Year after year, members of the Whitecourt Trailblazers impress hundreds of sledders and non-sledders alike with their impeccably groomed trail system. They do it for the love of the sport and to uphold their town’s self-proclaimed title of Snowmobile Capital of Alberta.
Work for the Trailblazers begins even before the snow falls. In the autumn, volunteers spend between two and four weekends clearing the trails of brush and debris. Once the white stuff is on the ground, it’s go time. Grooming usually begins in mid-December and runs until the end of March, or whenever the snow begins to disappear. The club grooms about 420 kilometres of trails, including a section of the Golden Triangle—a 350-kilometre loop that connects the communities of Whitecourt, Fox Creek and Swan Hills.
Promoting the sport
The Trailblazers stay busy throughout the sledding season. To showcase the trails, the club organizes an annual VIP and media ride, which usually takes place at the end of January. Local MLAs, county mayors and people from TV and radio stations attend the event, eager to embrace their inner child on a snowmobile. For many, the event provides an opportunity to ride a snowmobile for the first time.
“(The Trailblazers) provide the sleds, the clothing and the helmets,” said Trevor Thain, Whitecourt’s mayor. “They give you some training and then they assign you to a person to go with. You just follow them and they make sure you are not travelling too fast and they help you through some of the difficult parts. They really look after you.”
The mayor’s first ever snowmobile ride took place during a media ride five or six years ago. He has attended the event ever since, either to participate in the ride or to greet the snowmobilers afterwards.
The next big ride for the Trailblazers is the annual Family Poker Rally. Held on the Family Day long weekend in February, this event draws up to 1,000 sledders. It includes a dinner and dance, as well as prize giveaways and a sled raffle.
The spirit of sledding
As with any snowmobile club, it takes a core group of volunteers to keep it going—and the Trailblazers have exactly that.
“There’s a few key members who have really put their heart and soul into the club for many years,” said Darrell Strebchuk, a Whitecourt local.
Strebchuk grew up around snowmobiles, and he and his wife, Jennifer, are raising their sons, Carter, 5, and Kyle, 7, to be sledders. They are one of many families in Whitecourt who support the Trailblazers.
Strebchuk does more than buy a membership though.
“I go to the monthly meetings and I help out in trail cleaning and volunteer for different events,” he said.
The Trailblazers are busy and members are always welcome to sign up as volunteers.
As a member and volunteer, Strebchuk enjoys giving back to the community and sharing in the camaraderie of snowmobiling.
“It gets you more involved in the sport itself and with other people who share the same passion,” he said.
A haven for sledders
The Strebchuk family live just a few hundred yards from one of the club’s access trails. Because of the Town of Whitecourt’s winter bylaw that allows snowmobilers to ride from town to the closest exit point, the Strebchuks can sled right from their house.
There are several routes to choose from, but Strebchuk said the Goodwin Lake Trail southwest of Whitecourt is the family’s favourite one to ride.
“Going right from the house and back, it’s probably a four-hour trip,” he said.
With rivers, forest, rolling hills and cool cutlines to play in, the scenery and terrain around Whitecourt change with every mile, and Strebchuk said the area typically sees good snow.
Many sledders from Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, choose Whitecourt as their winter holiday destination.
“We have some really nice trails for people from out of town to come and ride,” said Strebchuk. “I think they recognize the fact that we take good care of (the trails) and do whatever we can to make them pleasurable and safe.”
