SNORIDERS
A peak experience
Alberta snowmobile clubs were pleased to host sledders from Sweden
by LORRAINE PILLMAN
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NEW FRIENDS: (L to R) Darcy Dyrland, Roger Pillman, Lars Hellberg, Per-Olov Girhagen and Torgny Svensson pose for a picture in Eckville, Alberta. Also in the photo but not shown above are Per Nilsson, Howard Bradley, Lorraine Pillman, Clint Bromling and Rob Ross.
—photo courtesy Lorraine Pillman |
After meeting each other at the 2006 International Snowmobile Congress in Vermont, Per-Olov Girhagen from Sweden and Roger Pillman of Alberta made plans for Girhagen to visit Canada to experience the amazing riding opportunities in the country’s western-most provinces.
In February 2008, four sledders from Sweden—one of whom is a Ski-Doo and Yamaha dealer—arrived in Red Deer, Alberta. That evening a meet and greet with the David Thompson SnowRiders formally welcomed the Swedish sledders to Canada.
After a brief tour of a new snowmobile dealership in Eckville and a visit to a compression station with an explanation about Alberta’s gas and oil industry, six club members and their four guests set off for Revelstoke, B.C.
The next morning, the sun was shining and it was clear to the top of Boulder and Frisby mountains and stayed that way for the next three days. If the Canadian sledders had any reservations about whether the Swedish sledders could ride in the mountains, their minds were soon put to rest. The Swedes could climb and get themselves stuck and unstuck as well as the Canadians. “Heaven on earth” is how the Swedes described their riding experience in the Canadian Rockies. The snow ghosts were an awesome sight and not something that is seen in Sweden.
We soon had to pack up our bags and head back to Alberta, travelling to Whitecourt—the Snowmobile Capital of Alberta. We were welcomed by the local snowmobile club—the Whitecourt Trailblazers. Led by their very capable guide, Cyril Lanctot, the group toured the club’s wide, very smooth trails and even saw some wildlife. The terrain was similar to what they ride in Sweden.
The group had been invited to the snowmobile club meeting but were a little late and the meeting was over by the time they got there. However, there was the usual socializing afterwards, with plans being made to meet at the annual Alberta Snowmobile Association (ASA) Jamboree on the weekend.
Because the Swedish group was leaving early Saturday morning to go home, they went for a ride in the afternoon the day before the ASA Jamboree. Snow conditions could have been better, but the Caroline Snowmobile Club had worked hard at grooming the trails so there was sufficient snow to ride. A casino night introduced our Swedish friends to Texas Hold’ em and to other sledders.
After a late night, the new snowmobiling friends had to bid each other farewell. Each extended an invitation to snowmobile—either again in Canada or in Sweden—next year. Everybody had had a great time and will always cherish the memories from this experience.
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