Outdoor Gear: Marmot's Skyline Jacket

Back in late August I was on a quest to find the ultimate multipurpose waterproof/breathable shell that could be layered to use for cycling, hiking, and even just wandering around this rainy city. After much deliberating, research, and shopping, I finally settled on Marmot's Skyline Jacket in Green Tea.

Marmot's PreCip fabric promises to keep you bone dry in a total downpour, and it doesn't disappoint. I like the extra two inches of length in the torso; it provides added protection when bent forward during cycling. I also like that the hood rolls into the collar when precipitation isn’t a concern, yet the thin fabric allows me to wear it pulled up underneath my helmet to keep my ears warm and head dry when it's raining. The Velcro cinches at the wrists prevent icy blasts of wind from blowing up the sleeves when cycling; no drafts here! I've worn it on many cycling excursions around the city and it's kept me dry and effectively cut the wind.

To test it out hiking, I wore it on an overnight trip to Garibaldi Lake in mid-September. It provided me with a lightweight, packable shell and kept me warm and dry. The soft DriClime® Lined Collar and Chin Guard acted as a buffer against chafing when completely zipped up. My only gripe is that it doesn't have pit zips; during strenuous exercise it's nice to have that extra ventilation. Other than that, I'm happy with my purchase. The jacket has a flattering cut and provides me with the versatility that I require. For the regular retail price of $179.99, I'd say it's slightly overpriced; I'd say wait for a sale (like I did). I'd rate it 8.5 out of 10.

My Favourite White Wine of 2008

Last August I spent a weekend with my girl posse in the Okanagan valley visiting some of the wineries and developing an appreciation for what some of BC's vineyards have to offer. On the tour we took with Okanagan Wine Tours, we stopped at St. Hubertus, Cedar Creek and Summerhill vineyards to sample a selection of their wines. I was always a red wine girl but after this excursion I finally tasted what I'd missed out on. In the Cedar Creek winery shop, our wine guide raved about their Ehrenfelser describing its flavour as complex and multifaceted and said it has a cult following in the Okanagan valley, regularly selling out. Although we hadn't sampled it in the tasting I took his advice and bought two bottles.

That evening we opened a few different wines to try over dinner and were instantly convinced that the 2007 Ehrenfesler was the best white we'd tried all day. The intense fruit flavours changed like a citrus kaleidoscope on the palate--from lime to grapefruit; a refreshing reprieve from the B.C. interior's summer heat. I've become a fan of this white since taking the first taste back in August. It's difficult to find but I've discovered that you can get it at Okanagan Estate Wine Cellar at 3669 West 4th (right near Alma & 4th). It retails for $18.10 a bottle, which is worth every penny. Cheers!

A Sugar Plum Amongst the Prunes

I feel compelled to pay tribute to local retailer Plum Clothing at 12th & Granville for their outstanding customer service. In my experience, I've found the lack of service in many Vancouver stores downright frustrating. It took so long for my friend to exchange a garment at The Bay downtown that I thought that we'd have to camp overnight before we could get someone at the counter to help us. Yet when I returned to Plum to get reimbursed for being overcharged on a cardigan that was supposed to have been on sale, I was pleasantly surprised by their willingness to make things right. Although the manager who oversaw exchange told me the cardigan technically wasn't on sale--someone mistakenly placed it on the sale rack of fall/winter items even though it was a spring line garment--she said she'd give it to me for the sale price because it was the store's mistake. The cashier who assisted me was extremely accommodating despite my request for a different size after she'd processed the refund; she had to process yet another return just to keep track of the size for inventory. I apologized for the inconvenience I'd caused but she smiled and said, "Oh no, it's totally fine. I just look at it as practice!" I wanted to hug her and tell her she'd just made my day.

So, thank you Plum for making an extraordinary effort to keep your customers happy; I'm sold. Here's to buying local!

P.S. For all my Alberta peeps, there's a location in Calgary too!

The Debut of Montecristo Magazine

I happened to get a hold of the first issue of Montrecristo Magazine, a decidedly Vancouver publication that launched in mid-December. Montecristo is the vision of Pasquale Cusano, founder of Montecristo Jewellers and the quarterly national publication NUVO. He says the magazine "will be firmly rooted in this community. It is about passion, about quality, about the artisanal [sic] way, and about those in this region who pursue those things," and it certainly espouses the desires of the upper class community, boasting full-page advertisements for such names like Chanel, Rolex, Jaguar, Land-Rover and Mercedes-Benz. The articles appeal to anyone with a sense of aesthetics within a broad range of interests from travel to punk rock and philanthropy to the future of automotive alternatives. The magazine serves up high-calorie slices of insight on west coast life and I appreciate some of the tasty morsels that are offered up (such as the article about the handmade clothing of Hajnalka Manula). These bite sized features may not provoke as much thought as the articles of The Walrus or The Tyee, but a little indulgence never hurt anyone; it's about keeping it in perspective.