More room
outside.

For the people who go. For the stories they bring back. For the next person wondering where to begin.

Meet the community
Canoes crossing Lake Louise beneath a forested shoreline
Canoes on Lake Louise, Alberta. Photograph by Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Our story

Trailscale is an emerging Canadian outdoor community and publication. We’re bringing together people who climb, paddle, camp, walk and take photographs along the way.

We want the useful details and the personal stories: what made someone try, what surprised them and what they would do differently.

We’re at the beginning. The people, methods and disclosures on these pages will grow with the publication.

What matters to us

Let's Climb a Mountain

Be specific.

Useful advice tells you what happened, to whom, and under which conditions. The limits belong in the story too.

Make room.

Different abilities, budgets and backgrounds change the way we experience the outdoors. We want those perspectives here.

Show your working.

Readers should be able to see how a judgement was reached and what relationships might affect it.

Care for the places.

The places in our stories are living places, with communities, histories and limits. Treat them with care.

Many ways outside

Different activities. Different perspectives. Room for each of them.

A climber and belayer at an overhanging rock
Climbing an overhanging rock. Chris, CC BY 2.0.
A tent and backpack in an alpine meadow on Zagedan Ridge
Zagedan Ridge. Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0.
Hikers in Garibaldi Provincial Park
Garibaldi Provincial Park. Andrew Kvalheim, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The people behind it

These editable profiles reserve space for the people building Trailscale. Real introductions are still to come.

Portrait to be supplied

Founders & co-founders

Founder name · Editable profile

Add the person’s own account of why they started Trailscale, the places and activities they care about, and what they hope to bring to the community.

Role: Founder / co-founderSpecialities: Outdoor interests to be addedAffiliations: to be disclosed

Stories & profile details

No stories are assigned to this profile yet. Add approved story links, a licensed portrait, the person’s preferred name and their own biography in the local content record before launch.

Portrait to be supplied

Editors & contributors

Editor name · Editable profile

Add a short personal introduction, their editorial responsibilities and the outdoor stories they want to tell. Confirm any relevant experience before publication.

Role: Editor / contributorSpecialities: Editorial interests to be addedAffiliations: to be disclosed

Stories & profile details

No stories are assigned to this profile yet. Add approved story links, a licensed portrait, the person’s preferred name and their own biography in the local content record before launch.

Portrait to be supplied

Field reviewers & testers

Reviewer name · Editable profile

Add the reviewer’s usual activities, experience level and approach to gear. Include relevant brand relationships so readers can understand the perspective behind each review.

Role: Field reviewer / testerSpecialities: Activities and experience to be addedAffiliations: to be disclosed

Stories & profile details

No stories are assigned to this profile yet. Add approved story links, a licensed portrait, the person’s preferred name and their own biography in the local content record before launch.

How we test

A proposed process for useful reviews. Our first field tests and reviewer assignments are still ahead of us.

See the review format

Context comes first

Name the reviewer, product and intended use. Record the dates, terrain, conditions and duration. Explain the reviewer’s relevant experience without turning it into a claim of universal expertise.

Keep the original notes

Separate manufacturer specifications, instrument measurements and personal observations. Keep the original photographs and test log behind the finished story.

Publish the trade-offs

Describe strengths and weaknesses in context. Tell readers who the product may suit and what the test did not establish. A rating should never stand in for that explanation.

Return to the story

Add dated follow-ups when wear, repairs or further use change the picture. Correct factual errors visibly, with an explanation of what changed.

Independence
& disclosure

Trust starts with information readers can check. These are the editorial commitments proposed for Trailscale.

A judgement is not for sale

A positive conclusion cannot be a condition of payment or product access. Sponsored work must be clearly labelled and kept distinct from independent review conclusions.

Say how the gear arrived

Every review needs a disclosure: purchased, loaned, discounted or supplied. Record whether the product was returned or retained, and any travel or other support.

Make relationships visible

Disclose affiliate commissions, sponsorship and relevant employment, ambassador or personal brand relationships beside the article. These fields are not optional when a relationship exists.

Name the people responsible

Identify the writer and editor. Describe whether a brand checked factual specifications, and retain editorial control of the conclusions. This prototype makes no claims about existing funding arrangements.

Your experience
has a place.

Join our community as a writer, photographer or reviewer. Start with something you know first-hand, however small the outing.

Contribution guidelines for the prototype. A real editorial contact and contribution terms must be added before submissions open.

  1. Bring an idea. Tell us what happened, what surprised you and why another person might care.
  2. Give us the context. Include your experience, original notes and the limits of what you can say.
  3. Be clear about rights. Identify who owns the photographs and which permissions are available.
  4. Disclose the relationships. Include samples, payments, employment, travel support and brand affiliations.
Download pitch worksheet

A plain-text worksheet to develop your idea. Nothing is submitted or collected by this site.