Quite often when Robson Gmoser is guiding backcountry skiers
from Battle Abbey, the remote lodge he co-owns and runs with fellow guide Roger
Laurilla in B.C.’s Selkirk Mountains, guests ask about skiing at other lodges.
With 30 backcountry ski lodges in western Canada, Gmoser said
it takes a lot of digging and chasing for information to find out who might
have space available on any given week.
Wouldn’t it be helpful, Gmoser imagined, to have one central
place to access such information.
“It seemed like a lot of running around to find spaces,” Gmoser
said. “I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to have one central spot where people
could post beta. Then I figured that a trip finder-type website could work for
any kind of trip, not just skiing.”
So this past winter, Gmoser launched his mountaintrips.ca
website, a one-stop on-line warehouse for people looking to join a wide variety
of outdoor adventures taking place in mountains ranges across western Canada.
Trips can be posted by Association of Mountain Guides certified
guides, lodge owners, the Alpine Club of Canada, independent outdoor trip
providers or even individuals. Anyone wishing to post a trip is asked to
register with the site first, but use of the site for both those posting trips,
and those searching, is free.
Website users inquire about a trip by filling in particulars as
to the type of trip, such as alpine climbing, backpacking, canoeing, cycling,
heli-skiing or ice climbing; by the type of accommodation, such as base camp
with heated tent, bivouac, backcountry hut or full service lodge; and by the
skill levels associated with the trip, such as easy, advanced, intermediate or
strenuous.
When the information entered is matched with a scheduled trip,
a second page pops up with the listed trip or trips, along with trip dates,
number of spaces available, price and contact information, including a link to
the trip provider’s own website.
So far, Gmoser said, feedback from website users has been positive,
and more and more trip providers are posting their adventures on his site.
“People can use it to let others know what types of trips are
available,” Gmoser said. “That makes it easier for anybody who’s guiding or
runs a business doing trips to see what’s available. It’s an easy way for
people to advertise their services, and for people looking for trips to join.”
To learn more, visit http://mountaintrips.ca/
