Kathy Eliuk said that when she joined the Cranbrook Snowmobile Club more than 30 years ago, there were hardly any female riders. But that did not faze Eliuk, who has spent the majority of her life riding off-road vehicles
“I have been riding motorcycles since I was 14,” said Eliuk. “For 44 years I have had my motorcycle licence and in the 70s I started riding a snowmobile.”
Eliuk is originally from Edson, Alberta, and moved to Cranbrook in 1980. Immediately, she joined the Cranbrook Snowmobile Club and she and a few other women started organizing women-only rides. According to Eliuk, they were a hit among the ladies of the club, and a lot of fun.
“One weekend we had 20 women come out with no men allowed,” said Eliuk. “We would go out on Friday night and stay at the (Lumberton) cabin and sled all day Saturday. On Sunday, usually the families would come out—then the men were allowed.”
A pledge of love
Eliuk and her husband Dale, who is also a member of the club, both love riding in the Lumberton area and have seen the riding evolve in that area throughout the last 30 years. Dale thinks that the popularity of the area is in part because the club grooms some of the trails in Lumberton. Over the years, the Eliuks have been on the Cranbrook Snowmobile Club executive board and currently they serve as executives for the B.C. Lions Society snowarama fundraiser in Cranbrook that raises money for children with disabilities.
“The nice thing about the snowarama is that you get all of the ladies and all of the kids out,” said Dale. “We serve hot dogs and hot chocolate and sometimes the dealers bring stuff out. It is not just a fundraiser—it is a social.”
A family affair
The Eliuks plan to continue sledding in the Lumberton area for many years to come, and over the years they commented on how the sport has evolved to be a family sport.
“We ride a lot at Lumberton, but we used to ride all over the place,” said Dale. “We also ride Lamb Creek and Moyie sometimes and we group ride with other couples. There are more and more (women) all of the time. Some have their own machines and some have their own truck, they don’t even have a man with them.”
