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THE FACE OF FUN: SnoRiders West advertising consultant Cora Tschetters was all smiles after her ride on BRP's new Ski-doo Rev XP. —photo by Dean Francis

My boss gave me the green light to attend the ride and so I left work a little early to do some trailer re-wiring on my truck and pack for my upcoming adventure in Revelstoke. I then went to pick up the company sled only to find that I needed to replace the plug on the trailer too.

Aiming for an adventure
The next day, I left in the morning heading for Revelstoke. I had a 45-minute delay in the Rogers Pass due to avalanche control; however, I still had some time so I looked up a friend that had moved to Revelstoke a couple of years ago. I checked into the Comfort Inn and received a warm welcome from management and staff—the SnoRiders sign on my truck gave me away. I had a late lunch—or a very early dinner—at Zala’s. My meal was delicious and now I can see why our readers have voted them a favourite restaurant in the SnoRiders West Rider's Choice awards.

I drove up to Glacier House Resort—the home base for the BRP socials and the starting point of the V.I.C. Ride. I had a great visit with BRP’s Gerry Dusessoy, Alex Smith and Rod Arnold. They introduced me to many dealers as well as their V.I.C. customers. I headed back down the hill to town to get a good night’s sleep before the BRP V.I.C. Ride the following morning.

Spills, thrills and chills
On Wednesday, I arrived back at Glacier House at 8:30 a.m. and was ready to ride. I got razzed a little since the company sled I brought was the Arctic Cat M8. The bright green Cat really stood out in a crowd of Ski-doo’s. However, they promised not to stuff me in a snow bank or leave me behind since I was riding a Cat.

The guide for my group was Stephanie Schwartz, a native of Revelstoke who is now living in central Alberta. BRP’s Rod Arnold was riding with my group and there were two prototype Rev XP’s to share. The rest of my group were from the Lower Mainland and central Alberta.

There was only one problem riding another brand at a Ski-doo function: when you screw up everyone knows who it is. We stopped on the trail while Stephanie was doing a head count and I stood on the right running board. When I turned to look behind me I accidentally hit the throttle with my back pack and soon found myself sitting on the trail beside my machine. Fortunately, the only thing damaged was my pride.

It had been raining and half-snowing the night before at Glacier House but once we climbed a little higher we were greeted with a fresh, fluffy blanket of powder. I wasn't expecting to see all this fresh snow; I thought it would be hard-packed with signs of spring.

Not long into the ride I got stuck—I let off the gas when I should have gassed it. Being one of only two women was an advantage because instantly the men were there to lend me a hand. Note to self: Don’t get stuck any more.

I think I was the only green sled riding Boulder Mountain on Wednesday—at least my new riding buddies knew where I was at all times. At one point, I followed the wrong Ski-doo and the rider led me down, I mean straight down. I am not a hillclimb junkie so coming down a slope that steep is not common for this sledder. I think my backpack was even against the seat—I know I was leaning way back. It’s a good thing I wasn't wearing a headset because some profanity leaked out. When I made it to the bottom safely I figured out which direction my group had gone and headed that way. I think Stephanie was surprised when Brennon told her which way he saw the green sled go.

We spent the entire day on Boulder Mountain, playing in the Super Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. They even took me into the Bull Pen and I felt a little claustrophobic. I think Todd was feeling about the same, so we rode to a more open area at the top of the Bull Pen.

The Rev in Revelstoke
All day long the new Rev XP’s were on the go. I noticed that when each rider returned to the group they were wearing a big grin. I watched and listened to all the hype shared between the riders. If a Rev XP sat idle long enough, Rod quickly pointed out the changes and how the engineers shaved a substantial amount of weight off.

Stephanie was going to take us over to Turbo Hill, but the visibility was iffy at times so we played between the bowls. I know I will be picking up a new pair of goggles for future riding since my visibility was terrible in blue-tinted goggles. Stephanie lent me her spare pair, which were rose and that was an improvement. I tried the amber-tinted ones as well and it was like looking at a whole new world. The blue-tinted goggles are fine in the bright sun but in overcast and snowy conditions I would rather be looking through rose colour lenses.

I rode the Rev XP back to Glacier House and it handled the moguls with ease. It also seems to have a tight turning radius which makes it a blast flying over the moguls. I do need leg extensions or maybe some platform snow boots—the guys said they couldn't tell if I was standing or sitting.

A memorable experience
I got loaded up and headed back to town to clean up before dinner. There were so many trucks and trailers I decided I would take a cab back to Glacier House. Well the hospitality was running high at the Comfort Inn because Jamie Lewis, the general manager, offered me a ride, which saved on cab fare.

We had drinks and nachos and enjoyed a superb buffet dinner hosted by BRP. Gerry, Rod and Alex passed out T-shirts to all “Official Test Riders of the Rev XP.” After dinner we headed downstairs to the pub to socialize. Stories and tales were told of the day's sledding adventure and experiences from the past.

Goodbyes were said after breakfast the next morning—some were staying on to do more riding but the rest of us had to hit the highway to head home. This was my first sledding experience in Revelstoke and now I can see why it’s such a hot spot to snowmobile.