 1922 about 2:00 AM in the morning, and it's all been downhill since. I grew up in Southern California near Los Angeles, eventually graduating from The University of Southern California as a chemical engineer after a brief break for the unpleasantness that ended in 1945.
After a couple of false starts, I went to work for Texaco, came to Canada in December 1971, and finished my career here in Calgary. I have three children (two boys and a girl). Both boys work in the oil patch and my daughter became an RN. Two of the grandchildren are geophysicists and the other four are still making their way through school and college.
My main interests these days are hiking and maintaining a web site (http://www.digestivedistress.com) for my daughter’s charitable organization, Gastroparesis and Dysmotilities Association. I hope to coordinate a few hikes for the club. As a doddering old timer, I will probably have to limit myself to the easy ones like Sentinel Pass, but if the sun should hide behind a cloud, don’t expect the hike to be canceled.
(Editor's Note: Don't let Ed's self-deprecating humor fool you... he's a strong hiker - hiked the West Coast Trail in summer 2007, is often at the front of the pack, and is usually armed with his fancy GPS for route finding and exploring).
As the club's webmaster, Ed is responsible for:
- Updating content on static informational pages of the web site
- Updating web site options for site formatting and functioning
- Updating announcements on the club's home page
- Creating and updating club e-mail addresses/forwarders
- Updating volunteer credentials, photos and bios as required
- Answering e-mail inquiries sent to webmaster@calgaryoutdoorclub.com
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Ed. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since April 11)
Aga
| Aga came to Calgary in 2005 and was originally from Poland. She is an interior designer who likes to tie together functionality, simple and sustainable solutions, and last but not least good humor.
She likes to challenge herself with 1500 meter scrambles, 35 km backpacking days, snowshoeing in -30C weather and 60 km cross country skiing weekends. She enjoys being with her family, travelling, cats, music, yoga, gardening, reading, watching documentary movies and going to the theatre.
Aga plans to coordinate moderate to difficult cross country ski trips and scrambles as well as hikes, backpacking trips, snowshoeing and other outdoor events for members of all ages. On her trips, she ensures the group is safe, no one stays behind, and people have a great time. She goes to the mountains rain or shine, and will cancel the trip only if it compromises people’s safety.
Her motto is “life is what we make of it!”
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Aga. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Mar 10)
Alastair Smith
| Alastair was born in Scotland, lived in New Zealand for 18 years, Australia for 3, has lived in Calgary since 1990 and has been a member of COC since 2004.
He has travelled in Europe and Africa, climbed Mount Kenya, travelled in South East Asia, Mexico and Peru. In remote areas of Peru he was told by villagers that he was the first Canadian to visit there. He speaks English and can get by in Spanish, but could do with a bit more practice.
When he is not working or dancing Casino Rueda, a style of Cuban Salsa, he likes to go camping, hiking and snowshoeing with a bit of backpacking and whitewater rafting thrown in for good measure.
His events are moderate paced and always end up in a good pub where the event mates can enjoy some food and a few drinks together.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Alastair Smith. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 09)
Allie B (On The Go)
| Allie and her partner, Dan, relocated to Calgary in 1999, after spending their honeymoon camping in the Rocky Mountains.
On the east coast, she took full advantage of every opportunity to get out and hike, camp, kayak, canoe and rock climb. She completed several Nova Scotia Outdoor Leadership Development (NSOLD) courses, as well as kayak and canoe safety courses.
Over the last decade, a desk job contributed to steadily gaining weight and becoming more and more unhealthy. At 40, she became a rebel and obtained her motorcycle license and a rather tasteful tattoo (much to her husband’s chagrin).
Last year, after seeing Mt. Blanc up close, she decided she would start getting in shape to eventually summit it by age 50. She began working out, but continually had the call of the great outdoors. This lead her to search hiking clubs in Calgary online, and to the COC.
Her events will encompass several different types of activities from socials to (eventually) more strenuous backpacking and hiking trips. Allie believes that everyone has it within them to live a healthy life and have fun while doing it. Because of this, her events will be all-inclusive, slow to moderate pace, and encourage those who are new to outdoor life to keep at it.
Her other interests are her dogs, Newman and Blue, travel, music, cooking, travel, experiencing different languages and culture, and did she mention, TRAVEL?!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Allie B (On The Go). |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 08)
Andrea
| I came to Calgary in 1997 when the "perfect" job and my family drew me back. I spend my working hours playing in the dirt and warping young minds.
I'm a mountain biking junkie and love a trail with lots of challenge, but I'm willing to do just a workout or a social ride also. When I can't hit the trail on my bike, I'll do an easy to intermediate cross country ski, a road ride, or hit Nose Hill for a hike with the dog.
I'm looking forward to getting involved in some new activities, too and enjoy just chillin' sometimes.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Andrea. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Feb 09)
Andrew S
| Andrew was born near Kingston Ontario and followed the call of the mountains to Calgary in 1992. He is into almost any outdoor activity and joined the COC to meet like-minded people with a passion for the outdoors. When he’s not outside Andrew coordinates GIS and mapping for a Pipeline Engineering firm.
In the winter Andrew is a die-hard downhill and cross-country skier. In the summer he enjoys hiking, scrambling, trail running, mountain biking, backpacking and camping. He usually prefers events that have a quick pace and higher difficulty rating, but from time to time he also does more moderate events.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Andrew S. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Nov 09)
Anna-Lisa
| I was born and raised in the cold and flat terrain known as Winnipeg. I eventually left the cold terrain and moved to (an almost as cold and flat place) Edmonton to pursue graduate studies, and after five years I moved to Calgary in 2001 to complete an internship. I secured a great job after my internship ended in 2002 (in Student and Enrolment Services at the University of Calgary) and have been there ever since.
In the summertime you can likely find me on the tennis courts or on hiking day trips to the mountains. In the winter I often stick closer to the city, participating in activities like urban hikes and volleyball (and we can’t forget social events!), but I hope to get out more into the mountains during the winter with activities like snowshoeing, and I’d like to learn how to cross-country ski.
I coordinate events such as easy to moderate hikes, urban hikes, social events, and tennis. I hike at a slow pace and enjoy hiking with other slower paced folks while enjoying the scenery and keeping the group together.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Anna-Lisa. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Mar 09)
Barbara (Babs)
| I was born and raised in Calgary. Went to Toronto for too long, and took the long way back to Calgary by stopping in Vancouver. After experiencing 6 weeks of straight rain and my feet starting to web, I decided this wasn't the place to be, and the day after my contract ended, packed up and headed home. That was the year it flooded in Calgary. Yes, I do have a sense of humour.
I am an almost eternal optimist, and have a "stick with it" attitude. I am the same with the weather. I pretty much will go out in any kind of weather. Be prepared!
I enjoy hiking, biking, social events, and adrenaline activities. I have a very dry sense of humour. I am an "A" type hiker, with a "B" attitude. I do insist on hiking together, especially on difficult terrain or areas with bears.
I have backpacked on my own in Australia, New Zealand, Uganda, Tanzania, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. I am working on my next extended trip.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Barbara (Babs). |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 08)
Barbara
| Barbara came to Calgary in 2006 attracted by the wilderness of Canada. She's originally from Budapest, Hungary. She now works as an SAP analyst for an oil company.
Her main outdoor interests are hiking, scrambling and downhill skiing. Her other interests include geology, traveling and different cultures. Barbara plans to coordinate hikes, scrambles, x-country and downhill skiing events. She will go out rain or shine; a true diehard. She prefers a slow to moderate pace because of her asthma. She is open to taking side trips but is mindful of the impact to the group of changing her itinerary.
Her perfect day would involve scrambling up a difficult peak in Jasper and jumping into Miette hot springs afterwards. She feels that the most beautiful country she has traveled to is Iceland. The best adventure she has ever had was traversing Pierre Saint Martin cave in the Pyrenees.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Barbara. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Mar 05)
Barry McConnell
| | Barry was born in Edmonton, and moved to Calgary at a very young age. He comes from a large family, having 7 brothers and sisters. Barry has been employed with Calgary Coop for 25 years.
Barry's interests are varied but animals, sports and social functions are at the top of his list. His outdoor interests include camping, downhill skiing, walking his dog “Chico”, and bike riding on the city bike paths. He also enjoys a variety of sports, including volleyball, hockey, ball hockey, tennis, and golf. Going for dinner, movies, shooting pool, games, and dancing top his social list.
Barry joined the COC in Dec 2004 after hearing about it from a friend. He primarily is interested in organizing social and sporting events. He describes himself as "not an avid hiker", but has given it a try now that he’s volunteering. Barry is a wonderful person to be around and is one to make you laugh.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Barry McConnell. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 07)
Beth
| Beth has lived in Calgary since 1988 and has found a passion for activities outdoors and in the mountains. She started by being a Ski Friend at Lake Louise where she would show Lake Louise guests some of the best runs and best snow at Lake Louise. Now she would like to explore the outdoors with others from Calgary. Her interests include skiing (both down hill and cross country), hiking, backpacking, skating (both ice and in-line), snowshoeing, cycling, kayaking � and is up for new adventures.
Beth is interested in coordinating trips that have a good fitness component - but can also stop and take lots of photos and bask in the amazing part of the world that we live in.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Beth. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Mar 07)
Britta
| Britta grew up in Edmonton but has no problem conceding that Calgary is a terrific place to live. She moved to Calgary in 2006 largely because of the opportunities for outdoor pursuits.
In the summmer, Britta is usually out mountain biking and hiking, where as in the winter, cross-country skiing is her thing. On events that she coordinates, she likes to keep a brisk pace. Her favourite trails in the Calgary area are too numerous to mention, but she is always on the lookout for new favourites and so often finds herself in unfamiliar territory--'have map will travel'.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Britta. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Aug 11)
Bruce Cl
| Almost a native Calgarian, Bruce moved from the frozen north (Edmonton) at the tender age of 1. As a Calgary city kid, he grew up with family in the oil patch, so after college, he promptly decided to take the different path of working in sales and marketing for providers of vehicle/industrial components. Although he lived in Calgary, he travelled extensively. Career changes led him to a Calgary downtown oil patch position and he now has more time to get out of the office and explore surrounding areas.
Being a long term distance runner who had to curtail that activity, he now frequently rides his mountain bike. Thanks to a friend who suggested the COC, his off-road mountain biking technical abilities are improving (maybe it’s the bike), and he tends to ride at a moderate pace (definitely the bike). Bruce plans to coordinate some intermediate level rides at a reasonable pace, some technical rides and some rides of varied lengths. Fitness, outdoor fun and camaraderie are his priorities.
Bruce is not averse to getting caught by a sudden shower, but he appreciates fair weather riding much more than foul. He likes to plan, but he also appreciates flexibility which allows requests from the group.
Since Bruce usually forgets his own camera, please bring one.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Bruce Cl. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Oct 09)
Bruce F
| Bruce was born in Ottawa, but he considers Calgary to be his hometown and
Banff his playground. He loves hiking, x-country skiing, and above all,
socializing after an event. Bruce likes to maintain a moderate pace for
events, yet doesn't mind if the group takes its time or even stop to take in
the scenery. He tends to stick to the "Classic" hikes and gets inspiration
from Kathy and Craig Copeland's "Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies."
Bruce's main goal as a coordinator is for everyone to have fun.
In his remaining spare time, Bruce is either busy working on a BA in
European History or spending "quality time" with his little furry friend
named Rusty.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Bruce F. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Aug 07)
Carol Guthrie
| I'm originally from Edmonton, but spent 8 years in New Zealand before
returning to Canada in 1989. My passion is the outdoors so it just made
sense to move to Calgary rather than Edmonton.
I spent a number of years hiking, backpacking and scrambling, but once I
started mountain biking I was hooked. I love the speed and the technical
challenges of biking. I am also an avid skier with backcountry skiing being
at the top of the list, followed by downhill and cross country skiing. I'm a
bit of an adrenaline junkie, and love anything that is fast and gets my
heart pounding.
Most of my trips will be intermediate to advanced and at a reasonable or
moderate+ pace. Not all trips will necessarily go as planned as weather and
conditions change and I like to be adaptable. I joined COC in spring '07
and am keen to met new people to share adventures with.
Check out some of my adventures at
http://www.headwaysystems.com/Personal.htm.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Carol Guthrie. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Oct 07)
Casey Zayko
| Casey is originally from Poland and came to Canada in 1990. He studied Anthropology at Warsaw University, taught history, and has been a small business owner since 1994.
His favorite hikes in the Rocky Mountains include Tonquin Valley, Mt. Robson, Assiniboine PP that included a face to face encounter with a grizzly sow and her two cubs. Besides that, his favorite hike was celebrating his 50th birthday on top of Kilimanjaro with a windchill of –20C in the company of his fast freezing guide.
Casey is a landscape photographer by passion, and therefore most of his events will be photography oriented. He plans to do some overnight trips to scenic locations to witness and photograph the incredible colors of the sunrise and the sunset skies, but you have to be willing to pay the price and carry your heavy backpack to get there.
Get your cameras ready!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Casey Zayko. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 10)
Chris M
| | Christine was born and raised in Calgary. She deserted Calgary to spend a few
years on the coast while going to school at the Univeristy of British Columbia. While there, she discovered multi-day trips (backpacking, kayaking, you name it she
does it). She is now back in Calgary working as an occupational therapist in the hospital during the week and spending the rest of her free time in the mountains.
In the summer, Christine enjoys climbing, running, hiking and
backpacking, and kayaking, and is starting to get into mountain
biking. In the winter, she can be found on a pair of skis (or under a pair of skis)
backcountrying. Preferably cross-country but also getting into Alpine
Touring and sometimes even completing overnight trips despite a
intolerance for cold!
Christine doesn't often back out of trips because of weather. She has
been known to climb outdoors in the rain, ski in anything from -30C to
+15C slush, and generally continue on regardless. Pace is usually
moderate to quick.
Favorite trips of all time include a kayak trip in the Haida Gwaii and
a backpack trip to Berg Lake.
Another interest is traveling the world with having completed several
trips to Europe recently she is ready to move on to another continent.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Chris M. |
|  | Event Coordinator (since Dec 10)
Claudine
| Claudine is originally from Montreal and moved to Calgary in 2007. She works in finance and loves the outdoors. She is interested in fitness, health, learning, exploring, dancing, living and laughing! Her favorite types of trips have included backpacking through Europe, camping in Canada and the US, and snorkeling in the ocean while on a sunny winter vacation.
She plans to coordinate a variety of events including cycling, hiking, camping, canoeing, horseback riding, team sports, skating, snowshoeing and skiing. Her events will be mostly at moderate pace with fitness and fun in mind. Weather is not usually a big concern unless safety is an issue. She will generally keep to the plan, with some flexibility to accommodate surprises or group requests.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Claudine. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Feb 09)
Dan T
| Born and raised in Winnipeg, Dan spent many enjoyable days canoeing on lakes and slow rivers in eastern Manitoba. His first career, as a pilot, took him to various locations in Western Canada including the interior of British Columbia where he lived for four years. It was at Red Mountain near Rossland that he learned what downhill skiing was really about, as opposed to what passes for it in Manitoba.
Dan moved to Calgary in 1980 and since then has broadened his outdoor interests to include horseback riding, cross-country skiing and walking/hiking in the foothills and mountains. He has ridden/skied/walked many of the trails between Sandy McNabb and Blue Rock west of Turner Valley. Since joining the Calgary Outdoor Club in May 2008 he has started kayaking and snowshoeing and hopes to continue those activities as well.
He likes moderate-paced events, and if more difficulty is desired prefers to increase the distance or elevation gain rather than speed up the pace. Hot weather, cold temperatures, snow – they don’t bother him (he’s from Winnipeg, remember). But if the forecast is for hot temperatures he would probably schedule an event for early in the morning to take advantage of the cooler temperatures.
He says that in southern Alberta we have to be prepared for rain from spring through fall, and to always make the best of what happens weather-wise, but he does not enjoy being out in steady rain.
Dan is open to suggestions that may make his outings more enjoyable for all participants but would want everyone to be in agreement before making any changes.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Dan T. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Jan 08)
Daryl B.
| Daryl didn’t embrace an active lifestyle until moving to Red Deer from Saskatoon in 2000. Although he joined the COC in 2004 as part of his ongoing quest to find opportunities to share his passion for the outdoors with others, he didn’t actually participate in his first COC event until moving to Calgary from Banff in May 2007. He is now a regular on the COC event circuit, and he loves the diversity of people and events that make up the club.
A lifelong fan of summer and sunshine, he enjoys all summer season has to offer using both foot and pedal power. He also likes healthy doses of things like tennis, inline skating, camping and lacrosse.
After trying to deny the existence of winter for most of his life, in December 2007, he took his first tentative, and cold, steps toward embracing it. Now you are just as likely to see him picking himself up off a cross country ski trail or skating on an outdoor rink. His biggest adjustment to tackling winter activities has been the need to let his hair grow for a day before going out so his toque will actually stay on his head. He is even contemplating the purchase of winter boots, a fashion accessory he has not owned for about 25 years.
Daryl enjoys exploring new trails and is always curious to know what is around the next bend. Regardless of the event, he has a tendency to treat it like it should be an Olympic time trial. He prefers a quick pace and enjoys the challenge of pushing to be at the front of the pack. It is rumoured he is looking to purchase a watch so he can more accurately gauge his time. In addition, he is particularly challenged by the “long” trails with no obvious destination because he feels it just isn’t right to turn back until you reach the end. Ultimately, however, it is about fun and safety. Everyone needs to return safe and sound in order to be in a position to enjoy the next adventure.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Daryl B.. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Apr 07)
Dave S
| Dave left Winnipeg to see the world and found himself being shipped off endlessly to exotic Wainwright Alberta. Dave thinks it was due to his efforts that the Jets have returned to Winnipeg.
Dave learned how to ski in a ditch outside of Winnipeg (where they call 150 feet vertical a ski hill). He likes downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking, camping, biking and social events. He joined the COC in February 2006 to find activity partners who weren’t golf addicts. He coordinates bike trips, hikes and slow-pitch baseball. On his hikes, expect to keep a “normal” pace and distance as Dave has no desire to bike the Tour de France nor climb Mt. Everest nor do four-minute miles. He generally sticks to the itinerary but is open to suggestions. His all-time favourite trips (when not being shipped off to Wainwright) include seeing the Northern Lights in Norway and hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Peru. He says please, no whiners on his events, and no hero cookies will be given for being the fastest or the best.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Dave S. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 07)
Debbie A
| Debbie has been in Calgary since 1992, and came here via Regina and then Winnipeg. Her outdoor interests include hiking, scrambling, kayaking, snow shoeing and x-country skiing. Debbie's all-time favorite trips include Athabasca Glacier Hike, gearing up with ice cleats, helmets and harnesses and rappelling into a crevasse in the Athabasca Glacier, and hiking Akamina Ridge in Waterton National Park.
Debbie coordinates moderate to difficult hikes and scrambles, and likes to go at a moderate pace in general and slow on steep ascents. She says if the day starts out with good weather but turns bad, she can still make a good day out of it. Not determined to sticking rigidly to her itinerary, Debbie prefers keeping an open mind to exploring and asks that you attend with the expectation of having fun and meeting new people.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Debbie A. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Mar 10)
Derek Y
| | Derek is originally from Edmonton, moving to Calgary in 2004 for work after graduating from university. During the week, Derek spends most of the time sitting while working as a Systems Analyst. In 2006, he started picking up hiking as a change of scenery on weekends and to stay relatively fit. He joined the COC in June 2009 to take advantage of even more outdoor opportunities. Since then, he regularly heads out to the mountains, expanding his season to include more winter activities.
In the summer, Derek enjoys the long day hikes that allow for more varied scenery. On occasion, he may also go mountain biking. In the winter, Derek goes snowshoeing, downhill skiing and is becoming more proficient at cross-country skiing. Perhaps one day he may also get half decent at ice skating and snowboarding. Beyond his outdoor pursuits, Derek is starting to become a regular runner, plays around with tech gadgets and continually learns new/improves existing skills such as photography and cooking. Tips would be much appreciated!
Derek generally likes to coordinate more difficult hikes at a moderate to quick pace, taking as few breaks as possible. However, he will take the time to capture the scenery when warranted. From time to time, he may decide to take the pedal off the metal to spend time learning more about his camera or go bushwhacking. Side trips are certainly OK if the group decides so, and only the most extreme of weather conditions can stop a trip from happening.
Some of Derek's favourite hikes include those around Lake O'Hara, Iceline Trail, Parker Ridge and Sentinel Pass. For 2010, he intends to do a lot of exploratory hikes (he's got more than he could possibly do this summer), including trips to points further away (Jasper National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park and possibly Glacier National Park in Montana).
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Derek Y. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Nov 07)
Diane I
| Diane grew up on a farm around Swan River, Manitoba, spent a few years in “Winterpeg”, and has been in the Calgary area since 1980 – living in Crossfield since 1990. She moved here to be closer to the mountains after a spring ski trip to Sunshine Village. Diane is a Graphic Artist, dances with a Ukrainian dance group and is a volunteer firefighter with the Crossfield Fire Department.
Diane’s outdoor interests include hiking, kayaking/canoeing, mountain biking, backpacking, camping, ultimate, running, snowshoeing and x-c skiing. She coordinates hikes, scrambles, snow shoe and x-c ski events for the COC and likes to keep a good pace on her events. It’s not all about the destination but embracing the journey to it. Stopping for photo opportunities and taking in the sites along the way are important. She says she takes more breaks on steep hikes going up and loves doing scree on the way down. She is a die-hard outdoors person, stopping only for “raging blizzards” and “hurricanes”. On her trips she likes to build in a little side exploring to make things more interesting whenever possible and likes getting together for food and refreshments afterwards if time permits.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Diane I. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Re-instated Sept 10)
Doug
| | After a decade in Japan, a year in Australia/South Pacific and nearly a year
in Africa, Doug returned to his home town and realized he'd made the
cardinal traveller's mistake - he'd left to see the world before taking time
to discover his own back yard. Heavier traffic not withstanding, he is
encouraged by the changes Calgary has undergone and loves the cultural
diversity the droves of migrants coming here have provided.
Doug events will focus on variety, inclusivity, learning and fun; in other words, providing the opportunity to try new experiences or build on previous ones in an enjoyable welcoming environment. In keeping with his easy going and moderate attitude, the pace of his events will typically, but not always, be easy to moderate. His challenge as a coordinator is to take his knowledge and experience of the outdoors to a higher level.
He is a regular practioner of the yogic tradition as it keeps him limber in
body, mind, and spirit. He also studies and practices Latin/ballroom dancing.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Doug. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since May 05)
Doug C
| Doug is originally from the Ottawa area, and switched offices and came to work in Calgary in 2003 in search of a better way of life (he was always working out here anyway, so it seemed like the natural thing to do). He joined the COC in June of that year to meet some people in his new home city.
Doug works as a geographer in the survey industry, and traveled for years conducting in-field airborne surveys. He is currently trying to find the right job in Calgary to settle into. He has a wide variety of interests, including hiking, biking, walking, dog walking and rollerblading. Other interests include web site design, reading, good movies and cooking (editor’s note: he’s REALLY good at the cooking thing).
Doug coordinates hikes, biking events, dog walking and some social events such as movies and game nights. He is a fair-weather wussy (his words) so if it’s raining, Doug ain’t going! He prefers a slower pace and is usually at the back of the pack keeping an eye on everyone in front of him. As a general rule, Doug sticks to his planned itinerary and likes to stick together as a group for safety reasons. His all-time favorite hikes are Rae Glacier and Healy Pass. His favorite overseas trip was to the Kalahari in Botswana.
Doug likes to have fun, be safe, have a good lunch, take lots of pictures, soak in the scenery, enjoy the day, and have a beer afterwards.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Doug C. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since June 07)
Duane
| Duane, a die hard Sens fan (is there any other kind?), was born and raised in Ottawa where he lived for almost 20 years before moving to Saskatchewan. After a few years working at “Corner Gas” in “Dog River”, he decided it was time for a change so he packed up and headed off to Calgary in 1998.
Duane has actively participated in team sports such as ice hockey and volleyball over the past several years. He also loves the mountains and enjoys exploring the many hiking trails within the Kananaskis region. His favourite hike of all time had to be Northover Ridge in June ’06 where he didn’t find his way back to the car until after 1:30 in the morning. Armed with only a pack of matches, he created a torch out of his walking stick burning most of his clothes by the time he had made it back to the parking lot (he’s been receiving flashlights as gifts ever since).
In the spring of 2007, Duane’s faithful hiking buddy moved away to Vancouver, kick starting Duane's interest in the COC. His plan was to seek out a fun group of people to share the odd hike with but ended up with a lot more than he bargained for. With so many great events to choose from he was instantly hooked and quickly decided he wanted to become more involved as a COC volunteer. Although he loves to hike it is more likely you will find him coordinating various sporting events such as soccer, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, hockey, ice skating and rafting.
Duane is always up for an outdoor activity and makes every effort to proceed with an event even if the weather is less than ideal (the friends he dragged along for an afternoon raft on the Bow during a hail storm will attest to that!!) He’s the type that generally sticks to the plan but is never opposed to modifying the itinerary if it is likely to improve the overall experience for the group. Duane’s number one priority on any event is to have fun and stay safe. He will always make an effort to ensure each participant feels included and comes away with a positive experience.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Duane. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Oct 04)
Edward Pothier
| Ed was born in Edmonton and grew up in Exshaw (wow... have you ever met someone who grew up in Exshaw?),attended grade school in Banff and became very familiar with the outdoor pursuits in the Canmore and Banff areas. He moved around Alberta a bit, and then came to Calgary for work about 22 years ago.
Ed is a paramedic with the City of Calgary EMS. His favorite outdoor activities include
walking, hiking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing and kayaking, and indoor favorites include
cooking and gardening. He joined the COC in September 2004 and joined the volunteer team soon after joining.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Edward Pothier. |
|  | Coordinator (Since Jan 12)
Egor T
| Egor was born in Russia and moved to Calgary in 2001. Since then, he has also lived in Vancouver for five years, but after a few sunless rainy Vancouver winters, he decided to move back to Calgary. He was glad to join the COC upon his return and meet some like-minded people.
Egor’s interests include hiking, kayaking, backpacking, scrambling, climbing, snowboarding, skiing and biking. His all-time favourite trip, due to its beauty and remoteness, was a 5 day backpacking adventure on Navarino Island in Chilean Patagonia. He plans to coordinate hikes, multi-day backpacking and paddling trips, as well as some climbing events. Egor prefers a steady pace, not too fast, but not too slow, and likes to stick to the plan but would also be up for some exploring if time and weather permits.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Egor T. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since May 09)
Eric (v2.0)
| Eric originally came from the Philippines. He didn't experience electricity until grade 5 so that's why he moved to the west. He used to work in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia for almost 10 years and was a certified party animal especially while in Singapore. He discovered his outdoorsy passion at the later stages of his stint in the Far East while working with a boss from Czech Republic.
During weekdays, you can find him in from of a computer coaxing his software programs to run, talking to microcomputer chips and begging them to work.
His outdoor exploits include hiking, scrambling, back country camping and mountain biking. During winter, he likes snow shoeing, anything to do with skis and winter camping. He also likes to travel and photography.
Eric coordinates day hikes, scrambles, back country camping, cross-country skiing and snow shoes. He usually does events in a slow to moderate pace, taking pictures, video clips and of course resting. Dawdlers and photographers are always welcome on his events.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Eric (v2.0). |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Jan 10)
Eva
| | Eva was born and grew up in the picturesque town of Carlsbad in the Czech Republic. Lived in Prague for a bit, moved to Germany for a while, spent a year in Australia, but decided that Canada is the place to be, for the time of being, anyways. The time of being has lasted for over 10 years now so there must be something about this place.
She got completely hooked by the mountains a couple years ago. She loves their beautiful scenery, and the challenge. As there is so much to do and explore in the Rockies, you will not see her doing the same event too many times in a row.
Her favourite all year round activity is scrambling but tends to mix it up with snowshoeing and x-country skiing in the winter time; hiking, backpacking, camping, swimming and biking in the summer time.
She favours moderate to faster pace for scrambling, and moderate pace for cross-country skiing as she is still learning. From time to time she will just take it “lazy”, snap some pictures and enjoy the nature. She likes to stick to the itinerary but doesn’t mind taking side trips if it’s OK with the group. She enjoys the outdoors rain or shine and will not cancel an event just because of a little drizzle or frost.
Outside of the mountains she likes yoga, good books, music, an occasional glass of wine and movies.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Eva. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since June 08)
Frank V
| Frank has been in Calgary since 1989 after spending a few years in Regina, Saskatchewan. The mountains and outdoor activities definitely played a big factor in his decision to move to Calgary and nowhere else.
All his free time has been filled with a variety of activities like tennis, hiking, scrambling, rock climbing and road biking. In the last few years, Frank added river kayaking and
mountain biking to his list of activities. One of the highlight of his biking has been the Golden Triangle in one day in 2004. Both downhill and cross-country skiing are in his repertoire for winter days.
You can join Frank most likely on biking and cross-country skiing trips with moderate to difficult ratings.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Frank V. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Aug 09)
Gerry (Gerrylite)
| I haven’t kissed the Blarney Stone because I don’t need to. I’m a Dubliner by birth and Calgarian by inclination and it is okay. I sent many happy weekends cycling, motorcycling and hiking the hills and glens of Ireland in my youth and it got better when I arrived in Calgary. More open spaces, real mountains ,snow, cold and definitely drier and sunnier weather. Once over my competitive road running stage I tackled Heart mountain, Grotto mountain and Big Sister. I was hooked.
Now I’m a co-ordinator I intend to share my bug for scrambling mountains particularly south of Calgary. Next year I hope to share 30 years of running experience perhaps by starting a weekly marathon/half marathon training sessions leading up to the Calgary Marathon.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Gerry (Gerrylite). |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Nov 04)
glenn davis
| Glenn was born in a little town called North Bay in Ontario and promptly
moved to a smaller town called Ottawa (native translation is "Land of Little
Sticks") when he was young. He found a fondness for the outdoors because he
always lost his house keys and was not good at breaking into buildings
(without getting caught).
Way back when the earth cooled and the dinosaurs
had just died, otherwise known as the seventies, he spent two summers in the
mountains visiting family. His first weekend there, he was made to go up a mountain.
The complaining has never stopped, although there has been plenty of climbing
and hiking to follow, much to his disappointment (and the frustration of others).
Have these people never heard of television? It is, after all, what
raised Glenn, and is the basis for all of his opinions.
In the nineties, he
moved to Yellowknife, (we never said he was smart) where he discovered the
love of water sports such as diving and sailing. He eventually sobered up
enough to realize where he was living, and relocated to Calgary to pursue
more water activities (once again, not smart). Since water is hard to find,
hiking is the way to go, if only to see if there are any lakes anywhere. One
can only raft the Bow so many times. His only keen observation when in the
mountains is "this would be a great view if all these rocks
weren’t in the way".
Glenn coordinates hikes for the club. He
is a slow hiker, and his groups normally split into a fast and slow group, with
Glenn leading from the back.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by glenn davis. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 08)
Gord P
| | What's with all the third person stuff? No one is writing this on behalf of
me so here goes the first first person narrative of Gord, I mean me. In
Calgary 14 or so years, though I'd rather not say where I was from. No, I'm
not in a witless protection program, it's just the truth is too
embarrassing. I can confirm I've never looked back (or North about 3
hours). I moved to Calgary to work with pigs, (neither the 4 nor 2 legged
kinds though). Work was ideal if you love Dilbert, me, I decided big
(bureaucratic) companies (with lots of accountants) drive me nuts. So I've
stayed in the pipeline inspection industry but helping head up a smaller,
wizzier firm.
I've made a lot more room for outdoor pursuits in my life lately, usually on
MTBs, XC or B/C skis, or in a departure from speed, snowshoes. DH skiing is
also good for a few days per year, but I prefer a mix of all winter sports.
These events would be my usual choices to lead. I enjoy talking and am
happy to answer questions, so people new to the club or sport are welcome on
the majority of my events. It'll take a serious rain before I'd cancel a
ride, and below -12C for riding, -25C for ski/SS would be the temperatures
that'll make me think twice. Night riding or skiing are also options I'm
happy to take.
There is nothing I don't like in the bush except bear slobber on my neck.
And I prefer exploring a bit, so don't be surprised if there is a bit of
off-roading & bush-whacking but at a reasonable pace. Photography is also a
favorite hobby and I'll usually have time for that on my trips.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Gord P. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since June 10)
Greg E
| | Greg was born and raised in Calgary. He has been active outdoors for as long as he can remember. In the summer, he enjoys hiking, backpacking, mountain biking and kayaking. In the winters you will likely find him skiing or snowshoeing.
Greg enjoys travel when he can. In 2009, he was able to put another check on his bucket list, after travelling to Peru and hiking the Inca Trail. “It was an unbelievable experience to see Machu Pichu from the Sun Gate. It appeared to be floating in the clouds, a memory which I will cherish for the rest of my life.” Other trips on his bucket list include “The Great Wall of China”, “St. Peter’s Basilica and the Roman Coliseum”, “The Great Barrier Reef”, and the “Louvre Museum”.
In his spare time, Greg is learning to play the guitar. He is interested in learning conversational Spanish and wants to learn how to juggle. He is also intent on solving the Rubik’s cube…someday. He enjoys country western, ballroom and Latin dancing, but admits there are not enough hours in the day to do everything he enjoys.
Most of Greg’s events will be at the intermediate/advanced levels for those who already actively participate in it. He is easy going and enjoys diversions that can be infused into the original plan.
Outdoor pursuits include: hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, kayaking, skiing, and snowshoeing.
Other interests: learning the guitar, dancing, travel.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Greg E. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since June 11)
Gregory MacIvor
| Greg first came to Calgary in 2000 and currently works at a chemical plant in the oil and gas industry. He was raised on a small farm in an isolated area along the Miramichi river in New Brunswick and grew up with a deep love of the Canadian wilderness. In 1994, he moved to Banff to work as a pastry chef and quickly became assimilated into the mountain culture. Alberta has so many natural wonders, it is a pity that not everyone actually enjoys them.
His favorite events are cross country skiing, mountain biking, hiking and social events. He is used to spending time in harsh conditions, so he is not deterred by variable weather conditions. He also loves reading, movies, participating in Calgary's local theatre scene and cooking. Not being the super athletic type, he tends to do events at a moderate or fun pace, where the group can enjoy time in the backcountry.
Eventually, Greg would like to do some long hikes and cross country ski events deep into the backcountry, where the group would be staying over night in a shelter, lodge or tent. He would also like to take fellow COC members to theatre events within Calgary. Most of all, Greg wants to give people a chance to experience the outdoors in a friendly setting, where they can get new memories and make new friends.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Gregory MacIvor. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since May 08)
HJ Hornbeck
| In my teen years, I had an epiphany. Every career and hobby choice that interested me involved a lot of sitting down. Since I was already an expert at that, with a waistline that suggested as much, my current fitness level would be the best I'd ever be. That terrified me, so I started jogging, mostly around my parent's house in Calgary. After a few years, my waistline tightened up and I started to prefer stairs to the elevator.
A second epiphany hit me during my mid-twenties. Much as I loved the arts and my computer, both hobbies were quite lonely pursuits. If I wanted a better social life, and I did, I'd have to set aside time for it. This touched off a few years of tinkering with my schedule. It didn't help that my job kept odd, erratic hours. Eventually, I stumbled on the Outdoor Club and decided it was worth trying. It certainly was! I haven't found or thought of any group that allows me to keep in shape, stretch my social muscles, and indulge my photography addiction all at once. I exhumed a long-lost interest in cycling, tried and fell in love with snowshoeing, and went on more beautiful hikes than I care count.
Becoming a coordinator allows me to give back to this wonderful community, while stuffing my schedule with even more activities. It's a win-win!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by HJ Hornbeck. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Apr 08)
Heather Anderson
| Heather is originally from Ontario, she came to Calgary in the spring of 2007. Quickly after moving here she became a true mountain addict, as she now ventures out to the mountains almost every weekend. She enjoys everything outdoors: hiking, scrambling, climbing (both indoor and outdoor), cycling, cross-country skiing, ski touring and backpacking. She also enjoys ultimate frisbee, running and soccer.
Generally, Heather prefers to keep a moderate to fast pace for scrambling and hiking, but also loves to stop to take long summit breaks, particularily if the weather is nice. At times, Heather can be slightly directionally challenged, and most of the events she coordinates are new to her so some help with route-finding is appreciated!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Heather Anderson. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Nov 08)
Hilary E
| Hilary was born in England, grew up in Montreal, went to university in Toronto, and worked in Barrie and Red Deer prior to moving to Calgary for work in 1998. Her outdoor interests are hiking, canoeing, and camping. Her most memorable trips have been the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, St. Cuthbert’s Way from Scotland to Lindisfarne, and here in Alberta the Crypt Lake Trail in Waterton. Her other interests are her grandchildren (the most beautiful children on the planet!), travelling, reading, movies, cooking and gardening.
In 2006, she retired from a career as an instructor and administrator during which she worked at three colleges in Canada -- Georgian, Red Deer and Mount Royal. Retirement has meant time to do great things such as joining the COC in 2007, mentoring high school students, and volunteering with the Youth Education Committee of the Famous Five Foundation and with Canadian Grandmothers for Africa.
She coordinates hikes, both urban and out of the city. Her events are slow paced with scenery and photo stops. Not a determined die-hard, but she won’t let a bit of rain stop the event. She follows the planned itinerary and likes her group to stick together.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Hilary E. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since June 10)
Holly W.
| Holly is an Alberta Health Care Professional from Calgary, but fondly remembers growing up in Canmore where she developed her love of the outdoors. She enjoys a full range of activities from volunteering for music festivals, running, biking, hiking, and backpacking in the summer, to cross country skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating in the winter.
Holly is a pretty easy going friendly person with a big smile, so you won't miss her in a crowd when you meet up for an event. Note that she is a fair weather person, so if it is blizzarding or pouring rain and below -25C, she will probably cancel the event. Most of her events will be at beginner and intermediate levels, but she enjoys a little bit of a challenge in order to get a good workout, so you can expect a steady to moderate speed for most of her events.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Holly W.. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 08)
Ian Berard
| | Ian has been in Calgary since Jan 2007. He hales from Montreal and came here for work and the beautiful Rockies.
He enjoys running, trail running, hiking, scrambling, snowboarding, motorcycles, cooking and discovering new restaurants in and around the city. He likes a moderate to advanced pace and is ready for anything.
His events are whatever makes for an interesting event and he's not against veering off the beaten path at times.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Ian Berard. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Jan 05)
Ian Gammack
| | Ian was born and raised in Calgary. Over the years he has spent lots of time in the mountains hiking and skiing. Life cycles has brought him to more actively seeking adventures and socializing.
Ian joined the club in Dec 2004 and soon felt a desire to coordinate a couple of favorite hikes and skis. The camaraderie of the groups has kept him coming back.
Ian plans to coordinate both adventure and social activities for the COC.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Ian Gammack. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Oct 10)
Jacques
| Jacques' employment as a Retail Supply Chain Director brought him to Calgary from Montreal in 1998. He recently discovered the pleasures of an active outdoor life and is making up for lost time. On his days off, you can find Jacques on all kinds of recreational outdoor activities such as hiking, road or mountain biking, scrambling, kayaking, snowshoeing, downhill skiing and his very favorite, horseback riding.
Discovering the COC was a great joy to Jacques, with well organized events and great people to join on all kinds of fun activities. His events would typically be at a moderate pace, with a friendly atmosphere. Jacques is an all-weather outdoors person, and is very unlikely to cancel an event due to weather, unless it appears that the event would compromise the enjoyment or safety of the participants.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Jacques. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Dec 07)
Jake Y
| Jake moved here from Vancouver in 2005. He is a bean counter (accountant) by day and a young mind corruptor at a local college by
night, teaching the fine art of bean counting.
He is a very avid downhill skier who averages about 40-50 days on the hill a year. In the summer, he is an avid mountain biker and
enjoys downhill biking at COP, x-c in the K-country, or just a city ride.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Jake Y. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 10)
jim h
| | Jim is originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He has lived in the Calgary area since 2005 and came here primarily for employment but the outdoor life style is now more important to him.
He works as an electrical technician where he owes and operates his own contracting company.
Jim's outdoor interests are sailing, backpacking, hiking, camping, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
He will coordinate events that are hiking and/or backpacking. His number of people on the event will usually be eight or less persons becuase he finds this makes a better group dynamics. Jim oftens enjoys dining and drinking with his fellow club members as much as the physical portion of the event so thus expects some trips ending at this type of establishment. During his events expect side trips and exploring well as taking different routes back to the trail head.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by jim h. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 08)
jim k
| | I came out west from Toronto after highschool to pursue my passion for
skiing. I'm still here and still skiing-mostly downhill. I like looking for
powder in the trees. While I miss the lakes of S Ontario in the summer, I
have a sailboat up at Sylvan Lake.
I joined the COC in the summer of 2007 to find people to mountain bike with
and have been having a wonderful time of it since. I enjoy most outdoor
activities in the mountains and around water.
In most endeavors I like a fast pace, But I am willing to stop and smell the
roses. I like exploring new areas and finding new trails to travel.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by jim k. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Nov 09)
James VB
| An original Calgarian from the 60's, living in Calgary has been great! James never really wanted to live anywhere else. Growing up in the Montgomery area, Canada Olympic Park was 'Paskapoo' where he learned to ski, and 'Sideshow Bob' was just known as 'the cliffs' where biking and getting into trouble were common happenings.
James' active interests include lots and lots of mountain biking, road riding, cross country & downhill skiing, racquetball, squash, rollerblading, and base jumping (not). Being in the mountains on a bike puts a smile on his face, especially when heading downhill. He averages around 3,500 km/yr of riding, most of which is on his mountain bike. Not being of small stature, long continuous climbs are often a challenge, but he’s always up for the challenge, and does whatever it takes to finish (no giving in or giving up)!
James is also not afraid to tackle something new or push the envelope as long as death or dismemberment is not the result. Having his own business and working from home, outside events through the COC have become an integral part of his lifestyle and he looks forward to each and every one.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by James VB. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since June 06)
Janet
| Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Janet ventured away from home in 1992 to go back to school in Saskatchewan. After seven years of schooling and work in SK, she moved to the New West. Within the first day of work, she found folks that liked to hike so she thought she would join them on a hike to Crypt Lake thinking that a hike can’t be much different than backpacking (an activity she wanted to pursue). Even though after 700 m elevation gain (a first in her life) and stones in her hiking boots (she got holes in them from this hike), she could not get enough. Since then she has explored B.C., Alberta, Montana and Arizona by foot with and without a backpack.
In the winter of 2004, she went winter camping with snowshoes and quite enjoyed it. So when she saw an article in January 2005 about a Calgary Outdoor Club snowshoe event, she joined immediately and has never looked back.
Janet's past events have been either backpacking or snowshoeing but at the end of hiking season of 2010 she sprained her ankle. Now she usually stays in town putting on urban hikes. This is helping her to try out her new GPS unit and she hopes soon to join everyone in the mountains.
Her favorite outdoor ventures have included backpacking one of the Seven Wonders of World, taking a siesta on Burstall Pass during Indian Summer, being within reach of a glacier on the Iceline trail and exploring nature through her sister’s children’s eyes.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Janet. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Aug 08)
Jason Sokolosky
| | Jason has lived in Calgary all his life, and still enjoys getting out to the mountains. He is an avid runner and cyclist. Jason has run more than 10 half-marathons in the past 3 years. He was tired of his friends always being too busy for outdoor activities, so he joined the COC in 2005 to meet more people and expand the variety of activities.
Jason is an engineering manager and works locally for a Silicon Valley computer company. Thanks to his job Jason has done a lot of traveling to all parts of the world including Israel, India, Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, and all over the U.S.
In the summer Jason likes to go mountain biking, or hiking, and in the winter cross-country skiing or running. He likes events with a high degree of physical intensity, but doesn't consider himself technical and would rather play it safe than risk an injury. In general he sticks to the schedule, but isn't afraid of a little off-trail exploring when the time permits.
Jason is the co-ordinator par excellence of regular poker games and the annual hallowe'en social, and his place is considered by some to be the unofficial COC clubhouse.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Jason Sokolosky. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Mar 08)
Jeff S
| Jeff was born and raised in Calgary. Jeff has taken advantage of various opportunities to live in Europe for a few years and thoroughly enjoyed what Europe has to offer, including both culture and outdoor adventure to European mountain ranges. Jeff returned to Canada in 1999 and immediately moved to Edmonton and later in 2005, earned a bachelor degree in French from the U of A.
Jeff joined the COC in July of 2005 so as to avoid back-packing the Sawback Trail solo. Jeff enjoys the philosophy behind the COC and believes this club to be a good vehicle for pursuing outdoor activities with other like-minded enthusiasts. Jeff hopes to contribute positively to the club.
Jeff is looking to lead day hikes, multi-day backpack trips, scrambles, and the occasional winter activity involving snowshoes and x-country skis. Jeff prefers a moderate pace to his events and likes to enjoy the journey rather than make record time on the trail. When backpacking, Jeff has embraced the ultra-lite concept and enjoys the freedom to travel further and longer. Jeff will go rain or shine but may adjust his plans including location to suit the weather, i.e. a valley hike in the rain as opposed to an open ridge or summit. Jeff is always open to exploring new areas and is never opposed to off-trail hiking or exploration, especially if it involves a better view or bagging a summit. Jeff is goal orientated and very ambitious when it comes to the outdoors.
Jeff has enjoyed many trips to the Rockies over the years and to mountain ranges overseas including Mt Jebel Toubkal in Morocco, the highest mountain Jeff has climbed to date, (4167m). Little Yoho Valley and the Skoki region of Banff are favourite locations for scrambles. Jeff reached his 100th summit in early Sept. ’07 and two weeks later, enjoyed the grand slam: Glasgow/Banded Peak traverse. Jeff has enjoyed the Rockwall, Skyline, Lakes & Larches, Assiniboine, Tonquin Valley, Berg Lake, Brazeau Loop, Sawback, Iceline, Skoki Loop, and Northover Ridge, to name a few favourite back-country destinations. Back-country skiing to huts in Tonquin, Egypt Lake, and Assiniboine have provided pleasant winter escapes.
When not on a trail or summit, Jeff enjoys researching and reading stories of other people’s mountain adventure. Jeff enjoys running and still believes the half marathon to be the best race out there. Jeff enjoys playing sports, watching movies and hockey, traveling, and spending time / going on dates with his sweetheart wife.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Jeff S. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since June 07)
Jim F
| Jim moved from Winnipeg to Calgary in July of 1979. He has worked at many major Oil & Gas companies over the years. He officially, finally, absolutely, retired in January of 2007. Life is good, particularly since he joined the COC in May 2006.
His motivation for becoming a coordinator centered on having people, especially mid week, to raft the Bow and X/C ski with; maybe even RV with. Most of all, Jim knew he needed help with his Mustard Seed Charity Garage Sales. Thanks everyone!
Jim likes do his best to stay with the lead pack. He also enjoys being the “Sweep” once in a while. On his events, Jim simply looks for good honest effort and ability on par with the posted difficulty rating. If in doubt, call Jim before the event.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Jim F. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 10)
Joanne P
| Joanne grew up in Ontario, moved to Victoria in 1992, and from there to Calgary in 2011. She came to Calgary for work, but enjoys it because of the proximity to the mountains. Work involves consulting as a business analyst.
Joanne has traveled extensively and enjoyed a variety of outdoor activities, including triathlons, rock climbing, skiing, mountain biking, kayaking and rowing.
Joanne will coordinate hiking in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter, both at a moderate pace. She is somewhere between fair weather and die-hard; won’t let a bit of rain/snow stop her, but will cancel for a major storm.
Joanne looks forward to meeting more COC members and sharing the outdoor experience.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Joanne P. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Re-Instated July 10)
John B
| After spending twelve years in Ottawa, John moved back to Alberta (where he grew up) 5 years ago. He settled in Calgary due to its proximity to the mountains and family. He is into any outdoor activity that provides an adrenaline rush or gets the heart rate up! In the spring of 2006, he joined the COC to meet like-minded people who have a passion for playing outside. He works for a local High Tech company designing networking software for the education market. Occasionally, he takes mini-sabbaticals to enjoy the finer things in life.
With the COC, his activities have been primarily mountain biking, hiking/moderate scrambles, and cross-country skiing. He likes to try other types of events every now and then too. He also has a passion for road cycling and downhill skiing. He usually likes events that have a quick pace and that are in the D4 to D6 difficulty range. From time to time he does events that have a moderate
rating. Deviating from the planned itinerary is something he occasionally likes to do, as long as common sense is used. His most memorable trips include: the 2003 Trans-Rockies Mtn biking route, hiking in Height of the Rockies, Waterton, and near Braulio Carillo Parks, cross-country skiing in Peter Lougheed Park, downhill skiing in Whistler, and road cycling in Mallorca Spain.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by John B. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since May 07)
Joni
| Joni has been in Calgary for 28 years and says she arrived here via Hamilton, Toronto and then a 747 jumbo jet. Her outdoor interests include camping, swimming, fly fishing, tennis and urban bike rides and picnics. Other interests include music, photography, dancing, tai chi, movies/popcorn and fusion cooking. She joined the COC in mid-2006 dur to her need for “some kinda fun” (ref: Teenage Head song).
Look for Joni to organize archery, tai chi ‘n tennis, target shooting, stay ‘n toss frisbee, driving range golf and other unusual and fun events! She got the bug for hiking after Heart Mountain! Her all-time favorite trip to date has been the COC Spray Lakes camping trip.
Joni's words to live by:
"Life happens while you're busy making other plans" - John Lennon
"IT COULD BE WORSE!" - Joni
"There is nothing worth really fighting over except our freedom." - Joni
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Joni. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Dec 10)
Joshua C
| Joshua is originally from Gabriola Island/Nanaimo, BC, where he developed and refined his inner-hippy, which now drives him to get out into the great outdoors as much as possible. After graduating from university, he lived in Vancouver and Japan, and has now been in Calgary since 2008.
Working in a sedentary office job, Joshua realized that he needed to get a lot more physical activity to stay healthy. Not really into the whole gym/treadmill idea of exercise, he decided to start with hiking, and that is in part how he discovered the COC. He now enjoys moderate to difficult hikes and scrambles, and is hoping to add trail running as his favourite outdoor summer time activities. In the winter months, snowshoeing and weekend events in wilderness hostels are his cup of tea.
He prefers to go at a moderate pace, with breaks to take pictures and enjoy the lovely scenery that the Rocky Mountains have to offer. It is his goal as a coordinator to make sure that all his events are exciting, fun and a bit challenging (including side trips if the group is capable). Unless the weather endangers the safety of the group, rain, shine, snow or really cold, he will try to complete the event. Having an obsession with glaciers, he will probably post a lot of events where glaciers can be seen.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Joshua C. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Apr 08)
Judy T
| Judy moved to Calgary from Ontario in November, 2006 fulfilling a promise she made way back in 1994 when she first saw the Canadian Rockies. After spending over 15 years in the automotive industry (and mostly missing out on a life), she packed it all in and drove to Calgary with high hopes and not much else. Fortunately, an energy services company took pity on her, offering her a job to keep body and soul together.
After spending her first winter exploring Calgary (and not venturing outside of the city limits), she found the COC through a co-worker and promptly joined up just to get out into the mountains.
Judy’s passion has always been hiking and she can often be found spending the entire weekend out on the trails. In 2008, she tried snowshoeing for the first time and found that it’s just like hiking only on bigger feet, so now she can finally say that she enjoys winter in Canada.
Her favorite hike so far has been to Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon, but she has also enjoyed the Iceline in Yoho and Mount Lady MacDonald in Canmore.
Judy co-ordinates hikes on the moderate side. She likes maintaining a fairly regular pace but is more than happy to stop for pictures, munchies or to just ogle the scenery. Although she hates getting her head wet, inclement weather is not a major problem and she will almost never miss a hike, no matter what the forecast.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Judy T. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Dec 07)
Juliet
| | Juliet has been in Calgary 11 years and grew up in Medicine Hat. She likes to mountain bike, run, hike and camp, among other things in the summer and likes to downhill ski in the winter. She also likes to sport climb, play indoor volleyball and has a passion for scuba diving and travelling (to places she can scuba dive).
Juliet wants to coordinate skiing where she is looking for intermediate/advanced ski days, but she doesn't like to go in weather colder than -15C, she also likes the apres ski stuff almost as much as the actual sport. She is also looking at coordinating some mountain bike events where she is a slow and steady rider. She tends to stick pretty close to her plans for her events.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Juliet. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since April 07)
Karen D
| I was born in New Brunswick, but have lived all my life in Montreal until I moved out West a few years ago. After a brief stint in Vancouver, I settled in Calgary. I joined the COC in 2005 to discover what hiking was all about (I only hiked once before, and that was in Turkey !)
After traveling to many countries around the world, I realized how lucky I am to have been born on this side of the world and the abundance of opportunities we have in Canada. Since moving out West, I have traveled throughout BC & Alberta, and am planning on traveling to the prairies as soon as I get a chance. In 2006, I found living in Calgary too far away from the mountains and took the big step and moved to Canmore. I feel so fortunate to live, work, and play in a “postcard” !!! For the first time since I left Montreal, this small beautiful town feels like home.
My true passion has always been downhill skiing which is why I have stayed in Alberta – the best snow in the world. :) Other winter sports that I love are x-country skiing, snowshoe, and curling. Since discovering hiking with the COC, hiking has become my second passion. My goal each year is to beat my personal best in elevation from the last year !!! All my hikes will be “slowpokes & dawdlers”, or even slower depending on the elevation gain. Like Rhonda S, I have asthma; which slows me down, but the good part of going at a slower pace is the opportunity of seeing all sorts along the trail that most would have missed going at a brisk pace.
Whether you are a beginner or expert hiker, if you want to take your time and smell the “trees” or look up at the sky to see our friendly flyers, then my hikes are for you !!! I like to start my hikes early and will always lead from the back of the group !!!
Happy Trails :)
Karen served on the club executive as Director from 2008-2009.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Karen D. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 05)
Karl K
| Karl is originally from Saskatchewan. He came to Alberta in '82 for College and after graduation started his career in the oilfield. In '89 an opportunity to work in Russia came up and he decided to go. After 5 years in Russia he needed a change of scenery and took a position in Nigeria. That lasted for another 5 years. During his time off he enjoyed traveling the world and occasionally heading out to the mountains. In 2000 he had enough of living out of his suitcase and came back to Calgary. He now designs data acquisition and control systems for a local oilfield service company.
Karl enjoys getting out to the mountains for hiking and biking in the summer and skiing and snow shoeing in the winter. He prefers scrambles and looks forward to getting back into rock climbing. His favorite hikes so far are Heart Mountain and Yamnuska. He loves his new bike and will be coordinating lots of mountain bike trips. He likes good conversation, taking photos, a brisk pace and sunny skies.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Karl K. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Nov 10)
Kathy C
| Kathy was born in Moose Jaw Sask, but has been in Calgary most of her life . Her father worked for CPR and was transferred to Calgary when she was very young. She is an IT Project Manager for Shell Canada’s IT Infrastructure team.
Her favorite sports are downhill and cross country skiing, skating, golfing and hiking. Kathy also enjoys movies, live theatre and any new adventure from going to a small café to a vacation. Her favorite vacation was to China and Greece. Her favorite hike thus far has been Mt Yamnuska; she rock climbed the face when she was younger and recently did the hike around the mountain.
She plans on coordinating hiking, skiing and socials events. She is a fair-weather person and does all her events at a moderate pace. She will coordinate easy hikes to scrambles at a slower pace. She likes to explore but when with a larger group, she would tend to stay with a defined plan. She wants to take time to smell the roses on her hikes, laugh when at socials, and just have a good time and meet new people.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Kathy C. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Mar 08)
Kayla B
| Kayla grew up in SE Calgary and has been cycling city streets and beyond, since
she was 11. Kayla does some skiing and hiking, swimming and sailing but her
true passion is bicycling, in all its forms! She has been known to put girly
pink tires and accessories on her bike in a spirit of blatant yet understated
irony :) See calgaryoutdoorclub.fotki.com/2007/09/4875/dscf1374.html
One auxiliary sport she has taken up in the last three years is belly dance! It
is great cross-training for any sport but especially bicycling, it improves
flexibility and core strength, and is a real hoot (just ask Rhonda).
See www.daughtersofthenile.ca/html/jr__troupe.html
Kayla likes challenging herself, and encouraging others to experiment with
terrain and/or distances they might not have tried on a bike yet, such as:
winter biking, cross-town commuting, on-road, off-road, all-day epic adventure
cycling and more. The pace of her bike rides can be slow and easy, up to
moderately fast if everyone is keen. Enjoying the scenery and company is far
more important to her than setting a new amateur speed record on a group ride.
This year Kayla hopes to coordinate a series of "ride-to-the-ride" or R2R
events. This means we will meet somewhere in Calgary and do the ride, starting
right at the meeting place. If practical and possible, participants will also
be encouraged to ride to and from the meeting place, to reduce our dependency on
automobiles. C-train and bike-friendly bus travel is certainly to be applauded
too. We'll see how that works out. Maybe we'll have a multi-modal century ride!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Kayla B. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since June 11)
Kevin H
| Kevin was born and raised here in Calgary, living 11 years in the NE, 10 years in the NW and the remainder spread out all over the map. Kevin now resides downtown and appreciates the closeness to all the things he enjoys - good food, good nightlife and pathways, scenic walks and other things to do.
Hiking and backpacking are two of Kevin's main interests, although on a lighter note, he is not in a hurry. Taking his time, he has been known to simply stop and smell the roses, pick berries, look off into the distance and appreciate the movement of the wind across his face. To Kevin, hiking and backpacking isn't about the goal or the 'end', but about the journey. Good company and great positive energy is what matters the most. Other outdoor interests of Kevin's are medium pace running, walking, picnics in the park and anything else that involves food. Food is obviously an important part of Kevin's life, as he spends almost every night cooking and wouldn't have it any other way.
For work, Kevin finds himself currently doing Mechanical Engineering for (mainly) residential buildings. This is both challenging and offers the opportunity to continue being engaged.
You will likely find Kevin organizing easier events and moderate paced runs near the downtown core, and you can expect a high level of energy and positivity at Kevin's events. Come out and enjoy with us!! Kevin can be known to break from the planned itinerary if the group consents, bringing both new challenges to the group and continued enjoyment.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Kevin H. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 07)
Laura L
| | Laura has lived in Calgary since 1996 and hails from Toronto, New York City, Winnipeg, Montreal and Nelson. She enjoys living in Calgary, especially the weather, the bike paths and the proximity to the mountains. She is a Chartered Accountant and Certified Financial Planner and enjoys the flexibility available in this line of work. She has always been an avid walker, bike rider and camper, and since moving to Calgary has added hiking and snowshoeing to her list of favourite activities.
She prefers coordinating moderate outings at an easy pace but can be found participating in a wide variety of activities. She also enjoys volunteering, films, reading and attending her son’s soccer games.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Laura L. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since May 07)
Laurie C
| Laurie came to Calgary two years ago via Germany (12 years), Vancouver (12) years and Ontario. When her marriage (to a European) broke up, she chose Calgary as her Canadian destination due to the booming economy, proximity to the mountains and a family presence (sister) here.
Her outdoor interests include skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, biking, mountain biking, windsurfing and canoeing/kayaking. She also enjoys movies, music, travel, friends and family, volunteering and self-improvement. Laurie coordinates COC events in all of her areas of interest - multi-day trips as well as day trips. She likes to go at a moderate pace and is willing to go in less-than-ideal conditions but she is not as much of a die-hard as she used to be. She mostly likes to follow the planned itinerary for the day but also likes to go with the flow and deviates from the plan to take advantage of good weather, good conditions and good groups. Laurie's all-time favorite trips include hiking the Iceline Trail, skiing at Castle Mountain, cross-country skiing at Peter Lougheed, and skating at Olympic Plaza.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Laurie C. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since May 09)
Leila M
| | Hi all. I moved from Ontario to Calgary in September 2004. My love affair with the mountains began at this time. I discovered this club about two years ago through a friend and have been feeling fortunate since this time.
I am an avid photographer and hiker. My events generally are slow paced due to the amount of photo time. I am currently learning to salsa dance.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Leila M. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since May 08)
Len M.
| | Len has lived in Calgary since 1977, originating from Montreal.
Following a day hike experience last year, he became hooked on the mountains and was soon hiking and backpacking regularly. When the snow came, he couldn’t sit still so he took up snow shoeing… another keeper! His events would normally be of moderate rating but he’s been known to do the easy ones and some difficult ones too. Recently, any of Len's spare time is used up trying to figure out his GPS. When he gets it worked out, there will be no stopping him.
His other interests include rock climbing, yoga and regularly working out. He also enjoys the performing arts and is especially fond of live theatre. He has a bit of a crazy sense of humor which he says was inherited from his mom. When Len is not in the mountains, he works as a Project Manager in the Alberta residential construction industry.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Len M.. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Oct 11)
Leonard Kampel
| I am a second generation Calgarian (can you believe it?). I grew up outdoors and I love to hike, ride my bike, paddle my canoe & kayak, ski (both) and snowshoe. I have a passion for personal development having taken extensive leadership training. I am a professional accountant working in the business intelligence field. I am also interested in geology, rock polishing and astronomy.
I will be coordinating hikes, snowshoeing and cross country ski events. My events will be at a variety of paces to appeal to beginners and intermediates. I admit I like to go out when the weather is nice, but only extreme weather slows me down. I have a very structural nature, so will entertain side trips if they don’t detract from the overall itinerary. My favorite all time hike is Carthew – Alderson in Waterton, with a long list of runner up hikes from many other locations. Trips to Yellowstone and the Mayan Riviera feature high on my favorite trips.
My goal as a coordinator for the COC is to provide events that allow beginners/novices to gain the experience and fitness levels to consider more challenging events. My intermediate events will allow me to indulge in discovering new areas, sharing old friends with my groups and challenge myself physically. I love to have fun and share that with my groups.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Leonard Kampel. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Dec 08)
leslie p
| A young at heart gal from the East Coast (PEI) embracing all that Alberta has to offer. I moved to Edmonton (go easy on me) in the early 80’s and then on to Calgary in 2000 for a new job opportunity. I’ve always been a bit of tomboy doing or playing sports that are typically guy things including my job as an Electrical/Instrumentation Designer Drafter.
I grew up in the county and love being outdoors doing whatever is on the go … baseball, field hockey, skating, biking, hiking, swimming, camping, or just hanging out. Since moving to Alberta I’ve enjoyed additional sports and recreation like skiing (both x-country and downhill), curling, snowshoeing, soccer, racquetball, canoeing, rafting, running and recently tri-training. I love music, outdoor festivals and have been a regular volunteer at the Edm & Cal Folk Festivals for many years … and play a little guitar myself.
I first joined the CCC in the summer of ’07 to experience a few more Calgary social events and then joined the COC. I’m always on the go looking for new challenges, to meet new people from all walks of life and to encourage and enjoy the company of others. I’m looking at coordinating a few social events and also a few sporting events for the beginner/intermediate - at a moderate level. I’m pretty laid back, so if the group decides to stray off the beaten path I’ll go with the flow, but it’ll be a group decision … no one gets left out or behind.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by leslie p. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Dec 10)
Linda R
| Linda was born and raised in Montréal. After a pit stop in Toronto for three years, she moved west to Calgary in 2008 to be closer to her family. Growing up, she learned to ski on the slopes of Northern Vermont and in the Quebéc Laurentians. During her summers, she could be found swimming in a pond or on a golf course with her family.
After joining the COC, Linda discovered a love for scrambling and skiing in the Rockies. Linda's events would typically be at a moderate pace, and would likely include downhill skiing, moderate to difficult hikes, moderate scrambles, easy backpacking, snowshoeing and x-country skiing. Her priorities would be to keep everyone safe while keeping it fun and sharing her passion for the wonderful outdoors. A cloudy day would not deter Linda; however, if she is going to get wet, she would prefer to be stewing in the hot springs or a hot tub.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Linda R. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 08)
Lisa P
| Lisa has been in Calgary since 1989. She has been going out to the mountains since then and does mainly cross country skiing, mountain biking and scrambling. She also enjoys tennis to keep her busy in the city. You'll see her coordinating and participating in intermediate level activities and tends to be a fair weather fan. Her events will not be at an aggressive pace but will require a strong steady pace, and most of all for everyone to have enjoyed themselves and the company of the group!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Lisa P. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Aug 08)
Lori M
| Lori is a native Calgarian. She grew up skiing, snowmobiling, camping and riding her horses in the mountains. By day Lori does training and sales for a medical supply company.
She joined the COC in 2007 after she traded her horses for a newer, lighter mountain bike and her 2008 cyclocross addition. She has ridden most of the Alberta trails on horseback and remembers how much easier it was on a horse than a mountain bike. She enjoys most outdoor sports and is game to try just about anything once. Lori likes any type of riding. She organizes mainly urban, road and some mountain bike trips. Her rides usually involve a food/beverage destination but she is out there for the exercise too!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Lori M. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Jan 10)
Mandy
| | Mandy was born and raised in Saskatchewan and made her way to Calgary on Grey Cup Weekend 2000 (GO RIDERS!!) when her employer at the time bumped her into their head office. Growing up on a steady diet of competitive sports, Mandy is now trying to develop a kinder, gentler side and obtain a oneness with nature (if that's possible).
Fairly new to the relaxing pace of the outdoors, Mandy likes to coordinate slower hikes that allow plenty of time to take in the scenery and take plenty of photos. While photographers are expected to keep the same slow and steady pace of hikers, she also coordinates events solely for photographers where speed is not an issue and safe exploration is encouraged. Expect to see events in town as well.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Mandy. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Re-instated March 10)
Marc Martel (Pug Daddy)
| | Marc has lived in Calgary for the past 30 years. Marc was born and raised in Flin Flon in northern Manitoba.
He likes to do dog romps, power walking, skiing, and hiking in the mountains. His hikes range from easy to moderate hikes and he likes to explore new places where other people generally don’t tread.
Marc is owned by two black Pugs. He runs events Rain or shine, come hell or high water, and likes to get it done! Lots of exploration and side trips- off the beaten path. He likes to organize events that are flexible and give those who want to do more the option to do so. In planning urban hikes, he usually builds in a longer distance and an easy out for those who aren’t up to the full challenge. Marc enjoys meeting new people and giving beginners, who are exploring their limits, a chance. Marc also enjoys exploring and going with the wind sometimes with no set itinerary.
Crypt Lake is his all time favorite trip with the COC-there was bear came near the dock as they were leaving the trail head.
Marc works in Business Relations for the Better Business Bureau and was a nurse in his former career.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Marc Martel (Pug Daddy). |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Apr 05)
Marcel B
| Marcel grew up in a small town in New Brunswick and always had a desire to see the west and explore the mountains. He came out here in 1980 and has been here ever since! He hikes every day and gets paid for it... well, sort of - he’s been a mailman for Canada Post for the past 25 years.
He enjoys almost any activity in the mountains. In the summer, he mainly hikes and scrambles, and in the winter enjoys cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. He plans to try some mountaineering and backcountry skiing. His other interests include photography, going to movies and reading.
Marcel joined the COC in May of 2004 and enjoys the new (and familiar) faces on events, and the positive atmosphere which makes participating in and organizing events so easy. He coordinates hikes, scrambles, backpacking and car camping during the summer, and in the winter organizes some snowshoe trips. Marcel’s trips are usually rated moderate to difficult and are often best suited to the more fit and experienced participant.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Marcel B. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since May 08)
Mark MacG.
| Mark MacGillivray has lived in Calgary for most of his life and has enjoyed much of what Calgary and Southern Alberta offers. His interests include hiking, snowshoeing, XC skiing, scrambling and tennis. He believes that life is not a spectator sport.
Mark is President of his condominium board and actively participates in local, provincial and federal politics. He also acts and directs with a local theatre company.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Mark MacG.. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Jan 08)
Mark P
| Mark came to Calgary in '77 when he was 11 via Winnipeg via Edmonton a city to which to this day he denies being born. The first winter in Calgary, his parents encouraged him to downhill ski and put him in lessons, which consisted of dropping him off at Chinook Center where he would then take the bus to Fortress Mountain. He really thinks it was just so his folks could get a break from him and his brother. Sometimes it would be an extended break as they wouldn't pick him up until Monday morning! Oh how he misses those decrepit old chair lifts (and sleeping in the dumpsters at Chinook Mall) and as a result is petitioning for seat belts to be installed in the new high speed ones they have now.
With 31 years of skiing under his belt, he is a self certified expert ski instructor known for his ability to coach people who have trouble skiing deep powder. His patented advice of "just point 'em down" has never failed to make a remarkable difference.
Mark’s first event with the club was mountain biking on a sport swap special that weighed approximately 100lbs in August of 2006. Despite being the slowest one in the group he was hooked and became addicted to the sport and that’s what you’ll find him doing the most of in the summer, although he has been known to hike but is always thinking about how much more fun it would be to be on his bike. Mark has also become hooked on XC skiing through the club and although he’s not that graceful at it he’s determined to become better.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Mark P. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 05)
Marta Heske
| Marta hails from the old country of Poland but decided years ago that Calgary is the place to be!
Her interests are mainly hiking and a passion for sailing. As sailing here is hard to come by, you can find her in the mountains. (I think she thinks she can find the ocean from up there. Don't tell her!)
She likes to coordinate difficult hikes or easy scrambles. She also loves exploring new areas, so be prepared to see new things with her. She has been known to stray from the itinerary if the group would like to. Her favorite hikes have been Nihahi Ridge traverse, Mt Edith traverse - looots of fun, and hopes that all have a great time on her events.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Marta Heske. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 09)
Michael A
| Mike came to Calgary in the Autumn of 2006 and discovered the COC shortly afterwards. Prior to that he lived in Ottawa, Thunder Bay, and Windsor, Ontario. He has had a diverse career as a canoe guide and outfitter, non-profit community development and fundraising coordinator, overseas ESL teacher, and now works as an EMT for Alberta Health Services.
Mike's interests include volleyball, basketball, learning and volunteer events. His outdoor interests include hiking, scrambling, ultimate frisbee, backpacking, running, canoeing, kayaking, snow shoeing and snowboarding and he's interested in developing his cross-country ski and rock climbing skills. Mike coordinates ultimate frisbee, hiking, scrambling and backpacking events for the COC. He hikes at a moderate-to-fast pace but is committed to hiking at the pace of the group and nobody gets left behind. He may postpone an event depending on the severity of weather conditions. Providing there is time, he will add some exploring in to his events and prefers to try new or rarely done hikes with stunning scenery. He likes to have fun and socialize at a pub after events.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Michael A. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 08)
Michael
| Originally from Toronto (born and raised), I relocated to Alberta in 1995 to pursue a new career
challenge, and now consider Calgary home. I am a sales and marketing professional with a background
in commercial banking and media / print advertising as my specialties to-date.
My passion (since hanging up my hockey skates) for the outdoors have primarily been golfing
(summer) and skiing (winter). I?ve altered my interests in the last few years and have rekindled
some other interests such as volleyball and tennis.
My motto is ?Try anything once, but really TRY?. The majority of my posted events will be
rated intermediate and will be at a somewhat competitive level, but not for the serious jocks or
beginner/novice. I like the style of play to be truly representative of how the sport should be
played.
I will try my best to be encouraging and supportive of others, lighten the mood with my off-
the-cuff humor and friendly banter, and at the end of my events, we will always share much laughter!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Michael. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Oct 08)
Michael (Hill Sgt.)
| | Michael was born in Scotland but has been in Calgary almost his entire life. He enjoys almost any outdoor activity but you will find inline skating; running, at ultimate; and hiking most often. He is a resident inline skate lover and you will regularly find him out on the trails in and around Calgary. He has recently been bitten with the running bug and likes to get out and try to improve his times in the longer distances. He tries to keep up a moderate to advanced pace but likes to stop for the views or anything interesting that comes along.
Michael co-ordinates inline skating and running events mostly.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Michael (Hill Sgt.). |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 08)
Michelle L
| Michelle moved to Calgary in 1996 from Ontario and has been hiking ever since. She catches herself saying “that hike is one of my favorites” when describing a lot of the hikes she has been on.
Michelle enjoys the hikes that are “in the book”, but also wants to try new things. Expect Michelle to coordinate hikes on easy terrain at a moderate pace, or more challenging terrain at a slow pace.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Michelle L. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 08)
Mike S.
| | I've been in Calgary since 1985. I moved here from Brooks because I wanted to come to the big city. My interests include mtb and road cycling, downhill skiing, and bike mechanic(ing). Don't think that is a word, but oh well. Like live music as well.
I joined the COC in July 2007 because many mountain biking friends were members.
I work in a office for a land surveying company (because it pays WAY more than being a bike mechanic).
I co-ordinate mostly cycling events, but probably some hikes, bike repair/maintenance, and mtb skills events.
I prefer a relaxed atmoshere on events - even when leading a more advanced trip. Time to take pictures and a leasurely lunch - weather permitting. Maybe take the occasional side trip, but don't feel I have to stick to a rigid program either.
I guess I'm more of a fair weather person. Getting caught in bad weather happens regular enough, I don't like starting out in the rain.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Mike S.. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Re-instated July 11)
Mike W
| Mike has been in Calgary for many years, drawn to the mountains from the relatively flat surroundings of Montreal and Ottawa where he grew up.
He is interested in most wilderness activities, particularly if they include a trip to the pub after! In the summer, he spends his time scrambling, mountaineering, and rock climbing. In the winter, he enjoys downhill, cross-country and backcountry skiing.
He joined the COC in 2004, and has served in the past, as a Director and head of the Safety Committee. Mike coordinates scrambles and skiing events, usually in the difficult to advanced range.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Mike W. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Oct 10)
Nancy U
| Originally from Montreal, Nancy moved to Calgary in June 2007 to pursue a career opportunity. After 8 years of involvement in a triathlon club in Montreal, Nancy joined the COC and immediately fell in love with the magic of the mountains, shifting her focus to anything outdoors related.
Her interests are varied and in the summer include hiking, back-packing and camping, as well as road and mountain biking. In the winter, she is an avid cross country skier and also loves to skate ski. Her motivation to become a coordinator was sparked by an interest in taking up mountain biking, but finding few events at the beginner to intermediate level available within the club. Nancy looks forward to coordinating mountain biking events at the beginner level, along with intermediate to advanced cross country skiing and hiking events. She prefers to lead events with a brisk pace, but not so fast that there is no time to smell the roses!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Nancy U. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Dec 11)
Noel Sam
| Noel has been in Calgary since the mid 1980s. He came from a tropical island called Mauritius where there is no snow but there are lots of hiking trails and beautiful beaches. Noel owns a business. His background is in Computer Science and he is also an Auto Mechanic Journeyman.
He has always enjoyed outdoor adventures. Every year, he tries adding one new sport and one new ski hill to his bucket list. He enjoys hiking, camping, mountain and road biking, downhill skiing, swimming in the ocean and snorkeling , kayaking, and snow shoeing. He also likes badminton, ping pong, squash, volley ball, soccer, photography, keeping fish (salt water and fresh water) and playing with all kinds of electronics.
Noel plans on coordinating skiing, hiking, camping and kayaking events at a moderate pace. On occasions, he will organize events specifically for advanced or for beginners. He loves trips that require staying overnight like going to Whistler, Whitefish, Fernie, Revelstoke, Kicking Horse, Castle Mountain, Purcell Mountain lodge, etc.
Noel loves trying out new things to keep life challenging and fun. He has been trained as a Canadian Ski Patrol (CSPS) and also a ski instructor (CSIA). He is a cancer survivor (from several years ago) and does not take life for granted. He volunteers a lot with cancer patient programs.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Noel Sam. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 04)
Parry Loeffler
| Parry lives in Calgary, but in the past few years has contracted the dreaded itch - the travel itch - and begun to disappear on extended backpacking trips in search of treatment. According to him, a cure has yet to be found.
So far he’s spent time in India, the Middle East, New Zealand, and SE Asia – which resulted in his first book, Rice Crust from the Bottom of the Pot.
Parry loves anything to do with getting out into the mountains. In the winter he most often digs out the backcountry and x-country skis or the snowshoes. In the summer he climbs, backpacks, scrambles and also does some full-on mountaineering.
Parry started the popular Climber’s Night event a few years ago. His latest project is the Mountain Film Night event that runs during the winter months.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Parry Loeffler. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Re-Instated Nov 10)
Paul
| I was born and raised a Calgarian. In 1973 the family moved to the Okanagan where we owned a summer resort and spent our summer days water skiing, fishing and hiking into the hills. After high school, I ventured into commercial salmon fishing on the west coast, construction and then College in Vancouver. In 1998 an opportunity to move to Calgary presented itself so we pulled up stakes only to pound them down again in the prairie soil.
I enjoy just being ‘out there", always have and hope that I always will. I love the sights and sounds where my soul can sing. I enjoy the sweet and pungent fragrance of mountain air.
I plan to coordinate hiking, scrambling, backpacking, road and mountain biking during the summer months and snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and winter camping during the winter months. The pace will usually be moderate. I always expect the best and plan for the worst, so a cancelled trek due to a poor weather forecast will be rare – they say if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. We will explore and take side trip as the whims and will of the group dictates. My mama always said: Life is like a chocolate box, you never know, what you'll get. (Forrest Gump).
I am a soloist at heart and I am comfortable out in the mountains. If in the moments we share together on the trail, we can mutually impart a measure of how to be comfortable out there, then we will have added value to each other's trip and we will do it again some time.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Paul. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Feb 09)
Peter Roseneck
| | Originally from southern Ontario, I've had the good fortune of living in Calgary since 1990. During the week I try to stay active by bike commuting to work, while on weekends I usually go on outings in the mountains with family, friends and/or the COC. The type of events that I like to coordinate involve hiking, mountain and road biking, kayaking (on lakes) and snowshoeing.
I prefer to coordinate events that are in the easy to moderate range and I try hard to stick to the planned itinerary unless there is a consensus to change, including leaving and returning on time. I usually drive my minivan to events and can carry up to 6 other people for car pooling.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Peter Roseneck. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Jan 04)
Phil (Last Minute Phil)
| Philip moved to Calgary in 1998 from a city 200 miles north which shall
remain nameless... ok, it was Edmonton (try not to hold that against him).
He was born and raised in
Edmonton, and until 1997 spent his time away from work Downhill Skiing
and (yikes!) Snowmobiling. Yes, he was a Sled-Head. But then his Sled-
Head buddy got him into Backcountry Skiing in 1997, and now he would
rather stay away from the crowds and go backcountry.
Philip is self-employed and travels to Asia for work, so he has seen
quite a bit of the world. His main interests include
Hiking/Backpacking, Mountain Biking, Skiing/Boarding (Back Country and
Cross-Country), Canoeing/Kayaking, Traveling, and enjoying a pint of
beer after the activity. He joined the Calgary Outdoor Club in
December 2003 and began leading events for us in May 2004 (primarily
hikes, scrambles, mountain biking and social events). Philip's club
nickname is "Safari Phil" for his head-to-toe khaki hiking outfit (including
the funky safari hat).
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Phil (Last Minute Phil). |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Aug 08)
Phil (Outdoor Phil)
| Hi everybody. My name is Outdoorphil. I have to distinguish myself so as to avoid confusion with the army of Phils that we have in the club. I am a native Calgarian. I have lived in other cities but this one's the best. It has the best recreation opportunities.
I discovered the club through a friend. I think it is a great way to have new experiences with nice people.
I like events where you sit still and don't do too much - not! In the winter I like to fly down the slopes of Lake Louise. Cross-country skiing is a blast as well. In the summer hiking is exhilarating. Other good events are the social ones and volunteering.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Phil (Outdoor Phil). |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since June 11)
Rachael S
| Rachael has lived in the Calgary area since 2003, and joined the COC hoping to meet new people and enjoy the outdoors. With so many breathtaking areas around Southern Alberta, she is always excited to discover great new places right in her own backyard.
Rachael currently plans to coordinate events such as easy hikes, bike rides and camping. And, in the future, she also plans to coordinate more sporting events such as volleyball, racquetball and especially softball. Rachael's events will not be "hard core" or for speed demons. Expect moderate pace and fun! Rachael has a lovely big brown dog, Coco, who accompanies her whenever possible, so you can also expect to see many dog-friendly events.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Rachael S. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 08)
Rex
| Rex was born and raised in Calgary, spending his misguided youth on the UIC ski team (that's what it used to be called). Now he is mostly into urban hikes in the summer and looking forward to cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. He is involved in Commercial Property Management which leaves him free nights and weekends for events. Rex does his best not to let the weather affect the running of an event because it will change again anyway!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Rex. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Dec 07)
Rick M
| Rick grew up in Toronto, moved to the prairies in the late seventies and settled in Calgary 10 years ago. He started mountain biking in Manitoba and has built his skills since arriving here where we have real biking trails. The rest of his activities he took up with a vengeance more recently.
Rick coordinates more difficult mountain biking, hiking and snowshoeing with an intermediate approach to scrambling, and downhill and cross-country skiing. He likes to be above the tree line and loves a great 360 view. Rick likes to keep the group together and will get out in the rain, snow or sunshine. The pace is usually moderate to fast with short breaks for lunch.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Rick M. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Jan 11)
Robin
| Originally from Kingston Ontario, which is great for sailing and canoeing but flat, Robin moved to Calgary in 1981 after spending 5 years in Vancouver. She spent the following years working, raising a family and dreaming of hiking and traveling.
Although Robin still enjoys working part-time, now that her family is grown, she has been able to devote herself to fun in the mountains. Hiking through beautiful scenery with a satisfying amount of elevation gain is one of her favourite ways to spend a day. She enjoys hiking at a moderate pace, with short stops to take pictures. Easy scrambles without a lot of exposure, cross-country skiing, the occasional snow-shoeing or downhill skiing expedition, road biking, swimming, white water rafting and sailing are all things she also finds enjoyable. If she can travel somewhere and do some of those activities while exploring, she is even happier. If the weather doesn’t seem to be completely cooperative, she usually thinks going anyway is more fun than staying at home and doing chores; so she would only cancel if there was a significant safety concern.
As much as she loved hiking the Inca Trail, the Grand Canyon rim to rim, and around Berg Lake, her favourite trip so far has been the “Tour de Mont Blanc”- two weeks of fairly strenuous hiking through France, Switzerland and Italy. Staying in little hotels and sampling the local cheeses and wines added to the pleasure of the trip. Of course, there are many wonderful destinations still on her bucket list that might be even more enjoyable than what she has experienced to date, so she can’t wait to get to them!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Robin. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Feb 10)
Ron S
| | After living in northern Alberta, Ron returned to Calgary in November 2008, partly to pursue hiking, running, biking, photography, and skiing. Aside from outdoor activities, he enjoy's Calgary’s abundant lecture series, film festivals, and farmers markets; Ron is an ardent supporter of our local organic producers. Calgary’s close proximity to the mountains provides endless opportunities for outdoor activities and with time, he will tackle them all.
Ron started running in March 2009 because running was and is a simple and quick way to burn energy and condition for other pursuits. The COC weekly group runs have been excellent motivators, with a great group of friends. Events coordinated will be relaxed and friendly.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Ron S. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Sept 10)
renna
| Rowenna has lived in Calgary since 1981. She came from Scotland and couldn't have chosen a better place to live. She loves being near the mountains and her love for hiking has grown over the years.
Tennis is definitely her second love and she recently started to play again. The city put a new surface on the tennis courts at Silver Springs. Yipee:>)
She decided to become an Event Coordinator and give back to the community. What Rowenna has found is that it doesn't matter what age you are, tennis is a game people can play all their lives.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by renna. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Aug 07)
Roy Scarisbrick
| Roy is an IT Consultant who came to Calgary from Central Alberta on a work transfer in 1987. His outdoor interests include skiing and cycling and he also enjoys home brewing. He joined the COC in 2007 looking to meet more mountain bikers and coordinates die-hard mountain bike events for us. Roy says that his all-time favorite trip is to mountain bike Lake Minnewanka. He generally sticks to his planned itinerary and says that fitness maintenance is always an objective when he goes out.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Roy Scarisbrick. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Nov 09)
Ryan C.
| Ryan grew up in the hinterland of Northwestern Ontario. Prior to moving to Calgary, he spent six years in Ottawa working for the Federal Government and completing a masters degree in Economics at Carleton University. He moved to Calgary in April 2009 for a new career and to enjoy the mountain lifestyle.
Ryan regularly coordinates moderate to difficult hikes, scrambles, road cycling and classic Nordic ski outings. In the city, Ryan coordinates ultimate frisbee, squash and photography events. His pace is generally moderate, but flexible depending on the group. Ryan likes to pack a lot of camera gear with him so expect many photos stops on scenic outings and don't act surprised if he shows up with a full sized tripod strapped to his pack. As an avid amateur outdoor photographer, Ryan is always willing to give tips and pointers to others with a keen interest in photography.
On Ryan's scrambling events never be in a rush to leave the summit. You've worked hard to get there, so relax and enjoy the views. Ryan is a fair weather kind of guy--expect events to be moved to a different location or cancelled if the forecast the day of the event looks unpleasant.
When not in the mountains, Ryan enjoys the comforts and amenities of the big city and life in Calgary. Ryan is a serious music enthusiast and record collector. He hopes that one day he'll become competent enough at playing the guitar to form a garage rock band. Until then, he's quite happy with keeping his neighbours annoyed. :-)
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Ryan C.. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 09)
Shaun L
| Shaun loves the mountains so much that he quit his secure job with the
federal government in Ottawa to move to Calgary, without a job, in
December 2008. He was working as an electrical engineer in the
high-tech industry, but has been unemployed from the time of this move
to the time he became a coordinator (and hopefully not much longer).
He grew up in Edmonton before his 9-year stint in Ottawa after
university. During university, he got into sport rock climbing in the
summers and scrambling/backpacking in the winters, all in the Rockies.
Another passion of his is travelling, and he has visited over 150
cities in 28 countries on all 7 continents. Some outdoor adventure
highlights include hiking the Inca Trail, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro
(5895m), and trekking to Mt. Everest Advanced Base Camp (6400m).
Shaun coordinates events such as tennis, volleyball, and
scrambling, catering mostly to Intermediate and Advanced levels. His
pace is moderate to fast, and he dislikes being outdoors in the rain.
He doesn't like to do the same scramble/peak/trail more than once, so
patience may be required for routefinding. His favourite quote is from
Helen Keller: "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Shaun L. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Oct 08)
Sheena
| | Sheena first saw the Canadian Rockies at Waterton National Park in the fall of 2004, and fell in love with it --- it was love at first sight. Since then, she has been to the Rockies for over half-hundred times and just cannot get enough out of it!
Many of Sheena’s first-ever outdoor activities were through the COC: first ice hiking, first snowshoeing, first scrambling, first floating on the river, and first paintball… She has come across many wonderful people at the Club and has been learning a lot from experienced hikers. She would love to explore the mountains with like-minded people.
Her events will mainly be, but not limited to, easy/moderate scrambles, difficult hikes, and snowshoes in winter. She likes to hike in a moderate and steady pace; also loves to take the time capturing the beauty of nature with her camera.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Sheena. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Mar 10)
Shelley R
| Shelley has been in Calgary for close to five years now. She's originally from the Vancouver area, but after school in Victoria, she left the West Coast to work in Dawson City, Yukon for eight years. Initially in Calgary on a year off to work and ski, she ended up liking it here enough to move officially. Shelley loves to spend the summers hiking and backpacking, and the winters XC and downhill skiing. Jogging helps make it all easier, and indoor climbing rounds out the mix of fun stuff. Before moving to Calgary she rode and drove horses, and knows a thing or two about music.
When Shelley isn't spending her days teaching humanities and music to the next generation of outdoors people, she coordinates climbing, running, skiing and hiking events. She might consider overnight trips, rollerblading, socials and horseback riding on occasion as well.
She's not afraid of bad weather, but does her best to pay the weather bill to make sure the order for sunshine or fresh snow comes through. Her trips will stick to the trails and the original plan for the most part, but she doesn't mind some adjustments to the plan to better fit the group.
Shelley tends to move at a moderate pace (moderate by short leg standards, anyway!), but she's patient and doesn't mind waiting for slower hikers, and she welcomes all likeminded speedy hikers on her trips. On her events you count on the chocolate always being packed, and the bear bells only being permitted for accompaniment purposes at carolling sessions that fall between Dec. 20th and Dec. 25th. See you on the hills, walls, trails or pathways!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Shelley R. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Dec 09)
Shelli
| Shelli is a native Calgarian but has lived in Vancouver and Edmonton as well. She joined the COC in June 2008 and decided to become a co-ordinator to host "slow and steady" events since she's not the fastest. Her events mainly will be cross-country in the winter and hiking and rollerblading in the summer. She has a "no one left behind" policy on her events and tries to keep the group together as much as possible.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Shelli. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Apr 05)
Sibel (Mushroom)
| Sibel was born in Europe. Having lived in Calgary for 31 years, she has developed a fondness for anything and everything to do with the outdoors.
Sibel joined the club in October 2004 because she was looking for a change in her life. After returning from abroad, the club was a welcoming change to her ordinary routine. As an elementary school teacher, she has found her primary communication skills to be quite useful when on club outings. Sibel served the club as its VP of Communication from 2005 to 2007. Now she is looking to incorporate her boys Wolf and Zander in outdoor ventures.
Sibel is a year-round hiker. As she is coordinating hikes which involve kids, look out for urban hikes, with the possibility of hikes outside the city. These hikes will be stroller and child-backpack friendly, expect random stops, starts and finishes near playgrounds, and if coffee can be found, that will be a bonus! Her all time favorite hikes include the Sentinel Pass, Cirque Peak and Grizzley Peak. Plus treks she has done in SE Asia and Turkey!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Sibel (Mushroom). |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Mar 10)
Sylvia L
| Sylvia was born in Germany and moved to Canada as a baby. She grew up in Wawa Ontario and moved to Calgary in 1977. She had one year away in Vancouver (1985-86). She has been a realtor since 1988.
Sylvia lives besides Nosehill Park in Thorncliffe and will be planning many urban hikes. The pace of her events is moderate. Sylvia's other interests include downhill skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, bicycling, billiards and socials that are music and wine based.
Sylvia's most favorite trip was a week long bicycle tour along the coast of Oregon.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Sylvia L. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Jan 10)
Trevor L
| | Trevor was born and raised in New Brunswick, and came to Calgary in the spring of 2005. His outdoor interests including running, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking and camping. In his spare time he loves to travel and volunteer. His day-job is working as an engineer, however he’s usually dreaming of all the other great things that life has to offer.
Trevor mostly coordinates group runs and likes to maintain a friendly and relaxed atmosphere for the events.
His favourite hike is Stanley Glacier and any others that provide a variety of scenery and challenges.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Trevor L. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since July 08)
Tsering D
| Originally from LA (Lethbridge, Alberta) Tsering came to Calgary in 1996 and slowly began to transform from a strict urbanite to an outdoor aficionado. The transformation accelerated with joining the COC back in 2006 and he hasn’t looked back.
During the summer, you can find him mountain biking, hiking, scrambling, backpacking and trail running. When old-man winter comes around, he becomes a gravity rider doing mostly downhill skiing events with the odd cross-country or snowshoeing event.
Tsering likes to keep a moderate to quick pace for most events, but will take time to enjoy the scenery and stop for lunch.
Tsering’s most memorable trips in the outdoors so far have been: Mountain Biking the Kokopelli Trail (Fruita, CO to Moab, UT), hiking up Mount Temple, and downhill skiing at Kickinghorse.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Tsering D. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since May 07)
UrsulaW
| Ursula balances her passion for the outdoors with an independent consulting business that she is equally passionate about. If you are curious about Ursula’s work life, check out her web site at Liminalstrategies.com.
An avid cyclist, Ursula is torn between recreational road riding and mountain biking. She also enjoys just using her bike to do errands and attend meetings around the city. She’s keen on hiking and scrambling where’s there’s not a lot of exposure. Favourite hike: Dolomite Pass. In the winter, it’s cross-country skiing first, followed by downhill skiing with occasional backcountry tours thrown in.
When not working or outdoors, Ursula can be found at the theatre (Alberta Theatre Projects typically) in the concert hall, at a folk club, a movie, or just hanging out with friends, preferably with a good bottle of single malt or wine.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by UrsulaW. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Feb 07)
Veronica J.
| Veronica missed being born in Holland by six weeks, and instead decided to be born and raised in Calgary. She works as a Land Analyst, and enjoys traveling, movies, dining, gardening, reading, knitting and most of all – shakin’ her tail feather! Her friends call her a “domestic diva” because she loves cooking, baking and anything culinary.
Veronica discovered the outdoors about ten years ago. Most of her friends are otherwise inclined, and hiking by herself is neither safe nor fun, so she started searching for a group and discovered the COC in January 2005. She says the COC saved her from a life of couch-potatoeitis and boredom.
Veronica loves year-round hiking and snowshoeing, and wants to start canoeing and kayaking. She also wants to get her scuba certification. She coordinates easy to moderate hikes and snow shoe events, as well as some socials. She prefers to take it slow (that annoying asthma) enjoying the journey as well as the destination. She generally sticks with the planned itinerary but can be convinced to take side-trips (bribes are enthusiastically accepted!). She’s willing to venture out on the colder days in the winter but is adverse to -20C with wind chills. Her all-time favourite hikes are Galatea Creek, Grassi Lakes, Grotto Canyon and Wilcox Pass.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Veronica J.. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since June 07)
Veronique
| Moving to Calgary in February 2007 was a dream come true for Veronique who fell in love with the Canadian Rockies a few years ago. Originally from France, she enjoyed living in Europe and spent about 12 years in the UK prior to moving to Toronto in 2003.
Veronique loves hiking, scrambling, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, tennis and yoga. She is always keen to discover new cultures and attend social/multicultural events as well as studying languages. She took several sabbatical leaves over the years to travel and hike around the world in Europe, Asia, Australia/NZ, North America and her all time favourite Latin America.
She joined the Calgary Outdoor Club in April 2007 as it was an amazing opportunity to meet great people who share similar interests. She prefers organizing difficult hikes (at moderate pace, rain or shine) and some easy scrambles. Bring your cheerful personalities along when you join her events as there are all about the company, scenery, fun and photography. The true meaning of the word "breathtaking" has taken a whole new meaning since moving to the Rockies.
Veronique works as a Senior Project Manager for a consulting firm and has been working in the healthcare industry for 15 years as it is challenging and extremely rewarding.
Her favourite hiking trips: Fitzroy National Park & Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Milford Sound in NZ, Machu Picchu in Peru and in the Rockies: Lake O'Hara (= healthy addiction :-) and Waterton National Park.
Favourite motto: Go confidently in the directions of your dreams and act as though it was impossible to fail”and put your heart, mind, intellect and soul even into your smallest acts as this is the secret to success.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Veronique. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since May 10)
Wendy
| Wendy has been in Calgary since Jan 2010. She’s lived in the NE, SE and western parts of the US before now, and is currently loving her time in Canada.
Her interests are varied for the seasons, including road and mountain biking, hiking, running, cross country and downhill skiing, and snowshoeing. The pace of her events would depend on the acivity: moderate for road riding and cross country skiing, but slower with more stops for mountain biking trips. Amazing mountain views and animal sightings are reasons to take a quick photo break, but otherwise, keeping a steady pace is preferred. She would consider taking side trips that would not add too much mileage, but might make for a more pleasant, exciting, or picture worthy trip, as long as everyone is up for it!
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Wendy. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Jan 08)
Wil
| Wil is an all-weather person and follows the trail (+ explores a few side ones, if time is no factor). He is experiencing pangs of excitement to go on trails he has not been on before. His all-time favorite hikes (at this point) are Tent Ridge and Akamina Ridge in Alberta, West Coast Trail in BC and the Cornwall Coast Trail in England (with all its ghost stories). In Holland, his favorite hike was to the local neighborhood pub (terrasje pikken).
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Wil. |
|  | Event Coordinator (Since Jan 10)
Yoonhee
| Yoonhee first came to Calgary in 1988, however soon after, her family moved to Vancouver. She is now back in Calgary, and is enjoying the mountains and the people.
For the time being, Yoonhee is only coordinating squash events in the city, but hopes to soon expand her coordinating abilities to other types of events. She enjoys many outdoor activities, delicious food and meeting new people.
See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Yoonhee. |
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