Pure Outside

Summer is finally here! Mostly. Last April some friends and I picked Green Mountain as our destination for a ski spring tour in the sunny weather. Based on the Saturday’s weather, it could have done anything. We crossed our fingers and decided to head out for a tour. 6am rolled around Sunday morning and I [...]

In July I had the chance to get up the modest peak of Gemini Mountain at 1516m. I’ve seen it many times from the neighbouring  Green Mountain but only now planned to hike it. If you haven’t been to Green or Gemini yet, you should plan a trip out there as soon as you can. [...]

Not wanting to let our last epic sunny adventure up Green be our last for this winter, some friends and I decided it was time to actually hit the slopes with our snowboards. This time would be much different though, and much more difficult. All trucked up and ready to go, the drive in was [...]

When I first looked for adventures in the Nanaimo Lakes area, I was only after some easy hikes I could peruse during the summer months. After discovering there is an wealth of fantastic places to climb, hike, mountain bike and kayak in the area, I’ve jumped headfirst into finding all the best spots. One of [...]

I went on a short jaunt up Mount Benson today from Nanaimo and, as usual, there was an amazing view from the top. One thing struck me though. Most people that live on the island don’t ever get out to see the amazing scenery that we’ve got so much of here. And a few shots [...]

2009 was an exciting year for me and 2010 promises to be even better. Here are the top 5 most popular posts from Pureoutside from this year. 5. A popular post from 2008 about Playing in the Snow on Green Mountain 4. Lorne’s report about the Snow Cave at Century Sam Lake 3. Erik’s review [...]

After almost 2 years trying to get to the top of Green Mountain near Nanaimo, I’ve done it. I’ve spent even longer dreaming of getting to the top, surveying the vistas, and chasing the marmots. But this elusive peak was always just outside my grasp. At first I didn’t know where it was. After doing [...]

** Update: Future IslandAdventurer.ca posts will be here and all old posts will be directed to PureOutside.com. After almost 2 years trying to get to the top of Green Mountain near Nanaimo, I’ve done it. I’ve spent even longer dreaming of getting to the top, surveying the vistas, and chasing the marmots. But this elusive [...]

Hiking is a huge outdoor activity on Vancouver Island. It should be. There are so many beautiful places, many within an hour of where you’re staying. Check back on this page as it will be continously updated with the best hikes on Vancouver Island. Check out a crashed plane near Tofino. Relax beside some long [...]

“But I don’t even know where Green Mountain is?!?” That’s exactly what I said when I first heard about it. I thought I knew the area around Nanaimo fairly well. Mount Benson is right there. Blackjack ridge is right behind it. There’s a bit of a hill that some call Rutherford ridge, or rutherford flats, [...]