5 photos that will make you want to sled Sicamous

You’ll be praying for winter to come early after seeing these snowmobiling photos from Sicamous

by Kirsten Armleder

A GoPro photo of a snowmobiler sidehilling in Sicamous.
Sicamous has the kind of terrain that snowmobilers will drive 19 hours for. Colin Scarfe, who is from Pinawa, Manitoba, makes his annual pilgrimage to the area, every January. What he loves about Sicamous is the deep snow and multitudinous riding opportunities. “Sicamous is great because it’s central to a lot of other great riding areas,” said Scarfe. “You can hop in the truck and go for a short drive east or west and you have many more zones to ride.” — Colin Scarfe photo

Over the years, Sicamous, B.C., has racked up a rather impressive list of awards, including the most recent 2017 SledTown ShowDown Champion of Western Canada.

But if popular opinion isn’t enough to convince you of visiting this destination, consider this: Sicamous has four main riding zones within a 30-kilometre radius—and one of the zones (Eagle Pass) is so large that the other three could easily fit into it. The infrastructure for sledding is also very well developed, with excellent staging areas, regularly groomed trail access and well-appointed cabins.

An aerial shot of the Eagle Pass cabin in Sicamous.
The Eagle Pass cabin, which was finished in 2013, is the newest. Past here, in this advanced riding zone, you will find everything from tree riding in the burnt timber to deep powder play on the open rolling hills to gnarly chute climbing. If you like to send it, there are also plenty of opportunities to build jumps as well. Loretta Corless photo
A young rider on the trails in Sicamous.
Some of the photos coming out of Sicamous look pretty intimidating but families and novice riders need not fear—for Owlhead, Blue Lake and Queest have gentle, groomed trails to ride. According to Gord Bushell, general manager of the Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club, there is a connector trail from Owlhead to Blue Lake that is very well suited for families. Chris Block photo
Adam Thomelius does a backflip in Sicamous.
Riders from around the world are discovering Sicamous’ potential. In the winter of 2016-2017, Wally Taylor and Rachel Scott, owners of Rekkless Wraps in Sicamous, hosted a group from Sweden for two weeks. “We rode all over Sicamous and they loved every minute of it,” said Taylor. “Being that Rachel and I ride over 100 days a year, we see a lot of new riders come out to the Sicamous area. There are hills and trails for everyone, from beginner to expert.” Pictured above is Adam Thomelius, who rides for Northern Lights Films in Sweden. This photo was taken at Eagle Pass. Wally Taylor photo
Rene St. Onge carves a sidehill in Sicamous.
The Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club tries to make it as easy as possible for out-of-towners to find and access the snowmobile trails around Sicamous. If it’s your first time, however, and you don’t feel comfortable venturing out on your own, you can hire a guide, such as Rene St. Onge (pictured above) from the Eagle Valley Lodge. Carl Kuster Mountain Park comes highly recommended as well. Hans Wardell Photography

Want to know more about the snowmobiling in Sicamous? Check out our Trip Planner page

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