Hillsound Highlights: Summer 2019

September 18, 2019

Every Monday at Hillsound Equipment, our team congregates in the meeting room and shares personal highlights from the previous weekend. There are a lot of amazing adventures and shenanigans that our staff members get up to throughout the year. We’ve decided to take this discussion from the office to the internet, and let the whole world in on the fun.

Please join us for the first edition of Hillsound Highlights, a seasonal celebration of epic adventures from a group of people passionate about the safe exploration of the outdoors. The summer of 2019 brought about international travel, the learning of new sports, and even an engagement!

photo by @shigetomi

We’ll start close to home, where YooRa packed up her overnight gear, her friend, and her dog, and hiked up to the always picturesque Eagle Bluffs to spend the night. A short 2.5 hour hike gets you to a huge pay off; open bluffs that overlook Burrard Inlet and part of Howe Sound. This trail is one of YooRa’s favourites, and she says bringing her dog Berry makes any campsite feel like home.

Next we travel a little farther up the Sea to Sky Highway, to Garibaldi Provincial Park. Here Hamish and his friend attempted to summit Castle Towers, but their scramble was cut off by the snowfield at the peak, (note; next time don’t forget your ice axe!) The trip was still a major success, as the pair completed the scramble-summits of both Black Tusk and Helm Peak over the next few days.

In another provincial park, this one to the east of Vancouver, Lillith and her partner climbed Mount Outram. With 1’800 meters of elevation gain over 18.5km, this hike crosses a large variety of forest. It goes from tight switchbacks in the trees and lush mossy meadows, to a brutal last push up an open boulder field. The craziest part of the trip? Her partner pushed his bike all the way up, so that he could ride back down!

On a different mountain biking adventure, Katie and her partner spent a wonderful long weekend in Sun Peaks Bike Park. This adult’s playground is in the interior of British Columbia, just outside of Kamloops. The trails here were new to them, and riding the features was nothing compared to having to dodge the gophers which call this hill home.

Lastly we jump across the world to Asia where James reunited with his wife who had just finished a six month international internship. Together they visited the “City of Rickshaw,” more commonly known as Dhaka, Bangladesh. Their travels also led to Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, where they snorkeled in the crystalline Andaman sea, and spotted wild monkeys playing above a river.

It’s a funny thing, working indoors at an outdoor gear company. Our passion for being outside is what brings us inside this office everyday. Sharing these stories is a way for us to keep our sense of adventure stirring. It feeds our inspiration, and reminds us why we do what we do, and why doing it is important for everyone.

Want to join in on the conversation? Use the hashtag #hillsoundhighs on social media. We want to hear about your favourite moments from this summer!

2019 in Review

December 31, 2019

What an incredible year to end off the decade! 2019 was an amazing year for Hillsound thanks to all of YOU! Before we head off into the new year, and a new decade at that, we wanted to look back at some of our favourite moments in 2019.

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Our Favourite Backpacking Extras

October 23, 2019

We’ve gone over the 10 Essentials. Now we want to share some of our favourite backpacking extras. These are things that you don’t need to survive in the outdoors, but they will make your time outside much more enjoyable.

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The Best Books About Hiking and Nature

October 23, 2019

Believe it or not, there are times when you will actually be able to relax when backpacking. You may get rained out and have to stay put for an extra day, or you may get to camp early and have the chance to enjoy a rest in your hammock. These are some of our favourite books to read in, and about, nature.

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