Guest Blog: Wander Adventure Co
Chances are you’ve seen the great outdoors. But you haven’t experienced it. Not like we have anyways. That’s because you can hike a trail a hundred times and not experience the same exhilaration of riding it just once. Combine the natural beauty of the outdoors with the collective experience of a trail ride with friends, and you have something really special.
There’s something cool about a bike that we seem to forget as we get older. Sometime between junior high and high school, a lot of us seem to lose sight of the freedom that two wheels offered us when we were kids. Soon after we discover the opposite sex suddenly bikes aren’t cool anymore. Then bikes get replaced by buses, and eventually, buses get replaced by cars. Only a lucky few will rediscover what the pedals can offer us.
So maybe it’s nostalgia, or maybe it’s because we’ve made it our business to reintroduce a sense of adventure to people’s lives, but there’s something incredible about seeing the world by bike. And that’s what we want to help people see.
Written deep into the DNA of Wander Adventure Co is the intention to combine mountain biking at a level accessible for riders and non-riders alike, with the balance and practice of yoga, the nourishment of great food, and the warmth of experiences shared among friends.
Over the past several years Calgary’s fitness scene has had an amazing coming of age. We’ve seen communities built around businesses offering everything from fitness mainstays such as yoga and spin, to new innovative ways to sweat such as boxing and barre. You can genuinely say that today, sweat and community go hand in hand in Calgary.
With Wander Adventure Co, we believe that getting those communities out into the mountains to experience the trails in a unique and vibrant way is the next natural progression in developing our fitness scene. Because of that, we’ve been keen to partner with local influencers and brands to expose would-be adventurers to the trails in Banff and Kananaskis.
We get that organizing a group, renting bikes, finding a trail, and riding in the mountains can be a big undertaking. Unlike skiing where you can rent gear on the slopes and run difficulty is clearly delineated and understood, riding the trails can still be a bit trickier. Barriers to entry like that contribute to the gender chasm that still exists in the sport. But we’ve heard people’s feedback, and we know that there are a lot of women and men who really want to try mountain biking and have just been intimidated to give it a go. And that’s something we genuinely want to change.
Mountain biking isn’t all Red Bull Rampage, vertical drops, and full-face helmets. It’s fun and flowy trails, epic views, and shared experiences in the great outdoors.
Our perfect day is waking up in a mountain lodge and enjoying a refreshing breakfast and a good cup of coffee. After that, we set out on a ride that’s just challenging enough to get the heart pumping before finding a moment of calm on a high alpine lake. With those epic views before us, we lay our mats down for a short yoga practice where we’re the only ones for miles and miles. Finally, we ride back to the lodge, enjoy a family style dinner, and finish a long summer day off with shared stories around the campfire.
We love local, and we love brands like Local Laundry. Partnering with local businesses and fellow entrepreneurs make owning a small business in Calgary an enriching and quite honestly, a fun experience. From fitness to food, to experiences, we’re looking for brands and individuals to collaborate with. And more importantly, we’re looking for adventurers to wander with.
Make this year a year of adventure and join us in 2018 on a retreat or with an event. We’re excited to be a part of this community and are looking forward to having you along for the ride with us.
Check out more about our retreats and adventures at wanderadventureco.com.
