Cape Town’s grand Table Bay Hotel a stately waterfront gem

Sooner or later, you’re going to visit Cape Town. South Africa’s oldest city is also, arguably, its most stunning, with a climate that beckons visitors year-round.

When the city’s grand Table Bay Hotel opened 18 years ago, Nelson Mandela made it official, lending it a cachet that carries on today. With a recent $2-million dollar revamp, the hotel is at its gracious best again with new decor that retains the Victorian look and feel of the original design. Even the brand new brasserie Camissa looks old school with brass-tacked leather chairs, black leather banquette and red brick walls.

Location, location

There are other five-star hotels along Cape Town’s waterfront, but none that say “you’ve arrived” quite like Table Bay, a member of Leading Hotels of the World. Guests reach the stately eight-storey structure via a palm-lined driveway where uniformed doormen take your bags.

From there you walk through a glassed-in portico before entering a spacious lobby furnished with custom-made Persian rugs, wing back chairs and plush red sofas. But before you can sink into one of them, you’re drawn to the immense floor-to-ceiling window that frames Table Mountain so perfectly it leaves you momentarily speechless.

Besides the extraordinary view, Table Bay is ideally situated for strolls along the Victoria and Albert waterfront with its fashionable shops, restaurants and entertainment. The nearby jetty where Nelson Mandela and other prisoners departed for Robben Island is now a museum. Tours of the former prison leave from another pier close by.

Best amenity

Forget the cramped gym but be sure to enjoy high tea in the large, light-filled lounge. Fine teas are paired with three courses from savoury sandwiches and warm quiches, to scones with clotted cream and a diet-blowing array of desserts.

Eat in or eat out?

With talented Canadian Jocelyn Myers-Adams as the hotel’s executive chef, there’s no question you eat in. She puts a fresh spin on local ingredients at Camissa, such as num nums (a tart red fruit that grows wild) and dune spinach foraged from Cape Town’s surrounds. (She also hosts foraging expeditions for guests.) I particularly loved her crispy confit crocodile with chakalaka aioli. The hotel is also known for its substantial breakfast buffet, which takes up an entire wall. From cereals to sushi, and fresh-squeezed juices to fresh-shucked oysters, this is more brunch than breakfast. But because a continental breakfast is often included in the room rate, it can be hard to get a table. You can’t reserve, so give yourself plenty of time. With all that food, you’ll need it.

Whom you’ll meet

Guests vary with the seasons: You might meet wealthy Arab oil sheiks escaping the heat of the Middle Eastern summer, or South Africans down from Johannesburg for a weekend splurge in winter.

If I could change one thing

Rooms on the second floor look onto a raised roofline from another part of the hotel that is so hideous you’ll want to keep the curtains closed. Potted palms outside would give guests something to look at other than concrete and gravel.

Room with a view

Junior suites in each corner are your best bet for striking water and mountain views. The higher up, the better.

The Table Bay Hotel, 6, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town; suninternational.com/table-bay; 329 rooms from 5615 South African rand ($570) a night, including breakfast.

The writer was a guest of the hotel.

Posted by Unknown 6:39 PM 0 comments

The delights of Nicaragua’s Leon go beyond its visual charms

Pedalling down Leon’s cobblestone streets at a considerable clip, my pedicab driver, Benjamin, starts singing romantic Spanish ballads to me. Apparently he’s got lungs as healthy as his calves, because I can barely sit straight on the seat as I slip around in my own sweat in the wilting Nicaraguan heat.

Benjamin’s got other talents, too. He was the only one of the swarm of pedicabs drivers at the dusty bus depot who had any idea of where my guesthouse might be (Nicaraguans eschew street addresses for directions such as “two and a half blocks past the Esso”). And he makes predictions. “Leon will be a dream for you. You will get a fiancée before you leave,” he tells me in a mix of English and Spanish. His prediction is wrong, unless he meant falling in love with a city.

With a population of less than 200,000, Nicaragua’s second-biggest city doesn’t have the economic and political clout of the ugly capital, Managua, nor the concentration of gentrified colonial hotels and trendy bars of its showier rival, Granada. But it has its own magic. Sure, the long-ago former capital has a constellation of historic churches scattered like Easter eggs around the city’s Spanish colonial grid, especially the stately 18th-century cathedral, which seems to have been built for a city 10 times the size. But it’s the wondrous assortment of people Leon attracts that make it one of those rare destinations where locals and travellers easily can meet and interact. The city plays host to university students, American expats, artists, NGO volunteers, fugitives from the law (I met a couple of them), former revolutionaries and backpackers making their way across Central America.

In the evening, locals cool off in their high-ceilinged front rooms, watching passersby and chatting up neighbours through the window. The narrow sidewalks, peppered with holes that must be dodged and smokers loitering outside bars, encourage random encounters. A short chat with Adoc, the handyman at my guesthouse, gets me an invitation to his friend’s place, where the host, who makes a living sewing robes and dresses for church statuary, serves a hearty soup of tripe, yucca and corn. The next day Adoc takes me to his barber.

Maybe it’s Leon’s leftist sensibilities that sweep aside social barriers. During the Nicaraguan revolution, the city was a Sandinista stronghold. While those violent decades are long past, the ramshackle Museum of the Revolution remains a hangout for veterans who give tours for tips. My guide, Ernesto, is a small man in his mid-50s, who must have been in his teens at the height of the insurrection in the late 1970s. He proudly points himself out in several of the black and white photos on display. There he is behind barricades across from what is now an ice cream parlour. There he is with a group of armed men standing in front of piles of rubble. Learning about his lived experience as a revolutionary fascinates me more than anything a curator could put together.

Though the Leon sun can be unrelenting, vast, surf-able Pacific beaches are not far away, and the back-and-forthing between city and coastline provides yet more ways to meet people. On the local bus to Las Penitas beach, a half hour or so through the dry countryside, I try practising my Spanish on whomever is sitting or standing next to me; school kids especially appreciate the opportunity to respond in English. One day I am walking to the beach bus depot when a taxi driver pulls over and offers me a ride for 30 cordobas, about $1.35. The 23-kilometre ride can cost as much as 200 cordobas ($9) so I am a little suspicious. “Thirty, thirty, fast, fast,” the driver calls out of the window. I can’t resist the bargain. The rusty car starts moving before I have even closed the door. For the next 12 minutes, anyone and anything on or near the road face the wrath of our horn. Oscar, the driver, had received a request from Italian tourists willing to pay $100 (U.S.) for a ride to Managua – several days’ income. Pragmatically, Oscar doesn’t want to drive empty. Emotionally, he wants someone to share his excitement with and he talks as fast as he drives until he drops me off, politely wasting a few seconds to shake my hand.

Leon’s status as a hidden gem can’t last forever. Bigfoot Hostel has become one of the biggest businesses in town by creating a backpackers’ bubble where young travellers with a taste for partying can easily forget exactly which country they’re in. The price points for the Bigfoot restaurant, bar, shuttles and packaged adventures, combined with a singles vibe, tend to exclude customers from other demographics, including Nicaraguans. But the Bigfoot universe is sometimes unavoidable. After enjoying a sunset over the roaring surf at Las Penitas, a fellow traveller tells me the easiest way back to town is in Bigfoot’s bright orange military truck, which shuttles between Bigfoot’s beach house and its headquarters on Leon’s “hostel row.” About 20 of us sit on benches, catching glimpses of the dark countryside when the clouds let the moonlight shine through. Passengers take turns announcing what country they’re from before the conversation turns to American politics, whether it’s safe to go to Honduras and where the best WiFi is.

The smell of charred chicken at the impromptu outdoor restaurants that pop up in the evenings behind the cathedral sometimes lures hostel-row backpackers away from their pizza and beer. Ladies in red aprons direct strangers to sit together at long cafeteria-style tables to eat assorted grilled meats and sausages, veggie fritters andgallo pinto (the national dish of rice and beans). One evening I share a table with an Australian living with a local family while studying Spanish, three American hostellers on their way to Costa Rica and a local businessman grabbing a bite after closing up his shoe store. We talk about whether San Juan del Sur, the famed surfers’ beach in the south, has become too touristy. The shoe salesman insists that we foreigners must walk on the roof of the cathedral, a surreal sculptural landscape of domes and cupolas, though we should take care to wear sunglasses to protect our eyes from the whitewashed glare.

Near the end of my stay, I’m drinking a batido (a blended drink of ice, sugar and frozen fruit) outside Mercado San Juan, a hodgepodge of market stalls, when I spot Benjamin, the pedicab driver.

“You remember me?” he asks.

“The singer!” I reply. He blushes.

I wonder aloud how I might fix the broken handle on my suitcase, which I am carrying. Benjamin pedals me to the cobbler’s row hidden behind the market. A half-hour later, my bag is as good as new and Benjamin gives me a free ride back to where he found me in the front of the market. “You find a fiancée?” he asks. “No, have you?” I call back.

He laughs and pedals off without answering.

If you go

Getting to Leon, unfortunately, usually means going through the mess that is Managua. A private shuttle to the capital, which is sometimes just a car and driver booked through a hotel or hostel, will cost you about $20. Government-regulated microbuses, which cost about $2.30, are a much better value. You have to catch them at the confusing bus depot, but they are frequent, make few stops and take about two hours, not much longer than a shuttle.

The rainy season is May to November, but at any time of the year the temperature in Leon rarely drops below 30 during the day and 21 at night. A room with air conditioning is a necessity and an abundance of hostels offer air-con beds in the $10 (U.S.) range. Something more comfortable, such as the charming

Hotel San Juan de Léon (hsanjuandeleon.com), which has a tiny swimming pool, will cost $40 and up.

Two beachside villages, Las Penitas and Poneloya, provide a reprieve from Leon’s heat. Las Penitas caters more to foreign visitors, with restaurants serving reliable staples such as pancakes, hamburgers and sandwiches.

Playa Roca (Playarocahotel.com) is a popular haunt, with showers where restaurant patrons can wash off the sand. Locals prefer Poneloya for its cheap fresh-fish meals, served up at outdoor restaurants that circle the local lagoon.

Leon is a jumping-off point for exploring the five peaks of the Maribios volcano chain. An array of guided tours is available along hostel row. Momotombo is the biggest volcano in the chain, but Cerro Negro, the most active, has become famous for providing daredevils slippery hills of volcanic rock to board down on sleds or snowboards. Volcano boarding tours start at $31 (U.S.), including, in one case, a tank top and a mojito. A more traditional hiking tour can cost $70 (U.S.) and up.

Posted by Unknown 6:34 PM 0 comments

Edinburgh might be small, but it ‘packs a punch’

‘Edinburgh has the vibe of a big city but is tiny in terms of its scale,” says Dougal Sharp, founder of Innis & Gunn, a craft beer headquartered in the Scottish capital.

Born in Aberdeen, Sharp moved to the capital as a teenager and often worked for his dad who ran the Caledonian Brewery. But don’t just come here to drink the local brews, he says.

“If you were to stand atop Arthur’s Seat, which is a hill in the middle of Holyrood Park, you can see where the city ends on all sides. It packs a punch for a small capital city and although it’s stunning to look at, it’s the people who really make the place what it is.”

Here is his guide to the best Edinburgh has to offer.

Montpeliers

My local is Montpeliers in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, which is a really vibrant, diverse community on the northern fringes of the city. I go there for good beer and banter and, as it’s only a two-minute walk from home, I can properly enjoy the beer - 29 Queensferry St.,montpeliers.co.uk

Ondine

Ondine is my go-to restaurant in Edinburgh. It never fails to be brilliant. The owner/head chef, Roy Brett, is such an incredibly talented man and a lovely guy and he is an ardent ambassador for Scottish seafood, which is amazing but so undervalued - 2 George IV Bridge,ondinerestaurant.co.uk

Jenners and Brotique

To be honest though, as I travel a lot, most of the shopping I do is at airports. But for anyone who’s grown up in Edinburgh as I have, Jenners is a familiar name. It’s Edinburgh’s oldest department store and a bit of an institution really. I also like the men’s store, Brotique in Edinburgh. They are pretty local to our HQ and I always end up leaving with something whether I need it or not -Jenners: 47 Princes St., houseoffraser.co.uk; Brotique: 39 Queen St., thebrotique.co.uk

Raeburn Hotel

It’s always been one of my favourite haunts, from my rugby-playing days to now (the sessions are a lot more civilized these days). It was recently refurbished and has one of the best beer gardens in Edinburgh – always hooching – which translates as busy – on the rare occasion the sun shines in Edinburgh. - 112 Raeburn Place, Stockbridge; theraeburn.com

Can’t miss

In Edinburgh you can’t beat the Royal Mile or St Andrew’s Square during the Edinburgh Festival in August. It’s always buzzing, the only time Edinburgh truly becomes a 24-hour city. But, for me, I’d travel a short distance East to North Berwick or Tyninghame Beach in East Lothian. North Berwick is a beautiful coastal town and the beach at Tyninghame is so wild and unspoilt (just don’t tell anyone) - edinburghfestivalcity.com; north-berwick.co.uk;visiteastlothian.org

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Posted by Unknown 6:05 AM 0 comments

How couchsurfing changed the way I travel

Dispatches is a new series of first-person stories from the road. Readers can share their experiences, from the sublime to the strange.

Travelling around the world was always one of my dreams but, like most people, I was convinced I could not afford it.

Finally, I decided to follow my heart even if I had to sleep on kitchen floors – I ended up sleeping on other people’s couches.

When I decided to take the plunge and book a trip to Europe, I Googled for ideas on the cheapest place to stay in Amsterdam. I stumbled uponCouchsurfing.com – a community-based website for free accommodations. At first, I was naturally skeptical and thought this was a gimmick. Why would any sane person let a stranger stay in her house free? There were some safeguards put in place – the site offered references from past guests and hosts – but the biggest safeguard, the website stated, was yourself. There were thousands of people like me who were looking for a place to stay free, to make a friend in a foreign land, or to exchange cultural and other ideas. The more I read about it, the more this premise resonated with me.

My first experience was in Amsterdam where a criminal lawyer with good references from past guests agreed to host me for a few days. But by the time I was sitting on Amsterdam Central Station’s entrance steps, it dawned on me that I might be going home with a person who could be a serial killer. What was I doing? I’d have to follow my instincts. Then a tall man with blue dreadlocks who spoke very fast English arrived. He seemed like a nice guy, and there was not one peep from my gut.

That night, I slept on a blow-up mattress beside his bed in his tiny bachelor apartment. I did not sleep well, but over the next couple of nights, I slept like a baby. I went to dinner with my host’s friends and ended up hanging out with eclectic and amazing people, people I would not have otherwise met during my short stay in Amsterdam.

I moved on to Paris. Here, my gracious host put me in a room all to myself in her bi-level apartment in the 14th district. Her artist friends took turns hanging out with me: A writer took me around Luxembourg Gardens; a musician took me to a local jam session; another friend, a tour guide, took me to the bargain boutiques.

At one point in Jerusalem, I had house keys of three people who were hosting me in different cities. Even though I kept meeting people for the first time, they were – incredibly – trusting me with their homes.

There were times that I decided to pass on a host – it could have been the tone of an e-mail or some other unexplainable feeling. But in a million years, I did not think couchsurfing would change my perception of strangers and the true meaning of generosity. Staying in someone’s house has allowed me to trust my intuition and never question it.

Twelve years and 21 countries later, it’s still true.

Posted by Unknown 8:42 AM 0 comments

UNESCO adds dazzling new travel sites to its World Heritage list

After meeting in Bonn, Germany, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, has named more than dozen new sites to its World Heritage list in recent days.

Sites – which can be of cultural or natural significance – must be deemed by the committee (comprised of 21 UNESCO member states) to be of “outstanding universal value” and meet one of 10 criteria. Being named to the list often results in increased tourism to the location, and also increased protection efforts and funding, to ensure it can be enjoyed for generations to come.

This year’s honorees include some well-known tourist destinations – and some relatively unknown spots worth a visit. A few examples:

Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining (Japan)

Japan had applied to list Gunkanjima, or Battleship Island, as a world heritage location along with almost two dozen other sites to illustrate the country’s industrial revolution during the 19th century. Until recently, Seoul had objected to the listing unless the role of Korean prisoners forced to work there during World War II was formally recognized. The two countries sparred over the issue for weeks but eventually reached a compromise that finessed the issue, but is unlikely to entirely finish it.

Blue and John Crow Mountains, Jamaica

Jamaica’s lush Blue and John Crow Mountains are the island’s first UNESCO World Heritage site. The mountains are part of a national park in eastern Jamaica and boast the island’s highest peak. They also are home to the Moore Town Maroons, descendants of escaped slaves who joined an autonomous African community during the colonial era, and the source of Blue Mountain coffee, some of the most expensive in the world. -Associated Press

Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars, France

In Champagne, the method of producing sparkling wines was developed in the early 17th century. The recognized area includes the vineyards of Hautvillers, Aý and Mareuil-sur-Aý, Saint-Nicaise Hill in Reims, and the Avenue de Champagne and Fort Chabrol in Epernay, as well as production sites, underground cellars, and the sales and distribution centres, or Champagne Houses. -Reuters

Climats, terroirs of Burgundy, France

The Climats are vineyards on the slopes of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune south of the city of Dijon. “The site is an outstanding example of grape cultivation and wine production developed since the High Middle Ages,” UNESCO said. France now has 41 sites on the World Heritage list, including two other wine-making regions, Saint Emilion and Bordeaux. -Reuters

San Antonio Missions, United States

The San Antonio Missions are five Spanish Roman Catholic sites built in the 18th century in and around what is now the city of San Antonio. Spain used the missions to convert indigenous people to Catholicism and make them Spanish subjects. The best known of the missions is the Alamo, site of the 1836 battle.

Singapore Botanical Gardens, Singapore

Singapore’s Botanical Gardens were created in 1859 and have since become a world-class conservation and research site, as well as a major tourist attraction for the city state. Recent notable visitors include Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott (above, left). When Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William visited during a 2012 tour, a hybrid orchid was named in their honour.

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System, Mexico

The aqueduct of Tembleque in Hidalgo State, Mexico was constructed between 1541 and 1557. It was designed by Franciscan friar Francisco de Tembleque and constructed with help from the local indigenous people.

Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus, Germany

Hamburg’s Speicherstadt district is a vast complex of red-brick warehouses built between 1883 and 1927 in Germany’s biggest port. It is considered the world’s largest continuous warehouse complex, comprising 17 buildings and extending over 25 hectares. “The district’s uniqueness becomes even more evident when comparing it to maritime warehouse complexes and other early 20th century modern office ensembles in cities around the world,” said Hamburg’s first mayor Olaf Scholz.

Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of Jewish Renewal, Israel

The Necropolis of Beth She’arim, a series of catacombs, was built from the 2nd century B.C. onward as a Jewish burial place. Located southeast of Haifa, Israel, the site features inscriptions in Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew.

The Forth Bridge, Scotland

Scotland’s Forth Bridge, completed in 1890 to carry trains over the Forth River and still in use today. “Innovative in style, materials and scale, the Forth Bridge is an important milestone in bridge design and construction during the period when railways came to dominate long-distance land travel,” UNESCO stated.

Ephesus, Turkey

The ancient settlement of Ephesus near Turkey’s western coastal city of Izmir, already a major tourist attraction, becomes Turkey first site on the list. The ruins of Hellenistic and Roman settlements include an amphitheatre and a library dating back to 135 AD.

Posted by Unknown 8:38 AM 0 comments

Mount 7: Bike, ski and fly all in one day on Golden, B.C.’s one-stop-adventure rock

Brady Starr is 2,490 metres above sea level, ready to scorch down a mountain ridge on his bike. Andy Brown is 10 metres above him, on the summit, gearing up to ski a strip of snow not far from Starr’s path. Peter MacLaren is paragliding above them both. A hang glider noodles around nearby.

We are on Mount 7 – Golden’s one-stop-adventure rock. The trio is pulling off Mount 7’s rare summer trifecta: biking, skiing and flying, all at once. Starr and Brown add a dose of 4x4ing up a logging road and hiking with equipment on their backs to execute the skiing and biking segments; to paraglide, MacLaren runs off Mount 7 at 1,950 metres above sea level and rides the wind upward. I knock off two of the three – paragliding and skiing – in one day, displaying varying degrees of skill and grace. I lose a thimble or two of blood, leave skin on craggy rocks and, yes, need help from the guys when this interdisciplinary playground in British Columbia bests me.

Starr’s bike is green, his helmet black and his mind clear. He rips down Mount 7’s scree field – a grey blanket of loose, sharp rocks, punctuated by outcroppings – for about 500 metres, dropping 190 vertical metres. The angle of the slope is about 35 degrees.

“It is sometimes moderately intimidating when you are looking down the ridge. It is quite steep. And then once you get going, it is just all bliss,” he says, as if the 25-second ride is a reasonable thing to do on a Friday afternoon. “It is some of the most pure and raw downhill-mountain biking in the province.”

Indeed, you don’t go to Golden because you love Banff. You go to Golden because you love the mountains and know you don’t need to buy a jade grizzly bear carving after hiking. Banff is like Katy Perry – choreographed, fluorescent, sugary. Golden is the Mudhoney of the mountains – unpredictable, gritty, punk. You know about Katy Perry. As for Mudhoney, if you know, you know.

Mount 7 is named after the fleeting fashion statement it makes each summer, when it sheds all its snow save for one ribbon shaped like a seven. The window of opportunity to ski the Seven is brief – it lasts only about seven to 10 days each year. Ideally, locals ski it July 7th. (Get it?) Clothing is optional. I am here, clothed, on June 5th because last winter’s snow pack was thin and this spring was hot. I came to Golden to ski the Seven; I involuntarily skidded down a good chunk of it on my back.

But first, I paraglide.

Getting high

Peter MacLaren operates Parapete Tandems. He floats about 100 hours in the sky each summer above mountain tops. He is afraid of swing sets. Those are just too much for him.

Paragliders and hang gliders access the launch pad thanks to a 14-kilometre logging road. Gliders have set speed and distance records off this grassy pad. The mountain’s thermals (think updrafts) keep adventurers in the air for hours. In 1986, a fellow named Randy Haney hang-glided from here to Whitefish, Mont., 325 kilometres away.

MacLaren and I plan to go four kilometres in 15 minutes.

“Our sink rate will be somewhere around one metre per second,” he says.

I wear a blue helmet, he wears a white one. We get in our rigs – they are like chairs without legs – and MacLaren clips us together. We want to land on a patch of grass on the other side of the Columbia Valley.

“Water is okay, too,” he says.

I ask myself one question as we prepare to run off Mount 7: Why didn’t I just hike or canoe around the Columbia wetlands rather than fly with its fauna and swoop over its flora?

It is too late to reconsider my definition of a good time. I’m attached to a man I just met and running toward the drop-off. I scream when I realize I’m still wheeling but my feet can’t touch the ground.

The screams morph into happy squeals a few seconds later. From here, the wetlands look like slimy green puddles best avoided when coming in for a landing.

Our giant white nylon banana carries us gently over the spruce trees below. From here, they look like green swords that will bludgeon us if this goes wrong. We are going 30-35 kilometres an hour, but it feels like floating in a lazy breeze. We corkscrew downward, on purpose, for the rush, before landing on the grass.

I’m sitting on the valley floor, yet the day goes downhill from here.

Free Fallin’

Starr, Brown, and I 4x4 up Mount 7 until snow thwarts us on the logging road. We hike about two kilometres before getting to the base of Mount 7’s scree field, navigating the bush, patches of snow, and outcroppings where missteps are punished. Starr, backpacking his skis and boots while pushing and carrying his bike, beats me up this Rocky Mountain.

I’m five metres from the top of Mount 7 and need to scramble onto a ledge above. I hold on to the rocks above me and move from toehold to toehold.

I slip on a patch of ice. I can’t get a footing. I’m not strong enough to pull myself up. Rocks embed themselves in my knees. I’m slowly losing my grip, like a cartoon villain about to meet her deserved fate.

“Help?”

Starr ditches his bike and hustles to me. “Let go,” he says. I can’t see him. Brown, standing above me, says Starr is right below. He will catch me. Just let go.

My fingers slip before I decide whether letting go is wise.

I freefall at least three centimetres before Starr catches me.

Free Fallin’

Starr, Brown, and I 4x4 up Mount 7 until snow thwarts us on the logging road. We hike about two kilometres before getting to the base of Mount 7’s scree field, navigating the bush, patches of snow, and outcroppings where missteps are punished. Starr, backpacking his skis and boots while pushing and carrying his bike, beats me up this Rocky Mountain.

I’m five metres from the top of Mount 7 and need to scramble onto a ledge above. I hold on to the rocks above me and move from toehold to toehold.

I slip on a patch of ice. I can’t get a footing. I’m not strong enough to pull myself up. Rocks embed themselves in my knees. I’m slowly losing my grip, like a cartoon villain about to meet her deserved fate.

“Help?”

Starr ditches his bike and hustles to me. “Let go,” he says. I can’t see him. Brown, standing above me, says Starr is right below. He will catch me. Just let go.

My fingers slip before I decide whether letting go is wise.

I freefall at least three centimetres before Starr catches me.

Wipeout

Brown, a spokesman for Tourism Golden, and I are standing on the Seven. He makes about 25 casual turns down the Seven, covering about 120 metres.

The Seven’s snow is soft and heavy from the heat. My skis sink. I wipe out. A river of slush and scree carries me downhill on my back. I scream for help. The Seven rests in the mountain’s drainage, and the drainage continues long past the end of the Seven. I think of all the ledges I could skid off. Still moving.

I finally dig my skis in hard enough to stop sliding after about 30 metres. I check for rogue bones sticking out of my body, dig out of the slush, and plan my next move.

The Seven isn’t steep and it is 20 metres wide, enough room for swoopy turns. But I stand there feeling stranded. Brown hikes up to me, gently telling me to hurry up already. He counts me in. Ten, nine, eight – if I wait any longer, I’ll chicken out. I ski.

Screams turn to giggles. I manage a handful of turns before the heavy snow threatens to throw me down again. I stop, clack my poles together above my head, and get off the Seven even though I’m not at the bottom. Close enough.

“Anywhere I go around the world, it is hard to think of a cooler ski line,” Jim Gudjonson, believed to be the first person to ski the Seven about 30 years ago and who has travelled the globe as a mountain guide, says.

“You can’t actually see the bottom of the Seven when you’re standing on the top. It just rolls off. You’re not sure what the end is going to be like.”

If you go

Fly into Calgary International Airport. Golden is about 280 kilometres west on Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway.

What to do

Plenty of summer activities are free in Golden, including hiking, biking, climbing and fishing. For a fee, you can also golf, go horseback riding or skydive.

Parapete Tandems:Flights, photos and videos starting at $175 (including tax). parapetetandems.ca

Columbia wetlands:Self-guided walk: $7 per person; guided tours starting at $69.95. Canoes, kayaks, paddle boards and pedal boats starting at $25 per hour.wetlandsadventures.com

Glacier Raft Company:All-day adventure, including riverside BBQ lunch $165 per person. More packages with other activities such as horseback riding, camping, and ATVing are available. glacierraft.com

Mount 7 hiking, biking, and skiing:Free, but go with someone familiar with the activities or ask locals plenty of questions.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort:The new via ferrata starts at $129 (plus tax). kickinghorseresort.com

Where To Stay

Prestige Inn: Mid-range hotel with a pool, hot tub, fitness room, and walking distance to downtown Golden. Rooms range from $169.95 to $219.95 (plus taxes) in the summer.prestigehotelsandresorts.com

Mount 7 Lodges:High-end chalets at the base of Mount 7 with unobstructed views and private hot tubs. The lodges are a five-minute drive to downtown. From $200 a night (plus taxes). mount7lodges.com

Canyon Ridge Lodge:A modern mountain-style bed and breakfast. All of the rooms have private ensuite bathrooms. It is a five-minute drive to downtown. From $109 (plus taxes) for one or two guests in summer.canyonridgelodge.com

The Prestige Inn charged a media rate; Starr Trail Solutions Inc. and Tourism Golden provided transportation on Mount 7. The companies did not review or approve this article.

Posted by Unknown 8:15 AM 0 comments