Nothing fascinates more than a sufferfest. And no sufferfest fascinates like one that was truly worth it. That’s the case for the journey documented in Without a Paddle, where four friends take a winter canoe-snowboard trip 140 kilometers down the Columbia River to Revelstoke. It just so happens that the trip coincides with one of the coldest snaps in recorded history for Revelstoke, resulting in frostbitten fingers and late-night paddling, but also some deep and untouched powder in the middle of nowhere.
The combination of winter camping and canoeing is a pretty unique one. Normally when winter camping one wants nothing to do with unfrozen water, lest you get wet and then become frozen yourself. But on a canoe trip unfrozen water is unavoidable – at least you’ve got a canoe full of gear to deal with whatever comes your way.
The full film (above) is well-worth a watch. As well as an inspiring testament to sticking it out in miserable conditions. It involves some vital history of the upper Columbia river from the perspective of the original people to live there, the Sinixt. Oh, and did I mention the deep and untouched powder?
