The Whitecourt Trailblazers Snowmobile Club maintains some of the most renowned sledding areas in Alberta, with passion and enthusiasm from every one of their volunteers. Ever since the club’s origin, it has assisted the community, even helping to establish legal support for ATV users in addition to caring for the sledding populace. Mitch Sharp, a club director, was kind enough to answer my questions and provide some insight into the Trailblazers and their history.
How long has the club been in existence, and how did it come into being?
Organizational meetings began in November of 1979. At the time there was no bylaw controlling the use of ATVs in town and this was causing some complaints from citizens. Town council of the day was going to ban the use of all ATVs, thus eliminating the ability to ride from your home to the many areas around here. With efforts (from) the club, an ATV bylaw was adopted to allow access to the trails from your residence. The present day amended bylaw allows designated areas for operators of ATVs within town limits and to the trail systems—this is in operation from December 1 to March 31 of each year.
2009 saw the Trailblazers celebrate our 30th anniversary with the ’09 Sled Invasion. We had the Octane Addictions snowmobile freestyle team come up and put on two shows, one on Friday night and one Sunday evening. During the Friday show, Sam Rogers succeeded in breaking the Guinness world record for the longest backflip on a sled from ramp to snow. That weekend also saw the Trailblazers host the ASA Jamboree banquet as well as a poker rally Saturday and Sunday with around 1,500 sledders participating over the two days.
How has the club changed over the years?
The club has grown from a few members to (approximately) 400, (making it) one of the biggest clubs in the province. The club is very involved throughout the community, including the awarding of an annual scholarship to graduating students going on to post-secondary education. (We have) been recognized and received awards for achievements and continued promotion of the area in the sport of snowmobiling.
Where can visitors to Whitecourt get topographical maps, GPS co-ordinates and other information before heading out on the trails?
GPS co-ordinates are on the trail map, which is available at RPM Powersports, Whitecourt IGA, the Chamber of Commerce information Centre and in PDF format on http://www.whitecourttrailblazers.ca Trail. conditions are posted weekly on the website as well.
Are there any meeting places in Whitecourt where sledders from out-of-town can meet up with local snowmobilers?
We do have a Sunday Rides program during the season where a club member leads a ride on Sunday afternoons so that folks new to town or just looking for some new people to ride with can learn the trails. You can often find sledders enjoying an after or mid-ride meal at the Quality Inn as it is on the banks of the McLeod River, easily accessible from the trails. The Ritz Hotel down the hill, and Roadhouse uptown are a couple of other places where sledders can be found having breakfast before a ride.
What plans do you have for the future of the club?
The club just received over $300,000 from all levels of government for trail maintenance and development. We are looking at developing approximately 100 to 150 kilometres (of additional) trail this winter, hopefully to be ready for use in the 2010-2011 season. As well, we are discussing hiring full-time groomer operators to take the strain off of our overworked volunteer grooming crew.
And finally, why do you think Whitecourt is a fantastic place to sled?
A hundred per cent of our trail system is on Crown land so there are no landowner issues. The entire trail system is accessible from town after the McLeod and Athabasca rivers freeze. (There is an) incredible volunteer base in this town—the dedication of the core club members and support we receive from local businesses is unbelievable. A great variety of terrain within two hours of town allows for some awesome trail riding as well as almost unlimited off-trail, cutline and meadow riding if you are willing to explore a bit.
