Being at home with the land, one adventure at a time
From snowboarding to surfing, four-season athlete Robin Van Gyn has been exploring her native British Columbia since age 16. Whether chasing storms, riding peaks, or commanding waves, Robin constantly seeks new and sustainable ways to connect with nature.
“You can take something old and make it beautiful again,” Robin says. “Waste drives me insane.” She appreciates how Yakima shares her commitment to preserving the environment. “People have used Yakima products for decades because they’re durable and made to last, rather than be thrown away.”
Not your typical burb shack
Robin and her boyfriend Austen bought a 10-acre piece of previously clearcut land no one wanted. “Something just told us to do it, she says. “The Earth is in a state of crisis—with plastic everywhere, climate change, and animals going extinct.” They planned on building a house but didn’t want to dive into a big build, “just a burb shack.”
With recycling as the theme, Robin has been transforming a repurposed, 300-sq. ft. container into a wilderness home with amazing views of land, sea, and sunsets. The flooring comes from Habitat for Humanity’s surplus retail store, while wood for the new carport was part of an old barn in Victoria, BC.
Long-life solutions to Take It EasyTM
Robin’s adventure-mobile is a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado that’s outfitted with a Yakima OverHaul™ HD truck rack. She loves how easily the versatile OverHaul configures and adjusts for different uses and equipment.
Action sports require a lot of gear in general, she finds. “Yakima offers me a better way to stash, store, and organize—keeping everything dry and more manageable.”
With the SkyBox™, Robin can throw wet boots and waders up top, “while the SlimShady™ keeps the van and us cooler on hot summer days on the river,” she says. “After hauling lumber, I can just go surfing.”
Rebuilding and evolving
After a decade of celebrated backcountry snowboarding, Robin is finding fresh opportunities to evolve in the sport, while continuing to pursue her passion for the water.
Now with their “green” home in progress, she and Austen are sending a message: “Like Yakima, we are trying to be good stewards of the planet.”
