ABOUT US

Here at Mountain Life our work is our play. We love what we do and it shows. Whether writing about skis, taking photos of snowboarders or creating magazines that all of us are proud of, the Mountain Life team is as dedicated to the work as we are to our lifestyles. To us, Mountain Life means more than just living and playing in the mountains; it is an attitude towards life and the outdoors. A willingness to get out there, explore, laugh, learn and appreciate the big blue ball we call home. Whether that means cold beers on an alpine patio or paddling a kayak through the 30,000 Islands, it’s all Mountain Life to us. And with offices in Collingwood, Ontario and Whistler, BC, we’ve got our fingers on the pulse of Mountain Lifers across the nation.

Glen Harris, Publisher and Photo Editor
Glen, who has lived extensively throughout the Coast Mountains as well as the Kootenays, currently resides in the Georgian Bay area of Ontario. While he does manage to get in lots of ski days as well as spend time with his lovely wife and daughter, he does still get pretty pissed at West-Coasters when they constantly send email reminders of how much snow there is, how big the hills are, and how warm and spring-like it is in April. Glen’s many years of publishing, writing and photography experience along with his honest and laidback demeanor, are really the glue that keeps the Mountain Life Staff in one piece. (Kind of like how you can milk an extra season out of your ski gloves if you just wrap them in duct tape.)

Jon Burak, Associate Publisher
Jonny has a hard time sending his bio information in on time. He’s an accomplished whitewater rafting guide and has been living in Whistler as long as most people can remember. He has black hair and once attended a big outdoor Space-themed party where he dressed up as some sort of robot with lots of tubes and lights and foil all over himself. Even though he lives in Squamish now, Jon’s favorite mountain is Mount Currie in Pemberton. He also enjoys skiing, long walks on the beach (providing there is surf there) and nothing perks him up like good comedy, especially at his friends’ expense.

Todd Lawson, Associate Publisher

Todd has been a Mountain Life editorial contributor ever since the premiere issue of the Coast Mountains edition in November 2006. His passion for discovery of new places and friendly faces has taken him to 53 countries on 5 continents, and he dedicates his time and energy to spreading his photography and travel stories for the benefit of others in third-world countries. He is the founder and president of the Sean Lawson Young Travellers Foundation, and is an international ambassador for the Against Malaria Foundation.

More of Todd’s work can see seen at www.sunfirefoto.com

Feet Banks, Editor (Coast Mountains)
Born in 1976, Feet Banks was raised in Northern British Columbia without electricity and his first friend was a rooster named Houdini. At age 12 his parents moved him to Whistler, BC to live the dream. After high school he attended the University of Victoria to write and watch at least ten movies a week. After that he returned home as co-owner of Heavy Hitting Films and has been messing around with the camera and the written word ever since. He writes a weekly movie column in Whistler, and has published work in magazines such as Vice, SBC Skier, British Columbia, and various west coast publications.

Currently Feet divides his time between Whistler and a 40-acre hay farm in BC’s interior. He loves horror movies, Jack Daniels, and is greatly afraid of spiders, but only the really big ones.

Ned Morgan, Managing Editor
Ned lived in the Big Smoke for many years and took what he needed – a degree from U of T, editing, publishing and communications experience – but decided to leave behind what he didn’t need (pollution, gridlock, no access to trails). Since moving to the Blue Mountain area in 2007, Ned complains a lot less and his friends and family like him better now. Ned is a seasoned copyeditor, copywriter, and proofreader with experience on staff at the University of Toronto Press and at Kids Can Press. When not working at his desk, Ned can be found taking notes while hiking, biking, or snowshoeing through the woods. Favourite short quote: “We find in the fields of Nature no place that is blank or barren.” – John Muir

Amélie Légaré, Creative Director (Coast Mountains)
Amélie Légaré, graphic designer extraordinaire, hails from Quebec City originally but, after falling in love with the Coast Mountains at age 18, has been living and playing in them since 2003. Working as a photographer while she got her degree in Graphic Communications gave Amélie the experience and technique needed to excel in the Whistler graphic design field. With plenty of local freelance, newspaper and marketing experience Amélie brings the perfect mix of style and savvy to Mountain Life. She works hard, she rides hard, and she’s till totally in love with the mountains that brought her here in the first place.