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SLEDDING PARTNERS: (Back row L to R) Karen, Denice and Ken Francis, Matt and Tasha Rakach, (front row L to R) Dave and Liam Francis and Cal Rakach pose for a picture atop Boulder Mountain.

RARING TO RIDE: Liam Francis was eager to explore the trails.

As I lay in bed listening to the rain falling on the tin roof of the camper, I was sure rain in the valley meant that it was snowing up on Boulder Mountain. The weather forecast for the next day didn’t give any hope that our trip up the mountain would be anything but wet with sloppy snow and rain. However, with the crew I was riding with that wouldn’t matter.

At the invite of my buddy—10-year-old Liam Francis—I, along with my kids Matt and Tasha, went to Revelstoke to do some spring sledding with the Francis Clan at Boulder Mountain. With the incredible support of Yamaha Canada, Krazy Canadian Dan Davidoff and the fine folks with the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club, Liam was going to take his buddy Drew Derosier, who is afflicted with cerebral palsy, for a snowmobile ride. For Liam, who has general dystonia, this would be his second time snowmobiling at Boulder in as many years; his excitement could barely be contained. Unfortunately, due to scheduling difficulties with Drew and the Krazy Canadian, Liam’s special guest and extreme sledding hero were unable to make it.

Armed with the infectious smiles of the Francis clan, the ride had to go on. Eventually, the skies opened up with some brilliant sunshine and after assigning machines and gear, our troop started up the mountain following the freshly groomed Veideman Trail towards Boulder Cabin. The route provided us with a spectacular view of the valley below.

Randy Swenson and Brendan Keys of Yamaha Canada had provided Yamaha’s newest line of four-stroke Venture, Apex and Nitro’s for the group’s riding comfort and pleasure. Liam and I got to stretch out on the roomy Venture Touring machine.

Once we got to the cabin, Liam instantly recognized the area from last year’s trip up here. We let him pilot the sled around the open meadow; his strength and skill had improved from the previous year and much to his delight, he was able to take better control with less assistance from me. This added confidence on Liam’s part meant I would have to give him more control and had to figure out a way to keep the sled from becoming a rocket ship when he squeezed the throttle. The old tuck-the-thumb-under-the-throttle trick allowed me to control the speed by pushing back on Liam’s throttle squeezing. A word of caution: remember to turn off the throttle heater when using this technique as your thumb comes in direct contact with the heater element.

Fun in the sun

After eating a lunch consisting of Herbi’s fine burgers, it was time to head up to the Sugar Bowl—where Tasha and Matt got to show off their snowboarding skills. Fresh snow from the previous night provided some fine riding for these two and Matt even did a crowd-pleasing face plant on one run.

Once we got him brushed off from his boarding adventures, Randy, Brendan, Matt and I rode farther into the alpine to the Super Bowl. This gave Matt and me a chance to hone our mountain riding skills on the big four-strokes, which involved working up a sweat pulling stuck machines from incorrectly executed manoeuvres. From the Super Bowl, Randy pointed out some of the chutes and slopes that made our Krazy Canadian and others rock stars of the Thunderstruck sledding videos. These ascents were hills that I used to take pride in having the skill to ski down.

Lots of happy memories

As the day drew to an end, the weather started to close in and eventually it was time to head back to the parking lot. Liam got a few last spins around the meadow before we rode back down with our spirits replenished and faces rosy from the sunshine. The smiles from the day continued well into the night around a campfire.

A huge thanks goes to the generosity of Randy and Brendan of Yamaha Canada for providing the awesome rides and to Kathy at the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club for the trail grooming and trail passes. The whole crew committed to making sure that young Drew will be able to join us for the 3rd Annual Liam’s Sleigh Ride for Kids. Hang in there Drew, we’re coming for you buddy.