Nelson, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains
on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake
in the Southern Interior
of British Columbia
, Canada
. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush
, Nelson is one of the three cities forming the commercial and population core of the West Kootenay
region, the others being Castlegar
and Trail
. The city is the seat of the Regional District of Central Kootenay
. It is represented in the provincial legislature
by the riding of Nelson-Creston
, and in the Parliament of Canada
by the riding of British Columbia Southern Interior
. Highway 3A passes through Nelson, while a scheduled commercial airline service is available at the Castlegar Airport
, approximately 43 kilometres south-west of the city.
(or Lakes) and Ktunaxa (Kutenai) peoples.
Gold and silver were found in the area in 1867. Following the discovery of silver
at nearby Toad Mountain in 1886, the town boomed quickly, leading to incorporation in 1897. Two railways were built to pass through Nelson. Due to its location near transportation corridors, Nelson grew to supply the local mining activity and soon became a transportation and distribution centre for the region.
The town soon matured from a false-fronted boom town to a sophisticated city. Francis Rattenbury
, a noted architect most noted in British Columbia for the Parliament Buildings
in Victoria, the Vancouver Provincial Courthouse
, and the second Hotel Vancouver, designed chateau-style civic buildings made of granite, which stand today. By the 1900s, Nelson boasted several fine hotels, a Hudson's Bay Company
store and an electric streetcar system. The local forestry
and mining
industries were well established.
The town built its own hydroelectric generating system. English immigrants planted lakeside orchards, and Doukhobor
s from Russia, sponsored by Tolstoy
and the Quakers, tilled the valley benchlands. The Doukhobor museum is located nearby, close to the neighbouring town of Castlegar.
During the Vietnam War
, many American draft dodger
s settled in Nelson and the surrounding area. This influx of liberal, mostly educated young people had a significant impact on the area's cultural and political demographics.
Nelson's mountainous geography kept growth confined to the narrow valley bottom, except for certain hillside structures such as the local High School and the former NDU campus. Throughout the '60s and '70s, when more prosperous cities were tearing down and rebuilding their downtowns to the design of the time, Nelson merchants 'modernized' their buildings with covers of aluminum siding.
. At the time, Victoria and Vancouver were experimenting with historical restorations of their oldest areas, with great success. To save downtown and Baker Street from blight, Nelson quickly followed suit, stripping aluminum facades and restoring the buildings to their original brilliance. Local designer Bob Inwood, one of Nelson's many American immigrants, played a major role as a consultant. By 1985, Baker Street was completely transformed. Affirmation of the street's success came in 1986 when Steve Martin
chose to produce his feature film Roxanne
largely in Nelson, using the local fire hall as a primary set and many historic locations for others. More broadly, the transformation marked the beginning of Nelson's ongoing transition from a resource-based town to an arts and tourism town. A walk down Baker Street through the Historic District is now one of Nelson's promoted visitor activities.
, an internationally known artistic music festival held in August at the Salmo River Ranch. It is also home to the Whitewater Ski Resort
, the Nelson Brewing Company
(a regional microbrewery
), and the restored Capitol Theatre (a regional hub for the performing arts).
As with many communities in British Columbia, Nelson has experienced a real-estate boom. Over the last few years, real-estate prices have skyrocketed, putting ownership out of reach for less affluent residents. Nelsonites are proud of their community's "small town" feel, which has remained relatively free of the chain stores, franchises and strip-mall developments that are common in other towns of similar size. Despite this, there are a number of US mega-retailers operating in the city, including Wal-Mart
, KFC
, Quizno's and Subway
. However, Nelson does not have a McDonald's
. There has been a push for residents to buy from local businesses, as opposed to supporting large corporations.
For its geographic scale, the Central Kootenay region (in which Nelson is situated) has an uncommonly high number of organic farms, market gardens, and home gardens. Many Nelson residents grow decorative or food gardens (or both). The town has several outlets for natural foods, including a year-round co-op market.
Nelson is also an alternative lifestyles hot spot noted for its profitable (albeit unlawful) marijuana production, with The Guardian
reporting that "Nelson was able to make the transition from a typical rural lumber town into a thriving arts and mountain sports hotbed, due in part to the wealth generated by marijuana growers. If one were to have spent the last three years in this idyllic mountain hamlet, the economic crisis would have been barely noticeable." Hemp
clothes and cannabis-related products are sold in local stores.
, a cooperative
community radio
station started by local volunteers. It has two commercial stations, 103.5 The Bridge, owned by Vista Radio, and All-Hit KBS, owned by Astral Media.
The Nelson Daily News was a local newspaper which began publishing in 1902. In 2010, it was announced the paper would shut down following a final edition to be published July 16, 2010. The closure occurred shortly after the Nelson Daily News acquisition by Black Press, which purchased the paper from Glacier Media Inc.
Black Press owns the Nelson Star, now published twice weekly.
Two local hiking
trails are popular. The Nelson-Salmo Great Northern Trail is a very gently sloped rail trail
which runs across Nelson and allows biking.
The Pulpit Rock Trail offers a short but somewhat challenging hike that ends in a beautiful view of the city. After Pulpit Rock the trail continues up the spine of Elephant Mountain (as the locals call it) to more postcard views, and eventually to the radio towers which are visible from everywhere in the city. Hikers venturing beyond Pulpit Rock should have basic wilderness gear and exercise common sense. Public access to the Pulpit Rock trail has been restored with the opening, in the spring of 2009, of a new access point several hundred metres west of the old trail head, which was on private land.
In the winter, skiing
and snowboarding
are Nelson's primary outdoor activities. Thirty minutes south of town is the Whitewater Ski Resort
, which provides access, (via one triple chairlift, two double chairlifts and a handle tow), to 396 vertical metres of beginner to advanced terrain. The resort also provides access to hundreds of kilometres of off-piste skiing and back country touring. The Nelson area is home to over 20 cat-skiing, heli-skiing and ski-touring operators, and hundreds of kilometres of cross-country trails are available for the Nordic skier.
Mountain biking
is part of the local culture, and Nelson offers a wide variety of MTB-oriented trails for all levels of experience. Excellent trail maps are available at local bike shops.
Rock climbing
is also a popular summer activity. Kootenay Crag, Hall Siding, Grohman Narrows and CIC Bluffs are popular city crags. Slocan Bluffs and Kinnaird are in nearby Slocan City and Castlegar. 2003 saw bouldering
take off in Nelson, with extensive new development of bouldering areas in Grohman Narrows and nearby Robson. Mountaineers and alpine rock climbers head to the Valhalla Provincial Park
in the Selkirk Mountains for long alpine routes on unique textured granite. The Mulvey Basin, Cougar Creek and Nemo Creek areas have routes ranging in grade from 5.4 to 5.12.
Nelson is also located close to Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park
.
On January 13, 2007, Nelson was the broadcast location for the annual Hockey Day in Canada.
Selkirk Mountains
The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia. They begin at Mica Peak near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and extend approximately 320 km north from the border. The range is bounded on its west,...
on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake is a lake located in British Columbia, Canada and is part of theKootenay River. The lake has been raised by the Corra Linn Dam and has a dike system at the southern end, which, along with industry in the 1950s-70s, has changed the ecosystem in and around the water...
in the Southern Interior
British Columbia Interior
The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush
Silver rush
A Silver rush is the silver-mining equivalent of a gold rush.Notable silver rushes have taken place in Mexico, Argentina, the United States , and Canada...
, Nelson is one of the three cities forming the commercial and population core of the West Kootenay
West Kootenay
West Kootenay was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was formed along with East Kootenay from a redistribution of the old Kootenay riding, which was one of the province's original twelve.- Demographics :...
region, the others being Castlegar
Castlegar, British Columbia
Castlegar is the second largest city in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located within the Selkirk Mountains at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers. It is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local economy fueled by forestry, mining and tourism...
and Trail
Trail, British Columbia
Trail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Geography:Trail has an area of . The city is located on both banks of the Columbia River, approximately 10 km north of the United States border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the...
. The city is the seat of the Regional District of Central Kootenay
Regional District of Central Kootenay, British Columbia
The Regional District of Central Kootenay is a regional district in the province of British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the population was 55,883. The area is 22,130.72 square kilometres. The administrative centre is located in the city of Nelson...
. It is represented in the provincial legislature
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
by the riding of Nelson-Creston
Nelson-Creston
Nelson-Creston is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the general election of 1933 following a redistribution of the earlier Nelson riding....
, and in the Parliament of Canada
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
by the riding of British Columbia Southern Interior
British Columbia Southern Interior
British Columbia Southern Interior is a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.-Description:...
. Highway 3A passes through Nelson, while a scheduled commercial airline service is available at the Castlegar Airport
Castlegar Airport
The West Kootenay Regional Airport, is a small regional airport located south southeast of Castlegar, British Columbia. Owned and operated by the City of Castlegar, YCG has a passenger terminal. Due to the mountainous terrain impinging on both runway approaches, there is no possibility of a...
, approximately 43 kilometres south-west of the city.
History
The West Kootenay region of British Columbia, where the city of Nelson is situated, is part of the traditional territories of the SinixtSinixt
The Sinixt are a First Nations People...
(or Lakes) and Ktunaxa (Kutenai) peoples.
Gold and silver were found in the area in 1867. Following the discovery of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
at nearby Toad Mountain in 1886, the town boomed quickly, leading to incorporation in 1897. Two railways were built to pass through Nelson. Due to its location near transportation corridors, Nelson grew to supply the local mining activity and soon became a transportation and distribution centre for the region.
The town soon matured from a false-fronted boom town to a sophisticated city. Francis Rattenbury
Francis Rattenbury
Francis Mawson Rattenbury was an architect born in England, although most of his career was spent in British Columbia, Canada where he designed many notable buildings. Divorced amid scandal, he was murdered in England at the age of 68 by his second wife's lover.- Architectural career :Rattenbury...
, a noted architect most noted in British Columbia for the Parliament Buildings
Parliament buildings
Parliament building and variations may refer to:*Austrian Parliament Building*Bangladesh Parliament Building*Brussels Parliament building*Parliament Hill for the Canadian Parliament Buildings...
in Victoria, the Vancouver Provincial Courthouse
Vancouver Art Gallery
The Vancouver Art Gallery is the fifth-largest art gallery in Canada and the largest in Western Canada. It is located at 750 Hornby Street in Vancouver, British Columbia...
, and the second Hotel Vancouver, designed chateau-style civic buildings made of granite, which stand today. By the 1900s, Nelson boasted several fine hotels, a Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
store and an electric streetcar system. The local forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
industries were well established.
The town built its own hydroelectric generating system. English immigrants planted lakeside orchards, and Doukhobor
Doukhobor
The Doukhobors or Dukhobors , earlierDukhobortsy are a group of Russian origin.The Doukhobors were one of the sects - later defined as a religious philosophy, ethnic group, social movement, or simply a "way of life" - known generically as Spiritual Christianity. The origin of the Doukhobors is...
s from Russia, sponsored by Tolstoy
Tolstoy
Tolstoy, or Tolstoi is a prominent family of Russian nobility, descending from Andrey Kharitonovich Tolstoy who served under Vasily II of Moscow...
and the Quakers, tilled the valley benchlands. The Doukhobor museum is located nearby, close to the neighbouring town of Castlegar.
During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, many American draft dodger
Draft dodger
Draft evasion is a term that refers to an intentional failure to comply with the military conscription policies of the nation to which he or she is subject...
s settled in Nelson and the surrounding area. This influx of liberal, mostly educated young people had a significant impact on the area's cultural and political demographics.
Nelson's mountainous geography kept growth confined to the narrow valley bottom, except for certain hillside structures such as the local High School and the former NDU campus. Throughout the '60s and '70s, when more prosperous cities were tearing down and rebuilding their downtowns to the design of the time, Nelson merchants 'modernized' their buildings with covers of aluminum siding.
Baker Street
In the early 1980s, Nelson suffered a devastating economic downturn when the local Kootenay Forest Products sawmill was closed. Downtown merchants were already suffering from the opening of a large, regional shopping centre on Nelson's central waterfront, the Chahko Mika MallChahko Mika Mall
Chahko Mika Mall is an enclosed community shopping centre in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. It is located along the shores of Kootenay Lake and adjacent to Highway 3A....
. At the time, Victoria and Vancouver were experimenting with historical restorations of their oldest areas, with great success. To save downtown and Baker Street from blight, Nelson quickly followed suit, stripping aluminum facades and restoring the buildings to their original brilliance. Local designer Bob Inwood, one of Nelson's many American immigrants, played a major role as a consultant. By 1985, Baker Street was completely transformed. Affirmation of the street's success came in 1986 when Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
chose to produce his feature film Roxanne
Roxanne (film)
Roxanne is a 1987 comedy film directed by Fred Schepisi. It is a modern retelling of the 1897 verse play Cyrano de Bergerac, written by French author Edmond Rostand, and stars Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah.-Plot summary:...
largely in Nelson, using the local fire hall as a primary set and many historic locations for others. More broadly, the transformation marked the beginning of Nelson's ongoing transition from a resource-based town to an arts and tourism town. A walk down Baker Street through the Historic District is now one of Nelson's promoted visitor activities.
Nelson today
Nelson has earned a reputation as a cultural centre. The downtown area is packed with good restaurants, cafes, coffee houses, local shops, small art galleries, the restored Capitol Theatre and impromptu theatre venues. The city is about forty-five minutes away from the site of the annual Shambhala Music FestivalShambhala (music festival)
Shambhala is an annual electronic music festival held during the first week of August at the Salmo River Ranch in the West Kootenay mountains of British Columbia...
, an internationally known artistic music festival held in August at the Salmo River Ranch. It is also home to the Whitewater Ski Resort
Whitewater Ski Resort
Whitewater Ski Resort is a ski resort near Nelson in southern British Columbia, Canada.The resort is situated in Ymir bowl, beneath the 2400 m high Ymir Mountain, in the Selkirk Mountains. The Selkirks receive plentiful, dry snow, and the location in a high alpine bowl provides an annual snowfall...
, the Nelson Brewing Company
Nelson Brewing Company
The Nelson Brewing Company is a brewery located in Nelson, British Columbia, not to be confused with The Nelson Brewing Company in Chatham, Kent, England. The original Nelson Brewing and Ice Company was founded in 1897 by Robert Reisterer. The brewery fell on hard times in the 1960s, but in 1992 a...
(a regional microbrewery
Microbrewery
A microbrewery or craft brewer is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer, and is associated by consumers with innovation and uniqueness....
), and the restored Capitol Theatre (a regional hub for the performing arts).
As with many communities in British Columbia, Nelson has experienced a real-estate boom. Over the last few years, real-estate prices have skyrocketed, putting ownership out of reach for less affluent residents. Nelsonites are proud of their community's "small town" feel, which has remained relatively free of the chain stores, franchises and strip-mall developments that are common in other towns of similar size. Despite this, there are a number of US mega-retailers operating in the city, including Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
, Quizno's and Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
. However, Nelson does not have a McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
. There has been a push for residents to buy from local businesses, as opposed to supporting large corporations.
For its geographic scale, the Central Kootenay region (in which Nelson is situated) has an uncommonly high number of organic farms, market gardens, and home gardens. Many Nelson residents grow decorative or food gardens (or both). The town has several outlets for natural foods, including a year-round co-op market.
Nelson is also an alternative lifestyles hot spot noted for its profitable (albeit unlawful) marijuana production, with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reporting that "Nelson was able to make the transition from a typical rural lumber town into a thriving arts and mountain sports hotbed, due in part to the wealth generated by marijuana growers. If one were to have spent the last three years in this idyllic mountain hamlet, the economic crisis would have been barely noticeable." Hemp
Hemp
Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
clothes and cannabis-related products are sold in local stores.
Media
Nelson is home to the studios of Kootenay Co-op RadioCJLY-FM
CJLY-FM, known on-air as Kootenay Co-op Radio, is a Canadian community radio station, which broadcasts at 93.5 FM in Nelson, British Columbia...
, a cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station started by local volunteers. It has two commercial stations, 103.5 The Bridge, owned by Vista Radio, and All-Hit KBS, owned by Astral Media.
The Nelson Daily News was a local newspaper which began publishing in 1902. In 2010, it was announced the paper would shut down following a final edition to be published July 16, 2010. The closure occurred shortly after the Nelson Daily News acquisition by Black Press, which purchased the paper from Glacier Media Inc.
Black Press owns the Nelson Star, now published twice weekly.
Activities
Cultural activities abound in Nelson. Set in the natural beauty of the Selkirks, many artists and writers make Nelson their home. Nelson is highlighted as the "Number One Small Town Arts Community in Canada" by the publisher of The 100 Best Small Arts Towns in America, and is home to a large and diverse artisan community. Artwalk features local talent. July, August and September mark three months of exhibitions throughout the downtown core in variety of galleries and local businesses. Each month has a separate grand opening, (usually the first Friday evening of the month), which includes refreshments, musicians and artwork for locals and visitors to enjoy as they stroll through downtown Nelson. Nelson also has regular farmer's markets where local artisans can be found selling a unique and diverse variety of arts, crafts and imports.Two local hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trails are popular. The Nelson-Salmo Great Northern Trail is a very gently sloped rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
which runs across Nelson and allows biking.
The Pulpit Rock Trail offers a short but somewhat challenging hike that ends in a beautiful view of the city. After Pulpit Rock the trail continues up the spine of Elephant Mountain (as the locals call it) to more postcard views, and eventually to the radio towers which are visible from everywhere in the city. Hikers venturing beyond Pulpit Rock should have basic wilderness gear and exercise common sense. Public access to the Pulpit Rock trail has been restored with the opening, in the spring of 2009, of a new access point several hundred metres west of the old trail head, which was on private land.
In the winter, skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
are Nelson's primary outdoor activities. Thirty minutes south of town is the Whitewater Ski Resort
Whitewater Ski Resort
Whitewater Ski Resort is a ski resort near Nelson in southern British Columbia, Canada.The resort is situated in Ymir bowl, beneath the 2400 m high Ymir Mountain, in the Selkirk Mountains. The Selkirks receive plentiful, dry snow, and the location in a high alpine bowl provides an annual snowfall...
, which provides access, (via one triple chairlift, two double chairlifts and a handle tow), to 396 vertical metres of beginner to advanced terrain. The resort also provides access to hundreds of kilometres of off-piste skiing and back country touring. The Nelson area is home to over 20 cat-skiing, heli-skiing and ski-touring operators, and hundreds of kilometres of cross-country trails are available for the Nordic skier.
Mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
is part of the local culture, and Nelson offers a wide variety of MTB-oriented trails for all levels of experience. Excellent trail maps are available at local bike shops.
Rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
is also a popular summer activity. Kootenay Crag, Hall Siding, Grohman Narrows and CIC Bluffs are popular city crags. Slocan Bluffs and Kinnaird are in nearby Slocan City and Castlegar. 2003 saw bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
take off in Nelson, with extensive new development of bouldering areas in Grohman Narrows and nearby Robson. Mountaineers and alpine rock climbers head to the Valhalla Provincial Park
Valhalla Provincial Park
Valhalla Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada.It was established on March 3rd, 1983 in the mountains above the Western shores of Slocan Lake, in the west Kootenays. The park consists of most of the Valhalla Range of the Selkirk Mountains.It is 49,893 hectares in size...
in the Selkirk Mountains for long alpine routes on unique textured granite. The Mulvey Basin, Cougar Creek and Nemo Creek areas have routes ranging in grade from 5.4 to 5.12.
Nelson is also located close to Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park
Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park
Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park is one of the oldest provincial parks in British Columbia, established in 1922. The park has an area of and is located in the Selkirk Mountains in the West Kootenays region of BC...
.
On January 13, 2007, Nelson was the broadcast location for the annual Hockey Day in Canada.
Sports
| Club | League | Sport | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Leafs Nelson Leafs The Nelson Leafs are a Junior "B" Ice Hockey team based in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Neil Murdoch Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League... |
KIJHL Kootenay International Junior Hockey League The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" Ice Hockey league in British Columbia, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the KIJHL playoffs competes with the champions of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League... |
Ice Hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
Nelson Community Complex | 1968 | 5 |
Notable residents
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