Mountain bike lovers, you’re gonna love this!
We just watched the official “Follow me” teaser, partly filmed in Whistler, British Columbia.  The world “première” will be happening in Monterey, California, on April 16th. This HD film is another production of Anthill Films, a company based in British Columbia.

This other video is the “making of”. Quite amazing to see what’s involved behind the scenes too!

It will be interesting to see which one’s voted the best by the mountain bikers’ community.
For the past two years the full feature film (presented below) “What’s Next?”, made by Aaron LaRocque, as well from British Columbia, was the most voted on. Should we call it “all bets are off”?

On Saturday, February 19, 2011

On the program are:

• Radium Family Funspiel
• Potato Topper Competition
• Crafts for Kids
• Interfest Dance
• Wilderness Competition

Lost of fun, and cool prizes!!

Ready to sign your team up? Email Clara here.

Among the cool stuff to win are one week vacation anywhere in the world in a two-bedroom condo (including in Radium!) through Interval International and donated by Bighorn Meadows Resort! (You’ve got to draw to the button for a chance to win.)
OK, let’s say you dance the night away at the Winterfest Dance, then you’ll be entered in another contest. A chance to win another one week vacation, courtesy of Bighorn Meadows! 

This event is partly sponsored by

• Columbia Basin Trust website
• Rocky Now website
• Bighorn Meadows website
• The Valley Echo website
• Tourism Radium Hot Springs website

Get a look at these two videos from Kananaskis Country Public Safety Team. This will show you what’s involved when out in the mountains…Be prepared!

January is all about predictions, so we’re taking this opportunity to show you an unusual one. What sort of predictions were around almost 50 years ago?
Some were thinking this new hybrid sport, the “skolf” would take off…
This short video, filmed on April 1964 by French cinematographers, probably to be shown during the news in theatres, right before the film feature, caught our attention!

Translated transcript:
“It’s all the rage on the ski slopes of Banff National Park, in Canada. A pair of skis, a golf club, a ball, and a 9-hole course. Here is the skolf, the ski-golf. You’ll need to be skilled in both sports, and not to be scared of sounding ridiculous. To say the most, rules of this hybrid “art” seem quite open. There are so many other odd, but hybrid combinations in sports; when will we see the rugby-kayaking, or the Breton wrestling-biking?”
We think this short video was filmed at Sunshine Village, but it could have been at Lake Louise. We don’t think it was shot at Mount Norquay though, by looking at the scenery.
You know more about it? Or simply want to comment? Don’t hesitate to share your best videos here!!

We, at CMI Publishing, took the opportunity of publishing a 2011 Experience The Mountain Parks wall calendar, using your amazing shots!
So, here are the lucky selected for this first edition:

Front cover, photo by Ileana Nielsen | Lake MacArthur, Yoho National Park, British Columbia

December (2010) month, photo by Darren Robinson | Athabasca River, Whistler Mountain, Jasper National Park, Alberta

The Livingstone Range is part of the Front Ranges of the Canadian Rockies in southwestern Alberta. It’s a spectacular landscape and one of the key headwaters for the South Saskatchewan River watershed. The area is threatened by a proposed open pit mine. This video looks at the potential impact the mine would have on the land and the people who live in the area.

Would you support this magnetite mining project?
Would you support Livingstone Landowners Group instead?

Don’t hesitate to let us know your thinkings.

The first annual Calgary Outdoor Expo and Festival will provide outdoor enthusiasts with a unique experience that focuses on the people, services and products that make Calgary such a vibrant outdoor community.

Outdoor expo consumer trade show

• Trade show booth manned by suppliers, outfitters, and retailers
• New product area
• Sport climbing wall supported by local clubs and celebrity international climbers
• Skills presentations

Outdoor week in the local community for the local community

• Specials in participating local retailers
• Specials at local climbing gyms
• Information sessions organized by clubs, parks, and CAOC (Calgary Area Outdoor Council)

Film festival

• Reel Rock Film Festival with guest speakers
• Snow and Ski Film Festival night

Gear swap

• Consignment rate 25% (you get the selling price less GST and less 25% commission if sold)
• Public consignment Friday, October 29^th 5pm to 9pm
• Outdoor gear and clothing sale Saturday, October 30^th, from 10am to 5pm and Sunday, October 31^th from 10am to 3pm
• Half-price sale Sunday, October 31^st from 12pm to 3pm
• Pick-up & payment Sunday, October 31^st from 6pm to 9pm

Demos

• Avalanche beacons and equipment
• Waxing and ski preparation
• GPS and locator devices

Well there is a reason for it; once reserved to pros, it’s now possible to get some gorgeous photos.

“What is HDR?”

A scene with a high dynamic range is one with a very big difference between the lightest or brightest part and the darkest or shadow part: this difference makes it impossible or very difficult for the camera (any camera) to record all the brightness information accurately.
Basically, if the dark areas are accurately recorded, the highlights become too bright – completely white. And if we record the brighter areas properly, the shadows become completely black. So the trick is to combine low-exposure images with high-exposure images.
We identified at least three submitted photos using this technique, along with tone-mapping. See by yourself.

The above photo was shot by Julia Schulze, Vancouver, British Columbia, and
submitted on July 31, 2010, titled : “Unforgettable moments, May 2010, Jasper National Park, Alberta.”

This other one was shot by Tim Harpur, Waterdown, Ontario, submitted on July 26, 2010, and
titled: “My wife and I took a trip up highway 93 towards Jasper. This is just one of the many amazing views along the way. ”

On September 20, 2010, Tim wrote us, let’s see what’s his take on HDR technique(s):

“I use two principle techniques for my photos. First, if it is a landscape or other non-moving scene – I use a tripod and set the camera to take an exposure bracketed shot at + and – 2 stops. I then process the three images in Photomatix to get an HDR which I then tone map. I then take this tone mapped image and layer it over the ‘normal’ mid exposure from the three shots. I blend it to get the desired level of effect – it all depends on the scene and what effect I’m going for. If I’m shooting a moving target (such as wildlife) exposure bracketing is not an option so I take a single RAW image – then do a ‘simulated HDR’ which I tone map (this is not as good a true HDR but it does help to bring out some details). When I do this single shot I blend it back in with the source image also but usually at a much lower weighting. For the record, every image I submitted used one or the other technique – I almost always post process with Photomatix to at least some degree.”
~Tim Harpur

This last example is quite interesting, was shot by Ken Balaz, Lethbridge, Alberta, submitted on June 9, 2010, with some intriguing title: “This is a simulated HDR effect of the Prince of Wales in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. It was shot while on a family picnic at the park.“. Intriguing is the fact he’s mentioning simulated HDR effect…We don’t know what he means there. Does he mean he didn’t go through the full process. Still it’s a pretty nice shot!

See in the “comments” section (at the end of this post) what Ken thinks about the technique he’s been using with success.

If you’re like me, you’d probably like to see a before and after shot., or more accurately what were the original shots used to produce the final HDR one. Here is one example taken from this company’s website, photomatix. This company is actually proposing a software helping you throughout the process. They’ve got a trial version as well, time to give it a shot!

“How can I do the same, improve my shots?”

We found this “plain English” video tutorial, enjoy!

“Would you prefer a written tutorial?”

This step-by-step one is clear, written by a Photoshop© pro, a little lengthy though.

“Want to know more about HDR?”

To Wikipedia and Sony (UK)
Don’t forget to have fun, but submit your HDR photos to our photos contest...
before March 2011!
Another piece of advice from the National Geographic Director of photography we posted on May 12, 2010. Watch it here.

Judges have decided on the early bird winning photo entry…The winner will be announced today! Stay tuned!

On behalf of our staff and all of the sponsors of our 2010 Reader Photo Contest, we are very pleased to announce that the winner of our Early Bird Prize Package is Darren Robinson of Powell River, British Columbia.

Darren’s entry, entitled ‘Through the eyes of the mountain guide’ is listed as image #131 (as of today) on this page of our web site:
Keep in mind we’ll be uploading more than an extra 50 more submissions made August 1^st to August 12^th only, and the general contest will be closing next year, end of March 2011!!

Our Early Bird Prize Package has a retail value of $1,635 and includes:

• Two nights Bed & Breakfast Package in a Fairmont room for two adults with complimentary recreation equipment rentals valid through to March 31, 2011, courtesy of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Resort Hotel. Surf up their site at www.fairmont.com. The Fairmont is a very well known and respected brand in the Canadian Rockies and includes such other properties as the Château Lake Louise and the Banff Springs hotels. The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Resort is a pet-friendly family hotel and it was named the 2009 Environmental Hotel of the Year based upon their commitment to hotel-wide composting, waste diversion, and a constant commitment to all things green. And a $6 million dollar renovation, just winding up will feature a new 10,000 square foot full Fairmont Spa, new health club, art gallery, a selection of boutique stores, and a redesigned coffee shop.
• In addition to these superior accommodations, Darren will also receive a Columbia Icefields Parkway Motorcycle Tour plus commemorative tee shirts for two people courtesy of Jasper Motorcycle Tours. Check out all of their tour packages at www.jaspermotorcycletours.com.
• Evil Dave’s Grill (www.evildavesgrill.com) will provide Darren with a $50 Gift Certificate for their dining pleasure and the “Everything But” store has donated a $50 Gift Certificate with which Darren will be able to purchase clothing or souvenirs of this memorable experience.  And Darren is sure to enjoy an autographed copy of “Jasper-Robson: A Taste of Heaven”, written by Don Beers and courtesy of Pine Bungalows.

And a gentle reminder to continue to submit your photo entries. Our Photo Contest runs straight through til March 31, 2011, and we still have some superb prizes to give away, including:

• Gold Medal Package: A brand new Canon EOS Digital Rebel T2i EF-S High Definition video camera and accessories with a retail value of $1,800, courtesy of The Camera Store in Calgary. The Camera Store opened in 1996 to better serve the western Canadian market. They are full line dealers for the entire range of conventional and digital photographic equipment and supplies and they have the knowledge base to back it up!  They can make your photographic experiences easier and help improve your final product. Most commercial photographers, photo students and avid amateurs in Calgary rely on The Camera Store for all their needs.
• Silver Medal Package: A portable outdoor campfire and accessories. Ideal for campers.  Easy & safe to use. Courtesy of Campfire-in-a-Can. Their portable campfires are designed with you, the outdoor enthusiast and RV owner in mind. From backyard to the beach and beyond, their environmentally friendly, easy to use and safe outdoor fire pits give you a warm, welcoming campfire experience anytime, anywhere. It’s the premium-quality portable campfire you can count on – from their family to yours.
• Bronze Medal Package: A large print of the Crowsnest Pass image that appears on page 14 of the 2010-2011 edition of Experience the Mountain Parks. Plus two “Share the Experience” tee shirts. The print is courtesy of the Ministry of Culture and Community Spirit, Heritage & Museum Division, Government of Alberta and the tees are courtesy of CMI Publishing.

Congratulations to Darren and many thanks to our sponsors and to all those who entered our 2010 Photo Contest, so far. Remember, you have until March 31^st to get your entries in to be eligible for our Gold, Silver and Bronze prize packages!

Happy trails!

Bob Harris
Publisher of Experience the Mountain Parks
Tweet me at http://twitter.com/BHarris_Calgary