?TheCalgarySun n THURSDAY,FEBRUARY16,2012 Adventure'snever farfromhome LAURENBARR CalgarySun Withtheruggedmountains tothewest,youdon'thaveto lookveryfarafieldinCalgary to find an adventurous RV vacation. "Albertaisone ofthebestplaces in the world for lots of adventure travel," says Gene Simmons, a travel expert and editor with Frommer's,which recently released Frommer's 500 AdrenalineAdventures ($23.99 from Wiley). "Certainlyit's the best place in Canada."Soifyou'relocatedinCalgary,youcaneasilydriveyour RV to the mountains for the weekend. "One of the best things abouttheRockyMountainsis thefactthatyoucandomultisport adventures all within oneday,"Simmonssays. An RV can change your weekendintoamini-holiday. If you have an RV at home that is all packed and ready to go, when Friday evening comes around, you can take offat amoment'snoticeand getacompletebreakfromthe "From Jasper, you can go whitewater rafting on the AthabascaRiverinthemorning,thenfindyourselfclimbing mountains in the afternoon."LooktotheJasperAdventure Centre for these multisport adventure days." WhitewaterraftinginAlbertacan go from the family-friendlytame,suchastheAthabasca River, to the extreme on theFraserRiver. A little closer to home, Simmons also suggestsHorseshoe Canyon along theBowRiverforagreatraftinglocation. Forthosewithsteelynerves, consider being swept up to themostremoteareasofthe mountainswithheli-hiking. "Summer's answertoheliskiing, heli-hiking is great becauseyoucangettoanarea that would otherwise take a full day's work to get there weeklygrindofeverydaylife. Planatriptoalocalfestival, asportingeventormaybego andexploreanothercityfora coupleofdays. Gofurtherandseeashow or attend an event. Drive to anothercityortownwithyour from the ground, then you would have to go back right away," Simmons says. "You just can't access these areas anyotherway." Keep in mind these hikes can be both physically and psychologically challenging, so make sure you have the stomachforheights. Ice-climbing can be both thrillingandchallenging,but fortunately in Alberta there are ice walls that will work withanylevel,frombeginner toexpertclimbers. "Someoftheworld'sbestice climbingisfoundinMaligne CanyoninJasper," hesays. In Canmore, you can get lessons from Yamnuska, a local mountaineering shop. NearbyJohnstonCanyonhas amixofbeginnertoadvanced iceclimbsalongonewall. Along the Columbia IcefieldsParkway,thereareseveralpopularclimbs,including PolarCircusandTh eWeeping Wall.Alliceclimbersshould

RVLIVING

41 PHOTOCOURTESYYAMNUSKAMOUNTAINADVENTURES Youdon'thavetotravelveryfartogoiceclimbing.JohnstonCanyoninBanffNationalParkhasicewallsperfectforbeginner climberstomorechallengingroutesforadvancedclimbers.Justbesuretocheckavalancheconditionsbeforeyouheadout. RVandspendthenightwithout having to pay for costly hotelaccommodation. Spend the day enjoying yourself then get a good night'ssleepinyourRV. Maybe fit in a bit of sightseeing or shopping the next daybeforeyoumakethedrive home. You're ready to return to work on Monday morning after a most enjoyable and exhilaratingweekend. WithanRVatyourdisposal, youarenotrequiredtotrekto thesamespoteveryweekend. RVs are not just for summerholidays.Ifyoursiswinterized,thenitcanbeusedfor familytripsanytimeofyear. How about a mobile ski chalet? Go downhill skiing, snowshoeingorcross-coun- check avalanche conditions before heading out, rememberingitisaninherentlydangeroussport. For those looking for a slightly less-thrilling adventure,checkoutthemorethan 60kmofcross-countryskiing trails that start at Canmore NordicCentre. Weekendsmadeformini-holidayswithyourRV trywiththefamilyandspend the whole weekend at the mountain. Or tow the snowmobile behindandspendtheweekend travelling the trails on a realCanadianwintersafari. -GoRVing.ca

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