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Fernie

The novice speaks

EdSled day was a grand success

by Tanya Laing

Expectations are high when you are a novice snowmobiler.

“Novice” is what my boss called me based on my one and only five-minute solo snowmobiling experience in Naples, Idaho a year ago. When SnoRider's editorial team took a day last February to go snowmobiling in Fernie—EdSled day—my boss said he would like to see it written from the perspective of a beginner, a novice and an expert. I was given the task of writing about it from the novice’s point of view, since Kirsten Armleder is a fearless adrenaline junkie who speaks sled fluently, and Michelle Dobrovolny could identify a snowmobile at 20 paces but had no experience beyond that.

As a novice, you feel some pressure to be better than the beginner—or at least cooler. However, during the initial avalanche briefing that is part of tour package offered by Prestige Tours in Fernie, all notions of competitiveness melt away when you realize the person next to you might be the one to dig you out if the unthinkable happens. Plus, after you've buried your sled three times before you've actually hit the powder, you tend to feel more humble.

The day was spectacular. My partner, Rusty, was brought along as official sled-tower and shovel operator. He had been fighting a cold for more than a week but the prospect of some high-powered mountain sleds, a guided trip to some of the finest powder in Canada and three smart, fabulous women was an offer he couldn't refuse. The tour provided by Prestige Tours in Fernie is outstanding. There are some amazing views when the clouds clear, especially up in the high alpine where we had a chance to play.

As a novice, I wanted to impress the others with my daring, which meant opening up the throttle on some of the long, straight stretches on the trail and, with some gentle coaxing from Rusty and Kirsten, playing in the powder. I buried my sled an obscene number of times. Even standing on the rails, I had a hard time turning the beast. I'd lose confidence, then lose speed and then lose my sled to the powder. But the first time I really pulled my body into it and felt the sled turn with me, I whooped. Even being bucked off during another act of dare-devilry wasn't enough to deter me.

EdSled days will become a tradition at SnoRiders. Next time, however, we're opting for the plan that has a spa day attached. After having beat myself up on the hills, I would have easily given someone else permission to beat the kinks out of my back.