Authentic mountain escape in the heart of the Rockies in Brisco, Canada

Details

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  Description

  Hello! We are Carla and James, a Canadian couple from the mountains doing our best to live our lives as sustainably as possible. We recently bought a rural home with 2 acres of land in the Columbia Valley in beautiful British Columbia. Our home itself is humble, so the real draw is the wilderness that we are surrounded by: the Rocky Mountains to the East, Purcells to the West, and so much more. Our home is also walking distance to North America's largest protected wetland, which plays host to a wide range of unique bird and aquatic species. If you are into climbing or mountaineering, you may recognize that our place is at the turnoff to reach the Bugaboos, a world class climbing destination known by some as the Patagonia of the North due to it's stunning spire rock formations.
  
  Workawayers should be aware that though are place is right near a secondary highway, Brisco itself is quite remote, with the closest village with services being Radium Hot Springs (20 minute drive away). The recreation opportunities at our place are almost completely limited to being in nature (which we love!!!) but if you are looking for a social experience with humans other than us, this may not be for you!
  
  Through recent travels in Asia, as workawayers ourselves, we were inspired by the hospitality we received from the locals, and the cultural exchange opportunities that came from home stays and more communal accommodation styles. Because our location makes for an excellent basecamp to explore the mountains, our dream is to host anyone from anyone from climbers to birders to enjoy the area. We welcome workawayers to come join us in collaboration for the many projects we have on the go on our property!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  General Maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Farming

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Art & design

  

  Photography

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Writing

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Winter sports

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Camping

  

  Nature

  

  Hiking

  

  Mountain
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As mentioned, in our own experience as workawayers, we loved the opportunity to connect more with locals, get outside of the tourist routes, and have really authentic experiences. Our hope would be to reciprocate all of the wonderful hospitality we've experience elsewhere and pay it forward to workawayers staying with us! We'll be happy to share nice food, English language, our favorite nature/adventure spots, and more with you! We are both passionate about mountain culture, the local ecosystem, and incredible nature that we are surrounded by - we are always happy to share the knowledge that we have about those things with you!
  
  In your time off you can explore the amazing nature and wilderness around us, including the world famous Bugaboos, destinations in the Rocky Mountains like Yoho, Banff, or Kootenay National Parks, or the many secret spots of the Columbia Valley. We have two kayaks which we are happy to lend you to enjoy paddling the beautiful wetlands. In most cases, we suggest that you have your own vehicle as we do not have an extra one to lend you at this time and (unfortunately) you need to drive most places from our place! Again, our place is quite remote and having your own vehicle will also grant you more independence to enjoy your time off - which we strongly encourage you do!

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  Help

  Current projects at our private home and garden include building a small sleeping cabin on our property, helping on a built on addition to our home, cleaning brush in the forest (fire smarting). We are also looking to build a new chicken coup with as many upcycled products as possible. In the warmer season, landscaping and gardening will be ongoing tasks. We also have chickens that also need tending to on a day to day basis. We will really appreciate your help in making our house a home, and hope that we can exchange ideas and learn from each other along the way!
  
  Currently, Carla works 4 days a week in Banff (2 hours from our place) so she is not around during the week. James has some casual, part-time work outside of our place but will be the main point of contact for day-to-day tasks and will sometimes be around to help alongside you. He is a trained mechanic and general handy man who has knowledge to share and is also eager to learn from you! Some days could be more independent depending on your skills and what projects we are working on. We like open communication and are happy to discuss your skills, goals, and comfort level to figure out what works best for everyone :)

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Beginner
  Italian: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We have a mobile home with two bedrooms and one shared bathroom. We are working on building an outdoor toilet so that people can have their privacy but it's not done yet!
  
  There are two different communal hangout spaces so you would have some space to hang out separate from us when you want your own space, although it is all under the same roof!
  
  We have a cozy kitchen with all the essentials. You will be provided with three meals a day but we may not be available to cook them all for you - so in the case we are not around, you would be welcome to help yourself to whatever is in the kitchen, and if there is anything specific you would like beyond what we have you are welcome to buy those things at the local shops! In the past when we've had people stay, they've also enjoyed the chance to cook for us - we aren't opposed to that and it's also not expected :)

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  What else ...

  In terms of services, there is a handy General Store within walking distance of us where you can get basic essentials. Closest larger grocer is 20 minutes away, with more options if you go a bit further.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  There is parking space and plug in for vans, campers or small motorhomes in our driveway

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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