Home > Skills Definitions
To read a skill definition for a particular activity please scroll down or click on a link:
Backpacking
Beginner
- No overnight backpacking experience
- No off-trail hiking experience
- Minimal backcountry camping skills
Intermediate
- Limited overnight backpacking experience and limited off-trail hiking experience
- Previous trip experience has been in duration of less than 5 days in length and/or on developed trails only
- Capable of hiking up to a 5-hour day through uneven terrain and changing elevations of up to 650 m (2000ft) with a 20-25kg (45-55 lbs) backpack
- Moderate backcountry camping skills
Advanced
- Participated in numerous overnight backpacking experiences with trips of greater than 10 days in length
- Your off-trail hiking experience has requiring route finding and lengthy amounts of bushwhacking
- capable of hiking for sustained periods of time with a 30kg (65 lbs) backpack while climbing elevation gains of 1100 m (3500ft) or more at a time
- Strong backcountry camping skills
Please Note:
We can teach people backcountry camping skills more quickly than we can
improve your physical conditioning. If you are in good or excellent
physical condition but have limited backcountry or hiking experience
and would like to attempt a more advanced backpacking trip, please
contact us. We may determine that your experience, matched with your
fitness, will enable you to successfully participate in a more
challenging trip.
Canoeing
Beginner
- Little or no previous experience canoeing or in other paddle sports
- Minimal backcountry camping skills
Intermediate
- Previous experience canoeing on flat water or well-experienced in other paddle sports
- Knowledgeable in the basic canoe strokes (forward power stroke, back stroke, j-stroke, pry, sweep and draw and cross-bow draw)
- Backcountry experience of overnight camping in the wilderness of several nights
- Moderate backcountry camping skills
Advanced
- Previous whitewater experience each season for at least the last two seasons and capable of paddling class II-III whitewater with instruction and support of a guide
- Competently able to perform the basic canoe strokes without review (i.e. forward power stroke, backstroke, J-stroke, pry, draw and cross-bow draw)
- Able to perform back-ferries, eddy turns in and out of the current and other technical moves
- Previous experience with basic river rescue (i.e. using throw bags and safely swimming in moving water)
- Can read moving water and navigate a canoe with a partner accurately
- Previous experience in the backcountry consisting of expedition-style trips in duration of more than 5 days
- Strong backcountry camping skills
Please Note:
If you have strong paddling skills from another discipline this may qualify you for a more challenging trip. Many of the paddling skills are transferable and lead to quick skill acquisition.
Sea Kayaking
Beginner
- No previous sea kayaking experience
- minimal backcountry camping skills
Intermediate
- Previous experience with day excursions by sea kayak
- You have moderate backcountry skills
- Have been exposed to and completed wet-exits, self-rescue, and assisted rescues
- Moderate backcountry camping skills
Advanced
- Previous experience with multi-day sea kayaking expeditions
- Have paddled through wind and waves and done large open-water crossings
- Able to launch and land in surf
- Able to perform wet-exits, self-rescue using paddle-floats and can participate in assisted rescues proficiently
- Strong backcountry camping skills
Please Note:
If you are interested in a specific trip but are unsure if the trip is
above your skill experience please contact us. Many trips have
different skill levels integrated into them and have the ability to be
altered to fit you skill level. There is also the possibility of having
skill-training sessions inserted into the beginning of the trip.
All sea kayaking trips begin with mandatory wet-exits by clients and
participation in assisted and self-rescues.
Cycle Touring
Intermediate/Advanced
- Has previous experience with multi-day cycle touring trips of more than 10 days in length
- Has cycled through wind and foul weather and has cycled at least 150 km (90 miles) before in a single day
- Has good camping skills (able to set a tent, manage their gear and clothing effectively)
- Has a good understanding of bike mechanics - Regularly maintains their bike themselves and is familiar with all basic maintenance procedures
- Has logged a minimum of 1500 km (800 miles) training mileage prior to the trip that season and is in good general health
- Comfortable traveling through remote
settings with little to no access to facilities during the course of
the day (the road surface is great, but there is only mountains and
wilderness for long sections)
Mountain Biking
Beginner
- Has little experience riding bikes off-trail or on loose surfaces such as course gravel
- Is concerned about their stamina and enjoy the option of variable distances available on Cabin Fever Adventures itineraries
- Does not have significant physical conditioning on a mountain bike before the trp
- Is slow at picking appropriate gears in quickly-varying terrain and find steering accurately over irregular terrain difficult
Intermediate
- Has extensive experience riding on gravel roads
- Has good physical conditioning and is comfortable with up to 50 km day-rides on gravel road, is comfortable breaking going down hills
- Knows how to select the correct gear in varying terrain and has experience riding on single track trails
- Is comfortable with their bike being airborne while going over obstacles
Advanced
- Has extensive experience riding on single track trails
- Has good physical conditioning and is comfortable with up to 60 km day-rides on gravel roads or 30 km on single track
- Has the ability to selects gears without thinking about it, can travel down steep terrain comfortably
- Understand biking tuning, and general maintenance
