Blocheads Unite!

15 days left till the 2010 Tour De Bloc season kicks off. For those of you unfamiliar with TDB it's an indoor cross Canada bouldering competition. The circuit spans from the east to west coast stopping at various bouldering gyms to give Canadian climbers a chance to show off there talent.

This will be my first year competing and I'm super excited to spend my days pulling some plastic and getting to know the other competitors/bloc heads around the Toronto & Ottawa area.

First 2010 Comp Date: Jan 9th/Boulderz Climbing Gym

On a lesser note, it's Christmas! Enjoy some figgy pudding and shooting things with your brand new Red Ryder BB Gun.

Ride Music:
Not much riding will be done over the next few days but if your out in the powder or chillin with a glass of spiked nog then i recommend a personal favourite: RJD2-Someone's Second Kiss. Because you always look forward to the second kiss.

Hello Stranger

It's been a while no doubt. Almost 8 months to ballpark it. But I think something can be gained out of this whole blogging idea. Especially now that it's not for a mark.

It would be wise to summarize what has happened in those 8 months, but I wont. Instead I'll start looking ahead and leave the blogging community with something to feel jealous about.

This morning I awoke with a message from my computer, it said that I had received feedback on a trip proposal I submitted a few weeks ago. The proposal was for seven other students and I to travel to the south of France (Ceuse to be specific) in April of 2010 and climb at the greatest sport crag in the world.

Our intention would be to create a basecamp in Les Guerins de Sigoyer, near the town of Gap and travel between Ceuse and other sport/bouldering crags in the area. We should spend two weeks climbing, exploring and getting to know the culture of the area.

The trip plan had received a PASS. This pass is pending a lot more legwork and paperwork but none the less we have come one step closer to achieving a massive goal.

Camera's, this blog and video footage will follow this expedition so that we document every inch along the way.

The posts will continue as often as possible and I will be updating everyone on the trips progress as the details are scratched out.

Thanks for reading

OS

Spring

With the season changing and the days getting longer you can feel the excitement of the adventures to come. All over town you can see people getting ready to spend more time out of their homes and instead enjoying the outdoors.

For the ODA students this crunch time to finish off our major projects and start getting ready to move onto our summer jobs.
This week is the last week of winter expeditions with the last half of our class crashing through the bush learning to navigate and practice winter survival. Next week we will be starting our Wilderness First Responder course which is an intensive 80 hour program which teaches us how to respond to medical emergencies in remote locations.

Ride Music:
This past weekend Toronto artists Jay Spectre came into to town to promote their debut album "Too Little, Too Much"at Cafe Ole. They rocked the show with some original songs and even a few james brown covers that brought the crowd to it's feet. Check out their myspace and enjoy.

http://www.myspace.com/jayspectremusic

Word To The Wild

A heavy portion of our second semster includes winter survival systems, and the majority of this mark comes from knowing how to spend a night outside. Many outdoor enthusiasts have a lot of experience with three of the four Canadian seasons but the winter can be a very different beast for the inexperienced.

Managing your heat can mean the difference between the beauty rest you need to get back on the mountain the next day or a miserable night of shaking or shivering. Sleeping outdoors means coming prepared with a sleeping bag rated to the proper temperature, being well hydrated and fed so that your body is actively digesting something while you sleep and having a shelter to protect you from the elements outside.

With these facts in mind I have started preparing for next weeks Winter expedition. We will be hiking on Wilderness Tours property from Monday morning till Wednesday night. The biggest issue that the group will face during this trip will be managing water for the three days. We will be unable to carry enough water for the trip and getting more will mean melting snow will be our only choice to stay hydrated.

Although winter survival requires more effort than the other three seasons it also offers a whole new element of adventure to all our excursions.

Ride Music:

The season are showing signs of change again; the days are starting to get longer and the sun's familar warmth is coming back and so this week I encourage everyone to kickback and listen to some classic Jurassic 5.

Jurassic 5-What's Golden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohi8NlxjtTQ

Cheers

My Big Break

This past week was the reading week break and the majority of students in Ontario were given a week off to catch up on school work and getting organized. For me, the break was a great time to finish off my summer job search. 

Over the past few weeks I had been e-mailing back and forth to possible employers about positions in Alberta & BC. I am glad to say that after the long search I have officially accepted to attend training at Canadian Rockies Rafting Company. 

The position will be as a beginner raft guide and training will begin on June 1st and will be one week of rafting on the Bow, Kananaskis, Horseshoe Canyon & Kicking Horse Rivers. CRR is based out of Canmore, Alberta and is just minutes from Banff National Park. 

With this position now available to me I'm very excited for the coming summer season. I look forward to finishing off the semester so that I can begin my big adventure out west. 

Ride Music:

The next few months are going to be an exciting time for music fans because a lot of great artists are releasing new albums. One these artists is Toronto based Metric, who has just released the first single "help i'm alive" from the upcoming album titled "fantasies".

Listen and love.

Metric: Help I'm Alive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAaaQDTNWnk

 

The New Urban Playground

These days the ski hills and resorts are not enough for the avid riders. The winter enthusiasts are turning to the city streets and back alley's for a new look on the urban playground. 

Last night a group of us ODA students left a party with the urge to utilize some of the features behind the local ice rink. The conditions were warm and the snow had been piled high by the zamboni so it was the perfect time to shape and build some "step-ups" onto a long hand rail. 

Armed with shovels, snowboards, ski's and a camera we descended like vultures onto the untouched snow. Starting just before midnight we worked and played for hours taking on a hand rail and setting up a drop off into the back alley of the rink. 

The police and the neighbours would often stop to watch and occasionally chat with us about the safety of it all but overall there was a resounding amazement and enthusiasm.  I encourage everyone to take a new look at their own home town or city and find the play spots available to them.  With some good snow and good friends you'll find yourself forgetting about the price of lift tickets.

Ride Music:

This week, coming in with a remix from the Aussie superstars Cut Copy is Ladyhawke with Paris is Burning.  The opening has a great djembe beat that sets up the rest of this addicting dance track.

Ladyhawke- Paris Is Burning(Cut Copy Remix)

Hello all

Now that we are "smack" in the middle of winter in Ontario more and more people are out and about at the ski resorts, trails and the backcountry. This is always great to see and experience but I'd like to send out a personal word of caution to all those enjoying the white and fluffy.

The past few months I've had a reoccurring strain on my lower back. I knew right away that this is something I'd have to take care of as the season went on because I could not afford to stop for weeks to recover from putting it out. Well lo and behold it's finally happened. After finishing the snowboarding unit of my course I came home for the weekend to slowly but surely find my back seizing up.  Normally I would stretch it out and take some time to recover but this time I'll need to take time off from the course and make sure I get put back together correctly.

The caution I'd like to send to everyone is to listen to what your body tells you. Take the time to stretch properly before your outdoor pursuits and if you a very active person, you should be seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis.

Ride Music:

This week it's going to be a group that I've really started to pay more attention to lately. It's Dead Prez's big hit Hip Hop remixed by the american superstar DJ Diplo.

Dead Prez: Hip Hop (Diplo Remix)

http://regnsky.dk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/hip_hop_diplo_remix.mp3

The Search

Over the past few weeks there has been buzz amongst the ODA students over the search for summer employment. Our program requires us to do a 40 day work term and the most feasible time for this is usually over the summer break between year one and year two. Positions that are being sought out range from raft guides to camp counsellors.

As the search goes on, more and more excitement is created over who will end up in which jobs. As for me I still have my work cut out. Although I have many options here in Ontario, my hope is to find a position on Vancouver Island so that I can expand my resume to include more of Canada.

My resume is slowly but surely being sharpened before I start submitting it, and a list of potential employers is being developed. Best of luck to everyone.

Ride Music:
This week I'm really excited because I discovered these guys last year and forgot all about them until now. It's a collaboration that spans across a lot of musical styles. With a hip hop back beat and the scratch and mix skills of a master it's DJ AM & Travis Barker. Add this to your IPod and I promise that you're head will go limp from bobbing up and down all day.

Listen to "Fix Your Face" 1 through 15:

www.trvsdjam.com/mainpage.html

TrvsDJAM. (June, 2008) Myspace.com. Retrieved January 25, 2009 from http://a313.ac-images.myspacedn.com/images01/32/1_5d9675fc5102f2e66d3e33f0d798758.jpg

Begin at the Beginning

Hello & Welcome

My name is Omar and this is my shiny new blog for discussing the travels and excitement of the Outdoor Adventure Program. 

I'd like to kick start the blog by telling you a little bit about myself. My home town is Markham, Ontario where I grew my love for adventure through summers in cottage country and memorable adventures with friends throughout our amazing province. After doing some traveling for a year in Quebec, Ontario & British Columbia through the Katimavik program I decided to get back to school and joined Algonquin College.  

With the snow falling and the calendars changing so is our semester. The ODA(Outdoor Adventure) winter semester is now in full swing with snow sports. This season is going to be packed with  snowboarding, downhill & nordic skiing, ice climbing, winter survival and wilderness first aid training. 

Our first skills week has just passed and I was scheduled to start snowboarding. My past attempts at snowboarding had been in vain but this year proved to finally sell the sport to me. With expert coaching from our skills instructors I was able to confidently use heel & toe edging and learn the basics of instruction for beginner snowboarders.  I was so excited by the end of the two days that this weekend I went out and bought my first board.  I am the proud new owner of a Rossignol Imperial deck. I'll also be ending each of my posts with my favourite new song to ride to. 

 Ride Music:  

This first week is going to be a classic Daft Punk track covered by a retro 80's style Danish band called Alphabeat. Be sure to check out some of their other stuff.

Alphabeat-Digital Love(Daft Punk Cover)

http://www.chromemusic.de/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/digital-love-daft-punk-cover.mp3