A group of Adventuring Into Life riders together on a trail

About Adventuring Into Life

We get people outside and keep them coming back.

Camps, school programs, bike clinics and retreats for kids and women. Based in Kamloops, and going since 2018.

How it started

It started with a girls' camp where you could try a bit of everything.

In 2016, while she was working at Nitehawk Year-Round Adventure Park in Grande Prairie, Andrea ran her first girls-only multisport adventure camp. At the end of 2018 she left to start her own company, Riding Into Life, built around exactly that kind of camp.

The thinking was simple. If a girl gets a week outside to try a whole range of activities, with women coaching and other girls beside her, she has a pretty good shot at finding something she wants to keep doing after camp ends.

That first Riding Into Life camp, at SilverStar in 2019, had five girls. From there, things kept growing. Mountain biking became a big part of the mix, then bushcraft, co-ed youth camps, school programs, and clinics and retreats for women. By 2023 the word "Riding" didn't cover it anymore, so Riding Into Life became Adventuring Into Life.

Today we run programs year-round out of Kamloops, girls' camps in communities around BC, and women's retreats from Valemount to Costa Rica. Girls-only programs are still a big part of what we do.

Girls at the first Riding Into Life girls' multisport camp at SilverStar in 2019 — Our very first Riding Into Life girls' camp at SilverStar, 2019. Five girls signed up.

"Amazing confidence-building experiences for girls. I appreciate they recognize the need for girls-only activities with women coaches, so inspiring!"

Amy Paran, Girls Adventure Camp

2016
Andrea runs her first girls-only multisport camp at Nitehawk in Grande Prairie.
2018
Andrea leaves Nitehawk and starts Riding Into Life in December.
2019
First Riding Into Life girls' camp at SilverStar, with five girls, and our first women's retreat in Costa Rica.
2022
First Valemount women's mountain bike retreat.
2023
Riding Into Life becomes Adventuring Into Life.
2024
Adventuring Into Knowledge joins the family, bringing outdoor early learning to Kamloops.
2026
Girls' camps open in Kelowna and Cranbrook.
2027
Two women's retreats in Costa Rica and a new girls' camp community.

What we run

Lots of ways to get outside.

Our programs run from age 3 to adult, in Kamloops and around BC. Pick the one that fits, or try a few.

Kamloops · Kids
Youth camps and Pro-D days

Pro-D day adventures, afterschool programs, and spring and summer camps in Kamloops. Kids ride, build, explore and spend whole days outside, rain or shine.

Youth programs →
Around BC · Girls
Girls adventure camps

Where it all started. Girls-only camps led by women coaches in Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna and Cranbrook, with a new community and programs for teen girls coming in 2027.

Girls programs →
K-12 · Schools and homeschool
Schools and homeschool groups

Everyone Rides: Foundations bike skills and hands-on bushcraft days, at your school or as a field trip. We bring bikes and helmets as needed, and all the bushcraft gear.

School programs → Everyone Rides →
BC and Costa Rica · Women
Women's clinics and retreats

Mountain bike clinics, women's bushcraft, our Valemount retreat and two retreats in Costa Rica. All levels welcome, and the company is half the fun.

Women's programs →
Kamloops · Private and groups
Private lessons and group adventures

One-on-one coaching for kids or adults, birthday parties, team building days and the occasional bachelorette adventure.

Private lessons → Birthday parties → Team building →

Where things stand

A small start that kept growing.

2018
The year Andrea started Riding Into Life. The first camp ran in 2019.
337
Registrations in our girls-only and women's programs in 2026.
231
Students at Dallas Elementary in 2025/26, across 11 classes with four sessions each.

Dallas isn't the only school we work with. We have an ongoing partnership with Pacific Way Elementary, and through Everyone Rides with HUB Cycling we've run programs at five to seven schools every spring and fall for the past two years. Our Vernon girls' camp heads into its 9th summer in 2027, and the Valemount women's retreat has sold out five years running.

Helping more kids get to camp

Our campership program covers some or all of the camp fees for kids whose families need a hand. It's funded by donors who've asked to stay anonymous. You know who you are, and we're so grateful. If cost is what's holding you back, please reach out.

About camperships →

Looking after the trails we ride

Every trail we ride was built by someone, and most are kept up by local volunteers. We donate to the trail networks we ride, and we encourage every rider in our programs to grab a membership with their local trail association.

Kamloops Bike Riders Association →

How we run programs

Fun first. Real skills along the way.

We want people to finish a program tired, a bit muddy, and already asking when the next one is.

Everyone starts where they are

Coaches break skills into small steps so people can progress at their own pace. Nobody gets rushed onto something they're not ready for, and nobody's stuck waiting around either.

Trained, qualified leaders

Every coach completes AIL training, and all lead coaches hold first aid. Our lead mountain bike coaches are certified through PMBIA or GSMBC, and our early learning leaders are certified Early Childhood Educators. Plenty of our coaches bring other certifications of their own.

Girls' programs led by women

Our girls-only camps are coached by women, so girls get to learn from people who look a lot like who they could become.

Small groups

Camps and clinics usually run at one coach for every six to eight participants, so everyone gets real coaching, not just a wave from across the field.

"I have never heard her use the words bike and fun in the same sentence, so thank you, that is definitely progress."

Joslynn, AIL parent

"I gained so much more confidence on my bike and can have way more fun on it now. The instruction was great, but the best part was the people, guides and participants alike."

Sarah Hawkins, Valemount MTB Retreat

Meet the team.

Here's who's running things, and who you'll see out on the trail.

Director of Programs & Operations

Stacey Gagnon

GSMBC Level 2 Mountain Bike Coach · Certified Early Childhood Educator · Certified Outdoor Educator

Stacey is the person behind how AIL actually runs. As Director of Programs and Operations, she oversees our programs day to day and is who most schools, community partners and sponsors work with directly. She also leads Adventuring Into Knowledge, our nature-based early learning program, including its first outdoor Kindergarten class, and coaches riders at our women's retreats in BC and Costa Rica.

She's Kamloops born and raised, grew up exploring the bush with her dad, and will tell you she could win the show Alone. We wouldn't bet against her. She first came to AIL as a participant, loved what was happening, and has been building it with us ever since.

As an ECE, outdoor educator and mom, she knows exactly what it looks like when a kid is stuck at the top of a hill, and exactly how to help them get down it grinning.

Founder

Andrea Hamer

GSMBC Level 2 Mountain Bike Coach

Andrea has been coaching since she was 16. She grew up as a competitive freestyle skier, studied business at SAIT, and worked as head coach and program director at Nitehawk Year-Round Adventure Park before starting Riding Into Life in 2018.

These days she spends most of her time on the parts families don't see: designing new programs, building partnerships, and setting up the systems that let AIL reach more communities.

She's a mom, and her daughter and her dog are her favourite trail crew. At home you'll usually find her in the garden, working out which native plants are edible.

2027 team photo coming soon!

Our coaching team

About 25 coaches and instructors ran programs with us in 2026, with backgrounds in mountain biking, bushcraft, outdoor education and early childhood education. Every one of them goes through AIL training before leading a group, and we make sure the coaches on each program have the skills and experience that program needs.

Want to coach with us? We're hiring →

Good to know

Questions about AIL

When was Adventuring Into Life started?

Andrea Hamer started the company as Riding Into Life in December 2018. Our first camp, a girls-only multisport camp at SilverStar, ran in 2019 with five girls. We changed our name to Adventuring Into Life in 2023, because by then we were doing a lot more than riding.

Where do you run programs?

We're based in Kamloops, BC, where we run youth camps, Pro-D day programs, school programs, clinics and private lessons. We also run girls' adventure camps in Vernon, Kelowna and Cranbrook, a women's mountain bike retreat in Valemount, and women's retreats in Costa Rica.

Who runs Adventuring Into Life?

Andrea Hamer is our Founder, and Stacey Gagnon is our Director of Programs & Operations. In 2026, about 25 coaches and instructors ran programs with us.

What ages are your programs for?

Our programs run from age 3 to adult, including youth camps, school programs, girls-only camps, and clinics and retreats for women. Our sister program, Adventuring Into Knowledge, runs outdoor programs for babies and toddlers with their caregivers, preschool-age kids and Kindergarten kids.

What training do your coaches have?

Every coach completes AIL training before leading a group, and all lead coaches hold first aid. Our lead mountain bike coaches are certified through PMBIA or GSMBC, and our early learning leaders are certified Early Childhood Educators. Camps and clinics usually run at one coach for every six to eight participants.

Do you work with schools?

Yes. We run Everyone Rides: Foundations bike skills and bushcraft programs for K-12 classes and homeschool groups, at school or as a field trip. Through Everyone Rides with HUB Cycling, we've run programs at five to seven schools every spring and fall for the past two years, and we worked with 231 students at Dallas Elementary in 2025/26.

Is there help with program costs?

Yes. Our campership program covers some or all of the camp fees for kids whose families need a hand. Visit our campership page or get in touch to find out more.

What's next

More communities. More adventures.

In 2027 we're adding at least one new girls' camp community, starting programs for teen girls aged 13 to 16, and running two women's retreats in Costa Rica as our international trips grow.

If you're a family, a school, a community partner or a sponsor who wants to help more people get outside, we'd love to hear from you.

Our sister program

Adventuring Into Knowledge

Outdoor programs for little ones at MacArthur Island Park in Kamloops, from parent-and-child sessions for babies and toddlers through to a full outdoor Kindergarten program, led by certified Early Childhood Educators.

Visit Adventuring Into Knowledge →

Youth programs Women's programs Schools and groups

Interested in partnering or sponsoring? Get in touch →