The Paradise Valley Snowmobile Association has hard-working members who make sledding in Dawson Creek an amazing experience. Outgoing club president, Richard Cornier, answered our questions and gave us an inside look at this wonderful organization.
What do you consider to be your main trails?
One Island Lake, Bear Mountain Loop and River Road Trail.
How do you get to the staging areas of your main trails?
(Via) Radar Lake Road.
Is there enough room at the staging area for trucks with big trailers?
Yes.
When do you have your club meetings?
Second Tuesday of every month.
How does a person join the club?
Through online membership, (or you can buy memberships) at dealerships.
What year was the club started?
In 1969, and (we were the) BCSF Snowmobile Club of the Year in 2014.
On average, how many members are in your club?
65
Who will be president in the 2016/2017 season?
James Cronier will be taking over.
(Richard Cronier is the outgoing president as he assumed the position of BCSF President in April 2016. His son, James, will be the new club president.)
Do you have a local snowmobiling celebrity?
Gen Byl is from Dawson Creek and is featured on the Facebook page for The Frostbitten Rider.
In addition to responding to our questions, Cronier also supplied a bit of additional information that really speaks to the club's enthusiasm, goals and community contributions:
"The PVSA Club is a family- and community-orientated club. Our past community involvement has (included) the Tracks for Cancer, where we raised almost $9,000 to support cancer research. We have also raised monies to put 10 teenagers from South Peace Secondary School through to get their AST1 training. We work closely with Summit Avalanche Consulting to encourage our mountain riders to get the training. Our trails involve almost 300 kilometres but most need brushing and the club is going to embark on a program to see that we get that completed over the next three to five years. We have no groomer because we have no monies and snow conditions do not always provide an opportunity to invest in such. Our goal would be to see a connector trail between Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge to provide a tourism opportunity for both communities."
