My awesome backyard consists of the Coast Mountain range from Squamish to Pemberton, B.C. I can get lost for days sledding or sled-skiing deep, powdery lines that leave me breathless.
We all have our favorite zones and I admit that it is hard to leave them to test out other places. However, to me snowmobiling is all about the adventure and when I got the invitation to hook up with Greater Vancouver Power Sports, my local Ski-Doo dealer, at their annual Grizzly Lodge ride, I was pumped.
Grizzly Lodge is located deep in the heart of the Shuswap mountains in the southern interior of British Columbia. The gorgeous 12,000-square-foot lodge has every luxurious amenity that you need to enjoy yourself, but the real magic is the 120 square kilometres of riding terrain, which has an annual snowfall of 30-plus feet.
Our group arrived Friday morning. After dropping off our extra gear at the lodge and checking in with lodge owner Adam Trainer on current conditions and secret powder stashes, we were off!
Within 10 minutes of leaving the lodge you are in the high alpine. Even though it was snowing hard, the visibility was great. Gotta love the dry interior! We broke into smaller groups and five of us dropped down into some cut blocks that were over-the-hood deep. The snow was light and it seemed as though these powder stashes just went on forever.
The next morning we woke to sunny skies and two feet of fresh powder. I was on my new 2012 Ski-Doo Freeride and we spent all day in the tight trees, carving and boondocking till we were out of fuel.
If you're looking for a wicked getaway with your family or friends, then check out Grizzly Lodge or any one of the other amazing lodges around BC. There is nothing like getting up in the morning, hopping on your sled and riding sick powder all day--and then doing it over and over.
Check my website at noronalife.com or see a video on YouTube.
Professional adventurer Dave Norona has raced in over 400 of the world's most challenging races and now is a Ski-Doo Freeride ambassador.
