
Looking for something to this weekend? Here are your weekend recommendations for what's going on OUTSIDE in and around the Roanoke and Blacksburg areas!!!
For most Americans Labor Day is symbolic of the end of summer. It's been a great summer so enjoy your time with family and friends and be sure to get outside. It's a great opportunity to plan your fall adventures, so here are a few ideas:
- Plan a weekend camping trip
- Take your significant other on a romantic cabin getaway
- Book a fall foliage canoe trip
- Learn to fly fish
- Take your girlfriends on a women-only adventure
- If you've never hiked to McAfee Knob before - plan on it
Get OUTSIDE!
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Pete Eshelman (friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter)
Director of Outdoor Branding
Roanoke Regional Partnership
Check out the Outdoor Calendar for upcoming events you need to keep your eye on!
Opportunity is Knocking in the Roanoke Region.
Interested in starting an adventure tourism busines
s in the Roanoke Region? Register now for the free October 19 Roanoke Region Adventure Tourism Workshop.
Outdoor recreation is the fastest growing aspect of tourism throughout the world and this workshop outlines the opportunities, best practices, and steps required to launch a successful adventure tourism business.
Hear from successful business owners in this industry and learn from professionals in business startups and expansions as they provide the steps to launch, market, and finance a business. The workshop includes an update on tourism developments in the region and is a great opportunity to connect to resources that can jump start your tourism venture.
Get in Stride by Walking with a Carilion Clinic Doctor.
Numerous Carilion Clinic physicians are lacing up their walking shoes and hitting the Roanoke River Greenway every Saturday at 8:30 a.m. And they want you to join them for their weekly "Physicians on Foot" walking program.
The Physicians on Foot program will meet on the Roanoke River Greenway at the corner of Hamilton Terrace and Belleview Avenue. There is a rock in front of Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital that starts the 1.8-mile walk to Smith Park and back.
Click here for more details.
If you've ever had an interest in doing this...
or
...then you need to learn how to "roll your kayak".
Every whitewater kayaker will flip over at some point early in their paddling career, probably even on the first day. Flipping over in a kayak is really just part of the sport. There are times when being upside down in a kayak can lead to a life or death situation. It is for this reason that every kayaker should learn how to flip upright if they are turned upside down.
The Roanoke Parks & Recreation just unveiled some new whitewater kayaking programs for this fall.
Open Pool Kayak Roll Sessions
Already own your own boating gear and looking for some cheap pool time to nail that roll? Join the Parks and Recreation staff at the Gator Center this fall for open kayak roll sessions on Sunday nights. Professional lifeguard staff will be on-hand to ensure water safety but no formal instruction or equipment will be provided. You must be able to swim. Dates: 9/12, 9/26, 10/10, and 10/24. Cost: $5 per session. Online registration is open. Registration is limited and closes three days before session date.
Kayak Roll Instructional Classes
Want to learn but don't know where to start? This is the course for you. Roanoke Parks and Recreation has American Canoe Association certified instructors who are mature, professional kayaking instructors. They will spend most of their time standing in the water next to you as they guide you through each step of the roll. Their low student-to-instructor ratio of 5:1 gives you plenty of personal attention during each lesson. Classes are held in a controlled indoor pool. All technical equipment can be provided or you can bring your own. This is a three-part class that takes place each Sunday (11/7-21). Cost: $60. Online registration is open. Space is limited and registration ends 10/18.
Less than two weeks to the 2nd annual Get Outside Expo & Radical Reels Film Festival - do you have your tickets yet?
Last year the event sold out a few days before. If you're feeling lucky then take your chances and enter our contest to win a pair of FREE tickets. CLICK HERE TO ENTER.
Not feeling lucky? Buy your tickets now and be guaranteed a good time!

Looking for something to this weekend? Here are your weekend recommendations for what's going on OUTSIDE in and around the Roanoke and Blacksburg areas!!!
Have you seen the weather forecast for this weekend? It is going to be gorgeous. Here is my personal itinerary - feel free to join me at any point.
- Friday evening: Join the who's who of the outdoor world at the 180° South: Conquerors of the Useless Party. From 5-7 it is a social (try your hand at slacklining) and at 7pm we'll watch the film 180° South. The Roanoke Bike Valet service will be present - ride your bike to the event, show me your helmet, and I'll give you a sweet prize.
- Saturday: A group of friends and I are taking our kids biking/camping on the New River Trail. The New River Trail is 57 miles long and parallels 39 miles of the New River. There are primitive campsites that you have to walk/bike in to. It's definitely worth checking out.
- Any day: If you've never hiked Bottoms Creek Gorge you need to. Bottoms Creek is part of the Nature Conservancy. Forming the headwaters of the Roanoke River, Bottom Creek Gorge boasts spectacular scenery: the second highest waterfall in Virginia, virgin hemlocks and hundreds of wildflowers.
Get OUTSIDE!
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Pete Eshelman (friend me on Facebook)
Director of Outdoor Branding
Roanoke Regional Partnership
Check out the Outdoor Calendar for upcoming events you need to keep your eye on!

The 2nd annual Get Outside Expo and Radical Reels Film Festival is just around the corner (9/15). We thought we'd give you a little tease by sharing a quick rundown of the films you'll see. For most of these films you can visit the listed website to watch a sneak-peak video.
The event sold out last year so don't wait to get your tickets. Visit www.roanokeoutside.com/radicalreels for information on tickets...or stop by Blue 5 (tonight, 8/27) for the 180° South: Conquerors of the Useless Party and pick up your Radical Reels tickets for only $10 (cash only).
FILM LIST
Extra.Ordinary
Canada, 2009, 11 minutes
A film about regular skiers and snowboarders who fly under the radar living in small-town Fernie, B.C. The footage is of skiers/snowboarders riding deep powder and jibbing urban handrails, as well as hitting backcountry booters and skiing backcountry terrain.
The Fellowship of the Bearing
Canada, 2008, 12 minutes
A film depicting the sport and culture of downhill skateboarding in Southern B.C.
Hack Your Shackles
Canada, 2009, 7 minutes
In this second installment of the noboard movement, the binding-less revolution continues.
Look to the Ground
Canada, 2009, 7 minutes
"Look to the Ground" is a snapshot of the inspiring story of Bobby McMullen, a professional athlete who is legally blind
and has worked against the odds to become a top mountain bike rider.
Mystic Spirit
France, 2009, 5 minutes
An old legend says the Oberland Bernese forest is haunted by the spirit of a man constantly seeking adrenaline. Offended by his powers, the Gods decide to punish him by taking his soul. Possessed by this rambling spirit, the characters acquire strange supernatural powers. A film packed with special effects, topped off with humour!
NWD10: Dust and Bones
Canada, 2009, 15 minutes
"NWD10: Dust and Bones" is the final chapter in the epic saga known as "New World Disorder". Shot in high definition with RED cameras, it features the ultimate throw-down segment by Darren Berrecloth and unbelievable backflip combinations from Greg Watts, not to forget the Hell Barge. Pile in the rest of the top freeriders, dirt jumpers and slopestylers, and this world-class film will have you reeling.
On Sight
UK, 2008, 15 minutes
"On Sight" is the fruition of an idea that many considered impossible: a film capturing the blood, sweat and mystery of on-sight climbing as it happens.
The result is a tense, profound and often hilariously funny portrait of climbing's most elusive realm, and a deep insight into what drives the climbers who explore it.
Progression: World Cup
USA, 2009, 11 minutes
This segment from "Progression" focuses on veteran Spanish sport climber Patxi Usobiaga as he trains for and competes in the World Cup circuit. Also featured is 15-year-old up-and-coming Austrian climber Johanna Ernst.
Re:Session
USA, 2009, 17 minutes
"Re:Session" documents the true wealth of the mountain experience. Check out seven weeks of epic riding in BC and Alaska. Re:Session brings the most talented athletes in the sport together into one must-see film.
World Record Waterfall Descent
USA, 2009, 3 minutes
Tyler Bradt sets the new world-record waterfall descent at 60 metres.
stopping people from buying a lot of it. Estimates variously place worldwide bottled water sales at between $50 and $100 billion each year, with the market expanding at the startling annual rate of 7 percent.
ste per year. According to Food and Water Watch, that plastic requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. And while the plastic used to bottle beverages is of high quality and in demand by recyclers, over 80 percent of plastic bottles are simply thrown away.
Virgin
ia Tech's College of Natural Resources and Environment in cooperation with Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc. is hosting Imagining the Blue Ridge Parkway for the 21st Century: Sustaining Communities, Environments, and Economies. The historic Hotel Roanoke will be the host hotel for this October 14-16 symposium.
The program is designed to assist community leaders, businesses, economic development authorities, tourism offices, academics, Parkway officials, and supporters of the Parkway in working together for a sustainable future for the Parkway.
Speakers include:
Please visit the 2010 Symposium page for complete details!
** Sept. 13 is the deadline to get the hotel discount **
The Blue Ridge Mountains have produced the best mountain biking trails in the East Coast. If you haven't experienced them first-hand you don't know what you're missing.
Join East Coasters bike shop at Carvins Cove (Bennett Springs parking lot) on Sunday August 29 where you'll have the opportunity to test ride the new 2011 Trek models. It's all FREE - free rides and free food. This is a great opportunity for first timers as well as the pros.
You can even enter a raffle for a chance to win a brand new mountain bike. Raffle tickets are just $5 with all proceeds going to Pathfinders for Greenways.
Did you know East Coasters offers a free emergency bike repair class every Thursday at 6pm?