Evan Martin Archives - Island Mountain Ramblers

January 10, 2026January 9, 2026

Sooke Hills – Black Bear & Trafalgar Mountains

November 29, 2025

~ submitted by Evan Martin

Winter is coming, which for me means ski trips and gulley climbs. However, after coming off the summer high and dipping into the fall low, I needed to start getting out again to build the necessary fitness. The Sooke Hills are a convenient place to train and keep up the fitness for those of us on the South Island. I had spent a lot of time exploring the area a few years ago, but the North West corner of the park was closed due to the Old Man Lake fire of 2024. Hence, this trip gave me an opportunity to get out into one of the last parts of the park that I haven’t yet explored.

I was joined by three other Ramblers and a special guest from UVic. It was a good mix of participants – some seeking fitness, others checking off the Sooke Hills challenge. Our guest was gathering data on risk in outdoor activities as part of an Anthropology course, which led to some interesting discussions during the trip.

July 18, 2025July 18, 2025

Klitsa Mountain

July 13, 2025

~ submitted by Evan Martin

My wife and son left Saturday to visit their family, so I was looking to get out of the house for the weekend. With so many mountains on the island, I sometimes run into decision paralysis in trying to decide where to go. This is when I often turn to lists like the Lifetime Climbing Objectives for inspiration. Although most of these objectives are larger objectives that take a bit of planning, Klitsa Mountain seemed like a bit of an outlier and a low hanging fruit. Noting that there were no other day hikes happening, I made a last minute decision to add it to the schedule.

July 10, 2025July 10, 2025

Mount Joan, Squarehead Mountain, Mount Curran Loop

June 29, 2025

~ submitted by Evan Martin

I was a little disappointed when I failed to bag Mount Joan this winter. My first attempt was in March this year. We turned around after 5 hours prior to making the ridge. I was expecting this to be a big day, and was waiting for an opportunity to give it another attempt. So when a free weekend came up early this summer, it became an obvious objective.

I posted the trip with little expectations. Although not officially a long weekend, I figured many people would be taking the Monday off and taking summer trips. However, I ended up with two Ramblers joining me.

May 9, 2025May 9, 2025

Mount Arrowsmith via Lost Gully

April 27, 2025

~ submitted by Evan Martin

The group met in Nanaimo before driving to the Cameron Main gate. The drive gave us a chance to get to know each other, review group safety gear, and align expectations before hitting the trailhead. We arrived at the gate at 8:20 a.m. and found two other cars waiting. From a past trip, I knew the gate is “unlocked” rather than “opened” at 8:00, so we pulled around and Evan hopped out to open it — earning some surprised looks from the other drivers.

April 1, 2025April 3, 2025

Mount Becher Novice Ski Trip

March 30, 2025

~ submitted by Evan Martin

This winter, Evan W is stepping into the world of backcountry skiing with big ambitions—he’s eager to take on longer ski tours as his skills grow. While I’ve done my fair share of backcountry skiing, my experience has been limited to the mainland, making this my first year exploring the island’s terrain. Motivated by the opportunity to ski with Evan, I brought my gear over and planned a trip to Mount Becher, hoping to invite other Ramblers and share the experience while rebuilding the backcountry ski culture within the Ramblers. After our previous attempt to organize a trip to Mount Cokely fell flat, we were pleasantly surprised by the high level of interest this time. In the end, we had six people in the group, with a range of experience from first-timers to seasoned skiers, which made for an exciting and diverse adventure.

September 11, 2024September 11, 2024

Peak 5040

August 3, 2024

~ submitted by Evan Martin

I met Christine, Dean, and Sarah at the start of Marion Creek FSR at 10:00. After quick introductions we proceeded to drive to the trail head. We took two vehicles – a small truck and an SUV – neither of which had any trouble on the FSR. It was in very good condition. We parked at the large pullout on the right hand side at the top of the hill near the 10km mark. After gathering our gear we proceed to walk another 400m up the road to the trail head. It was 10:30 by the time we left the trail head. Not quite the alpine start Dean was hoping for, but coming from Victoria I was happy to have a good night sleep.