The Kootenays of British Columbia play host to this year’s edition of Raid the North in Canada’s west. This is a truly awesome landscape dominated by mountains and water. The rugged Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges define the western boundary of the region while the eastern limit is one of BC’s largest bodies of fresh water, Kootenay Lake. For decades during the colonization of Canada, this area was virtually inaccessible to European explorers due to the natural challenges they faced in traveling through it. For 36 hours in August of 2005, your team will go back in time and experience their plight as you trek, mountain bike, and paddle your way back to the host site of Nelson.

About Nelson

Tucked into the lush Selkirk Mountains is the soulful community of Nelson, British Columbia.

Nelson is more than the sum of its individual attractions, though they are each quite impressive. The rolling Selkirk Mountains set against the West Arm of Kootenay Lake offer scenery that defies comparison. Thanks to the mild climate, you can ski without freezing in the winter and hike without scorching in the summer.

Nelson is a paradise for outdoor sports enthusiasts - the award winning terrain and the enchanting landscape creates a mecca for hiking, paddling, climbing, mountain biking and all winter sports imaginable.

The city of Nelson, British Columbia sprang up on the shores of the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the late 1860’s on the strength of gold and silver mining. However, these ‘first’ settlers were not the original inhabitants of the area. A band of hearty people hunted and fished along the shores of the Lake almost 2,000 years before the time of the modern civilizations of the Aztecs and Incas of Central and South America. The Kootenay landscape bears their name in honour of their heritage – ‘Co’ meaning water and ‘Tinneh’ meaning people, thus Water People. Today, you can still find remnants of their villages along the edges of Kootenay Lake.

For decades, the Kootenay and Columbia River Valleys were virtually inaccessible to European settlers. This remained the case until explorers working for the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Trading Company gained access while laying the framework for fur trade routes.

In time, the allure of precious metals and land for development brought a new wave of inhabitants from the west coast of Canada and the US to modern day Nelson. Their legacy is evident in the 350 preserved heritage buildings which draw on Victorian and Southwestern US influence. A stroll along famous Baker Street illustrates this unique history.

For the adventure enthusiast and nature lover, Nelson is a fantastic destination as it is surrounded by the wild backcountry of the Selkirk Mountains and is home to a collection of parks – West Arm Park, Valhalla Park, and Kokanee Glacier Park to name a few. Add the year-round mild climate to the mix and you’ve got a perfect surrounds for any outdoor pursuit.

Visit www.discovernelson.com, www.city.nelson.bc.ca, or www.nelsonbc.ca for more on Nelson, British Columbia

MAKE SURE YOU SIGN UP EARLY!