A vacation destination becomes home

There's a little bit of British in Golden, B.C.

1 of 3Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park is a favoured recreation spot for Ian Archbold, co-owner of Dogtooth Climbing Gym in Golden, B.C. — Photo courtesy Ian Archbold

2 of 3Dogtooth Climbing Gym in Golden, B.C., provides an indoor climbing arena for rock climbing enthusiasts. — Photo courtesy Ian Archbold

3 of 3Ian Archbold of Golden, B.C., enjoys climbing at Three Valley Gap, just west of Revelstoke. — Photo courtesy Ian Archbold

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“Originally, I came to Golden (B.C.) for skiing holidays, and liked the area," said Ian Archbold. “I bought a house here about nine years ago as a holiday home and then Rachel and I decided to move here, so we started the immigration process.”

Immigration from just north of London, England, that is. Archbold was born in Scotland but grew up in England. He and his wife, Rachel Wilde, expected it to take three years to complete the immigration process, but after one year they had made no headway, so they applied to Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program. They qualified, and within six months were able to make the big move.

New home, new career

Archbold and Wilde were employed in the IT field in England, he as a computer programmer and she as a business analyst. They have both made a complete career change.

“My computer skills certainly help in my current role, but the positions are very different,” said Wilde, who works part time for Tourism Golden as a marketing and administrative assistant.

Archbold still does a bit of IT work just for fun, but he is otherwise fully occupied with the business he opened in 2007—the Dogtooth Climbing Gym.

“Thankfully, we have a good-sized climbing community for the size of the town,” Archbold said. “We’re grateful for our loyal customers and the influx of seasonal workers and skiers in the winter. We don’t get any significant business from tourists.”

The living is easy—and fun

The pace of life in Golden is a pleasant contrast to the busy, congested environment of life in England.

“I really value the relaxed, laid-back atmosphere here, and the friendliness of the people,” said Archbold. “It’s nice to not have to deal with traffic and the rat race. The outdoor lifestyle is a very attractive aspect, and we’re close enough to Calgary to take advantage of the international airport.”

Wilde and Archbold both enjoy the outdoors. Wilde said her favourite forms of recreation include Nordic skiing, canoeing, hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, ATV touring, climbing and camping. 

“Ian is very active, and so I get dragged along quite a bit,” she said.

Archbold has found a satisfying way to combine his love of the outdoors with making a contribution in his adopted community.

“I do the volunteer ski patrol at Kicking Horse (Mountain Resort),” said Archbold, “and I often help out the high school on their outdoor field trips, especially for climbing.”