General Outdoors Organizations

Colour the Trails: This is a group for BIPOC & allies interested in outdoor activities, including hiking, skiing/snowboarding, kayaking, biking, etc Instagram, www.colourthetrails.com

UBC VOC: Membership is $60, but if you are a member of the club, you can join trips, access the library (maps, guides, etc) and access gear rental. Not fully operating due to COVID. They are also currently forming an inclusivity and diversity committee. https://www.ubc-voc.com/

British Columbia Mobility Opportunities Society: We empower and inspire people with physical disabilities to re-imagine what is possible through the provision of wilderness access opportunities. British Columbia Mobility Opportunities Society (BCMOS) was formed to make the Vancouver outdoors more accessible, which we do through our hiking and paddling programs. http://www.bcmos.org/

Power to Be: Power To Be is a non-profit organization that creates access to nature for youth, families, and adults living with cognitive, physical, financial, and social barriers https://powertobe.ca/

Indigenous Women Outdoors: Indigenous Women Outdoors’ mission is to hold space for Indigenous women to come together and feel safe on the land. We want Indigenous women* to be leaders in the outdoor industry and to be confident in sharing their knowledge and connection of the land with the greater public. Through guidance and mentorship, our participants will be able to start getting their own training and certifications to feel safe out on the land, as well as lead other groups and women to get outside. https://www.indigenouswomenoutdoors.ca/

Indigenous Life Sport Academy: Indigenous Life Sports Academy is focused on unstructured sports and activities that benefit the mental health and physical well being of its members. ISLA provides year-round programming, free access to training/certification programs and the opportunity to learn a lifelong sport, in a safe place, with other indigenous sport leaders. https://www.lifesportcanada.org/

Incluskivity: Incluskivity was born from the ethos that everyone deserves to see themselves represented in the snow sport community. We believe that representation is integral when it comes to being able to exist authentically and feeling psychologically safe in spaces. Through elevating traditionally untold stories through educational interviews and providing subsidized programming for traditionally marginalized folks, we aim to create a snow sport community where everyone can see themselves represented. https://www.instagram.com/incluskivity/

Gear

All Access Adventures: We are an adventure company renting premium backcountry gear for touring and water sports. We deliver equipment to your doorstep within Vancouver, BC and the surrounding communities. Winter: Splitboard Rentals, Avalanche Safety Equipment Rentals & Snowshoe Rentals Summer: Stand Up Paddleboard Rentals, Surfboard Rentals & Skimboard Rentals www.allaccessadventures.com

Packlist Outdoors: Camping and outdoor gear rentals delivered to your home. Serving the Lower Mainland area. https://www.packlist.ca/

The Thingery: The Thingery has 3 locations in Vancouver and membership gives you access to lots of equipment including outdoor gear that can be reserved!

Purchasing Gear: Other options for purchasing gear at more affordable prices: Consignment shops, Craigslist, and FB Marketplace.

Hiking

Wheelchair accessible trails: https://posabilities.ca/top-7-accessible-hikes-in-bc/ https://www.alltrails.com/canada/british-columbia/ada

Climbing

Canadian Adaptive Climbing Vancouver: The Canadian Adaptive Climbing Society (CACS) aims to make climbing accessible to everyone. https://canadianadaptiveclimbing.com/british-columbia/

BelayAll: BelayALL was created to organize climbing-related events and gatherings in Vancouver, BC, and help foster diversity and inclusivity within climbing culture. Together, we offer spaces for people of all skill levels to feel comfortable to climb, find community and have the support and understanding needed to thrive. https://www.facebook.com/belayall/

Indigenous Womxn Climb: Indigenous Womxn Climb is a community for Indigenous Womxn climbers to inspire, to transform, and to decolonize. https://www.instagram.com/indigenouswomxnclimb/?hl=en

Van Queer Climbers: Van Queer Climbers is a Vancouver-based group of Queer climbers, creating community both on- and offline. They offer a trans and non-binary mentorship program in the summer. https://vanqueerclimbers.thinkific.com/

Winter Sports

Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports (VASS): Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports (VASS) is a non-profit which runs skiing and snowboarding programs for persons with a disability at Grouse, Seymour and Cypress Mountains. VASS makes the mountain experience accessible to all. https://vass.ca/

Running

Project Love Run: Project Love Run (PLR) offers women a safe space to talk about matters of the heart. We facilitate a monthly run-to-brunch that encourages women to run and share stories/advice, listen and learn from each other. Instagram, https://www.projectloverun.com/

Youth

Catching the Spirit Youth Society: Catching the Spirit (CTS) is a non-profit organization that aims to connect every youth in Metro Vancouver with their natural environment, their community, and with each other through life-changing outdoor experiences. Our motto is “for youth, by youth”. We are dedicated to developing leadership and social responsibility in youth through environmental awareness and stewardship, outdoor recreation and youth ownership. https://catchingthespirit.com/

Chill Vancouver: Chill Vancouver operates year-round with snowboard, skateboard, and stand up paddleboard programs for youth from 10 to 18 years old who are dealing with various life challenge https://www.chill.org/vancouver

Take a Hike: Take a Hike engages vulnerable youth in a full-time program of intensive and continuous clinical counselling, outdoor adventure, academics, and community. https://www.takeahikefoundation.org/

Girl in the Wild: Girl in the Wild brings teenagers who identify as girls from all over North America to a remote location in the Canadian Pacific Northwest to work through some tough stuff and leave feelin’ strong, empowered, and free. We do it because being a girl is hard sometimes. We know because we are women who were girls once. And we struggled. A lot https://girlinthewild.ca/

Inspiring Girls Expeditions: Inspiring Girls Expeditions is aimed at empowering young women through science, art, and wilderness exploration https://www.inspiringgirls.org/

Zero Ceiling Adventure Programs: Zero Ceiling is a non-profit committed to ending youth homelessness in BC. Our programs serve young people who have experienced homelessness or unstable housing. The Adventure Sessions is an outdoor adventure day-camp for young people aged 16-24 experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We offer no-cost access to the mountains of Whistler, BC, for some of the most marginalized young people in our communities. The program offers snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, and ziplining adventures in a safe environment where young people can relax, have fun, and connect to nature and each other. https://zeroceiling.org/adventure-sessions/

Stewardship

Squamish Access Society: SAS’s work is divided into Stewardship and Advocacy: The ongoing maintenance and upkeep of trails and crags, as well as continued efforts to minimize the impact of our movements. Creating and sustaining healthy dialogues with government, local land managers, industry, and First Nations for continued public access to the cliffs and crags of the Squamish Area. https://squamishaccess.ca/

Vancouver Climbers Association: VCA is a voice for Vancouver rock climbing. As a community, we will work to keep rock climbing areas accessible, to advocate for rock climbing with land managers, conserve rock climbing environments, support new route development, maintain safe practices, and promote education amongst climbers. https://www.vanclimbers.com/

North Shore Mountain Bike Association: We are a volunteer driven non-profit organization dedicated to caring for a sustainable trail network within the community. Trails for All. Trails Forever. Squamish Outdoor Recreation

Climbers Access Society of BC: CASBC is the only Provincial body exclusively dedicated to climbers and their access issues. Historically, our access work was through individual stakeholders interested in protecting an area. Within the last ten years, the number of areas and stakeholders increased to the point it became prudent to develop and work with local climbing organizations (LCOs). https://www.access-society.ca/

Friends of Garibaldi Park Society: We are a group of volunteers who support the Garibaldi Park systems with trail building work. Our mandate is to keep the trails and restoring facilities in good shape so that everybody can benefit from it. https://friendsofgaribaldipark.org/

Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association: SORCA is a trail association based in Squamish, BC. We are a volunteer run non-profit with a mandate to organise fun events, manage the expansion and maintenance of our trail network and advocate on behalf of our members. We are grateful to operate in the territory of the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw https://sorca.ca/

Indigenous Stewardship

The organizations listed in the “Stewardship” section above are active in maintaining and stewarding many of the recreational trails in the region, however, it is vital to acknowledge the original and current stewards of these territories as well. Read more about other Indigenous-led stewardship activities at the links below:

Squamish Nation’s Xay Temixw (Sacred Land) Land Use Plan https://www.squamish.net/about-us/our-land/xay-temixw-sacred-land-land-use-plan/

Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s Land Use Plan https://twnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/TWN-Land-Use-Plan-Booklet-Educational.pdf

Kwikwetlem First Nation Interests As Related to Kinder Morgan Canada’s Proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project in Kwikwetlem Territory https://docs2.cer-rec.gc.ca/ll-eng/llisapi.dll/fetch/2000/90464/90552/548311/956726/2392873/2449925/2450432/2813281/C199-1-2_-_Kwikwetlem_First_Nation_Interest_-_A4S9A7.pdf?nodeid=2813366&vernum=-2

New organizational changes at seyem: Kwantlen First Nation business group splits to handle new land management duties https://www.seyem.ca/blog

Semiahmoo First Nation Land, Research & Resource Management https://www.semiahmoofirstnation.ca/land-research-resource-mgmt

Tsawwassen First Nation: Bringing a stewardship program to my home community https://www.raincoast.org/2021/01/summer-student-robin-buss-reflects-on-finding-her-passion-for-the-land/

Musqueam Environmental Stewardship https://www.musqueam.bc.ca/departments/title-and-rights/enviro-stewardship/

S’ólh Téméxw Stewardship Alliance (STSA) https://thestsa.ca/about-stsa/ St’at’imc Government Services Environment https://statimc.ca/programs/sgs-environment/

Increasing Control Over The Líl̓wat Nation’s Traditional Territory https://lilwat.ca/lands-resources/traditional-territory-stewardship/