Despite it being a cool, wet North Vancouver spring day the competition was fierce, and the spirits were high among the young athletes participating in the second annual Montessori Track and Field games. On Thursday May 26, students from Lower Mainland Vancouver and Vancouver Island competed in various field and running events held at West Vancouver Secondary School.
Among the Montessori schools participating were Discover from Vancouver Island, North Star from North Vancouver, Pacific Rim from Richmond, and Squamish Montessori from Squamish. Students from both the lower and upper elementary divisions competed in events of their choice. Running events included the 100m sprint, the 400m sprint, and a 4×100 relay. Field events included the javelin, and the running long jump.
Over the past five weeks I had the pleasure of working and getting to know both the LE and UE students at North Star. It came as no surprise to see such a fine group work together and help each other out. But what really impressed me was the comportment of all the Montessori students. In addition to the competition and already established rivalry was a level of respect, camaraderie and courteousness among the schools. Regardless of whether they were competitors, brothers, sisters or friends the support felt and given on the field was clearly evident and noticeable. Impressive to see such young kids act better than most grown-ups at soccer or hockey games. Kudos.
Congratulations to all participants for a job well done and to all the volunteers who helped make this day a success.
Please click HERE to see the photos. They are free to download. All I ask is that you do not alter my images in any way including cropping. And if you ever need an action or a documentary-style family photographer please think of me. To understand my style please visit www.cecilegambin.com. Yes…I know this is a shameless self-plug. Thank you for being understanding 🙂
Part II – The journey starts at the bike shop the day before the ride only to find out it had snowed at the top of the peak that morning.
And so it begins…early Sunday seven of us left at 8:30 to begin a rather long climb. Our goal was to reach the top of Granite Mountain where the rest of the party would be waiting for the ceremony. Included in that group was Tammie’s oldest sister Sherry and her husband Sheldon, the Wedding Commissioner and the rest of my camera equipment (thanks Sheldon!).
Mandatory riders meeting for the first wave of riders. Close to 100 riders participated.
We slowly made our way uphill through gorgeous single track moving in and out of the pine scented forests. Fashionably late we arrived at Granite Mountain 45 minutes behind schedule (probably my fault as I wanted a few photos along the way and was a wee bit slow climbing). The ceremony was held on the platform of a small warming hut at the top of Red Mountain Ski Resort where the clouds blew in and out faster than you could say ‘I do’. I suspect it was a balmy 2 or 3 degrees Celsius.
The Wedding Commissioner, Roberta Post, began as Tammie and Mark stood opposite of her. I’m sure she was using the hut to shield her from the wind. Smart. The rest of us gathered around, cold yet warm. Every so often a cloud would lift revealing the layers of mountains below. In a few weeks time this area will become snow-covered leaving behind any trace we may have left. Yet this special day will live forever through stories and photos among friends and family.
The ceremony was without a doubt beautiful as the commissioner read the vows. We looked on as both Tammie and Marks’ smiles warmed our cold hands. And as if on queue the clouds lifted and a ray on sunshine fell on them both just before their kiss. Cheers and clapping erupted as we congratulated them on the beginning of their life journey together.
We took a few photos of the group and left fairly quickly to make the 1:30 pm Poker Ride cut-off time. At this point I believe we had covered the largest portion of climbing and looked forward to shorter, steeper, smaller climbs and fast downhills. The recent rains made for excellent trail conditions offering unrivaled uphill traction and stable corners.
Part of the attraction of a Poker Ride is the camaraderie and Revolution Cycles brought it out in full-force. With check-in points along the 36 km route riders drew cards, threw darts, played Trivial Pursuit, and belted out old TV shows songs for everyone to hear.
I would like to thank Revolution Cycles for a very well organized event. And for the cool t-shirts (in both men and women’s cut non-the-less)!! Maybe one day I’ll have another opportunity to tackle this ride. It was hard but not impossible and I’m super happy to have completed it….albeit in my own fashion.
En route…
Those of us who have taken the plunge understand this moment perfectly…
No it wasn’t an o-ring but it was a beautiful blue sapphire encased in platinum….that way Tammie can’t damage it!
The Wedding Party – Kelly, Tennille, Sherry, Sheldon, Paul, Lisa, Mark and Tammie.Most at this point take a limo but not these two…it was a rocky descent to continue our 36 km trek across the Kootenays.Some of the checkpoint festivities – throw the dart and hit your favourite politician!Spin the Wheel and hope you don’t land on the Vegemite!Saltine crackers and Vegemite. Mmmmm…Showing our age (well maybe mine only) and trying to remember the theme to The Love Boat.Riding a tricked-out Brodie. Feel free to leave messages if you think you know what’s up with this bike.The Flying Bride shreds the downhills.
YAY!…we made it!
Mark getting that garter belt and throwing it at the post-ride BBQ.
Congratulations to Tammie and Mark for a wildly fun and successful day!! It was an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to photograph and share this special day with you.
If I’m going to shoot a wedding let it be this type. Thanks for allowing me creative freedom 🙂
…and by Anti-Wedding I mean that Tammie and Mark did not follow most wedding traditions which is why this wedding was THE most fun to photograph and attend.
A few months ago I found out that Tammie and Mark had plans to marry during the Seven Summits Poker Ride while climbing a ridiculous amount. The event, organized by Revolution Bikes, is an official IMBA ‘epic’ ride and hails out of Rossland, BC. And as the name suggests it covers seven peaks.
I knew Tammie would not have a typical wedding and I jumped at the chance to photograph it. My idea was to capture them before, during and after the wedding. I had already arranged an afternoon photo session Saturday which would ensure me that their white spandex cycling outfits would remain clean. Being unfamiliar with the area and having arrived late Friday night local Rossi residents and friends of the bride and groom, Tennille and Kelly, were instrumental helping me find a suitable location – I needed one that offered a simple, clean background that showcased Rossland. I knew I wanted a photo of the towns iconic main strip and also wanted to incorporate a large white pedestrian crosswalk into my final shot that I had seen earlier in the day (it reminded me of The Beatles ‘Abbey Road’ cover album). I must also give a big thank you to Zabrina Nelson, of ‘Revival Boutique’ downtown Rossland for lending us the white umbrella. I saw the umbrella sitting on a shelf and couldn’t help myself with laughter. It was the perfect compliment to the wedding and it’s ‘anti-movement’.
Both are fun people and my goal was to provide a long lasting memory of the best day of their lives. I wanted to keep the photos simple but introduce an element of tradition in their non-traditional wedding, while keeping the overall feeling of the photos fun. Something which I hope they will cherish and not get bored looking at. I’m pretty sure I captured the mood and the personalities of them both and am super stoked at the results!!
I am deeply honoured to have been able to share this important day with Tammie and Mark. I love the idea of having a fun wedding that isn’t about formality, traditions and rigidness. It was clear that both the bride and groom, along with their friends and family enjoyed the day.
As for me … I never dreamed of photographing weddings but if they could all be this cool and I could have creative control than I could really get into it! So if you are planning some wild and extreme wedding…send me an email!
Tennille helping Tammie pose like a lady.
Tammie … it’s an umbrella not a battle axe! A HUGE shout-out to Zabrina from Revival Boutique in Rossland for lending us her white, frilly umbrella (which totally suited Tammie’s personality – haha).After a little ‘touch-up’ Tammie loosened up in front of the camera and the photo session took on a life of its own.
Run Tammie Run.A HUGE shout-out to Paul Udovic for standing in as my voice activated tripod!! Cheers Paul!
Downtown Rossland, BC.Inspired by The Beatles ‘Abbey Road’ album cover I knew I had to use this pedestrian crosswalk to help highlight Rossland’s main strip.
Stay tuned for Part II – bikes, snow, wind, cold, fun, laughter, marriage, single track, vistas, uphills and downhills for a not so typical wedding atop Granite Mountain. To be released real soon!!
Designated as an epic mountain bike trail by IMBA ‘Comfortably Numb’ leaves you just that the next day. I suppose for some the title may mean differently but for me, and my buddies, it’s fair to say that our legs were comfortably numb for a few hours afterwards.
You can find the trail head slightly north of Whistler Village on Highway 99. A big green sign tells you that this is a black diamond run with an accumulated elevation gain of 809 metres and is 24 km long. The last 13 km of which are downhill with steep, sketchy drops.
Keeping in line with this summer’s unreal temperatures it was a hot, dry day with picturesque blue bird skies. Lucky for us, more than half the trail is under the deep forest canopy keeping the burning sun off our shoulders. The forest was dry from the season’s unusually long draught and mild snow-less winter. Amazingly, much of the moss covered trail held on to its vibrant green. Poplar trees however were prematurely losing their leaves reminding us of a typical early autumn ride back east in Ontario as bits of yellow and brown crunched under the tires.
Those thoughts quickly vanished as we turned a corner and the trail opened to reveal our first look at a snow capped mountain. And the climbing kept coming twisting and snaking its way upwards along a well defined beaten path that has surely seen many riders over the years. Definitely not Ontario.
Neil MacKinnon riding one of the many bridges found along the uphill portion of the trail. Neil was sweet enough to ride the trail up and down for me and my camera. Thanks Bud!!
Clement Hobbs carefully navigating a loose, rocky section.
Yay! I made it into my blog. Thanks Clement for the photo 🙂
Beautifully carved trails through carpets of moss as far as the eye could see. Awesome Sauce!As we closed in to the highest point of the ride we came across a sign allowing us to take a short cut. We decided to forge on and ride the entire trail as we had intended. It was the right decision and although tired we were treated to a beautiful open rock viewpoint surrounded by mountains.The downhill portion started roughly 2 km after the view point. With no water left, sore legs and diminishing strength I put the camera away and concentrated on the loose, rocky crops and safely picked my way down the 13 km to Lost Lake.
With photo ops, snack and lunch break we successfully completed the ride in just over 7.5 hours. I loved the fact that both Clement and Neil did not object to me wanting to take photos and stop again for yet more photos. It makes for a longer day but at least we will have good memories. Our steeds for the day included two IBIS Mojo’s and one NORCO Range. All bikes ran beautifully and allowed us to ride with pleasure.
Thanks Clement and Neil for an amazing day. Maybe one day I’ll be back to tackle Comfortably Numb again but next time I think I’ll leave my big, heavy DSLR at home.
The talented riders representing the Canada Trials Pacific Association put on an awesome show despite inclement weather this past Saturday at the 2015 Vancouver Motorcycle Show. Ok…so I might have been the only person enjoying the subtle rain. Thanks to the CPTA for organizing a fun event and for getting the word out that trials riding is fun, and beneficial for riders of all abilities and ages.
What ever he just did on a motorcycle this guy could do it too.Melissa Andrist on the A frame making it look easy.Waiting, waiting…Alex Walton flying high over Christy Richards and Melissa Andrist.Riding for Beta Tanner Nordin hops off the skinny.Next year Tanner will try for 2 thumbs up!!Don Doerkson of Cascades Motorsports – an all around good guy and CPTA event sponsor – schooling the younger riders with a sweet wheelie.My artsy fartsy photo of the day.
Thanks to all the riders, and volunteers who made this show a success. It was great to see you out riding and wish I had brought my bike as well. A huge thank you as well to the riders for letting me in the cage and allowing me to photograph you 🙂
If you live in the BC area the CPTA will be hosting a demo day on March 22. Bring your friends, kids and try a trials bike to see what all the hoopla is about. Guaranteed for some fun and it’ll make you a better rider!
My original plan was to go deep into the woods and grab some shots of Karley Cunningham of Big Bold Brand shredding the trails. When I saw clear blue skies dotted with dense fog I realised that capturing Karley ride down a rock face would have to wait. Instead…we drove up a mountain road in search of mist.
We stopped at a trail head which I didn’t know existed and had no idea what to expect except the light and conditions were epic – and that was good enough for me. Shooting in the swirling mist however quickly became one of my most difficult shoots as the light and mist were constantly changing forcing me to re-adjust my camera and flash continuously. And by this I mean by every 2-10 seconds. I’d bang off a couple of shots and mist would roll out only to have it come back in again. I must thank Elise, Karley’s wife and my assistant for the day for being there and helping me. She was my live tripod and sherpa which made moving around very easy. Thanks Elise!! Much appreciated 🙂
The photo above is my favourite shot of Karley. The light and the forest greens were magical. I was stoked to be able to showcase the North Shore’s tremendous beauty and technical riding areas.
Once the fog lifted for good Karley, Elise and myself headed up the mountain and into the blue skies to bang off a few more shots. I’m looking forward to continuing our photo shoot as I still need Karley to ride that steep rock face and huck off one of the shores infamous drops so I can get those ‘live wire’ action shots. Thank you to Karley for this amazing opportunity. Had tons of fun chasing the mist and looking forward to our next outing!!
It’s not always about food when it comes to kids it’s also about the fun they can have on bikes.
Here are a few photos of these two young boys enjoying their time around bikes. Spending a day at Popkum MotorPark the boys thoroughly enjoyed learning how to ride on a 16″ OSET and a Honda 50cc. So much fun that I know the eldest wants a red bike for Christmas!
CGP was on hand taking pictures of stage 1 of the BC Bike Race 2014 Photos early this morning. The infamous North Shore Trails played host to the first stage. To view event photos please click HERE.
Congrats to stage 1 winner Kris Sneddon riding for Kona and to all the competitors on this very hilly and challenging stage. Kudos to all the volunteers, to the organisers for a massive job well done as well as all NSMBA trail workers who logged in tons of hours to make sure the trails were fun, flowy, and safe.
I must say this was by far the easiest commute I’ve ever had to an event. I walked to the trails and walked out at the end of the morning. If only all my other events could be this close to home! My morning began at 8:00. An hour later, myself and my 50 lb bag reached Espresso via the following trails: St. Mary’s, Skid Row, Baden Powell and finally Espresso.
Thanks for looking and please share the link to the photos.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away — unknown
A little bit of heaven shimmered to my left as we rounded a corner. Where vibrant colours, and unforgiving trees playfully grow taunting the dry, and arid climate. Unlike the west coast the hills in these mountains are frequently scorched as summer heat waves often put Lytton as the hottest spot in Canada. Surrounded by pine forests, steep grassy hills give way to rockier paths and flowing single track. Welcome to the trails near Lytton, BC, a town where the mighty Fraser and Thompson Rivers converge, nestled below far from our reaches during my ride with my good friend Jon Mutiger.
I use this quote from Neil Armstrong because it perfectly described how I felt seeing the world open up in front of me – ‘I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.’The most challenging trail was a very long and steep, grassy, sandy hill about 50 metres from the car that promised to flip you backwards as the front end of the bike kept popping up. I blew it at the 1/4 mark and decided to turn around to restart the climb. My bike gathered (lots of) speed with my rear wheel locked up fishtailing unable to get my foot off my rear brake pedal. A few hairy moments later I was staring upwards at the hill again, I gave the bike more gas and was determined to climb taking breaks where the terrain leveled off a bit to catch my breath and let my arms relax. The hill is shy of one kilometre. Jon told me if I wanted to reach the good stuff I had to tackle this climb. Topped out in 3rd gear I pinned it and was determined to reach the top. I did not want my day to end within the first 5 minutes of our ride.
Two Gas Gas trials bike equipped with a front mount Hebo 1.1 litre auxiliary fuel tank gave us more than our share of fun in addition to being quiet and with next to little or no environmental impact.Jon Mutiger on his 2011 Gas Gas 280 TXT Pro carefully riding along one of the many ridgelines.Jon watering the dry, arid desert-like conditions…again.I stupidly pull up the front end on a sketchy path with a steep drop on the right. And by stupid I mean this lovingly as my wheelie skills are not to be desired. Photo by Jon Mutiger.Topped out at 2702 metres (6800 feet) my 2007 Gas Gas 200 TXT Pro faltered a bit as the carb had not been adjusted for such heights. Jon swapped out the Dellorto carb on his gasser for a Keihin carb. He needed a new reed block and throttle cable – the bike ran beautifully at all altitudes. The road ended here when the snow became too deep and soft to ride through and a clap of thunder and rain shattered the silence.
Jon’s backpack carried food, water, a VHF radio, toilet paper, tools and a 5 litre jerry can. My orange Lowepro camera backpack carried water, a few energy bars, camera equipment, a rain jacket, extra gloves, spare levers and a shifter. Because civilisation is so far, and cell phones have no signals riders need to be self-sufficient and equipped with appropriate safety equipment.
Despite a fake left hip Jon can still bust out no-footers.
We opted not to stay in this fine establishment but would have welcomed it should an emergency have occurred. It also doubles as a primo party place judging from the empty beer, vodka coolers, and shell casings we found lying around.
As always a huge thank you to the hard working clubs that maintain the trails for our safety and enjoyment. The members of The West Coast Dirt Riders (www.westcoastdirtriders.com) are doing an excellent job. They currently maintain over 300 km of trails in the Laluwissin Creek area near Lytton. They are a small club and they take great pride in the trails they have created and maintained for years. The club also holds a popular national off-road XC race called the Monkey Wrench 100. This year there is a double header which includes a HS the day before the XC race on June 28 & 29.
By the end of the day total travelling distance was approximately 60 km. We both started with 2 full tanks and 2 full auxiliary tanks. We topped up the bikes mid-way through our ride and probably had an extra 10 km or less of gas time left. The sights and the sheer vastness of the area are mind-boggling. The single track is fast and flowy while the technical hill climbs can hang-up an expert rider. I admit to not wanting to stop to take photos as I was having too much fun riding. A superb day with lots of arm-pumping action and a healthy dose of adrenaline but one that deserves to wait for a perfect blue-bird day for the vistas alone. I cannot wait for my next ride there.
