Winter in Newfoundland is a Magical Experience
“There is no place like Newfoundland and Labrador during the winter months” says Martin Hanzalek to the Tourism Minister over a cup of hot chocolate at Steady Brook Falls.
Minister Tom Hedderson was in Western Newfoundland Wednesday to launch the winter edition of the No Place Like Home winter marketing campaign. The province is encouraging residents to take the time to explore their own province.
“Winter is a great season of excitement, adventure and romance, and our No Place Like Home campaign is designed to remind us of the tourism opportunities we have right here,” Hedderson said. “We are certainly getting a ‘traditional’ winter this season, and I encourage everyone to seek out and visit our excellent tourism operators across the province to take advantage of a variety of packages that range from an extreme high-energy winter adventure to a quiet romantic winter getaway.”
The minister and Martin Hanzalek announced the launch at My Newfoundland Adventures in Steady Brook, a year round adventure tourism operation at the base of Marble Mountain. With the Humber River running next to Hanzalek’s shop and world class rock and ice climbing in every direction, Hedderson said this area is a shining example of the development of Newfoundland winter tourism product. He later found out first hand, with a small snowshoe trek guided by Hanzalek to Steady Brook Falls.
In early June, Hedderson launched the new in-province campaign prior to the peak tourism season. He felt now was a good time to provide a boost to the winter version.
“My Newfoundland Adventures here showcases a prime example of what we have to offer – snowkiting, bobsledding, snowshoeing, fishing, snowmobiling,” he said. “We are at the base of Marble Mountain with its downhill skiing and we are just a spit away from Pasadena with its cross-country skiing and we also have Gros Morne National Park in our backyard”
“We have a wonderful product, and not just in this area but also extending into Labrador to the north and even the Avalon to the east. We are a winter climate province and have a tremendous amount to offer.”
As part of the campaign, households throughout the province are receiving a brochure styled as a series of eye-catching postcards and value coupons for winter getaway packages. Hanzalek is keep to capitalize on the momentum offering two for one dog sledding packages to any local interested in trying the activity for the first time “It’s all about getting out there and trying new things right in your own backyard” said Hanzalek “May people have seen dog sledding on television, or dreamed about doing it for years. Now is their chance to try it in the mountains of their home province, arguably one of the best places in the world to experience the sport”
Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador has thrown its support behind the campaign.
Hedderson said the tourism sector overall is enjoying strong growth.
The Easter Seals believes all you need to be a superhero is one Big Drop.
Martin Hanzalek donates to Easter Seals
Callahan, the western manager for Easter Seals Newfoundland and Labrador, said the first annual Big Drop 2008 will take place at the Capt. James Cook Monument Sept. 20.
The event will offer superhero wannabes a chance to rappel over the cliff at the monument.
“We’re trying to go with this whole superhero theme. We designed a comic book and we’re hoping get into the superhero way of thinking. Figuratively, they’ll be a superhero in that they’ll be able to really improve the lives of children with disabilities. They really can be a superhero in that way.
“Then we literally take the role of a superhero in that they are going to be falling off the edge of a steep cliff – not falling, rappelling safely. There should be a bit of a flying mentality about it, too.”
Martin Hanzalek said there is help to get the pledges you need. An Easter Seals program can help use your e-mail address book to send a bulk e-mail to all your contacts asking for sponsorship. “It’s a pledge-based system, so people will collect pledges to take part in the event. We’ve set up a system in that we can send automated e-mails to everyone in your address book. That’ll allow you to collect your pledges without knocking on doors and asking your co-workers – just kind of a virtual request.”
Callahan said there is a similar event in St. John’s, but they rappel off a building. She said with so much more to offer, Corner Brook’s event will be a mountain-sized adventure.
“We thought that’s an exciting event, but Corner brook has so much more to offer in the way of natural attractions, so why limit ourselves to a building. We got talking with Martin (Hanzalek, owner of My Newfoundland Adventures) and he helped us come up with the event that will happen at Capt. James Cook Monument.”
My Newfoundland Adventures is sponsoring the event with guides and equipment to take the faint of heart and the courageous adventurers on the Big Drop.
Hanzalek said the experience of abseiling off a cliff can be a lot of fun. He said the event is a great way to continue his company’s relationship with Easter Seals.
“We’ve been working with the Easter Seals for a number of years now, just doing everything from interpretive float trips down the Humber River to other programs,” Hanzalek said. “Specializing in accessible activities, it’s a treat to be able to see people do things they never thought they’d be able to do. A lot of our clients come in and they’ve never been on a river, never been climbing and wonder if that’s something they could do.
“We see physically able-bodied people having difficult times and we also see people will all sorts of challenges being able to rise above them and succeed in many of these adventures.”
TOWN OF STEADY BROOK SAYS NO TO ADVENTURE TOURISM
The latest volley in the battle of the Steady Brook signs was fired Monday when My Newfoundland Adventures’ banner went back up on the roof of its building next to the Trans-Canada Highway.
The move leaves the Steady Brook council pondering its next move.
Mayor Cal Vincent said a trip to the town’s lawyer is in order to find an appropriate response. The town has been fighting with Martin Hanzalek, director of My Newfoundland Adventures, since 2006 to have the sign – which doesn’t fit within the town’s regulations – removed from the roof of the establishment.
“He’s (Martin Hanzalek) defying town policy. There’s no doubt about that,” Vincent said. “He’s put his sign back up. We want to seek legal counsel and see what the appropriate response would be to that. I would imagine it would be to look some kind of a court order or something to resolve this to the town’s satisfaction.”
Hanzalek put up the sign, the town told him it was too big and he didn’t have a permit. He applied for a permit and it was declined because the sign was too big and it was on the roof.
The town undertook a signage review and, when the report came back, ordered him to remove the sign once again. This year the town gave him notice by registered letter to remove the sign, he didn’t so the town did. Now the sign has been replaced.
Vincent said council is not singling out the adventure tourism business. Another over-sized sign has sprung up on a nearby roof.
“We’ve sent a registered letter to the proprietor of that business and asked him to remove that sign because it does not comply with our regulations,” the mayor said.
“Hopefully he’ll remove it, but he’s also got the appeal process to go through if he wishes not to.”
Hanzalek believes his business is being singled out. He said none of the businesses in the “impulse-buy zone” can make a go of it without a properly large sign.
He relies on the sign to attract the custom of tourists from outside the area.
“Our sign isn’t any larger than any other sign in the parking lot or of any business here in Steady Brook,” Hanzalek said. “We want to be treated just like the next guy.”
MARTIN HANZALEK OPENS YEAR ROUND ADVENTURE TOUISM COMPANY
Martin Hanzalek wants west coast Newfoundlanders to take ownership of their own adventure-tourism resources which is why he called his new company My Newfoundland Adventures.
The company officially got off the ground in June, thanks to the help of Gateway West, a three-year enterprise and entrepreneurship pilot project at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. The project aims to put potential entrepreneurs in touch with the many resources available to them that might otherwise go untapped by inexperienced up-and-coming businesspeople. Partnering with Sir Wilfred Grenfell College and ACOA in support of Gateway West are the John Dobson Foundation of Montreal and the Humber Valley Resort Corporation.
Hanzalek’s business My Newfoundland Adventures has been in the works for three to four years said Mr. Hanzalek but Gateway West was really invaluable in taking it from the vision stage to reality.â€
The company, which operates out of Pasadena, offers adventure activities for every season of the year, everything from snow kiting and ice climbing to sea kayaking and cave exploration. Plus the company has an interest in helping preserve the wilderness in which it operates.
Most recently, My Newfoundland Adventures organized a clean up activity at the Captain Cook Lookout in Corner Brook. Those who participated also got a lesson in rock climbing, as they hoisted an oil drum full of garbage from the base of the cliff to the lookout.
We want to raise awareness, and help people take back their own communities, said Mr. Hanzalek adding that conservation and environmental stewardship is a part of the company’s mandate.
Mike Jackson, director, Gateway West, said he worked with Mr. Hanzalek on his business plan and on applying to potential funders.
It was not a difficult sell since they offer a diverse selection of unique adventure tours, said Mr. Jackson, adding the company was successful in securing funding from three different organizations, The Business Development Bank of Canada, The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and The Community Business Development Corporation (Humber Community Development Corporation).
My Newfoundland Adventures can take you on a gentle raft ride down the HumberRiver, where you’ll enjoy a nice lunch on the riverbank. Or try sea kayaking off the coast of Burgeo, or snow kiting on DeerLake. And for real adventurers, try heli-skiing or heli-hiking. The company also arranges tours of Greenlandand Antarctica.
Mr. Hanzalek enrolled in courses at Grenfell to finish up a bachelor of tourism management which he started at Thompson River University in British Columbia.
While Martin Hanzalek was travelling with a friend and came here as a sort of fluke; we were traveling along and arrived at the ferry so we crossed he said. “I was really surprised at the topography, the mountains, the flora and fauna. Newfoundland is a really great place. In British Columbia, I have watched the tourism industry grow. The province shifted from primarily a resource extractor to offering tourism. Fifty years ago hunting, fishing, logging were the primary industries. But now tourism is the biggest industry, bigger than forestry. When I came here, I saw the untapped resources. Tourism will play a big part in the future of Newfoundland.
My Newfoundland Adventures’ two main activities are river rafting and kiting — either snow kiting or kite surfing. Mr. Hanzalek has been teaching kite-surfing classes at ShallowBayin Gros Morne National Park, and this winter will do the same on the frozen surface of Deer Lake.
“You have got a three-meter kite pulling you, and it’s just you and the wind” said Mr. Hanzalek.
The passion that Mr. Hanzalek shows for his business is one of the reasons that Mr. Jackson felt so confident in helping him.
It is a great idea, and Martin had spent hours and hours doing the ground work and researching the market
Gateway West is outstanding at taking an idea and putting the pieces of the puzzle together, said Mr. Hanzalek. Without Gateway West this would not be happening right now.
MARTIN HANZALEK ACCEPTS SILVER SPIDER AWARD
The Telegram Newspaper and Transcontinental Media presented Martin Hanzalek its second annual Silver Spider Web Award for website innovation. John Sheehan hosted the award ceremony. A total of seven awards were presented to companies and individuals like Hanzalek. Judges decided to award Martin Hanzalek's My Newfoundland Adventures website as one of the best cyber-pages in the province. The Silver Spider Web Awards, sponsored by The Idea Factory, Genesis Centre and College of the North Atlantic, were the first provincial awards to celebrate website excellence. In addition to the trophies, award winners each received a $10,000 advertising credit for any Transcontinental Media newspaper or website in Newfoundland and Labrador
Martin Hanzalek (right) representing My Newfoundland Adventures won the award for Best Promoted Website for his website My Newfoundland Adventures. Miller Ayre (The Telegram’s Publisher Emeritus) presented the award to Hanzalek at the awards ceremony.
TOWN OF STEADY BROOK TARGETS ADVENTURE TOURISM OPERATOR
Martin Hanzalek feels like his business is being targeted by the Town of Steady Brook. The owner and operator of My Newfoundland Adventures said he couldn’t believe it when town workers showed up unannounced Tuesday morning and removed the sign above his adventure tourism business located at the base of Marble Mountain.
Hanzalek acknowledged the town had been periodically telling him the sign did not meet the town’s regulations since it was first erected in 2006 and that it would have to come down, but he said this is a matter of the town council being out to get him.
“They took it down while we were open and never even came in to tell us they were going to be on the roof,” said Hanzalek. “They just trucked it away. I thought someone stole it until I called the town office and they told us they had it in their garage and we could come pick it up.
“I think it’s a sad situation we are being targetted like this by a distraught council that has all kinds of issues of its own. It’s a vendetta scenario and I think somebody has got it out for us and we are being treated unfairly.”
Hanzalek, who lost an appeal of council’s decision when the issue was heard by the western regional appeals board in early 2007, said there are other businesses in the same area he is in with signs that are also larger than what the town’s regulations allow.
“They are turning a blind eye and allowing all these other businesses to flourish and grow right next to me, but they are not allowing me to play ball on a level playing field and that’s just not fair,” said Hanzalek.
Steady Brook Mayor Cal Vincent denied the town is picking on My Newfoundland Adventures.
He said Hanzalek’s sign is about twice as big as the regulation which stipulates a sign can only be five square metres. He acknowledged at least one other sign, the George’s Ski World sign, exceeds the size regulation, but only minimally and has been there long enough to be exempt from removal.
Another violation of Hanzalek’s sign is that it was on the building’s roof. Vincent said that regulation is in place to prevent businesses from placing signs anywhere they wish in a haphazard way. In fact, one business in the same area only recently moved a sign to its roof and Vincent said town council is in the process of considering taking action to have that sign taken down.
Steady Brook recently revamped its sign policy and was waiting for its new regulations to be gazetted before the town would follow through on the request issued to Hanzalek more than three years ago. That process was completed last September.
“It was recommended we hold off until that was done,” said Vincent. “The regulations regarding the size of the sign were not changed, so we issued the removal order.”
Hanzalek’s latest notice to remove the sign was issued June 29 and gave him seven days to comply.
Martin Hanzalek said his operation, left with empty plywood to which the $5,000 sign had been fastened, now looks like it is out of business and that cannot be good for the other businesses in the area either.
“We followed procedure and, unfortunately, Marty feels like he’s being singled out,” said Vincent. “But we welcome all businesses that are tourist-related into this commercial zone because tourism is a big part of Steady Brook.”
With the province cracking down on highway signage, Vincent expects municipalities will be under more pressure to develop and enforce their own signage policies under their jurisdiction as businesses begin trying to advertise elsewhere.
Bringing ‘up’ the garbage
Martin Hanzalek, bottom right, hands a shopping cart to, from left, Julie Butala, Ben McKean and Meaghan Harris as they attempted to put a dent in the garbage at Capt. James Cook National Historic Site in the city. Star Photo by Geraldine Brophy
Published on June 6, 2007
Popular sites used as dumping grounds
CORNER BROOK When Martin Hanzalek first visited the Capt. James Cook National Historic Site, he saw a prime location to hold introductory rock-climbing excursions.
The steep rock face and the dramatic backdrop of the Bay of Islands are still awesome features hed like to take advantage of, but Hanzalek said
Very Easy Rider: an electric bike adventure
“It’s spooky, being on a two-wheeled transport that makes only a humming sound and requires no physical effort to keep up with late afternoon downtown” said Martin Hanzalek in an interview with the Telegram St. John’s traffic. It gives the operator freedom to gawk around, and that’s what many of the adventurers who seek out Jasmine Kean’s Newfoundland Electric Bikes (www.nlebike.com) want to do — rent an electric bike and spend an afternoon taking in the sights around our old harbour town. Kean, musician and folklorist-cum-entrepreneur, and her partner, Martin Hanzalek
Martin Hanzalek was the first person I went rock climbing with. It was an amazing experience although I must admit that rappelling down the cliff at Captain Cook’s Lookout in Corner Brook was initially intimidating (although both Marty and Jesse did a great job at keeping me calm and in control). Growing up in Corner Brook I remember people going to Captain Cooks Lookout to dump all sorts of garbage over the cliff – everything from washing machines to old freezers. I guess nobody ever thought the area would be utilized for much more. It’s good to see folks like Marty and Jesse breathing new life into the venue and I am glad the city of Corner Brook has finally gotten together with Parks Canada and designated it a National Historic Site.
It’s awesome to see Marty and my Newfoundland adventures focusing on ecological and green projects like these. I wish there were more people in Newfoundland that would take time and initiative to make a difference in our communities. Hanzalek continues to promote environmental stewardship and conservation in our province both in his business and personal life. Its really nice to see.
Global Tourism is growing. Weather you are looking for a place in Venezueladayanisma or in Canada, people are looking for unique experiences that take them off the beaten path.
Nice to see Martin Hanzalek operating the snowkite school in St. John’s. The island is really ideal for wind sports in general and there is very little development in the area. Snowkiting in Newfoundland is great, although the east coast has a shorter season and less reliable snowpack when compared with the rest of the province. Looking forward to seeing more kites in the sky overlooking pippy park!