Kootenay Mapbook founder Russell Mussio divulges his hidden Kootenay haunts
By Timothy Schafer
Want to win a copy of the new Kootenay Rockies Mapbook edition?
- The Nelson Daily, reaching 26,000 Nelson and area folks per month — and over 50,000 West Kootenay folk through the regional Lone Sheep network — wants to put a copy of the Kootenay Rockies Backroad Mapbook in your hands for Father’s Day.
- The contest is simple: sign up for The Nelson Daily Facebook site as a member before Father’s Day and then email us (editor@thenelsondaily.com) to enter your name into a draw to win one of the map books. Those who are already members of the site are automatically entered into the draw.
Hitting the hidden Kootenay haunts
In assembling the Backroad Mapbook series in Western Canada over the last 15 years, mapbook founders Russell Mussio and his brother Wesley have collected a few natural treasures of their own.
And having grown up in the West Kootenay in Trail, they have a special list reserved for natural places on their home turf.
On the release of the new edition of the Kootenay Rockies Backroad Mapbook this week, the backcountry guru let people in the West Kootenay in on what the Mussio brothers hold as special places around Nelson — one of their favourite stomping grounds.
Growing up in the West Kootenay influenced their present life and business endeavors, said Russell. The small town lifestyle meant they spent almost all of their time playing sports or exploring the outdoors.
“Our father was a passionate outdoorsman and took us fishing and hunting from a young age,” he said. “My mother loved to hike and ski so we trekked along with her and we spent most summers camping, around the Kootenay mostly.”
The evolution of the Backroad Mapbook series — now a staple in the bag of any serious or aspiring backcountry user — was based on this love of the outdoors and the fact that the wilderness was so readily accessible in the Kootenay.
“We used to berry pick and fish up Erie and Porcupine Creeks near Salmo,” Russell said. “These were fun trips with good fishing and more than a few bear encounters.”
At least one week or two each summer the Mussios spent on Kootenay Lake, originally at Garland Bay Recreation Site north of Riondel — before Tuffy Garland the caretaker passed — and then closer to Balfour at a property they owned near Nine Mile (Cresent Bay).
“Kootenay Lake might not be the warmest place to swim, but the fishing was incredible,” Russell said.
The Mussios have hunted elk and deer in the Slocan Valley near Passmore, and the Bonnington Range has always had a strong appeal to them for ski touring.
“We are most proud of the Kootenay Rockies edition of the Backroad series,” said Russell. “Not only because we grew up there, but also because the book truly highlights one of the most beautiful places on the planet.”
Which is why there is a little more insight into the Kootenay Rockies Mapbook than the others. Local knowledge goes a long way, said Russell, and they added a few local secret hot spots.
“Of course, we have also downplayed a few of our favourites, too,” he said. “In fact, a lot of the lesser known trails or campsites of the West Kootenay would not be there if it were not for friends and family sending them our way.”
And now the Mapbook is essential gear for those who plan to venture off the beaten path.
“If you like to get out and explore there is no other source that comes close,” said Russell. “There are some excellent hiking guides and a few decent maps, but nothing that puts it all together in one package.”
And the Kootenay is unlike any other area of the country, he added, with so many great places to explore, so few people and vast areas of wilderness.
“Exploring these areas without the use of a detailed map book is a recipe for disaster.”
The Kootenay Rockies Backroad Mapbook has been the local guidebook of choice for over 15 years and is a national best-seller. It combines reference information with highly detailed maps featuring up-to-date forest service and logging roads, extensive trail systems and a wide range of recreational features that are not found on other maps.
Mussio Ventures Ltd.
Mussio Ventures Ltd. was incorporated in 1993 and has become one of the top three map producers and one of the biggest publishers in Canada.
They are in the business of producing, publishing, distributing and marketing outdoor recreation guidebooks and topographic maps.
Selling over 100,000 copies annually of the Backroad Mapbook series is easily the best selling outdoor recreation guidebook series in Canada. They also sell almost 50,000 copies of various fishing mapbooks, GPS maps, outdoor recreation maps, topographic maps and digital maps across Canada annually.
Russell and Wesley Mussio started the Backroad Mapbook Series in 1993. The brothers are avid backcountry explorers who love to pursue a variety of different activities.
They came up with the idea when they realized it was rather cumbersome to cart a different book for each activity along with a stack of often-outdated maps.
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