ambassador

TORI BAIRD

Tori has been canoeing whitewater for the last 7 years, navigating some of Ontario’s most challenging whitewater rivers: In 2015, she paddled the East Natashquan in Northern Quebec, in 2016 the Porcupine River in Northern Saskatchewan. And in 2017 she paddled the Mountain River in the Northwest Territories only a few days after completing an 8-day, 160km backpacking trek across the Rocky Mountains from Jasper to Grande Cache.

After completing a solo backcountry canoe trip, she was inspired to launch her business Paddle Like a Girl in hopes of empowering other women. Paddle Like a Girl is a two-day paddling workshop for women, that Tori runs out of her property on the Magnetawan River. Her goal is to instil confidence in the participants to start planning and executing their own backcountry canoe trips. The workshops cover all the basics of backcountry canoeing, from trip planning and map reading to meal prep, waterproofing gear and fire lighting, but the main focus is on paddling skills.

Tori has contributed to Outpost Magazine, Explore Magazine, has been a guest on several podcasts, presented at London’s Paddle Shop and was featured in Export Development Canada’s profile of Nova Craft Canoe in 2019.

Photo by Cobi Sharpe, Spark Adventure Photography

ADAM SHOALTS

Named one of the greatest living explorers and called “Canada’s Indiana Jones” by the Toronto Star, Adam Shoalts is a professional explorer and adventurer.

He is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and regular guest on Canadian television and radio, and has been featured in media around the world, including the BBC, CNN, CTV, CBC, and The Guardian. He has written two bestselling books: Alone Against the North (2015) and A History of Canada in Ten Maps (2017). Adam is currently pursuing a PhD from McMaster University, his dissertation combines his interests in geography, archaeology, anthropology, and history. ’s most recent expedition, a 4,000 km solo journey across the arctic from Old Crow, Yukon to Baker Lake, Nunavut is the subject of a forthcoming documentary.

Brad Jennings

Brad has helmed Explore The Backcountry for more than a decade, mapping and maintaining routes, producing videos, photos, reports and more, all while encouraging others to get out and explore for themselves. Explore The Backcountry was created by the father-son team of Wayne and Brad Jennings in 2008 as part of a television pilot. The excursions now include Brad's wife, Leah. Today, they embark on countless adventurous and exploratory canoe trips, rediscovering long forgotten 'lost' routes, and journeying through some of the most breathtaking wilderness in the process.

KEVIN CALLAN

Kevin Callan is the author of fifteen books, including the best selling “The Happy Camper”, and the incredibly popular series of paddling guides. On a regular basis, he presents across North America and the U.K. and has been a key speaker at all the major outdoor events for over 25 years. Callan is also a frequent guest on radio and television and a regular contributor to Explore and CanoeRoots Magazine. He is a winner of several National Magazine Awards and film awards. He was also made Patron Paddler for Paddle Canada.

JIM BAIRD

Adventurer, videographer, writer, photographer, and talent, Jim Baird's previous roles include extensive work with a map company, as well as guiding and gold prospecting. Jim has shot video for Cineflix productions, BBC Worldwide, 13 Minds Productions, and The Weather Network US. Video series he's produced include The Kesagami River Solo and Lessons From The Trail with Jim Baird. The magazines Canoe & Kayak, Explore, Canoeroots, Real Fishing, Ontario Out of Doors, Outdoor Canada, and Field & Stream run Jim's print and digital content. He's an expert woodsman, white-water canoeist, survivalist, and a bold wilderness navigator. His expedition experience includes a solo trip down the canoe-eating rapids of the Kesagami River and along the tempestuous James Bay coast, an 800-mile snowmobile expedition across the Northwest Passage, 200 miles above the Arctic Circle. A month long descent of the Northwest Territories Kuujjua River in the Arctic Archipelago, followed by 120-kilometers of paddling on the Arctic Ocean.