How skiing was born

The Man and the Mammoth. Awesome story on how skiing was born!

How does photography connect us

David Griffin, Director of Photography at National Geographic, gave a great talk at TED about how photography connects us, and the stories that the best photos tell.

Jasper Dark Sky Preserve featured in Canadian Geographic

The recently announced Jasper Dark Sky Preserve is featured in the April 2011 Canadian Geographic with a 12 page spread. Read Preserving the night skies, Jasper takes the lead, on the Canadian Geographic website.

Tips on taking night photographs

Leading star and northern lights photographer Yuichi Takasaka gives some great tips on how to take successful night photos. Yuichi was the photographer for the recent Canadian Geographic article on Jasper’s Dark Sky Preserve.

Jasper Dark Sky Preserve largest in the world

Jasper National Park was declared the world’s largest Dark Sky Preserve today. Dark Sky Preserves (DSP) are areas designated by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) that promote responsible lighting, offer public observing sites for quality night sky viewing, and have active and engaging public outreach programs about astronomy and responsible lighting. They also demonstrate leadership in responsible lighting within their facilities. Including Jasper, there are currently 11 sites in Canada that have received DSP designation. This is more than all of the other DSPs in the world combined.

Jasper is not only the biggest DSP in the world, but also larger than all other preserves combined. The park offers great night sky observation opportunities, such as this halo around a moon on a cold winter night just outside of the town of Jasper. More information about observation sites, clear sky forecasts and maps can be found on jasperdarksky.org.

Halo around the moon over Whistler mountain, Jasper National Park.

Canadian Geographic issue on Parks Canada

Canadian Geographic is dedicating their April issue to Parks Canada’s 100th anniversary. Jasper is featured in one of the cover stories. Don’t miss the issue!

San Fransisco time lapses

I am a big fan of time lapse videos. Here are two very cool ones from San Fransisco. The first one is not all that different from the timelapse of Vancouver.

The Unseen Sea from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

Steaming City from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

New photos of Jasper online

I have uploaded some images of Jasper and Mount Robson to a new Photoshelter account. Check out the Jasper National Park and Mt. Robson galleries on the new site.

Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park

Mt. Robson from Hargreaves Shelter

Nordic skates

These skates are the cat’s meow for going out onto natural ice. They consists of a skate blade with a skate-ski binding. Click in your skate-ski or classic ski boots and off you go. These are bar-none the most comfortable skates I have ever used, because the boots are so comfy, and provide lots of support. The blades are curved up at the front so they handle bumpy ice and snow better than regular speedskates. You can supposedly skate through several inches of snow.

For added speed and stability, add some nordic skate poles. And best of all, you can put on the boots in the comfort of your home, and just clip on the blades once you get to the ice. If you are skating in Holland, they are also great for klûnen. Once you have tried a pair of these, you’ll never go back to regular speedskates again. There is an importer in Vermont, nordicskater.com, who sells all the equipment, or if you are in the Canadian Rockies, Wild Mountain in Jasper sells them as well!

Canada ranked #1 country brand in the world

In 2006, Canada languished at 12th place in Future Brand’s country brand rankings. But four years later, it has grabbed the coveted #1 Country Brand from the US. The rise to the top spot was aided in part by the legacy from the Vancouver Winter Olympics, and the strong Keep. Exploring brand. Congratulations CTC! It’s an honour to have been part of their Brand team.