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AWE-INSPIRING: The striking mountains of the Columbia Valley offer a scenic backdrop to a day of family riding. —photo courtesy Dale Steedman

Bino Schaeger can’t remember his first experience on a snowmobile—though the avid sledder is sure he thoroughly enjoyed it.

“I was basically born into it,” he said. “My dad has been snowmobiling since the early ’60s. He started me off on sledding, and it just went from there.”

As the longtime vice-president of the Windermere Valley Snowmobile Society, Schaeger is actively involved in the large community of snowmobilers who live in the Columbia Valley. It’s no small wonder that there are many enthusiastic sledders like Schaeger living in this area—the scenery is some of the most stunning to be found anywhere in the Kootenay region.

Schaeger and his family—which includes his 16-year-old son, Braden, 13- year-old daughter, Sami, and his girlfriend Shelley—head out for family rides at least twice a month. Their preferred sledding destination is the system around Cartwright Lake. They can easily access this vast network of trails and frozen waterways from their family cabin on Dunbar Lake, and the scenery is simply spectacular.

“There are about 13 lakes in that area,” said Schaeger, “with mountains on both sides. It’s just a beautiful area.”

Though the gorgeous landscapes are always a draw for Schaeger, snowmobiling remains for him essentially a family activity. In fact, his best experience is not riding a powder-filled bowl or reaching the high points of an alpine trail, but watching his daughter start to ride by herself.

“Last year, my daughter decided to start sledding by herself—we always used to double and I would ride on the back,” said Schaeger. “But she finally said, ‘OK, Dad—I’m going to try it by myself,’ and now she’s ripping around all by herself— so I was pretty excited.”

Passing on a love of the outdoors to his children has certainly been rewarding for Schaeger. He hopes that his son and daughter will continue on in what he feels has been a sport that has not only taken them into the great outdoors around their Columbia Valley home, but brought them closer together.

“It’s just getting out into the fresh air together as a family—that’s how it has benefited us as a family,” he said.

And he wouldn’t choose any other winter activity for his family.

“It’s definitely awesome to go out there,” said Schaeger. “Plus, you don’t have to wait in line for a ski hill.”