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REVELSTOKE, B.C.
Powder to the people
There is never a shortage of snow in the mountains that surround Revy
by AMBER COWIE
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GREAT LAKE: Trout Lake City and its surrounding area have everything a snowmobiler could dream of: endless alpine bowls, stunning scenery and a cozy little hotel.
—photo by Graham Helfrick |
Graham Helfrick of Calgary, Alberta, could be considered a connoisseur of snowmobiling in Western Canada. He has been riding for nearly a decade, has made tracks in locations across the southern part of the province and has recently joined forces with a motley crew of riders aged 25 to 60 who call themselves the Fat Boys. His sledding credentials also include publishing a 16-month calendar for 2007 composed largely of his own amazing photographs. Helfrick's vast knowledge of snowmobiling has caused him to fall in love with the mountains around Revelstoke time and time again. Currently, his favourite spot is a little-known sledding haven called Trout Lake, located about two hours south of Revelstoke.
The hills are alive
The deep alpine bowls that constitute snowmobiling territory around Trout Lake are open only to those willing to put a little time into the journey to get there. The community of Trout Lake City is accessible in two ways: riders can drive south from Revelstoke on Highway 23 and take the Galena Bay ferry across Upper Arrow Lake, or drive south from Nakusp on Highway 31. Once a popular trading post for miners and early settlers to the Kootenays, Trout Lake City is now a heritage- rich paradise for snowmobiling enthusiasts like Helfrick.
"Trout Lake isn't very well known, which is great for people like me who do know about it," said Helfrick. "There's a wonderful hotel called the Windsor Hotel where we stay at. The staff there are all snowmobilers as well, so it’s a great atmosphere."
A well-kept secret
Helfrick discovered Trout Lake two years ago, and since then, he has kept a standing winter reservation at the hotel. His enthusiasm for the area stems as much from the snowmobiling DVDs available for viewing in the hotel's TV room and the incredible food on offer in the dining room as it does from the fantastic sledding terrain that surrounds the Windsor.
"It's got huge wide open areas, and since it's so close to Revelstoke, it's similar snowpack, which is good," said Helfrick. "It's usually not tracked up at all, just because there’s not that many people up there."
Helfrick and his snowmobiling companions treasure the backcountry riding available in Trout Lake above all other features the area has to offer.
"We only ride the trails until we can get into the alpine bowls to explore," said Helfrick. "You can't tell how big it is until you get up the peak and once it opens up you can see there's just bowl after bowl after bowl. I can't see how it would be possible to cover the whole area because it's so vast."
Helfrick has photographed many of his backcountry expeditions, and the pictures—as well as his calendar—are available through his website www.photosbygraham.com.
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