Ride hard, ride safe, ride for another day. That’s the motto that Kristien Larouche sleds by. So far he has a pretty solid record of accomplishing all three of these goals. The rider from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, has already spent countless days on a sled since he first climbed on his dad’s Yamaha Exciter 440. When he was 14 he bought a sled of his own, a Polaris Super Sport 440—not quite the 2014 Polaris Pro R that he rides today.
“We live in a small town so we used to snowmobile to the hockey rink for games in the wintertime and stuff,” said Larouche, “It's just a passion that grew from there.”
Ride hard
Throughout the winter, Larouche tries to make the drive to B.C.’s mountains a few times a month. He's inspired by his favourite pro rider, Chris Burandt, and loves the tree riding of the backcountry. It’s all about the challenge of finding tight lines. After all, Larouche claimed with a laugh, anyone can do a hill climb.
In 2012 Larouche and three friends were heading to Fernie Snow and Mud. Larouche was getting his motor rebuilt and barely got it all beefed up and ready to go for 11 p.m. The diesel they were driving had a faulty battery, so they were soon forced to turn back. The group headed out a second time at midnight and finally reached their destination at 6:30 in the morning. After two hours of sleep, Larouche was out shredding Fernie’s fresh pow—a memorable way to break in his new motor.
“For me the biggest reason (I’m passionate about sledding) is that you go places that you can’t normally go,” said Larouche. “I went to Golden, B.C., this January and I was on the top of a ridge. There was a helicopter dropping skiers off 25 feet away from me. It’s kinda good to sit there and think, ‘I know what you paid for that. And I know what I paid for this. And I’m getting the same view.’ It’s just the thrill and the rush. It’s you and Mother Nature.”
Get involved
Larouche certainly spends some of his riding time in the mountains, but he also stays involved with his local snowmobile club, the Fort Saskatchewan and District Snow Angels. In addition to participating in club charity and fundraising events, he puts time into maintaining the trails and is hoping to update the club’s webpage and social media. At 29 years old, Larouche is one of the younger active members and he’s helping to bring more young riders into the club. As it stands, the Snow Angels’ trails are mostly maintained by retired members.
“At the last meeting we were talking about how we had 144 volunteer man hours just maintaining the trails for one month,” said Larouche. “One thing I’ve noticed is that people enjoy riding on the trails but (only) about 60 per cent of the people that are out riding actually have trail passes. There’s still 40 per cent of the people out there that don’t want to spend the money on a trail pass, but they don’t understand how much volunteer work goes into making these trails the way they like to ride them.”
Ride safe
Larouche pointed out that if a sledder shells out for a $14,000 sled then it’s just common sense to pay $350 to get some safety training. You cannot lose by learning to understand the conditions and situations you could possibly get yourself into. Riders have a responsibility to know how to be part of a rescue plan, believes Larouche—and to make sure that the people they’re riding with also know how to react to an emergency situation.
“The Fort Saskatchewan Snow Angels have a memorial ride every year because there was a gentleman that actually lost his life in the mountains in an avalanche,” said Larouche. “It’s our way of trying to get more people involved in understanding where they’re riding and what they’re getting themselves into.”
Ride another day
So Larouche is out there riding hard and riding safe—and he’ll be riding for another day. He looks forward to growing in his own skills and to continuing to promote the sport. It all comes from a genuine passion for sledding.
“For me it’s just being with friends and enjoying the snow and just finding those lines,” said Larouche. “You’re actually pulling it off and looking back and going, ‘Yeah, I just did that. That was pretty sweet.’ It’s playing in the deep snow and not really having a care in the world—just worrying about the moment instead of all the reality, and everything else that goes on in life.”
