Invermere Long weekend

[pyro]

Heading out this weekend anyone know good hiking trails/spots to check out along the way or around invy.

[extm88]

Its gunna be packed, me and a bunch of buddies are heading out with the boat!
Not sure on trails but some unreal golf courses!!!
If your in your early 20s like me, avoid any shin digs locals may be at....

[R-Audi]

Thats a poor attitude to have...

I worked in Invermere for ~6 summers, and most of the locals are great.. much like anything, if you go and treat people with respect you will be fine. SO many Calgarians (and others) walk around like they own the place and you can imagine how that would piss you off.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Panorama has some good trails, both DH and XC. You're also an hour from golden which has some good trails as well as Kicking Horse and Mount 7.

[extm88]

R-Audi, i guess its a poor attitude but last year we went to a party ( friend from calgarys cabin ) and about 40 locals showed up and within 45 minutes there were ambulances and cops galore! The cops said that there are some groups that just go looking for calgarians.
Either way, not going to stereotype everyone!

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Any logging road really equates to adventure, make sure you bring a capable vehicle if possible.

We found a lot of animal carcasses and evidence of bears last month, so we got a little put off hiking (near the hoodoos).

You can raft/tube down the river near fairmont's Mountaintside golf course.

[R-Audi]

Originally posted by extm88
The cops said that there are some groups that just go looking for calgarians.
Either way, not going to stereotype everyone!

Don't get me wrong, I've had my share of problems out there.. but it is usually a select few. (Ive had the entire Rockies Hockey team show up at my front door!)

[pyro]

Bunch of my buddies grew up there so will mostly be with the locals, im more so looking for places to check out for the drive up/ around radium

[Grogador]

Inversmear is a shithole, do something fun with your long weekend.

[R-Audi]

^Typical Calgarian/Albertan attitude that pisses people off.

Im glad you feel that way so that I can enjoy my weekends free of people like yourself!

[Grogador]

pyro, the locals should know all the local "hot spots" there's only like three ;) Check out my posts in this previous thread for some fun times in the area: http://forums.beyond.ca/st/274232/golden-bc-in-the-summer/


Originally posted by R-Audi
^Typical Calgarian/Albertan attitude that pisses people off.

Im glad you feel that way so that I can enjoy my weekends free of people like yourself!

I'm very glad that you enjoyed your summers there, probably at some resort surrounded by other seasonal workers. I lived/worked there for a couple years, visiting around 4,000 homes and businesses in every community from Canal Flats up to Edgewater. I had to deal with everything from the rich vacationing stressed-out Calgarians who like to dump their problems on others, the retirees, the natives and all flavors of deadbeat hick locals. The locals are generally friendly but there's really not much to do in the area and there's plenty of issues like:

- drug/alcohol abuse (this could be a + if you're into coke or meth)
- theft/fraud is rampant (especially real estate and labor)
- locals can be hostile to tourists, complain about Albertans non-stop, even though without vacationers the area would die completely (like it nearly does every winter)
- violence, common to see/get into a fight, have a car window smashed, etc.
- very clique-y and gossipy, local drama reminded me too much of highschool
- smalltown police force, local repeat DUI'ers go free every weekend (after they drive their truck out of the ditch) while vacationers get pegged for the smallest little thing

Enjoy your long weekend of roadblocks/checkstops (make sure none of your friends have outstanding warrants :) surrounded by drunk spoiled little brats!

[R-Audi]

I spent much more time up in the area then most people..
I have been going there for 25+ years and worked from May to September for close to 7 years... Made friends with many locals, and have seen how everything works. Please dont come and talk to me like Im some weekend warrior that hasnt seen the guts of the town and surrounding area, that only comes around to throw my weight around and take advantage.

While all that you've said is true to some extent, its also true with 99% of small vacation type towns. At the end of the day it is what it is, and its up to individuals to make the best out of it.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by R-Audi
its also true with 99% of small vacation type towns in Alberta and BC

Fixed.

People with more money than brains have ruined most of the nicer areas in the mountains with their multi-million dollar "cabins", ugly condo developments and $100,000 power boats.

Give me a tiny old cabin and a canoe on a lake in Manitoba or NW Ontaio any day over the gong show out there.

[R-Audi]

Originally posted by sputnik


Fixed.

People with more money than brains have ruined most of the nicer areas in the mountains with their multi-million dollar "cabins", ugly condo developments and $100,000 power boats.

Give me a tiny old cabin and a canoe on a lake in Manitoba or NW Ontaio any day over the gong show out there.

Fair enough. Guess thats the price we pay for living in Oil Country!

[D'z Nutz]

R-Audi, can you recommend any decent hiking trails in and around Invermere? I'm hoping to make the trip out there in the next few months.

[R-Audi]

I'm actually not much of a hiker.. but there are books in Chapters with hiking trails of the area.. I know several friends have used that before. (Think my parents had the book at some point)

[tobypaddock]

i got pepper sprayed and jumped leaving the bar there, with no warning - dont know why it happened, there were no problems/exchanges/rude glances in the bar - during the day seems like a great place, but i'll stay outta the local bars at night - yeah this could happen anywhere, but it didnt, it happened in invermere.

[Grogador]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz
Grogador, you sexy bastard, can you recommend any decent hiking trails in and around Invermere? I'm hoping to make the trip out there in the next few months.

How close and what kind of hiking? If you're just looking for a wander in/near town, there's some logging roads at the "top" of town, west end past the schools behind all the new development. The hike up Swansea is also very nice (see my other thread linked above). Take a rip down Westside Road from Invermere to a nice 20min stroll at the hoodoos near Fairmont. Lemme know if they've paved any more of the fun bits of that road ;) If you go all the way down to Canal Flats, there's some really awesome terrain along the Columbia river. Lots of logging roads, fire lookout, etc. There's a tourist info booth right as you drive into Invermere and Rob's bike shop has some maps too. My personal favorite in the area is Bugaboo glacier. I can provide links/maps to stuff if you like...


Originally posted by tobypaddock
i got pepper sprayed and jumped leaving the bar there, with no warning - dont know why it happened, there were no problems/exchanges/rude glances in the bar - during the day seems like a great place, but i'll stay outta the local bars at night - yeah this could happen anywhere, but it didnt, it happened in invermere.
I had the back window in my car smashed the first night I moved there. A friend of mine (visiting from Cranbrook) got sucker-punched outside the local shithole for no particular reason, then ganged up on by the bouncers. I got into two fights one summer over literally nothing, on the public beach and on the dancefloor in the aforementioned shithole. That's just the stories I was involved in. Some people there are just bored and angry with their shitty lives and will take it out on visitors. Curiously, I've never had *any* other trouble in all my drunken stumbles around Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Fernie, Nelson, Salmo, Trail... Actually even Radium and Fairmont were a lot more enjoyable, if a little quiet :D

[R-Audi]

Not sure what to tell you guys.. Going up there for 25+ years I've never been in a fight... but then again I've never been in a fight in Calgary either. Sometimes that stuff follows people around.

I do know the stuff happens in Fernie quite a bit though... Buddies I want to school grew up there and would play 'fight the tourist' when they were bored. I think its a small town mentality when dealing with people they dont know and are somewhat jealous of... or frustrated with.