CanoeSki is a Western Canadian outdoor adventure company based out of Saskatoon - gateway to the vast boreal forests & waterways of northern Saskatchewan.

Canoeing in the warm, sunny Saskatchewan summers and cross-country skiing in the cool, crisp winters is the raison d'être of CanoeSki Discovery Company.

Since 1989, the company has been owned and operated by Cliff Speer, a nationally certified instructor with many years experience in leading wilderness canoeing and skiing programs. Formerly a teacher, Cliff turned his teaching skills to communicating his passion for the wilderness. You'll find his enthusiasm infectious and appreciate the personal touch and attention to detail that are hallmarks of the company. The rest of the CanoeSki team are dedicated instructors and interpreters, eager to share their expertise. You'll enjoy expanding your horizons with them.

Canoeing heightens the ecological senses. It inspires a desire to care for the wild places that only a canoe can access. At CanoeSki, we follow the environmental credo of respecting the earth in all our activities. This includes applying conservation principles to all aspects of the operation, practising minimum impact camping, and contributing to local conservation efforts.

Company Credentials
Outdoor Leadership

CanoeSki Discovery Company is a Saskatchewan registered company providing adventure tours to both domestic and international clientele. Owner and program director Cliff Speer acquired an extensive background in canoeing and cross-country skiing instruction and trip leading with local volunteer organizations prior to forming CanoeSki Discovery Company in 1989. Since then, Cliff has been instructing and guiding in a professional capacity with CanoeSki and for other organizations.

In 1990, CanoeSki was contracted by the Government of Saskatchewan, Parks Branch, to provide canoe tours for the Parkspirit Outdoor Adventure Program. In 1991, the University of Regina Extension contracted CanoeSki to develop and conduct a canoeing eco-adventure education program. In 1994, CanoeSki joined the consulting team hired by the tri-province consortium, Partners for THE Saskatchewan River Basin, to produce an eco-canoe tour guidebook for the South Saskatchewan River. In 1995, CanoeSki partnered with the University of Saskatchewan Extension Division to provide canoeing eco-education programs. In 1997, CanoeSki became the first Saskatchewan outdoor adventure company to acquire ecotour operator accreditation with the Ecotourism Society of Saskatchewan. In 2001, this accreditation was updated with inclusion in the Society's new Horizon's Ecotourism Accreditation Program.

Professional Training
and Qualifications

• Senior Canoeing Instructor Certification, Paddle Canada (formerly Canadian Recreational Canoeing Assoc.)
• Cross-country Skiing Instructor Certification, Canadian Association of Nordic Ski Instructors
• Wilderness Emergency Response Training, Canadian Institute of Safety, Search and Rescue, Alberta
• First-Aid and CPR Certification, Canadian Red Cross
• Canoe Guide Licence and Ski Guide Licence, Canadian Parks Service, Prince Albert National Park
• Ecotour Operator Accreditation, Saskatchewan Nature & Ecotourism Association
• Secondary School Teaching Certificate, Province of Manitoba
• Comprehensive liability insurance coverage for company operations

References

References from professionals in the ecotourism industry and from satisfied clients are available upon request.

CanoeSki is a
Saskatchewan Nature & Ecotourism Association
Accredited Ecotour Provider

The Canoe is an eco-vehicle of transport to another dimension.

Try it. Step into a canoe and paddle down a quiet river. Abandon your everyday cares and tune into nature's frequency. Listen to the song your paddle sings. As you submit to the timeless rhythms of nature, your life will regain balance.

Canoeing will energize your body, unclutter your mind, and free your spirit. It is a genuine tonic for a weary world. Order your prescription today!

The canoe is a Canadian wilderness icon. It leaves no trace of its passage through the wilds, but it has left an indelible impression on the Canadian psyche. Ancient aboriginals, early voyageurs and today's canoeists - all have been moved by the canoe - physically and spiritually.

Canoeing Tales of Discovery

Rock Art & Bannock Tour 2007

While urban folk were sweltering in record temperatures in July 2007, the hot, calm days on the river were a canoeist's dream come true. "Canoeing glassy waters and evening swims left us relaxed and more in touch with ourselves and our surroundings," Tim Weinhandl writes in his brief reflection of the 5-day trip that he and his partner made on the Churchill River. Read the rest of his comments on the trip.


Family Voyageurs 2007

A unique mix of younger and older families made up the Family Voyageurs Canoe Tour in July 2007. Everyone got into the act of recording their experiences from drawing pictures to writing stories. You can join them vicariously, as you paddle, swim, nature hike, pick berries, bake bannock, watch wildlife, dine on fine camp cuisine and listen to the loons. Share their trip memories.


Women & Waves by Kelly Warden

Another successful Women's Challenge canoe trip explored the Churchill River in August 05. Kelly, who turned her journal into an intriguing personal odyssey, talks about the attraction of difficult water. "That's what I wanted from this canoe trip. I wanted to push my limits; challenge my comfort zone, because that's how personal growth occurs. But I wanted it to be fun, and we did have fun on this trip!" She also celebrated her 50th birthday on the trip in the company of her 3 daughters, and 2 other mother-daughter teams. Kelly remarks on the great group cohesiveness and the valuable lessons she learned about paddling and life from the trip. [READ MORE]

An Elemental Fall Journey on the South Saskatchewan River by Christine Varnum

"The trip was full of sensations, far removed from my everyday patterns. The heat of the sun, bursts of scent from sage and dry grasses on the nature walk, and the river with its wildlife and colorful landscapes had packed all of a short Canadian summer into one long memorable fall day." You'll find Christine's reflections on last fall's Cranes & Colors day trip on the South Saskatchewan River an interesting read. She also enjoyed the numerous flocks of noisy Sandhill Cranes and the noon-day corn roast on the river bank.

Exploring the Churchill River : An All Women's Canoeing Saga by Gail Streberg

"A friend told me that there would be only one problem coming on this canoe trip -- I would love it so much, I would have to keep coming back!" writes Gail Streberg of her experiences on the CanoeSki Women & Waves canoe program. Enjoy her enthusiastic account of the adventures she and her fellow paddlers encountered on this special 5-day all women's canoe trip on the historic Churchill River.

Tales of a Churchill River Eco-Canoe Tour by Tom Rogers

Tom offered to take his extended family on a 5-day canoe trip as a Christmas gift. But, as he notes, he wisely turned over the outfitting and guiding to the CanoeSki team. The ecotour gave him a new appreciation of nature and its beneficial influence on human relationships. He remarks, "My family and I did not realize how close to nature we would be on this amazing eco canoe tour on Otter Lake, part of the Churchill River System…We soon found out that an ecotour speaks quietly but firmly, like nature, requiring acceptance, open mindedness, ingenuity and everyone's cooperation and team work." 

Whitewater Trails by Kathryn Landry

A resident of B.C's Saltspring Island, Kathryn finds this Paull River northern Saskatchewan canoe trip lives up to the famous lines of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau: "…if you paddle 100 miles by canoe, you will be a child of nature and a true Canadian." For Kathryn the trip is also a nostalgic sense of homecoming as she reconnects with her childhood roots and rediscovers a landscape in her words "as beautiful and pristine as ever I remembered." Enjoy her intriguing and beautifully written account of rapids and falls, osprey and eagles, cranberry cornbread and fresh walleye, and beach bonfires and tall tales!

Lac La Ronge Park Paddling Odyssey by Bryan St. George

Listen to the loons, watch bald eagles soar and feel the spray of mighty Nistowiak Falls says the tour description. Bryan did that and a lot more on the 8-day Nistoyahk Odyssey canoe tour in Lac La Ronge Provincial Park. He teamed up with his 14-year-old grandson for a vacation of a lifetime. During his winter stay in Mexico, he got his pen working and turned his trip diary into a fine story of his experiences. "The bonding that took place between Grandfather and Grandson was remarkable," he says, "as we journeyed into what, for us city-dwellers, was the unknown world."

Coyotes & Coulees: A Trip of Surprises by Michael Oelck

Weird weather, hiking for a day and group bonding all combine to make a fall trip on the North Saskatchewan River a memorable experience. Coming from Germany, Michael gets re-acquainted with the Canadian way, another surprise to add to his canoe trip. " We had hiked through a fall-coloured coulee, we heard the howling coyotes, met wonderful people and we did the paddling, all in a short weekend - what more could you want?", he concludes.

Skiing Tales of Discovery

New Year's Celebration at Sawyer Lake Lodge by Kimberly Epp

Skijoring has its historical roots in Scandinavia, but you can experience it in Saskatchewan at Sawyer Lake Ecolodge. Getting towed on skis by a horse or dog team adds a bit of flare to cross-country skiing. But it was more flare than Kim had anticipated. Read her tale of face plants in the powder, dog sledding, horse-drawn sleigh rides, champagne and hugs on a New Year's Eve celebration in the boreal forest.

Bringing in the New Year 2003 by Bruce Noton

"This well trained horse was amazing. It geed and hawed, stepped over logs, between logs, between trees, and never stumbled or missed a step." Bruce is truly impressed with Dave Weiman's demo of horse logging amongst a host of activities he and his wife enjoyed during their time at Sawyer Lake. "It had been the most unique New Year's Eve holiday Hilda and I had ever experienced and one of the most enjoyable," he concludes.

Pat's Ski Mushing Saga by Patricia Saunders

"Several times during the day a voice in my head repeats, 'This is a bit of heaven,'" Pat extols of her ski mushing trip into Saskatchewan 's boreal forest. She escapes from the stress of work and domestic obligation to luxuriate in a skiing and dog sledding paradise. Being catered to for a weekend is what she really needed. Improving her skiing technique and learning to skijor behind an energetic husky is simply a plus. "To the very busy and overworked this is the best kind of getaway," she concludes.

On the Trail with Cliff by Ted Leighton

Ted sees the bigger picture in the small world of cross-country skiing and dog sledding. He reflects that our industrial economy is wasting boreal forest traditions and our skijoring trek is a poignant throwback to a bygone era. "We sped along under the crystal sky on plastic skis…pulled by an eager pup whose ancestors pulled the first people across the Bearing Sea, along trails made by the very tracked machines that had all but made her race extinct."