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Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

A celebration of sled history

This event payed tribute to the snowmobiles of yesteryear

by Bill Donner

The -30°C cold snap had ended just in time for the 8th annual Fort Saskatchewan Vintage Snowmobile Show and Swap Meet, held on Family Day, Monday, February 18, 2008. The clear blue Alberta skies and warm temperatures of -2°C brought 65 vintage snowmobiles out of hibernation, along with their owners. In total, about 400 people gathered for the show, swap meet and demo ride on the historic banks of the North Saskatchewan River.

Each year, this event—which is Western Canada’s largest vintage snowmobile show—is held at the original site of the 1875 North West Mounted Police fort. It is an annual tradition for those who enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the old two-stroke wonder machines that changed winter for a lot of people with cabin fever in the '60s and '70s.

The old sleds started arriving about 8 a.m. and by 11, the Fort Saskatchewan Museum gates swung open for the public to take in the show. Some machines drove in under their own power while others just didn’t feel up to running and had to be towed.

The rules don’t state the sleds must start and run—they just have to get in the gate and park in rows beside the old historic buildings.

Several rare models always show up to be judged and trophies are given to the ones that catch the judge’s eye. “They just seem to come out of the woodwork,” said museum volunteer and organizer Sandy McArdle.

McArdle puts in many hours of work—gathering prizes and figuring out the details to make sure the show goes smoothly. The amazing thing is McArdle doesn’t own a snowmobile himself. He just enjoys volunteering at the museum.

Here is a list of the trophy winners and their sleds for this year:

• Oldest Snowmobile: Gordon Visser, 1962 Ski-doo
• Museum’s Choice: Dwayne Grant, 1963 Motoski
• Best Original Snowmobile: Mike Williams, 1971 Skiroule with Cutter
• Best Children’s Sled: Scott Evoy, 1970 Snopony
• Best Trail Sled: David Ruzesky, 1967 Polaris
• Best Muscle Sled: Chris Swan, 1969 Ski-doo TNT 669
• Furthest Travelled: David Ruzesky from Saskatchewan
• People’s Choice: Gary Suvak, 1963 Polaris Autoboggan
• Best Restored: Jerry Kallal, 1972 Ski-doo Blizzard 640 racer
• Exhibitor’s Choice: Gary Carnell, 1973 Arctic Cat

If you are lucky enough to still have an old snowmachine, bring it to Fort Saskatchewan on Family Day in February 2009 for the 9th annual vintage snowmobile show; other vintage snowmobile enthusiasts would like to enjoy the memories of these fun old warriors of winter.