comment

Shuswap, british columbia

Finding the sweet spots

After a ride in this region, you’ll be coming back again and again

by KIRSTEN ARMLEDER

BLUE SKIES, GREAT RIDING: A sunny day on Grace Mountain last February meant
superb sledding near Seymour Arm in the north Shuswap.
—photos by Wilmer Marks

Snowmobilers visiting the Shuswap will feel like a kid in a candy store—there are so many choices and each one leads to a sweet experience.

Home to seven main riding areas, the Shuswap has something for every rider—from touring families and novice sledders to weekend warriors and thrill-seekers. And beautiful lakeside communities with snowmobile-friendly services make this region ideal for winter vacations.

For snowmobilers who want to venture off the beaten path, there is a remote community on the northeastern arm of Shuswap Lake that has fantastic riding.

Seymour Arm is a small hamlet that is predominantly a summer recreation area with approximately 60 residents who stay for the winter. However, Don Honeychurch, president of the Seymour Arm Snowmobile Club, said there are a number of cottage owners who return in December and January to go sledding.

“I live in Calgary but I’m there a lot in the summer and for a couple of weeks around Christmas,” said Honeychurch.

Most of the riding is on Grace Mountain—a huge area with amazing scenery and plenty of fresh powder. According to Honeychurch, the snow conditions here are comparable to Revelstoke’s.

“It doesn’t have avalanche issues—they are pretty much non-existent,” he said. “There’s open meadows and deep snow that generally has a pretty good base, said Honeychurch. “ It’s fairly vast, too.”

Riding elevations on Grace Mountain range from 5,000 feet at the club’s warm-up shack to nearly 7,000 feet. The mountain isn’t groomed, but once the trail is packed, less experienced snowmobilers will find it easier riding.

From Seymour Arm, sledders can access areas maintained by other clubs, including the north section of Crowfoot Mountain and Grizzly Mountain, which is on the north shore of Shuswap Lake.