I noticed via a friend's Facebook feed that the IFSC World Cup Bouldering is happening in Canmore, Alberta right now.  Elise Sethna is a young star climber that has been representing Canada at the international level for a few years now, and without a doubt in her home town of Canmore this weekend! So I thought it was fitting to put up a few photos of her I shot a couple years ago. Good luck Elise!

Tags: alberta, banff, bouldering, canada, canmore, climber, climbing, cup, Elise, photos of, Sethna, world.

Thanks to Mountain Equipment Co-op, Adventure Kayak, and Rapid Mag for running my images recently.

MEC Spring + Summer Catalog, "Packs" pg. 44.

Hikers Urszula Lipsztajn and Carolyn Wendt, Yukon, Canada.

Mountain Equipment Co-op, Spring + Summer 2010 Catalogue, Packs Section. Photo by Kamil Bialous.

Adventure Kayak, Early Summer 2010 issue, "Stills" double page spread, pg. 10.

Kayakers Paul Bredin and Alan Hamilton, Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada.

My image:

Adventure Kayak, Early Summer 2010 issue, "Stills" double page spread. "Dawn Start - Floating Heart Bay, Lake Superior" Photo by Kamil Bialous.

Issue Cover: (cover image by Michael Paul Franklin)

Adventure Kayak, Early Summer 2010 issue Cover, Cover photo by Michael Paul Franklin.

Please check out the entire issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine for free online here - email required.

Rapid Magazine, Early Summer 2010, "Watercolours" pg 12.

Kayaker Isabelle Filion, Kananaskis River, Alberta, Canada.

My Image:

Rapid Mag, Early Summer 2010 issue, "Watercolours" pg. 12. Photo by Kamil Bialous.

Issue Cover: (cover image by Darin McQuoid)

Rapid Mag, Early Summer 2010 issue Cover, Cover photo by Darin McQuiod.

Please check out the entire issue of Rapid Magazine for free online here - email required.

Now stop reading this, get out there and do something outdoors!

Cheers,

Kamil Bialous

Tags: adventure, adventure kayak magazine, alberta, banff centre, catalog, hiking, kananaskis, kayaking, lake superior, magazine, MEC, mountain Equipment Co-op, ontario outdoors photography, published, rapid magazine, river, tear sheet.

Whitewater kayaker playboating on a section of the Kananaskis River in Alberta, Canada.

For a complete slideshow of whitewater kayaking images from Kananaskis River in Alberta, check out my porfolio site.

White water kayaker Paul Manning-Hunter plays on the Kananaskis River in Alberta, Canada.

During my very short shooting stint in Banff in late September, I absolutely lucked out with the weather. The days before I arrived had some rain and cold weather, and when I left, snow flurries began. However, for my 4 days of Rockies photography, the weather was absolutely killer. 15 degrees (that's like 60F for my American friends) and blue bird. Sun shining brightly, slight breeze in the air, and the sweet sweet smell of fresh Rocky Mountain air.

White water kayaker David Manning plays on the Kananaskis River in Alberta, Canada.

Enough boasting about how good the weather was. I've mentioned before that during the whtiewater kayak shoot, the sun and location complemented each other so well, that it literally looked like a photo studio for the majority of the day. Beautifully blue and green water, some of the best paddlers in the Rockies, if not Canada, and vegetation action as filters for the light created sick and almost dream-like aesthetics.

Whitewater kayaker Paul Manning-Hunter plays on the Kananaskis River in Alberta, Canada.

Hope you enjoy the images. But that's not all, more amazing whitewater photos here.

Thanks for watching,

Kamil Bialous

Tags: action photography, adventure, alberta, banff, banff centre, canmore, dagger boats, david manning, jackson boats, k-country, kananaskis, kayakers, kayaking, kokatat drytop, paul manning-hunter, playboating, river, werner paddles, white water, whitewater.

Surfer Jacob Quinlan hotdogging on the Kananaskis River, Alberta.

I love to surf. It's too bad I'm landlocked (for now), but that's just the way it is. So I find ways to travel to hot and exotic locales to get my fix. On a recent shooting trip to Banff (neither hot nor exotic, although still quite cool), while photographing whitewater kayakers on the Kananaskis River in Alberta, or K-country as it's also known, we ran into some river surfers. Yes, similar to the salty variety that do it in the ocean, river surfers are freshies that are land-locked for one reason or another. There are other freshies out there like those who surf the Great Lakes, but river surfers are a little different.

Jacob Quinlan river surfing and sharing waves with kayakers on the Kananaskis River, Alberta, Canada.

The idea of river surfing is that of the continuous wave. As long as there is steady flow of water in the river, such as on the Kananaskis which is controlled by a dam providing steady water flow year round, the wave doesn't end. One could potentially stay on a wave for minutes provided with enough energy in the quad muscles. Also, something to keep in in mind is the etiquette of a line up, which, just like in surfing, stands to provide somewhat of an organization to the chaos that would be when both kayakers and surfers vie for the same wave. So once you've had your minute or two, move off, let the next dude on, and the rotation continues.

Surfer Jacob Quinlan surfing a wave on the Kananaskis River in Alberta.

The experience is of course different, from the salty scent of the sea to the lack of a glassy windless water surface, the variances create a new way to enjoy the surfboard. Much the same as a skate park, or a wave pool, the bits of waves from here and there around the rivers of Canada such as at the Lachine rapids in Montreal, provide just enough of a fix to get landlocked freshies through the lulls between road trips to the sea.

More from the Kananaskis, coming soon on my portfolio site.

Cheers,

Kamil Bialous

Tags: alberta, excel wetsuit river surfing, fresh water, Jacob Quinlan, kananaskis, River Surfing, surfer, wetsuit.