Brenda Duval’s Hotshot of the month

SnoRiders catches up with the photo contest winner for the month of January 2018

by Kirsten Armleder

A group of family and friends were all smiles during the Watt Mountain Wanderers’ 2017 Poker Rally in High Level, Alberta. Brenda Duval photo

So caught up in shredding the gnar and getting the next banger shot, we often forget about the simplest reward of snowmobiling: camaraderie. The winning photo for the month of January 2018 reminds us to stop, relax and be thankful for the people we share this amazing sport with.

Thank you Brenda Duval, the photographer, for entering this photo in our Hotshots contest, and congratulations on winning the Titan Airflow helmet from CKX Gear. Below, we ask Duval a few questions about her snowmobiling habits:

How did you get into snowmobiling?

I have always liked sledding. As a child, my father used to pull us behind his sled with a wood toboggan through the fields and trails in the forest. But it wasn’t until about five years ago that a friend of ours lent my husband and me a sled to try trail riding. After that, I was hooked.

What do you currently ride?

Last year, I purchased a 2016 Yamaha SR Viper trail edition.

Brenda Duval rockin’ her new CKX Titan Airflow helmet. photo courtesy Brenda Duval

Where do you usually ride?

I usually ride the trail that the Watt Mountain Wanderers have, which goes from High Level west to follow the trails northeast behind and over Watt Mountain. Just that trail is close to 130 kilometres of varied terrain and beautiful scenery. I will eventually try other trails south when I purchase a trailer to haul both our sleds.

What do you like most about snowmobiling?

The peace and quiet on the trail, the social aspect when travelling with friends for a rib night at one of our shelters and the fact that you can get away from the chaos of everyday life, even if it is just for a little while.

What keeps you busy in the summertime?

Trail maintenance, for one. But also I do a lot of woodworking, gardening, crafts and photography. Although it sounds like I rest, I keep pretty busy with all of this.

Tell us about the day you took this photo.

This is a family shot of friends participating in our annual poker rally last year. This was taken at the top of Watt Mountain at one of our warmup shelter checkpoints.

Related Articles

A Polaris RZR slides across a corner on a snowy race track, spraying powdery snow in the process.
Meet the Rider, Alberta This custom-built RZR rider races to the top of the podium

Richard Bernard, founder of Bernard Motorsports, is racing to the top of the leaderboards throughout Western Canada and elevating the industry along the way

by Kyle Born
Pam DeRosa stands on her snowmobile, which has a neon green and blue sled wrap with the name Alpine Addicts written on the side.
Meet the Rider, Kootenay Rockies, BC Pam DeRosa: The mind behind the most evocative sled wrap designs

Pam DeRosa, sled, side-by-side and dirt bike wrap designer near Castlegar, B.C., allows her creativity and client’s personality roam free in the backcountry

by Kyle Born
Brennan Mulvahill hill climbs his orange and grey snowmobile up a mountain with trailers at the bottom in the background.
Meet the Rider, How to become a pro hill climb racer

Brennan Mulvahill, pro hill climb racer for Ski-Doo in Dawson Creek, B.C., shares his experience of snowmobiling ascendence

by Kyle Born
>
View all Meet the Rider articles