Singing at the top of our lungs, my husband and I belt out tune after tune on our way to the Alberta Snowmobile and Powersports Show. “Oh, Oh sometimes... I get a good feeling.”
We were excited to make the trek once again to Edmonton, Alberta. Catching up with friends, seeing the latest in technology and movie premieres each year brings surprises and much laughter.
There were 150 vendors at this year’s show, with everything from clothing to performance parts on display. Vendor space is in high demand and is generally one of the greatest challenges key organizer Peri Price wrestles with each year.
“We are one of the largest shows in North America, so demand for vendor space is high,” said Price. “Because of this demand, we may need to look at expanding the venue.”
General Motors Corporation stepped up this year as a title sponsor, which was a wonderful addition to the already growing vendor selection.
Booth by booth, butterflies build in anticipation of our next snowmobile season.
The highlights
Performance vendors were a big deal this year. Boondocker Turbos brought their A-game yet again, with sled superstars Jared Sessions and Dan Adams available to answer any and all questions curious showgoers had for them, alongside Boondocker owner Rocky Young and Canadian representative Reid Hedlund. Definitely a booth packed full of experience and knowledge.
New to the scene in the performance department was Shawn Davenport and his MTNTK crew, with a few innovative products to knock your socks off. From Ashton, Idaho, Davenport and his crew were astounded by the amount of eager traffic this show attracts. Their Blow Hole system for the Arctic Cat was a sure fire hit, promising to remove much of the heat generated by clutches and the drive belt in a way that is effective and economical.
On the safety side of things, Carole Savage with the Canadian Avalanche Centre was there as an advocate for today’s mountain rider. With snowmobile-related avalanche deaths at an all-time low, it is a breath of fresh air to have so many eager riders signing up for AST 1 classes. Lori Zacaruk of Zacs Tracks was busy the entire show, along with other avalanche safety specialists, ensuring that everyone has the ability to know before they go.
Several snowmobile clubs from throughout B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan were on hand with trail passes and information to boost club numbers, along with major representatives from the ASA, ABCSC and BCSF. A common theme with clubs in all provinces is to boost club numbers to boost the power of the snowmobiling people. With threats of land closures and exclusivity rights from non-motorized winter adventure groups, there is no time to waste. Support the clubs that support your right to ride.
Fashion, celebrity and world premieres
Shred fashion has never been so exciting. New on the scene was Strikt, a Canadian company promising warmth and dryness and based in Golden, B.C. There was a huge presence once again by the dealers and support staff of Motorfist LLC. Company executives worked alongside their dealers to ensure everyone who needed help was indeed satisfied. Their new Redline boot and women's Contessa gear simply wowed the crowd. Klim’s new lineup full of style and colour was like the icing on the cake, sending many a showgoer home with many treasures for the upcoming season.
If autographs were what you were after, you’d better bring a lot of sharpies, for there were many industry greats signing up a storm. Chris Burandt and his Burandt’s Backcountry Adventures booth had droves of fans consistently throughout the show, as did Geoff “Phatty” Dyer and his Boondockers 10 booth. Geoff Kyle signed poster after poster for his eager Sledneck and Braaap fans, while the patient sled sisters from the Betties Powersports Network posed for picture after picture and autographs for their following of women fans. Jim Phelan and his Team Thunderstruck were also there signing posters for their adoring fans. It truly is great to see industry “big deals” remember the people who support their movies and projects.
Snow and Mud.com, the biggest Canadian online shred forum, co-hosted Saturday night festivities at the Ale Yard with the Betties Powersports Network—great food, and great movies. The Betties Adventure 3 world premiere and Throttle Decisions were an epic success. Not only were fans excited about the movie premieres, but both groups were commended on the message they sent out to the snowmobiling public. Education, preparation and epic deep powder truly do make the shred world go round. A record number of door prizes were graciously donated from businesses and groups such as Varda, who donated a full season’s pass to the Valemount ride area.
When everything was said and done, the show was a complete success. Exhausted, we made the long trek home with far less enthusiasm than the trip up. Completely ready to be back in the B.C. mountains, my husband and I found ourselves in an epic battle of music. Very little patience was shown in our ability to find compromise in one another’s music taste. To try to maintain peace we developed the one-song rule. He would pick a song, (mostly country full of steel guitars and twang, making me almost leap in agony from the truck) then it was my turn. A little bit of Bush, G&R and Nirvana, to which I’d serenade my cringing husband. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey—unless you are travelling home completely spent from a sled show. In that case, the destination can not come soon enough.
