Photo Essay

Vancouver Island

Big Trip: Tales Realized Beyond Nootka Sound

The west coast of Vancouver Island just feels big. Big sky. Big trees. Big weather. Big bald eagles flying overhead. Big black bears on the beach eating big fish from the big, cold Pacific. Big logging trucks blowing by on big, long, winding roads. It’s a place where you need to have a plan when you leave the house, to know what you are doing and how to get to there safely. Because in the backcountry on the west side of Vancouver Island, you’re at the mercy of nature.

Amid all that big there’s our little crew. We’re here to find some snow and waves for Quiksilver’s annual Surf the Mountain trip. I’m with Austen Sweetin, Bryan Fox, Red Gerard, surfer Mikey Wright and photographer Oli Gagnon. Travis Rice may join us, but he’s currently in Alaska. It’s my first time meeting any of these guys. My first time on the west coast of Canada. My first day at a new job as a designer for Quiksilver and for all intents and purposes the first snowboard trip of my life. Out of the frying pan and into the powder, so to speak…

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