Skiing and climbing in Banff National Park

By Brian Irwin | January 14, 2019

My eleven-year-old son Reid and I just returned from a great trip to Alberta.  We enjoyed opulence at the Banff Springs Hotel and a meter of fresh powder at Ski Big 3 (Norquay, Ski Sunshine and Lake Louise).  We managed to take a day from skiing to ice climb, which…

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fly fishing for lake trout, grayling in Manitoba

By Brian Irwin | September 16, 2018

I just returned from an incredible trip fishing for pike, lake trout and arctic grayling out of Manitoba, Canada’s 5-star remote lodge, The Lodge at Little Duck. The fishing was stellar, with 50 fish days, landing 39″ lakers on a 10 weight fly rod.  The lake also held northern pike…

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Yosemite father-son mountaineering and more

By Brian Irwin | July 17, 2018

Andy Irwin, 13, and I just returned from Yosemite.  We had a fabulous experience.  The valley is so congested in the summer that we limited our time there to an afternoon.  Later we explored the Sequoias in Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point, and then headed to the backcountry via Tuolumne.  We…

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Bradford Camps, Maine, 2018

By Brian Irwin | June 16, 2018

My father and I just returned from the Bradford Camps in northern Maine. A turn-of-the-century sporting camp, these camps have been in constant operation since the 1890’s.  Igor Skiorsky, III (bush pilot and grandson on the inventor of the modern helicopter, among other things) and his wife Karen own the…

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Canadian Rockies, 2017

By Brian Irwin | September 20, 2017

My longtime climbing partner, Conrad Yager and I just returned from the Canadian Rockies.  We struck out to climb the Bugaboo Spires, but alas the park was closed due to forest fires.  So we sought out Athabasca 2 on the border of Jasper Park.  An alpine start, two glaciers and…

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Squaretails and Polar Bears, Hudson Bay, Manitoba

By Brian Irwin | September 12, 2016

I just returned from the subarctic shores of Hudson Bay, where I was part of a development trip to explore the many rivers in the region.  The goal is to develop a helicopter fishing opportunity, but first we needed to determine if these rivers indeed held thick populations of sea…

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The Greatest Mountain, Katahdin, Maine

By Brian Irwin | July 20, 2016

July 13th, 2016.  Baxter Peak, Maine.  My son Andrew and I struck out to attempt Maine’s highest peak via the Cathedrals, a third-class mountaineering route best described by my son as “exposed.”  We took three days for this adventure, camping at the Chimney Pond Bunkhouse.  Clouds shrouded the summit on…

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Cranmore Mountain Resort photo shoot

By Brian Irwin | March 9, 2016

Last week I was delighted to be invited to shoot some promotional images for Cranmore Mountain Resort.  We spent part of a day with our family enjoying the Mountain Adventure Park.  Tubing, ziplining, mountain coaster riding, the kids had a blast.  Day two was spent documenting Kids Rule, CMR’s instructional…

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Exploring Curacao

By Brian Irwin | February 24, 2016

Curacao is a striking country.  A former Dutch colony, it was granted essentially full independence as recently as 2010.  I visited the island to explore its west coast, its inlets and its bays in search of idyllic beaches, rich culture and tarpon on a fly rod.  There’s been no printed…

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Climbing in the North Cacades, WA

By Brian Irwin | September 16, 2015

        Last week my climbing partner Conrad Yager and I visited the Cascades in Washington State.  The climbing was fantastic, despite  variable weather that forced us to be flexible and on our feet chasing a clear weather window.  We first climbed Ingalls Peak via an aesthetic  route…

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