Grassi Lakes in winter.

Wind Ridge or powiedz "yes."

Wind Ridge, 2164 m, distance 13.8 km return, height gain 740 m.

Jacek, Dusia, Ewa, Tomek, Ludmila and Bozena against the background of Mt. Lougheed.

Meeting with Tomasz Kobielski

With great pleasure, we would like to invite everyone to the meeting with Tomasz Kobielski, one of the top Polish Mountaineers, the Conqueror of the Crown of Earth (the highest peaks on all continents, which includes Mt. Everest). On invitation from our member, Jacek Maciaszczyk, and in cooperation with the Polish Culture Society, Mr. Kobielski will visit Edmonton on 31 Oct. His meeting, and slide show, will start at 19:00 in the Polish Hall, 10960-104 Street, (next to Royal Alexandra Hospital). There is no entry fee (!) and light refreshments will be served. 

This is a rare opportunity to meet with the World Class Mountaineer! We hope to see you ALL there! 

(PR)

Polish Ulans Supersonic

We took advantage of, literally, the last couple of hours before the influx of arctic air, to squeeze one more bike ride this year. This time, only men participated, and not just regular men, but Polish Ulans Supersonic!

From left to right: Mike, Jacek, Peter, Piotr and this writer.

We followed well established, slightly expanded Prezes Classic Trail - roughly 16 km ride, which took us about 2 hours - in autumn colors covered city of Edmonton.

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Bike and Hike Kananaskis Country, Canada

Kananaskis Country - over 4,000 km² of protected wilderness along the Eastern Slopes of Canadian Rockies.

Well known and popular destination in Alberta, Canada.

This video shows Upper Kananaskis Lake Trail.

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Rawson Lake in Kananaskis Country, Canada

Kananaskis Country - over 4,000 km² of protected wilderness along the Eastern Slopes of Canadian Rockies.

Well known and popular destination in Alberta, Canada.

This video shows Upper Kananaskis Lake and Rawson Lake.

Heart Mountain Circuit, 2149 m, or red pine mushrooms.

With nice weather continuing, we managed to squeeze another rewarding trip this autumn. This time my companions were Ewa, Bozena, Jacek, and, routinely, Mike. Yellow autumn leaves accompanied us to Heart Mountain (in the background) and Grant MacEwan Peak (2149 m).

Mount Rundle, 2949 m.

Mount Rundle (2949 m) is a prominent mountain above Banff, easily seen from the Banff Hot Springs. It is considered an easy scramble, with 1570 m of altitude gain. In other words it is a "wyrypa" (a grueling experience).

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The Tower (3117 m), August 17/2019

Po zeszłorocznej, zakończonej niepowodzeniem, wspinaczce na "The Tower Mt.", planowałem powtórzyć tą wspinaczkę w tym roku. Do udziału zgłosił się tylko jeden, pełny entuzjazmu, młody uczestnik: Gennady.
Dzień wcześniej, spacerując wokół "Kananaskis Village" nic nie wskazywało na gwałtowną, zmianę pogody w ciągu nocy.

Mist Mountain? No, Mist Ridge!

Our Team Leader, Yanek, set a nice objective for the last weekend - a massive Mist Mountain, 3140 m, achievable from the South through a moderate to difficult scramble. What he couldn't control, however, was the weather. We got close to a foot of fresh snow over Friday night. Realizing we had minimal chances reaching the top in a safe manner (our compatriots, Roman and Gennagij, gave up on the Tower for the same reason), we decided for a lower (2515 m), but longer (23 km) alternative - Mist Ridge (seen in the distance). 

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Holy Caves, Marble Mountains - Vietnam

Sacred Marble Mountains, majestic caves, Buddhist sanctuaries, panoramic views...Da Nang, Vietnam

Edmonton from the river.

I have done a few kayaking trips over North Saskatchewan River, starting in Devon and finishing at Whitemud Crossing. So when my friend, Peter, suggested we explore what is down the river, I jumped in.

Tonquin and Eremite Valleys, Mt. Clitoris, or three days in the mud.

Hearing that some of our club members haven't seen the Ramparts, the iconic rock formation of Canada, which I first saw on a poster shortly after immigrating to this country, I decided to organize a trip to Tonquin Valley. I was lucky to book 6 spots in Wates-Gibson Hut, about 5 kilometers from the Ramparts. Myself I visited Tonquin Valley in 1993. This is not an easy hike - about 16 kilometers long (my GPS showing over 18 km to Wates-Gibson) and you have to carry food and everything for 2-3 days.

Knowing that "personal hygiene" may be problematic in the following days, with my companions - Roman, Teresa, Ken, Asia and Mike - we did preventatively a bit of "water purification" in Miette Hot Springs on Friday, 2 August.

(Clicking on the pictures allows to see them in bigger size).

Pyramid Mountain, Jasper AB 2019-07-29

W poniedzialkowy poranek, 29. lipca (AD2019), po opuszczeniu cieplego lozka w Becker's Chalets, wyjechalismy z Piotrem o swicie na droge w kierunku Jasper. Roman dolaczy do nas przy wejsciu na trase. Nasz dzisiejszy cel wyprawy to patrzaca juz na nas z daleka, piekna, majestatyczna i pilnujaca miasteczko Jasper, Pyramid Mtn. ktora podobnie jak Castle Mtn kolo Banff (gdzie bylem pare lat temu z Romanem) goruje nad okolica i prezy swoj wdziek do tej samej wysokosci, 2766 m n.p.m  oraz wymaga takiego samego co pierwsza, calodziennego wysilku aby stanac na szczycie...   

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MARBLE MOUNTAINS SACRED CAVES, Da Nang, Vietnam

MARBLE MOUNTAINS are a cluster of five marble hills located near Da Nang, Vietnam.

This sacred place is a home to several Buddhist sanctuaries

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How Canadians celebrate Canada Day (national holiday) in Kelowna

Castle Mountain, July 2019

TRIP TO CASTLE MOUNTAIN, July 12-14, 2019
(Clicking on the pics allows to see them in bigger size). 

Our trip this time was to Castle Mountain, which is without a doubt an absolutely iconic mountain in Banff National Park.

 

Officially, our hike was on Saturday, but some people decided to visit Lake Minewanka the day before ...

…and took a hike to Stewart Canyon ...

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MYRA BIKE TRAIL, CANADA

Myra Canyon is one of the most exciting and scenic bike trails in Canada.

Until 1973, it use to be a railway - now it's a National Historic Park.

It was almost completely destroyed by fire in 2003 and than rebuild.

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THE LAND OF WATERFALLS - WELLS GRAY PARK, CANADA

Famous, beautiful and dramatic waterfalls of Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada.

Mike Alexander Classic II

30 Czerwiec 2019

Mike Alexander Classic II czyli Otwarcie Sezonu Rowerowego

Sezon Rowerowy został otwarty w naprędce przez zawsze dynamicznego Michała.

Pomimo spontaniczności wyprawy udało się uzyskać pełen Parytet Płci, jak przystało na Polski "Męsko-Damski Klub."

Otwarcie Sezonu 2019 - Sulphur Skyline

Sobota, 15 czerwca 2019.

Otwarcie Sezonu zostało tym razem zorganizowane przez Bardzo Dynamicznego, Młodego Janusza Gatnickiego, który zebrał doborową stawkę uczestników:

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The Blue City of Morocco - Chefchaouen, part 2

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NIGHT MARKET IN HOI AN, VIETNAM

Everyday's Night Market is one of the most popular events in HOI AN - an ancient town in Vietnam.

Hoi An was granted UNESCO HERITAGE status and it's essentially a living museum.

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The Blue City of Morocco - Chefchaouen, part 1

Chefchaouen means a “blue pearl" . One of a kind city with nostalgic, narrow cobbled streets, steep stairs and 1000 shades of blue on every wall, door and window.

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VIETNAMESE VENICE - HOI AN, part 3

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MONKEY MOUNTAN ON MOTORBIKES - DA NANG VIETNAM

Son Tra (Monkey) Mountain is a beautiful national park in Da Nang, Vietnam.

We’ve have done it on motorbikes!

Life on the River - Mekong Delta

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Life on the River - Mekong Delta

Mekong life seen from a small boat.

Cycling in Hoi An - the Vietnamese Venice, part 2

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Cycling in Hoi An - the Vietnamese Venice, part 2

Discovering Vietnam on bicycle. Hoi An is an ancient Vietnamese city.

It was granted UNESCO HERITAGE status and it's essentially a living museum.

The town and surrounding countryside has a lot to offer.

Video by AR-point99:

RAINBOW MOUNTAIN, PERU

High altitude hike/horseback adventure.

Amigos Desperados hiking Vinicunca Mountain in Peru - 5200 meters above sea level!

MACHU PICCHU 

video by AR-point99

Photo-Competition 2018 - Awards Gala

2019-02-7

Awards Gala from 2018 Photo-Competition was another joyous even if slightly self-centered celebration. It happened in Polish Syrena Club in Edmonton and was attended by approximately 25 club members. Awards were given in 10 Categories plus Award for the Best Comment and Grand Prix Award for the Best Photo of the Year 2018.

In Category A – „Ludzie i góry” – Piotr Rajski Award – “People and the mountains” the award went to Yanek Wojcik

for his picture: "Spiderman, Spiderman! or Dancing on the slabs" ...

... picturing fearless Roman Lipiecki "dancing" on the slabs of Tower, in Kananaskis.