The area where the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club rides is a favourite sledding destination, and club members are dedicated to keeping it that way. It’s obvious they’re doing something right.
“We have members from as far away as California,” said club president Greg Byman. “We have people coming from New York, New Brunswick, Newfoundland—a lot of people also come here from Europe to go snowmobiling. There are several rental companies in town, and they do a lot of bookings. It’s really an international snowmobile area.”
Revelstoke is definitely popular, which is not surprising given its proximity to a mountain playground. Sometimes local snowmobilers will ride their sleds right from their door to the base of the mountain—there are four or five mountains just a few minutes out of town. Revelstoke is also renowned for its alpine terrain and deep powder riding. Its mountains host exceptionally long riding seasons—It’s not unusual to enjoy the sport nine months a year.
Byman believes that snowmobiling is one of the best sports out there when it comes to the social side. The Revelstoke Snowmobile Club has 750 members, but even though most of these are from out of province many riders visit several times a month and ride together.
An annual Vintage Ride is planned for April 6, 2013. For this event, participants are encouraged to bring out their vintage sleds and gear for a great day out on Boulder Mountain. Riders will meet at the Boulder parking lot at 10 a.m. The day will include a group photo and a poker ride complete with trophies. At 6 p.m. riders will gather for a wiener roast to wind down after a full day of riding and socializing. There is no cost to participate, although non-members will need to purchase a day pass for the trails. For more info be sure to visit the Revelstoke snowmobile website.
Although the sledding scene in Revelstoke makes for a strong community spirit, the club’s volunteers find they also keep busy advocating for the sport in another way. Saving riding areas is one of their main concerns. Although the club wholeheartedly supports caribou recovery, they have been long-time advocates of doing so with responsible and balanced management. They would like to see some accountability for any closures to ensure it is an effective strategy.
That’s not all that's keeping the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club busy, however.
“Snowmobiling has just grown in Revelstoke, especially the last five years,” said Byman. “People are realizing that. It’s always been known as one of the best places to ever go riding, but now the snowmobile club is so proactive in moving forward. We’ve taken on a very ambitious project of upgrading all our infrastructure. (We’ve built) the two new cabins, new trails, and have been approving existing trails. We’ve really been focused on that.”
Between the proactive club, a great area and some really fun events, Revelstoke has become the triple threat of sledding.
“People absolutely love to come for the mountains,” said Byman. “We have a lot of mountains to ride—there are probably well over a dozen around here. It’s all alpine riding and Revelstoke is known for its deep powder snow. People come from all over the world to ride our area.”
