For rider Cheryl Stewart, snowmobiling has become a family affair—again. Having grown up on sleds, Stewart recently starting riding again when she and her husband, along with their 20-year-old daughter, built a cabin at Madge Lake, over three hours away from their Regina home. Now instead of dreading winters, the family embrace the days when they can all jump on their Arctic Cat sleds and hit the trails of the nearby Duck Mountain Provincial Park.
“I ride a 2009 Arctic Cat F5, my husband has a 2012 Arctic Cat XF1100 and my daughter has a 2008 Arctic Cat Jaguar,” said Stewart. “I like my Arctic Cat because it’s a little lighter and easier to handle than some of the bigger sleds.”
For Stewart, who visits Duck Mountain Provincial Park at least two weekends a month all winter long and spends at least a week there during the Christmas season, it’s the social aspect of snowmobiling she enjoys most.
“My favourite rides are days when you can gather a group of five or six and take off for a long ride,” said Stewart. “We like to stop somewhere along the trail and build a fire, roast some hotdogs, visit, then carry on. Nothing beats a day where the sun is shining warm on your face, (and) you can find some fresh powder on the hillside to play in and a terrific sheltered spot for a fire.”
Stewart also likes to take photographs of the beautiful scenery surrounding Duck Mountain and Madge Lake. Whether it’s deer, elk, moose, wolves or just the frost as it sits undisturbed on the trees, there’s never a shortage of subject matter to shoot, and Stewart will often head out for a day on the trails on her own—partly so that as a solo rider she has less chance of scaring any wildlife away, and partly so she doesn’t slow other riders down.
“When I ride with others, sometimes they can get a little impatient with me and my camera,” said Stewart, “so I’ll often head out on my own so that I can take my time, and go out looking for frost on the trees and other things that I like to photograph.”
With well-groomed trails and a beautiful park to sled in, Stewart said she also likes that the Duck Mountain/Madge Lake area offers a good variety of areas to ride that connect from the park to other trails. Add some light, fluffy snow—and lots of it—said Stewart, and it’s the perfect place to be.
