ALL Winter
BY DESIGN

BY DESIGN

While some of us were out celebrating Valentine’s Day this past February, Eugen Sushko was feverishly drawing at ...

Words by

Vivian Dean

Photos courtesy of

Supermod

FEATURED ARTIST: SHELLEY VANDERBYL

FEATURED ARTIST: SHELLEY VANDERBYL

Born in Hay River, NWT, Shelley has lived in Edmonton, Switzerland, and five Canadian provinces. Her work, both ...
DEMYSTIFYING MUSHROOMS

DEMYSTIFYING MUSHROOMS

My mom used to make stuffed mushroom caps at the drop of a hat. “We’ve been invited to so-and-so’s for dinner. ...

Words & Photo by

Darren Howlett

FEATURED ARTIST: ZOEY MAYENBURG

FEATURED ARTIST: ZOEY MAYENBURG

Originally from Comox, Zoey currently lives in Victoria. Her work is inspired by nature, the seasons, the cycles ...
COASTAL COLLABORATION

COASTAL COLLABORATION

It was late August in the Great Bear Rainforest and the salmon were starting to return to their nascent streams ...

Words & Photos by

Oriana Smy

TAKING THE TEMPERATURE ON GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

TAKING THE TEMPERATURE ON GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

I’ve been intimately involved in the ground-source heat pump (GSHP) industry for 20 years. I began with mud up to ...

Words by

Daniel Booy

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

UNHINDERED GOOD TIMES ON FORBIDDEN PLATEAU

UNHINDERED GOOD TIMES ON FORBIDDEN PLATEAU

Katherine Kirk suspected the roof of Forbidden Plateau’s day lodge was going to collapse. “One day, a woman in the ...

Words by

Mike B.

Featured photo by

Lindsey Pattinson

CHASING SUNSETS

CHASING SUNSETS

Bula! Pronounced “boo-la,” this is Fiji’s version of “aloha,” an all-purpose word that makes you feel instantly ...

Words and Photos by

Paige Owen

THE MOUNTAIN CENTRE IS HERE. BUT DO YOU KNOW WHY?

THE MOUNTAIN CENTRE IS HERE. BUT DO YOU KNOW WHY?

Have you ever parked at Mount Washington’s Raven Lodge and wondered about the impressive, yet solitary, building ...

Words by

Alycia Traas

Photo by

Kyle Hansen

FEATURED ARTIST: ANOUK HARTWELL

FEATURED ARTIST: ANOUK HARTWELL

A former dog sled and kayak guide, Anouk’s paintings amplify her love for the outdoors. If she could, she would ...
A BACKCOUNTRY, MODULAR ROOM  OF ONE’S OWN

A BACKCOUNTRY, MODULAR ROOM OF ONE’S OWN

Gaining popularity in the mid-1950s, the modest A-frame, with its inherently simple aesthetic, defined a way of ...

Words by

Dave Nowak

PROFILE OF COMMUNITY IN ACTION SPONSORED BY NORTH ISLAND UROLOGY

PROFILE OF COMMUNITY IN ACTION SPONSORED BY NORTH ISLAND UROLOGY

The first thing you need to know about Glen Alwin Farm is that nobody involved is named Glen. Or Alwin. The people ...
THE SONSHINE LUNCH CLUB: A LOCAL LIFELINE

THE SONSHINE LUNCH CLUB: A LOCAL LIFELINE

It’s a Tuesday, and when the doors of St. George’s United Church hall open at 11:30am, Gail, who is 70, comes in ...

Words by

Mac Newton

Photo by

Sara Kempner

CONTINENTAL DRIFT

CONTINENTAL DRIFT

I’d heard of Ecuador for years: stories of great rivers, easy transportation, and friendly people. Now was the ...

Words & Photos by

Dave Prothero

THE WATERS WITHIN

THE WATERS WITHIN

Every person is made up of water. The Comox Valley Art Gallery Youth Media Project is nine folks coming together ...

Words & Photos by

Paige Brown

WHAT TIME LEAVES BEHIND

WHAT TIME LEAVES BEHIND

Have you ever wondered about parked cars at the side of Highway 19, near the bridge about three kilometres south ...

Words & Photo by

Pat Trask

IN THE FIELD

IN THE FIELD

NAZANEEN DIZAI: CONNECTOR Nazaneen Dizai brings ideas and people together. Whether in the corporate heart of ...

Words & Photos

Ross Bodenmann

ANCHORED IN ICELAND

ANCHORED IN ICELAND

In the late seventies, Sandra Dykstra skied into Skoki Lodge, an historical backcountry destination in the ...

Words & Photos by

Jenn Dykstra

POWER MOVE

POWER MOVE

If you’re of a certain age, you’ve likely watched Flashdance. As a full-blown Gen Xer, I’ve watched this iconic ...

Words & Photo by

Bevin Clempson

SPOKEN LOCAL

SPOKEN LOCAL

While California’s Marin County is credited with the invention of mountain biking, there is little debate that ...

Words by

Mike B

Photo by

Amy Kumler

GOING PUBLIC

GOING PUBLIC

Armed with a limited budget, dedicated volunteers, and a substantial amount of exuberance, the Downtown Courtenay ...

Words & photos by

Ross Bodenmann

HEROES,  BIG AND SMALL

HEROES, BIG AND SMALL

YANA’s Executive Director Marcie Dumais has agreed to meet me at their office in Tin Town. I’m a few minutes ...

Words by

april

Photos by

Karen McKinnon

NANAIMO

NANAIMO

In its infancy, much of the development of Vancouver Island was the result of exploration and the search for ...

Words & Photos by

BEES IN A MAILBOX

BEES IN A MAILBOX

They’ve been compared to a hive of bees trapped in a mailbox. If there’s truth to this metaphor, don’t be ...

Words by

Kerry Hale

Photos by

SauvAir

SERENITY IN SEAL BAY

SERENITY IN SEAL BAY

Smooth leather reins are held tightly in the hands of a nervous six year old who is guiding an eternally patient ...

Words & Photos by

Kyle Hansen

A LIFE’S WORK, IN PROGRESS

A LIFE’S WORK, IN PROGRESS

Whether it’s hanging out with High Lamas in the Himalayas, studying palaeontology in Drumheller, hosting poetry ...

Interview & Photo by

Ross Bodenmann

COMPLEX TERRAIN

COMPLEX TERRAIN

Strike inwards on foot from Vancouver Island’s inhabited perimeter and, in a few hours walk beyond the strip ...

Words & Paintings by

Clive Powsey

DANCING IN THE DARK

DANCING IN THE DARK

When I arrive at Horne Lake caves, I’m warned by the guide that “it will be wet.” Myles leads us to Main Cave. ...

Words by

Terry McKall

LOVE IS A BURNING THING

LOVE IS A BURNING THING

Contrary to the expansive vision of the young, it’s often the tiny details where we live the largest parts of ...

Words by

Mike B

FUMBLING TOWARDS GRACE

FUMBLING TOWARDS GRACE

It took momentous effort to get to the top of this hill and I celebrate the fact that I haven’t vomited on Mt. ...

Words by

Sandra Szabo

Photo by

BRIDGING HISTORY

BRIDGING HISTORY

Roaming north along Royston’s Union Colliery Line, the air is damp and heavy with the scent of smoke wafting from ...

Words & Photos by

Bevin Clempson

FORAGING 101

FORAGING 101

A bucket bumps gently against my hip, filling slowly with ripe purple-black berries. This is high summer gathering ...

Words & Photos by

Kristy Pedersen

MATERIALIZING THE SOUL

MATERIALIZING THE SOUL

The wearable art of jewellery has been a form of self-expression for millennia. These adornments have been seen as ...

Words & Photos by

OUT OF THE BLUE

OUT OF THE BLUE

Marla Limousin and her husband George are the fermentation alchemists conjuring up the innovative wines coming out ...
THE NEW BREWMOX VALLEY

THE NEW BREWMOX VALLEY

When I moved up to the Comox Valley from Victoria over 10 years ago, I noticed a huge lack of what I call ‘good’ ...

Words by

Max Oudendag

THE VERDANT VALLEY

THE VERDANT VALLEY

There is a deep-rooted satisfaction in food production for both commercial and personal use. On the outside, the ...

Words by

Nik Dunn

Photos by

Nik Dunn

VAN ISLE SKI TOURING

VAN ISLE SKI TOURING

It was the perfect storm for backcountry success on Vancouver Island; a skier’s dream.     Okay, ...

Words & Photos by

DRAC’S CASTLE

DRAC’S CASTLE

If you’re rattling down the back roads of Merville on your way to Mount Washington or searching the Tsolum River ...

Words & Photos by

Ross Bodenmann