Media Stories About CanoeSki

Paddle the Trans Canada Trail by Ryan Stuart (pdf – 2.1 MB)
Explore Magazine – Fall 2015
Story Line:  Low-cost, easily accessible but challenging “micro-adventures” (item # 5) in a run-down of 21 such Canada-wide mini-excursions. In Saskatchewan you can change your hiking boots for a paddle and continue down the recently designated 130 km South Saskatchewan River portion of the Trans Canada Trail. CanoeSki can assist with guided canoe trips, canoe rentals and shuttle service, and logistical advice.
Canoe Trips: Urban Canoe Camping, Saskatoon’s River History, Cranes & Colors

South Saskatchewan River by Ryan Stuart (pdf – 1.29 MB)
Explore Magazine – Spring 2013
Story Line: Headlined as “Urgent Adventure: Canada’s Threatened Places”, Explore presents an eco-adventure round-up of places to explore and to preserve, including the South Saskatchewan River. The culturally rich portion of the river featured in the CanoeSki River Trails of 1885 canoe trip is profiled as the adventure on a waterway with a precarious future.
Canoe Trip: River Trails of 1885

Best of the Season by Ryan Stuart (pdf – 757KB)
Explore Magazine – Winter 2010
Story Line: “Twenty ideas for making the most of the big chill” – Field editor & gear guru Ryan Stuart rolls out a roster of intriguing Canadian winter events for cool weather aficionados. The CanoeSki Boreal Forest Ski Mushing trip – a cross country skiing/dog sledding combo – is number 17 on the list.
Ski Trip: Boreal Forest Ski Mushing

Battle Still Reverberates by Peter Wilson (pdf – 733KB)
Saskatoon Star Phoenix – July 3, 2010
Story Line: The CanoeSki River Trails of 1885 canoe trips explore the battle sites of the North West Resistance, including a hike to General Middleton’s camp at Fish Creek/Tourond’s Coulee. Veteran Saskatoon Star Phoenix photo journalist Peter Wilson describes a 2-day historical journey commemorating the 125th anniversary of the North West Resistance, following the Trails of 1885 along the South Saskatchewan River. It stops to take in hikes to the major battle sites, including Fish Creek/Tourond’s Coulee, where the first engagement of the Canadian militia with Louis Riel’s fighters took place. After camping overnight at Petite Ville, a Métis archaeological site downstream of Fish Creek, the journey continues on to Batoche, where the Métis forces were finally defeated. The trip concludes with a visit to the Parks Canada National Historic Site at Batoche.
Canoe Trip: River Trails of 1885

Saskatchewan’s Perfect Paddles by Amy Jo Ehman (external web site link)
Pure Canada – Canadian Tourism Commission’s On-Line Travel-Lifestyle Magazine – June 2009
Story Line: Freelancer Amy Jo Ehman profiles northern Saskatchewan’s canoeing paradise, including CanoeSki’s “popular Women and Waves expedition, complete with massage therapist and resident songstress,” on the historic Churchill River.
Canoe Trip: Women & Waves

Canada’s Best Budget Trips by Ryan Stuart (pdf – 744KB)
Explore – Canada’s Outdoor Magazine – April 2009
Story Line: From glacier trekking on Vancouver Island to sea kayaking in Newfoundland, Explore picks 15 top trips for under $1000. Paddle a Fur Trade Route is writer Ryan Stuart’s profile of the CanoeSki Legends of the Shield canoe tour – a Churchill River classic that takes in famous landmarks like the Stanley Mission Church and Nistowiak Falls.
Canoe Trip: Legends of the Shield

River Rhythms and River Stories by Amy Jo Ehman (pdf – 986KB)
Prairies North Magazine – March 2009
Story Line: A canoe trip log relating stories of fur trade history and archaeology encountered on a David Thompson-themed trek down the South Saskatchewan River. Saskatoon freelancer Amy Jo Ehman presents a fascinating account of her immersion in South Saskatchewan River history and archaeology on CanoeSki’s 3-day David Thompson Voyageur Trek starting about 75 km north of Saskatoon at Petite Ville – a scenic riverbank terrace that once housed an 1870’s Métis wintering village. The canoe flotilla, complete with a replica voyageur north canoe and fur trade flags unfurled, travelled to Batoche National Historic Site. After hiking to the site, the trip continued downstream to visit the ancient fur trade posts where David Thompson spent time early in his famous career as explorer, fur trader and map maker. An open house event at South Branch House, an archaeological dig site at the 1786 Hudson’s Bay Co fur trade fort, acquainted the canoeing party with ancient fur trade history and artifacts. After camping out at beautiful wilderness sites along the river, the trip ended at the town of St. Louis.
Canoe Trip: David Thompson Voyageur Trek

Canada’s 25 Trips of a Lifetime by Jackie Davis (pdf – 145KB)
Explore – Canada’s Outdoor Magazine – April 2008
Story Line: Billed as the classics you must do, CanoeSki’s Clearwater River canoe tour rates number 15 on Explore’s list of 25. Encounters with scenic evidence of ancient geological formations, challenging wilderness whitewater and Aboriginal rock art were high scoring points for this Canadian Heritage River trip.
Canoe Trip: Clearwater Heritage

Weekend Voyageurs by Candace Savage (pdf – 925KB)
Canadian Geographic Travel Magazine – March 2008
Story Line: A paddling journey into the darker side of fur trade history involving conflict and murder on the South Saskatchewan River. In August 2007, a rendezvous took place at an obscure but significant historical spot along the South Saskatchewan River. It involved paddlers, archaeologists, historians and local community folk meeting and learning more about an ancient Hudson’s Bay fur trade post and it’s tragic story. The paddlers, following in the historic wake of David Thompson, famous explorer and map maker, visited and camped near the fort site while en route on a river journey from Batoche to St. Louis. On board the canoeing flotilla were Candace Savage, an accomplished Saskatoon author, and Courtney Milne, a local master photographer on assignment with Canadian Geographic magazine. The March 2008 issue featured their fascinating presentation of the trip.
All material in the PDF is copyright 2008 by Candace Savage, Courtney Milne (http://www.courtneymilne.com) and Canadian Geographic Enterprises (http://www.canadiangeographic.ca).
Canoe Trip: David Thompson Voyageur Trek

Travelling the Wake Left by Thompson by Peter Wilson (pdf – 536KB)
Saskatoon Star Phoenix – August 20, 2007
Story Line: CanoeSki paddlers follow in the footsteps of famous Canadian explorer David Thompson on the South Saskatchewan River. CanoeSki’s David Thompson Voyageur Trek – a 2-day historical river trip into the fur trade era –was a Saskatchewan entry in the International Bicentennial Celebration of David Thompson’s life as a famous Canadian explorer, fur trader, and mapmaker. On board were Saskatoon author Candace Savage and photographer Courtney Milne on assignment with Canadian Geographic Magazine. Local media were also present at a fur trade fort rendezvous where the paddlers met with archaeologists, historians and local folks at South Branch House archaeological site near Batoche National Historic Park. Read Saskatoon Star Phoenix journalist Peter Wilson’s story to find out more about the paddlers’ experience reliving an intriguing piece of Canadian history.
Canoe Trip: David Thompson Voyageur Trek

There She Goes by Zosia Bielski
The Globe and Mail – April 11, 2007
Story Line: From wilderness canoeing and rafting the Grand Canyon to hiking the Swiss Alps and trekking through Bhutan, the demand for women’s’ adventure travel is burgeoning. In her feature article, Globe and Mail journalist Zosia Bielski profiles the CanoeSki Women & Waves Churchill River canoe trip as her story lead on the growing demand for women’s outdoor adventure travel. She highlights the on-board massage therapist and camp musician as part of the draw for this popular program. She interviews a raft of women’s’ travel companies, concluding that “Today’s female-only tour operators cater to like-minded women seeking camaraderie, self-realization and fun in exotic and challenging locales.”
Canoe Trip: Women & Waves

Rivers & Rails by Laura Robinson (pdf – 1.49MB)
The Globe and Mail – May 28, 2005
Story Line: An urbanite paddler gets acquainted with a wilderness style journey on the South Saskatchewan River taking in history and Aboriginal culture along the way. The Globe and Mail acknowledged the Saskatchewan and Alberta 2005 provincial centennials with a feature travel article. The Rivers part of the story takes place near Saskatoon. The Rails part was deleted from the PDF document as it deals with Alberta history. Laura Robinson, a Globe contributor from Toronto, joined a CanoeSki historical tour on the South Saskatchewan River taking in the 1885 Northwest Resistance-era places and events. Justin Scott, an Aboriginal cultural interpreter from the Beardy’s First Nation was also on board. Laura’s big-city impressions of paddling, riverbank camping, the Saskatchewan battlefields and native culture are the stuff of her story.
Canoe Trip: River Trails of 1885

Riding the River by Judy Waytiuk (pdf – 3.61MB)
International Travel and Tourism News – April 2005
Story Line: Tame cottage country paddler gets acquainted with the rigours and joys of wilderness canoeing on northern Saskatchewan’s Churchill River and Manitoba’s Seal River. Several years ago, Judy Waytiuk, a freelance journalist from Winnipeg, Manitoba, joined a CanoeSki tour called Legends of the Shield. An account of her first-time encounter with the Canadian Shield wilderness first appeared in the now defunct Canadian Airlines in-flight magazine. She has a definite flair for the dramatic, drawing the reader in with her rollicking, humorous and intensely descriptive style. Her humor is occasionally peppered by hyperbole. So, watch out for the 2-kilometre portage at the start of her trip; it was actually 750 metres, but like a fish story it got bigger and longer with re-telling! In Riding the River, Judy relates an abbreviated version of her original experience on the CanoeSki tour on the Churchill River, where she says, “…the landscape worked instant magic on my tired, urban-addled mind…I was hopelessly hooked on wilderness paddling.”
Canoe Trip: Legends of the Shield

Women on Waves by Amy Jo Ehman
Saskatoon Star Phoenix – September 25, 2004
Story Line: A light-hearted recounting of the adventures of 10 women on a 5-day guided expedition on the Churchill River, with an on-board massage therapist and an unwelcome visitor in camp! “I’ve been on canoe trips before, but never one like this,” remarks Saskatoon freelance journalist Amy Jo Ehman. She’s impressed with all-inclusive features of this fully outfitted and guided trip for women only, but it doesn’t come with stern paddlers, so she has to learn the J-stroke! The first day of steering a wayward canoe and she is more than ready for a massage. Under expert hands, she says, “…the silent scream in my muscles is involuntarily released through my vocal chords. I give a wail that echoes farther than the call of the loon…” After a couple of days of paddling to scenic spots along the route, another natural feature appears on the scene, not so attractive as the water falls & rock art, but one to make the trip even more unique – a four-footed black scavenger! Read the story to find out how the women cope with the unwanted adventure of a bear encounter!
Canoe Trip: Women & Waves

The 40 Best Trips in Canada
Explore – Canada’s Outdoor Magazine – March 2004
Story Line: The CanoeSki Nistoyãhk Odyssey canoe tour with its amazing variety of natural attractions and accessible rock art is profiled under the subset Discovery, one of several categories of outstanding adventure trips.
Canoe Trip: Nistoyãhk Odyssey

Canada’s 50 Best Trips
Explore – Canada’s Outdoor Magazine – February 2002
Story Line: CanoeSki’s rock art archaeology camp in remote northern Saskatchewan featuring awe-inspiring displays of native pictographs on immense Canadian Shield granite cliffs is profiled under the category of Educational Tours.
Canoe Trip: Rock Art Archaeology Camp

Deep Secrets on the Cliffs by Cleo Pascal
National Post – July 21, 2001
Story Line: An immersion in the mysterious world of Aboriginal rock art in one of the most remote and exotic locations in the Canadian Shield country of northern Saskatchewan. Journalist Cleo Pascal on assignment with the National Post relates her experiences exploring Saskatchewan archaeological frontiers. She marvels at the magnificence and grandeur in the heart of Churchill River country where she finds herself immersed in a stunning display of Aboriginal rock art. With the help of Tim Jones, Saskatchewan’s rock art expert, and under the guidance of the CanoeSki Rock Art Archaeology Camp, she discovers fascinating facts about the artistry of the rock paintings and some theories about why they were created and by whom. Cleo comes away from the rock art camp with a new-found sense of “respect, curiosity and awe” for the paintings.
Canoe Trip: Rock Art Archaeology Camp

Family Canoeing With Loons by Genevieve Rowles
Monterey Herald, California, U.S.A – July 28, 1996
Story Line: An Oregon mother-daughter team joins a CanoeSki Family Voyageurs canoe trip in Prince Albert National Park on a lake renowned for its abundant northern loon population. U.S. freelancer Genevieve Rowles and her 10-year-old daughter plunge into the wilds of Canada where they pick up paddling strokes, enjoy tasty homemade campfire meals, and learn about the natural world. A highlight of the trip is a leisurely paddle up a lazy meandering river complete with beaver dams, river otters and moose. “The primeval North wraps us in its seductive thrall,” Genevieve recalls. “A clutch of baby grebes trails mom like obedient bathtub toys. High in the tallest trees, nesting bald eagles resemble puffs of cotton wool.” But she wasn’t expecting to bump into a bear on a nature hike from camp! All in a fun-filled day in the Canadian wilderness!
Canoe Trip: Family Voyageurs

Paddling to a Life Renewal – Women are Immersed in Canoeing’s Natural Rhythms by Kathi Diamant (this original article re-published on the women’s on-line travel site Journeywoman under the title She Canoes in Canada)
San Diego Union Tribune, U.S.A. – June 9, 1996
Story Line: CanoeSki’s first all-women’s wilderness canoe trip on northern Saskatchewan’s Churchill River complete with women guides, musician-chef, and professional massage therapist. A massage therapist and musician provide the off-water waves of relaxation and sound to soften the daily physical rigor of paddling and portaging on this women’s only wilderness canoeing expedition. On the challenge side, Kathi Diamant, the California journalist notes, there is the wind and rain, learning to steer a canoe, carrying the canoes and packs, pitching tents and collecting firewood – basically all the grunt work that the absent men would have assumed. She sums up the group response with a quote from one of them: “Concentrating on survival, I got to live in the moment, close to the elements, responding to nature. It truly was a genuine physical and spiritual renewal.”
Canoe Trip: Women & Waves

Speer Answered Call of the Wilderness by Peter Wilson
Saskatoon Star Phoenix – January 19, 1992
Story Line: Cliff Speer abandons former careers in favor of building an outdoor adventure business with low pay but high personal rewards.
Earlier careers in teaching and commercial insurance were not providing the personal satisfaction that Cliff Speer was seeking from his work. Instead, he opted to turn his primary outdoor pursuits in cross-country skiing and canoeing into an entrepreneurial venture called CanoesSki Discovery. His outdoor adventure company offers canoeing and skiing training and wilderness tours and allows Speer to share his knowledge and passion for the outdoors. He says the monetary rewards are small in comparison to the personal rewards of working in a highly motivating profession.

Skiing Off Into the Wilds by Peter Wilson
Saskatoon Star Phoenix – March 25, 1989
Story Line: A northern Saskatchewan wilderness ski trip, led by Cliff Speer, has its destination at Nistowiak Falls on the Churchill River. Starting at Stanley Mission, journalist Peter Wilson joins a dozen other backcountry skiers on a wilderness ski trip following the Churchill River to Nistowiak Falls. Two days are spent at a cabin there enjoying the spectacular scenery created by the ice sculptures surrounding the rapids and falls and taking day trips to explore nearby attractions. Rustic living at the cabin is good with Cliff Speer’s culinary talents providing tasty meals from the wilderness kitchen. Wilson concludes that wilderness cross-country skiing “…involves a lot more than equipment and style. It means northern lights, fast-flowing rapids, metre-thick ice, and the occasional jack pine to hug when things get a little too fast on the trail.”