Banff Film Fest Tickets are available now! Get your tickets early - we always sell out! January 21-22. Tickets are $15 each or both nights for $25 Shows start at 7.

Skijoring is a Norwegian sport that combines the thrills of Dog Sledding with Nordic Skiing. This winter local retailers Wild Rock Outfitters and All Creatures Great and Small will be teaming up with Dog Paddling Adventures to organize an Intro to Skijoring Day, Sunday, January 28, 2007. The day will cost $65, and includes professional instruction and harness rental. Check out www.dogpaddlingadventures.com for more details or trip ideas. Sign up at Wild Rock now, spaces are limited. Meet, 10am, at the Peterborough Zoo. Bring Nordic equipment (Skate recommended), a lunch, warm clothes and a four-legged friend who is eager to pull! Plan for a full day outside, and please dress accordingly.

Ski/Snowboard Trips: This year, Wild Rock is organizing 3 Ski/Board trips to Mts. Temblant and St. Louis.

Tremblant: Feb 9-11, $289 includes: bus, 2 nights lodging and 2-day adult pass. The first, 50%, non-refundable deposit is due Jan 12, 2007, with the balance due January 26. Sorry, no refunds, except $110 for lift passes off the second installment. Signed waivers, separate from Mt. St. Louis, are required upon registration.

Mt. St. Louis: Jan 21 and March 11, $69 gets bussing to and from the hill and a single-day adult pass. Payment is due on sign-up, partial refund ($38) within 2 weeks prior. Waivers are required upon payment, but only one is required for both day trips.

Letters with full details and waivers for each trip are available at the front cash. Minors must have signed permission from a guardian, and anyone under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Kayak Pool Sessions are filling up quickly. Hosted this year at the Trent AC, Saturday nights, 7:00-8:30pm. Sessions run January 13 to March 24. See our front cash for more information. Waivers and Health Surveys are required upon payment.

Advanced Bike Maintenance ClinicWednesdays, January 10 to 31, 2007 Wild Rock Outfitters will be hosting an Advanceed Bike Maintainence Clinic. Learn how to tear apart and rebuild your beast in our 4-day course. Each night is modular, so pay your $5 for the night when you arrive. Sign up at the front cash.

Nordic Ski and Snowboard Waxing and Sharpening Clinics Want the skinny on proper Grip Wax application and temperature ratings? Sign up for our January 4th and 8th clinics.Interested in applying your own Glide Wax? Come out January 11th to learn the Ins and Outs.Come learn to wax and sharpen your Snowboard, Thursday, January 18.All courses are $5, and meet at the Tech Counter at 6pm.

Nordic and Snowshoe Demo Kawartha Nordic Ski Centre, with Atlas Snowshoes and Madshus Nordic Skis, are hosting a Free Demo Day, Saturday January 13, 10am-2pm. There is a nominal day-use fee for non-KNSC members. Will be cancelled if the trails are closed. Check out www.kawarthanordic.ca for trail conditions, more information on the club and directions.

What to expect:

The RidingMallorca has a road network of 1,250 kms, 675 of which are local and secondary roads with an average width of 6.50 m. approximately, and 20% of these are in the mountains.Throughout the winter, the leading European teams visit the Island because they appreciate its ideal conditions for training. Professional cyclists who have visited Mallorca have a highly favourable opinion of the Island. Stephen Roche (winner of the Tour de France, the Tour of Italy and the World Championship) came to Mallorca on the advice of the great Miguel Indurain. As Roche says "Mallorca is quite fascinating! It has a great climate and great scenery and it offers unbeatable conditions for both holiday cyclists and professionals."From February to March, amateur teams spend their well-deserved holidays enjoying their favourite sport on local lanes, traveling through lovely countryside around the small villages in the interior, where they can also find the real cuisine and culture of the Island.We will base ourselves in the seaside town of Porte D’Alcudia on the North east coast. The riding can be as easy or hard as you wish. The cars are very courteous of bikes as they are very conditioned to bicycles on the roads. I would imagine we would break into 2 or 3 groups to keep like-minded and able folks together. The rides can be used for scenic beauty or hard riding. Extra water and snacks can be purchased in the many small villages. Lunches are easily found in the same villages.

Triathlon TrainingThere is a 25m pool within 5 minutes walk of our hotel. All you need is your cap, goggles and suit. The ocean is available but is quite cool so a wetsuit would be necessary. You can run right from the hotel. In the past most folks have focused on the cycling but there is no reason you can’t do a little of everything.

What if my partner is not an avid rider?You don’t have to be a hard-core rider in Mallorca. There is a multitude of short, flat easy routes. There are free cruiser bikes at the hotel for exploring the town. For non-cyclists there are 2 very good golf courses within 15 minutes of the hotel (Approx $95.00 for 18 holes). Rental cars or scooters are available at the hotel to explore monasteries, caves, lighthouses, windmills and old cities. There is a walled city built by the James II in 1298 within 15 minutes walk. In general there is plenty to see and do to keep someone busy for a week if they choose not to ride their bikes like mad folk around the island.The HotelWe stay at Aparthotel Coral de Mar a Four Star Hotel in the seaside town of Port D’Alcudia. Each room has a bedroom with two beds, a separate living room and full kitchen and bathroom. If you are on a budget and wish to cook your own lunch and dinners you may. You receive 10% off groceries in the small market in the hotel or there is a grocery store within 5 minutes walk. The beach is a 5-minute stroll. The hotel has a locked bike garage for our use.

Weather Averages for Mallorca Generally it is cool and clear in the morning and warms up in the afternoon. We usually ride in knee warmers and arm warmers in the am. When the sun hits noon or you are climbing you are right down to a jersey and shorts.The Average High Temperature is 65 F. There is a 87% chance of a Warm Day (temperature over 60°F). 118 days out of 135 in historical record. It is mostly sunny. There is a 16% chance of a Cloudy Day. (21 days out of 134 in historical record) It is not hot but these are very comfortable conditions for training.

Cost: Per person based on 2 per room is $109.00 per night + flight

What is included?The price includes all your breakfasts, airport shuttle (both ways), 2 shuttle rides (you get dropped off by a bus and ride back home), and your hotel. I can book plane tickets for you if you wish or you can book your own. You need to fly into Palma Mallorca (PMI).

What is not included?Transportation to the Toronto airport. Lunch, dinners and drinks while in Mallorca. Health/Travel/Medical insurance. Any surcharges for overweight baggage and/or bike box charges.

For more information or booking please contact Scott Murison at Wild Rock 705-745-9133 or scott@wildrock.net

Most of us at Wild Rock spend most of our Nordic Skiing hours at Kawartha Nordic. We love the trails, the new cabin and the sense of community! KNSC is north of Burleigh Falls on Highway 28. There are 34 km of classic trails and 13.5 km of skating trails; plus 10 km of wilderness trails and the cost is $10/person or $30/car. Year memberships are also quite reasonable.

There are lots of places not too far from us to try out if you are looking for somewhere else to go for a change. Here are some examples:

Dagmar Resort is north of Whitby, has 25 kms of trails and costs $12/day. You can contact them at (905)649-2002 or go to www.skidagmar.com

Ganaraska Forest is north of Port Hope with several entrances to the park. There are 30 kms of trails and a day pass is $10 For more info, go to www.grca.on.ca/ganfor.htm Phone is (905)797-2721

Gatineau Park is a long drive, considering it is just north of Ottawa, but it has beautiful skiing! There are more than 200 kms of trails and costs $7/day. For more info visit the website or call (819)827-2020

Haliburton Nordic is obviously in Haliburton and has 100 kms of trails. It costs $10/day for adults but children under 12 are free. For more info go to www.skihaliburton.com or call (705)457-1640

Hardwood Hills is a great early season place to go west of Orillia and north of Barrie.There are 30 kms of trails and the cost is $19.81/day for adults.More info can be found at www.hardwoodhills.ca or by calling 800-387-3775

Horseshoe Valley is north of Barrie. There are 35 kms of trails at a cost of $17/day. Find info at www.horseshoeresort.com or call 800-461-5627

Silent Lake is a Provincial Park on Highway 28 north of Apsley. There are 56 kms of trail and the cost is $10/car plus $2/person. You can find more info at www.ontarioparks.com

Trade shows are always busy. My years in this business ensure that I am never surprised when a sales rep is running late. Usually this means a fruitless waste of time but this appointment would be different.

As I walk into the Atlas booth Paul catches my eye. He comes over to say that he will be a couple of minutes (read 20-30min). “Oh, hey. This is Louis. He wanted to meet some dealers. Maybe you guys could chat for a minute,” he says as he walks away. So Louis and I do just that. As we chat about business I keep thinking, “this guy seems pretty knowledgeable”, so I ask what he does at K2 (which is the parent company of both the Atlas and Tubbs snowshoe brands). “Oh, I am the president” he responds casually. Now, this gets the wheels turning in my head!

You see, not only do I help run the show at Wild Rock; I am also a director of the Kawartha Nordic Ski Club. I take a moment to compose myself and swing into my corporate-giant-should-support-local-activities routine. Louis is very understanding of the needs for infrastructure for the sport of snowshoeing and has been thinking himself about the issue so our conversation is very fortuitous. After half an hour we have a commitment of some funds to help KNSC build 10km of trails and the beginnings of a national fund for trail development.

The spring and summer months go by with little thought about the trails but in October the work starts in earnest. With a tattered map and a vague GPS route in hand Zac and I set out to flag what would become our trail. Over Beaver dams and granite outcrops we went taking as many interesting features as we could (including the Ladderach cabin!). The hard work started in the following weeks with the actual clearing. Although many branches had to come down to clear the way we managed to stick to our goal of not felling a single mature tree.

After 5-6weeks of the trail eating up many of my days off as well as those of Zac and a few other random volunteers. Friday Dec 1st was to be my last day of trail clearing. The day dawned rainy and cold I felt the pressure to get the job done so up to KNSC I went. By the time I got up to the club freezing rain was falling hard. By 2pm there was about 2-3 inches of freezing rain on the ground but I was done the trail! As I turned to walk out there was a huge gust of wind followed by a number of booming cracks and the sound of falling trees. Over the next few minutes the trees continued to fall. I don’t know what emotion was stronger; the fear of being in the forest by myself as the trees were coming down or the disappointment of knowing that the work would start again.

Suffice it to say that there were more days at the club with saw, clippers and Sandvik in hand. As I write this there are still a 20-30 trees to clear but the trail is functional - beautiful, actually. I did get the chance to walk the whole route during the one Sunday when we had good snow at the beginning of December and it was deeply satisfying. I have never built a trail from inception to completion. I am a little wiser and my shoulders are a little broader for it.

Thanks to Louis at Atlas/Tubbs for the financial support and Zac and Dee for countless hours of help. Think of us when you strap your shoes on!

Kieran

Many people stop in Wild Rock on their way to exciting new places. Our staff love hearing about these trips and we thought you might, too.

Kimberley Rutherford travelled to Peru on a project recently and agreed to tell us her story.

Click on the picture to see more of Kimberley's pictures.

Lima: Orientation and Language ClassesI arrived in Peru at the beginning of April, and spent the first three weeks living with a family in Lima, taking Spanish classes and developing an understanding of, and appreciation for, Peruvian culture and history. I was met at the airport by Lorena, the Volunteer Abroad country coordinator and an incredibly intelligent and passionate woman who immediately made me feel comfortable and excited about the volunteer project upon which I was embarking. A native Peruvian, Lorena has worked with the United Nations on development projects in South America for over nine years. Discussions with Lorena and my Spanish professor Rosario provided fascinating insight into many aspects of life in Peru; from Peruvian history and politics (I was in Lima during the close and highly controversial presidential elections), culture and traditions, to the disparities that exist between rural areas and cities, and between the native Quech’ua speakers and the Spanish speaking majority. My Spanish improved slowly but steadily with Rosario’s help and I had a wonderful few weeks touring around the city and visiting its impressive sights and museums.

Rosario invited me to spend Easter with her and her university friends in a little village called Huamantanga, high up the mountains outside of Lima (a terrifying bus ride). The scenery was spectacular and the traditional Easter service was both beautiful and fascinating, complete with a large, colourful parade of the statues of Mary and Jesus, crosses, candles and a full marching band through the village every night over the Easter holiday until 5:30 each morning. Every year, one family from the village ischosen to be responsible for providing food and hot drinks for villagers and visitors throughout the entire holiday week. The hospitality was incredible and the coffee and hot chocolate boiled in large vats over an open campfire was a wonderful treat to counter the bitter cold mountain night outside. On my way to Cusco to begin my placement, Rosario took me on another trip, this time to visit her grandmother in Marangani, a small village in the southern- most part of the Sacred Valley. Rosario´s grandmother is 80 and lives alone except for a young girl, affectionately nicknamed Luz Clarita, who, at thirteen, single-handedly takes care of Seniora Carmen as well as the entire farm including cows, dogs, kittens, sheep, chickens, roosters, cuy (guinea pigs), beans and maize. She quickly stole my heart with her smile, laughter and determined effort to drag (using all of her 4’6” frame) my poor altitude un-acclimatized body up the mountain behind the farm at five o’clock in the morning. The view, however, was absolutely worth every step. The next morning she burst into my room to wake me up at 6am sharp and I helped her with her morning tasks: collecting firewood, building the fire, preparing breakfast, feeding the cows, sheep, cuy (guinea pigs) and chickens, sweeping the kitchen and patio, walking to town to buy fresh milk - all before getting herself to school by 8:30. It was a wonderful visit, and difficult to say goodbye, even though it had been only five days.

Volunteer Placement: The Village of Ancahuasi and the ‘Posta’ I spent two and a half months living in Cusco and volunteering in a rural government-run medical clinic in the village of Ancahuasi, in the Cusco Department of Peru. The clinic, or “posta” as it is usually called, is staffed by one doctor, two nurses and four technicians who are responsible for providing medical care and service to thirteen surrounding communities which have a combined population of almost 10,000. The communities are extremely poor, and most of the locals speak Quech´ua (sometimes Spanish too), which is one of the two native languages that survived the Spanish conquest of the Incas, so the staff at the posta are all bilingual. Quech’ua is a very difficult language with many ‘throaty’ sounds and guttural stops; my attempts at basic Quech’ua phrases were a constant source of amusement and entertainment to everyone at the posta, staff and patients alike.

Much of the work at the clinic is maternity and child oriented as most of the women from the communities have six, seven, eight or even nine children - pregnant as young as 14 and as old as 45. Luckily, both paediatric and maternal care are provided free of charge by the government. The nurses work hard to provide information and distribute birth control, however it is an ongoing and often frustrating struggle against a sea of misinformation (or simply lack of education), religious beliefs and poverty. Unfortunately, with such large families, many couples have more children than they can properly provide for, and thus malnourishment is also a significant problem in the rural communities. Monthly checkups for babies are provided at the posta to monitor their growth and development, and a ration of powdered nutritional supplement is distributed each month to every child under the age of three. Vaccination campaigns are also a high priority. Ensuring that all babies receive their required vaccinations often involves travelling to the communities with a cooler full of needles and vaccines and knocking door to door to track each child down individually; no small feat given that the rural communities do not have addresses, or even street names. Vaccination excursions were always a lot of fun; we would all pile into the old rambling ambulance and Darwin would skilfully navigate it along very rough roads, up hills and through valleys. As we approached the villages we began to call out to everyone we met along the road to meet us at the local school, where we would park the ambulance and begin giving vaccinations. The scene would slowly begin to resemble a large picnic as women, clad in their traditional dress, babies tied to their backs with swaths of beautiful coloured fabric and older children by their sides, would gather around on the grass. At each village we were almost always greeted with offers of freshly cooked organic potatoes with local cheese, beans, corn or even soup by generous villagers whose respect for and gratitude towards the posta staff was incredible.

The people I met in Ancahuasi were wonderful. The medical staff were friendly and funny, and did not hesitate to include me in their teasing and jokes; they even threw me a birthday party during my first week (complete with the Peruvian tradition of dunking my face into the cake). They were patient with me despite the initial language barrier, answered all my questions very openly and honestly and taught me an incredible amount about both the procedures that they performed (and allowed me to observe) and the illnesses they treated, as well as the difficulties and challenges they encountered as medical workers in a rural community. They were all extremely dedicated to their jobs, working long shifts, often overnight with very few days off. I was surprised to learn how little medical personal in Peru earn, and the subsequent realization that they truly work out of a sense of social responsibility and genuine desire to help. Initially many of the patients at the posta were fairly wary of the ‘gringa’ (white girl) working there, but warmed up to me once they realized I wanted to help, to get to know them, and would be sticking around for a while. Once I became a familiar face in the village, my camera became the star attraction. Usually camera shy, the sight of themselves, their friends, children, parents or spouse on the tiny digital screen often caused them to shriek with laughter, and sometimes embarrassment, but never failed to attract an excited and ever growing crowd. Amazed by this excitement and fascination with the camera I printed a stack of the photos in Cusco and brought them with me to Accoracay on my next visit to the community. I could not possibly have imagined the level of delight that I encountered. Adults and children alike proudly showed photos of themselves to other curious members of the community and laughter rang out as people clamoured to see the funny moments caught on film. The medical staff later told me that no one in this community had ever owned a photo of their children before and, weeks later, were still talking about it, still utterly thrilled. I was overwhelmed by the sincere gratitude with which so many of them thanked me upon their next visit to the posta, bringing me gifts of toasted beans, wheat, corn and fruit as a sign of their appreciation.

The first task I learned at the posta was to greet and register the patients as they arrived; to ask why they had come, who they wished to see, to record their weight, blood pressure and temperature and fill out the necessary array of government forms. My favourite job however, soon became helping the paediatric nurse whose office was always bustling and chaotic and who, on a typical day, would see between ten and fifty babies. I assisted her by weighing and measuring each baby, plotting their growth and development, handing out the nutritional supplements and vitamins and, of course, filling out all the requisite paperwork to document each visit. Sunday is market day in Ancahuasi and hundreds of people flock to the village from all the surrounding communities to buy and sell everything from fruits and vegetables to textiles and household items. Because of the distances involved, many people combine market day with visits to the posta, often waiting the few extra days until Sunday to bring in a sick child or relative. Despite the chaos that often accompanied them, Sundays were my favourite day at the posta with both an unending stream of patients and work to be done, and a festive, vibrant atmosphere characterized by visits from friends, local fruits and treats and the laughter of so many children running wildly about.

Another highlight of my trip was, without a doubt, my visits to the maternity ward of the Cusco hospital. After watching a delivery at the posta and expressing a desire to learn more about obstetrics, Erika, the obstetrician from the posta put me in touch with Guido, the obstetrician in Cusco, who invited me to spend a night in the hospital’s maternity ward. My first night there I observed three births and actually got to assist in the delivery of a baby, cut the umbilical cord, deliver the placenta and help with the post delivery stitches! It was an absolutely amazing experience. I ended up spending three overnight shifts at the hospital with Guido during which time I observed nine more births, helped with examinations of women in labour, delivery and dressing the newborn and learned an incredible amount about the entire birthing process.

Cusco and my HomestayThroughout my placement I commuted about one and three quarter hours each way from the city of Cusco where I was living to the village of Ancahuasi. The family I lived with in Cusco was wonderful; my host ‘mom’, Nilda, is the second grade teacher at the primary school in Ancahuasi, her husband is a retired teacher and together they have three children. Neither Nilda nor Raul spoke any English, which, while challenging at first, ultimately pushed me to use and develop my Spanish capabilities to the point where I could communicate effectively (at a basic level) most of what I needed to. Nilda took me to meet her students and visit the school on a number of occasions including sports days and the anniversary celebration for the school which featured traditional Peruvian dances performed by all the students. During another visit I had the opportunity to help out a group of American doctors and dentists with a day clinic at which they provided free medical and dental services, medicine, clothes and dental hygiene products to everyone in Ancahuasi. I spent a wonderful and amusing afternoon helping direct people, hand out vitamins and teaching the children how to brush their teeth. Another highlight for me was meeting Marco, a magician and children’s entertainer from Lima and who generously agreed to come to Ancahuasi to perform for the whole primary school. His unicycle act, juggling, magic tricks and jokes were met with uproarious laughter and the children, none of whom had ever seen a magic show before, continued to talk about it for weeks thereafter.

Most of my days off during my placement were spent exploring Cusco and the Sacred Valley which is dotted with beautiful little towns and amazing Incan and pre-Incan ruins. The Incan ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo are simply awe inspiring and a tribute to the incredible and unparalleled strength, craftsmanship, and abilities of the Incas. Festivals are also a very important and exciting part of life in Peru with June being the height of Festival season! Nearly every day there was another festival, dance, show, feast or parade taking place in Cusco or in one of the surrounding towns. Ancahuasi had a lively Festival of “Cuy” (which is roasted guinea pig, a Peruvian delicacy, and yes I tasted some) to celebrate Mother’s Day, and Cusco had a seemingly unending schedule of parades, festivals, feasts, concerts and dances leading up to Inti Raymi, the festival of the sun on the summer solstice.

Travel!After throwing a Canada Day party for my friends at the posta, complete with pancakes, maple syrup and Canadian flags, I said a sad farewell to everyone there and to my host family before embarking on the last month of my trip which I spent travelling in Peru and Bolivia. I travelled to the Amazon basin for five days where stayed at the Tambopata Research Centre. After a long boat journey down the winding river, I spent a few days hiking through the jungle where I saw a plethora of interesting bugs and spiders, a number of different species of monkeys, macaws, tucans, caimans, capybaras, and more. The lush jungle was in stark contrast to the dry barren landscape just over the mountains and surrounding Cusco. It was a fantastic, if somewhat short, visit. I then met up with Jess, a friend of mine from Canada and the two of us set off to hike the Inca Trail, which was an extremely difficult but extremely rewarding experience. We hiked for four days along the Incan path leading to Machu Picchu, peaking on the second day at an altitude of 4,200 meters at the top of the infamous “Dead Women’s Pass”. Every step was worth it however when we reached the Sun Gate overlooking Machu Picchu shortly after sunrise on the last day. The view was spectacular with the ancient city resting on the mountain rising out of the valley and the morning sun shining through the clouds. Incredibly, almost all of the buildings are still intact (unlike many other Incan sites, Machu Picchu was not discovered and destroyed by the Spanish) and I spent the day wandering through the maze-like city amid fountains, temples, carvings and the unbelievable stonemasonry work for which the Incas are famous.

From Machu Picchu we headed to Lake Titicaca, a large shimmering lake of deep blue water surrounded by snow capped mountains in the distance. We visited the floating reed islands from Puno and hiked across the Island of the Sun from the Bolivian side. In La Paz we explored the witches market, coca museum and spent a day mountain biking from La Paz down to the jungle (dropping over 3,600m in 64 kilometres) – an exhilarating ride with spectacular views. We then spent a few days driving across the Bolivian salt flats, a journey through many surreal landscapes, from desert to mountains, volcanoes, green lakes, purple lakes filled with flamingos, salt fields that resembled giant frozen lakes interrupted only by islands of ancient coral and giant cacti. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, though we were ready to head back north afterwards as the climate there was shockingly cold! We then did another hike through the Arequipa canyon, spent a day river rafting and flew over the famous Nazca lines (Incan geoglyphs) before making our way back to Lima to return home. It was an amazing trip, and very interesting to experience other places and cultures in South America after my experience in Cusco and Ancahuasi.

OxfordI am now living in England where I have just begun a Masters in Global Health Science at Oxford University. I am thoroughly enjoying the programme, which is quite rigorous and covers a wide range of health related topics including health economics, medical statistics, epidemiology, public health and health policy, tropical disease and international development. Despite only being a year old, the programme is one of the most popular at the university having received excellent word-of-mouth recommendations from last year’s class and I am thrilled to have been accepted into it. Classes are interesting and stimulating and our lecturers are usually experts in the subjects presented, many of whom have years of experience working for international organizations such as the World Health Organization. There are twenty four students in the programme, from fourteen different countries, half of whom are physicians and all of whom bring to the class and discussions a vast wealth of knowledge and personal experience. This all creates a challenging but exciting learning environment. My time in Peru has helped me enormously in preparing for the programme and giving me first hand experience in and knowledge of a medical system in a part of the developing world. I hope that I in turn contributed in some small measure, by assisting the posta staff carry out their work, and that the gringa hopefully brought a little bit of Canada to Ancahuasi. It was an experience of a lifetime and I am truly grateful to have been given this wonderful opportunity.