Top 10 things to do in B.C
February 25, 2010 by Nicola · Leave a Comment
When I was a child I remember complaining to my parents about how “there was nothing to do”. A decade later and a little bit older and wiser, I am in awe at my words. How could I have spoken those words? I find myself overwhelmed most of time deciding what to do because there are so many options. We can only do so much in a day and sometimes I wish I could do it all. Here are my top 10 things to do in and around B.C:
1. Hike up Grouse Mountain: I often have people ask me if I have ever done the Grouse Grind. Yes, I have and it is part of my weekly training schedule. A lot of the time I will hike the BCMC which parallels the Grind. It takes about 10 minutes longer but it is less crowded and doesn’t resemble a giant Stairmaster. However, if I am looking for a quick ‘get it over and done with’ workout, I’ll hike the Grind. The view at the top will not disappoint.
2. Kayak in Deep Cove: Now, this may not be the right season to partake in this activity but in a few months time, the weather will be perfect to get out onto the ocean. You can rent kayaks for as little as an hour or as long as a week. They come in singles and doubles. Being on the ocean is a very liberating experience and it is one of the best ways to connect with yourself and your surroundings. For more information check out this website: www.deepcovekayak.com
3. Bike around Stanley Park: This is one of B.C’s largest tourist attractions and with good reason! The park is simply stunning and you get such a beautiful view of the ocean and mountains. Take a break and visit the Aquarium and have lunch at one of the many restaurants located in the park. If you are really feeling frisky, try renting a tandem bike, 2 is always better than 1!
4. Shop the local Market at Granville Island: This is one of my favorite places to shop for local delicious foods. They have everything including, fresh made Terra Breads, organic local produce, fresh seafood (live lobster), incredible deli’s, and local venders selling unique art work and fine foods. Besides food, there are dozens of shops to browse through. Bring your kids as they have one of the best toy shops around.
5. Grab a coffee on Commercial Street: Also known as “The Drive” , Commercial Drive has a large number of local ethnic stores and community groups, European-style cafes, bars, and alternative shops and entertainment venues. There are 93 restaurants on Commercial Drive, of which 19 are coffee bars. Come hungry and come thirsty to enjoy what this area has to offer.
6. Bungee jump in Whistler: Just over a year ago I accompanied some friends who were going to bungee jump. I came along without knowing whether or not I was going to jump but my fears got the best of me and I decided to cheer on from the sidelines. I regretted it immediately and decided that at some point in my life I was going to do that. Hopefully it will be sooner than later. For more information check out this website: http://www.whistlerbungee.com/home.php
7. Rock Climbing ‘The Chief’ in Squamish: Becoming a rock climber was almost mandatory when I started dating my boyfriend “climbing guru” Peter. Alright, that was a lie but once I started climbing, I got the bug. Squamish is one of the most popular places in the world to climb and for good reason. The Chief is located in the Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. This park has opportunities for camping, hiking, rock climbing and scenic viewing atop the Chief.
8. Mountain Bike Whistler/North Shore/ Squamish: There are many places to ride depending on where your interest lies. The North Shore Mountains are famous for their wicked downhill mountain bike trails, whereas in Whistler and Squamish you will find a wide variety of cross country trails. Whistler also has a pretty stellar mountain bike park. Check out this link to find out more about Mountain Biking in whistler: http://www.whistlerbike.com/index.htm.
9. Hop on the B.C Ferry over to the Sunshine Coast: I have always loved taking the ferry over to the island. Things to go: The Sunshine Coast is riddled with remote logging roads and trails that make for fantastic mountain biking. The view is always worth the effort it takes to get up those hills! Sechelt Inlet, also known as the Inland Sea, offers miles of protected sea kayaking including two large inlets reaching back into the BC mainland (Narrows and Salmon Inlets). There are four kayaking companies operating out of the inlet this year, offering rentals, excursions and great lessons for beginners. If you want to go further you can take another ferry over to Powell River.
10. Surfing in Tofino: The area around Tofino is fully exposed to the Pacific Ocean and believe it or not you can actually surf everyday year round. The water may be a little chilly, but in the last 10 years wetsuit technology has come a long way making surfing and other watersports a lot warmer and more comfortable. Tofino’s beaches and coves are balancing between majestic mountains and a very powerful body of water, making for a genuine wilderness surfing experience. Mix that with a laid back lifestyle and it’s no wonder this area has developed its own unique surf culture.
Have fun exploring!
Nicola Gildersleeve, Athlete Ambassador
What are you doing for the 2010 Winter Olympics?
February 12, 2010 by Nicola · Leave a Comment
I remember the day I heard that Vancouver was going to be hosting the 2010 Olympics. It was way back in High School and I was still in my teens. I remember thinking how crazy it was going to be because I was going to be 25 years old when the Olympics came to town!!!!! That was so old, I thought. I have to look back and laugh because being 25 years old feels incredibly young. I wish I could remember what I had imagined myself doing at 25 back when I was only 16 yrs old.
People keep asking me what I am going to do during the Olympics. I honestly have not put too much thought into it. I had pondered the idea of Volunteering, and then at least I could see some of the games. But, that involved time off work and I didn’t want to give that up. I fantasized about going away somewhere exotic and warm, but that also involved taking time off work. I concluded that I was just going to watch the Olympics live on my T.V with everyone else who could not afford to buy tickets!
I hiked up to Grouse Mountain this morning via the BCMC Trail. The BCMC parallels the grind and is approximately 10 minutes longer on average. I prefer this route because it doesn’t feel like a stair master and is less crowded. However, at this time of year, neither trail is crowded. Once I got to the top, I ate my Elevate Me Energy Bar and boarded the gondola to get down the mountain. On the way down, the gondola conductor (as I named him) told us about the plans Grouse Mountain has for during the Olympics. He told us that Grouse Mountain will be open 24/7 for the entire duration of the Olympic Games!!!!! That’s not all, NBC is going to be taping live from the top of the mountain (or the chalet area)
This means that you can literally ski everyday all day for 2 straight weeks! The gondola and restaurants will be open for 24 hours. You can snowshoe, hike, and even zip line at night. They have been planning this for 3 years and it sounds like it will be an amazing and entertaining adventure. I can’t wait to be a part of it.
My couch and television may remain empty during the games as I plan on hiking up the mountain to listen (to NBC reporters) and watch the games live (on big screens). Come try something different this year and experience something you will never forget!
Nicola Gildersleeve
ElevateMe! Natural Protein Bars – The Story Continued
May 1, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
So we got out the food processor and started working off mom’s recipe of whey protein isolate mixed with almonds and various whole dried fruits. We found an old guy with a packaging machine who worked on a per bar basis and we used an inkjet printer to make labels.
We didn’t want to be just another bar so we chopped each one into 3 bite size chunks. We’d make a batch, drive them in our 1979 Toyota Corona to the wrong side of town to package, then cold-call the stores.
After a few months we had like 20 stores and we were ready to rock so we got a business plan together, borrowed some cash from the bank and once that check cleared we promptly quit our corporate jobs to focus on the biz.
So we basically had enough money to last 6 months. That’s pressure but it worked and we had almost 100 stores by mid 2003 and it slowly grew and evolved from there: Apartment to nightly rental of catering kitchen to tiny garage factory to 1 employee to 2 employees to 5 employees to second leased space to 10 employees and now we make about a million Elevate Me’s a year in 7 flavors.
Are we rich? No.
Do we work our own hours? No. We work whenever the company needs us to get something done. Such as now, it’s 9pm on a Thursday and I’m sitting on the patio typing under the moon.
Is it worth it? Hell yes, so far so good.
Welcome to ElevateMe! Blog
May 1, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Welcome to the Elevate Me! blog.
I’m Earl the co-owner and co-founder with my wife Trish who wants nothing to do with writing about herself, so you’re stuck with me.
Since this is blog 1 I guess I’ll talk about the genesis of our little protein/energy bar project. We started this little company as all good little companies start, either in someone’s parent’s garage, basement or studio apartment. Since we moved around back in the early 2000’s all of those apply. As college students we were living off student loans and my mom would occasionally fire us some of her little creations, called Power Balls (disclaimer: nothing to do with Powerbar). They were ugly little things wrapped in saran wrap but did they ever fill the gut in a hurry and keep the flow going for dubious studying, so we inhaled them.
Fast forward to 2002 through school, a couple corporate gigs in the real 9-5 world and we sit down for a heart to heart about what the hell we’re really going to do to make a living. Our memories tweak back to those powerballs and we start thinking of health foods as a career: They are nutritious, portable and travel well, how can it lose?
And wouldn’t it be fun to own our own company, be our own bosses and work only when we feel like it? Yeah!
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