With spring cleaning on the horizon, what kind of shape is your garage or storage shed in? If it’s anything like the 250-square-foot addition to adventure racer Dave Howells’s North Vancouver home, it’s jammed to the rafters with outdoors gear.

When reached by phone, Howells referred to the new space as his “man cave”. Following the birth of his son, the multisport athlete knew he needed to make some changes. “Rhys kept getting into my stuff, so I wanted a secure place,” Howells said. “Having all my toys in one spot is nice. Actually, I’m not sure how I got by without this room.”

Howells, who has participated in endurance contests such as the TransRockies mountain-bike and sea2summit adventure races, catalogued his inventory: four cruiser bikes, a road bike, an all-mountain bike, and a cross-country bike. “Bikes are big and in my face. I have a weak spot for cycling, and they’re the first thing I grab,” Howells said. He also admitted to owning Alpine and Nordic skis, snowshoes, paddle apparel, and running gear. “I mountain-bike and trail-run year-round. We’re so lucky in B.C.—I’m in the outdoors all the time.”

As for the changes parenthood has brought, Howells said his 21-month-old son has grown too big to be toted around in a backpack, so he and his wife, Sophie, are contemplating hitching a Chariot stroller to their bikes. As for skiing at their favourite haunt on Hollyburn Ridge, Howells said the challenges of towing a sled were daunting, even though some strollers, such as the Chariot, offer the option of substituting skis for wheels. “My wife and I alternate times with Rhys so we each get in training time on our own,” he said. “But I see our time together gradually changing from strictly working out to having a more fun, recreational experience.”

When not adventuring with his family, Brent Palmer manages Mountain Equipment Co-op’s flagship location in Vancouver. A self-described gear head, he conceded that the accumulated collection of sporting goods at his home can be overwhelming. “Our garage holds our skis, our road and cross-country bikes, as well as our kayak and a canoe. We built a special shed under the stairs for the skates, snowshoes, and camping gear. Every closet in the house has some kind of outdoors or sports clothing.”

The father of three boys aged 5, 7, and 9, Palmer described the unique challenges and rewards of integrating his passion for the outdoors with family time. “It’s the same problem everyone’s facing these days. We’re just so damned busy,” he said, noting that increasingly the trend is to short bursts of a variety of athletic pursuits. “It’s hard for me to go out with the three boys at once. They’re all at different ability levels, so that means a lot of one-on-one activity together. Time spent with each kid is special. The fact that we do so many different activities works to everyone’s advantage. Each boy is better at something than the others, so no one feels intimidated or left out. My oldest son is an aggro skier, while my youngest enjoys a mellow bike ride. I can do one thing in the morning, another in the afternoon.”

From his vantage point in the outdoor-merchandise market, Palmer knows Vancouverites live a world apart from the rest of Canadians. “Compared to our other stores across the country, it’s really apparent that people here do everything, all the time. I know from checking our stats that bike sales in Toronto, for example, fall right off the map in winter, while ours go full-tilt year-round. Obviously in B.C. we can do so many things in one day. It’s a wonderful combination of geography and seasonality.”

How typical does Palmer consider himself? In a word, very. “This is average for North Shore families, but not necessarily a natural part of the lives of many new Canadians. That’s the changing demographic at play here.” Several years ago, Palmer took a recently arrived friend from South Asia on an extended backcountry trek. “He never did anything like that with his family in India,” he said. “The experience changed his life so profoundly that he became a wilderness guide.”

Before she gave birth to two daughters, now aged 2 and 4, cartographer Nicky Hastings and her husband, architect and ultra athlete Kevin Vallely, spent “every minute of the day” rock climbing and trail running. Judging from how she described her current lifestyle to the Straight, not much has changed. “Rock climbing is a great sport for kids,” she affirmed. “They run around collecting pebbles while one of us goes for a climb. Usually we do this with another couple so one of us can keep an eye on the kids while someone else is on belay. The difference is that now, instead of doing grand wall climbing, we stick to cragging, climbing single pitches with just one length of rope.” Although the couple may have taken a pass on the Stawamus Chief, at least temporarily, they still stretch their limbs across rock faces in nearby Murrin Park. “It’s close to a lake, so it’s a fun activity for all,” Hastings said.

Then there’s sea kayaking, which Hastings said is just as enjoyable with children. “Last summer, I went earlier than the family with some girlfriends and hiked the West Coast Trail. Kevin met me afterwards with the kids and we paddled the Broken Islands with my two-year-old on my lap. Kids are happy outdoors, where it’s almost easier than being at home. You’re not doing housework or gardening. All you have to worry about is where you’re headed next.”