EDITOR CARISSA THORPE THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 5 Snow bunnies, get ready Recent snowfall means winter’s nearly here, so here are some ways to get out and get active outside By KEVIN HAMPSON whitened the North Shore moun- tains, it’s time to think about the many winter sports Vancouver has to offer. Grouse and Cypress mountains are popular destinations for skiers and snowboarders. Both are an hour’s drive or less from Langara. It’s hard to say exactly when the slopes will be open. “Tt all depends on mother nature,” said Grouse Mountain public relations manager Sarah Lusk, noting recent rain on the mountains. For thrill-seekers, Grouse has sever- al terrain parks with rails and boxes for doing tricks and slides off of. If that sounds daunting, don’t worry — the ter- rain parks range from beginner to ad- vanced. New this year at Cypress is a 45-foot air bag for doing ski jumps. Thanks to the inflatable landing pad, you can at- tempt a ski jump without the crash landing. Cypress sales and marketing direc- tor Joffrey Koeman is optimistic. The mountain’s Nov. 8 opening last year was its earliest ever. With more snow machines on the hills, Koeman expects to open around the same time this year. Grouse and Cypress both sell one- night-per-week season passes. The pass goes for $326 at Cypress, while Grouse’s once-a-week pass will set you back $350. If skiing or snowboarding isn’t your thing, there are other options. You can strap on snowshoes and trek through mountain trails at Cypress for $26, snowshoe rental included. At Grouse it will cost you $40 plus $20 to rent snowshoes, though that will also get you access to the outdoor skat- ing rink. Skates are $8 to rent. You can skate for free downtown at the Robson Square outdoor rink, locat- ed across the street from the Vancou- ver Art Gallery. Skates are $4 to rent. The rink is expected to open Dec. 1. N:: that the first snowfall has KEVIN HAMPSON photo Leon Cripps, assistant sales man- ager of Hillsound Equipment on Broadway tries on some snow gear. THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEEN CAME IN COSTUME TO HAUNT LANGARA CAMPUS JEREMY SALLY photos Clockwise from far left: Alexa Fraser as Ashley Spi- nelli from the cartoon Recess; Julie Dzuba as a green Crayola crayon; and financial aid officer Debbie Finley and financial aid clerk Alexan- dria Everitt dressed up as hippies. The pair risked life and limb to hand out pop- corn to students both in and out of costume, including this blood-thirsty chap. Nearly 1 in 10 to eat less meat But 91 per cent of Canadians believe the meat they’re eating 1s safe By RICHARD HODGES ost consumers — haven’t changed their meat con- sumption habits a month af- ter an outbreak of E. coli at an XL Foods plant in Alberta. An Ipsos Reid poll conducted last week on behalf of Global Television found that 90 per cent of Canadians still trust that the beef they are eating is safe, while nine per cent will be chang- ing their diet long-term in the wake of Canada’s largest ever beef recall. It’s a sentiment that doesn’t surprise those in the beef business. Save On Meats butcher Brit Alex be- lieves the recall is a short-term bump in the road and hasn’t seen a dip in sales. “A couple of years ago we had that big spinach recall and no one started saying veggies were bad for you,” Alex said. “These things happen but people have short memories.” The plant has now re-opened with permission from the Canadian Food In- spection Agency. Lisa Gauthier, senior media rela- tions officer for the CFIA, stressed that all recalled meat has now been de- stroyed and new meat processed at XL Foods is under tighter scrutiny from inspection agents before being re- leased to the public. “Canada’s food safety system re- mains among the best in the world, but events such as this underscore the need for continuous review and im- Ao 4, Sp AE LD es |. LILES PCIE lower levels of sat- urated fat and cho- lesterol. The only risk to removing meat entirely is a lowered iron in- take, especially amongst women. For those look- ing to try vegetari- an options or even go vegan (eschew- ing all animal by- products), a num- ber of “meetups” regularly take place around town where vegetarians, vegans and veg- curious diners get together to sample Nine per cent of Canadians plan to go veg due to recall. provement,” Gauthier said. Langara College nutritionist Janet LePatourel believes the XL Foods scare should make people think more about their dietary choices. “T don’t think XL Foods is an isolated incident and it is indicative of other problems in the meat industry,” LePa- tourel said. “I think there needs to bea better balance between economies of scale and supporting local meat pro- ducers.” LePatourel says that replacing red meat in your diet with proteins such as beans or tofu can increase fibre and CARA McKENNA photo the numerous veg- etarian restau- rants Vancouver has to offer. Nancy Callan runs the Vancouver Meatless Meetup on Meetup.com and recommends it for first-timers curious about the lifestyle. “Switching your diet can be daunting if you don’t know exactly how to do it but we’ve been there and we’re happy to give advice and share recipes,” Cal- lan said. While the meals the group dines on are strictly vegan, the restaurants themselves often aren’t. Callan said everyone is welcome in the group regardless of diet. Where to eat vegan 1 The Wallflower Modern Diner 2420 Main St. 604-568-7554 2 36 Vegetarian 3424 Cambie St. 604-568-9008 3 The Acorn 3995 Main St. 604-566-9001 4 Edible Flours Vegan Bakery 2280 W. Broadway 604-734-8351 5 Foundation Lounge 2301 Main St. 604-708-0881 Source: Earthsave Canada's Vegetarian Directory