Sledders in Grassland, Alberta, seem to keep a low profile, but if you know where to look, you can find members of the unofficial Grassland Midnight Riders snowmobile club there. Don Kravontka is a Midnight Rider as well as the sales manager at Grassland Trailer and Ski-Doo.
Kravontka, 46, started sledding at age 10 when his father bought him a 1975 Arctic Cat Jag. Since then, he’s been through a long list of sleds, and he now rides a 2012 Ski-Doo Summit 800 E-Tec with a 174-inch track. He will also be riding one of the new 2013 Ski-Doo Summits this year.
From Grassland, Kravontka likes snowmobiling along the Athabasca River in an area called Poacher’s Landing as well as riding to Swan Hills and Fort McMurray. Old Man Winter has not been kind to Kravontka and other local sledders though; a lack of snow in the last few years has forced them to explore other areas outside of their community—but Kravontka is hoping that will change this year because he prefers sledding from home.
“I take a trip every year from here to Swan Hills,” said Kravontka. “I ride right from my house in Grassland.”
