At the end of December 2018, after an early start to the season in many areas (which began on November 11 in the Monts-Valins for me), our beautiful snow cover is melting away in a downpour. As an off-piste enthusiast, I’m disgusted: the snow that was spared will soon be under a layer of ice once the mercury drops. I was not going to let the grey weather and the decline in snowmobile conditions get me down, I was going to Western Canada! I had my first taste of the vastness of the mountains of British Columbia last year and I came back changed. Without wishing to denigrate the diversity of the Quebec winter landscape, the reference in off-piste skiing is without a doubt the West Coast. Exceptional snow conditions, a huge territory at high altitude and spectacular alpine landscapes make this destination a dream for many people and an annual pilgrimage for the initiated.
There are many ways to organize a snowmobile trip to the other side of the country, but the simplest and the one that suits me best for now is the all-inclusive or “stay and ride” as it is commonly called there. Far from the Caribbean, we replace the hotel by the sea with a lodge in the woods, the tan activity leader with an experienced mountain guide and the watercraft with a ProRmk 800! All you have to do is book your airfare and rental car, the rest is taken care of by the company. This year, I’m going to Ride Whistler, a small company founded by mountain snowmobile professional Chris Brown (Slednecks, 509 and many others) and located in Pemberton near, you guessed it, Whistler. Last year I went to the Grizzly Lodge near Kamloops, a fantastic place that I would definitely recommend, but unfortunately they were sold out for the dates I wanted.
After a few web searches for a similar alternative (the bar was very high) I was warmly recommended Ride Whistler by many Western Canadian travelers for its spectacular location, luxurious accommodations and professional guides. Air Canada and WestJet have daily flights to British Columbia and its regional airports. Depending on your point of departure, and your final destination, generally allow for one to two stopovers before renting a car and finishing the trip by road. On my previous trip, I was picked up at the airport and since the lodge was located directly on the mountain, I did not need to rent a car. This is the exception rather than the rule in the offer of the various tour operators, which is a pity, because it is definitely more pleasant after several hours of flight. It also avoids the cost of renting a car and having to drive yourself in unknown and mountainous areas.
After an uneventful flight from Montreal to Vancouver, I had to pick up the Jeep Sahara I had rented on the internet. Before leaving, I used a site aggregator to find the best price available and found an offer that seemed almost too good when I compared it to others. I was a little hesitant, but booked it anyway. I understood how they were able to get such a low price once I got to their office. Located in the lobby of an old hotel that is now closed, it consisted of a computer, a copy machine and a few chairs. Fortunately, the staff was attentive and knowledgeable. The Jeep was brand new, exactly as I had requested and at the price we agreed upon.
Highway 99, which leads from Vancouver to Whistler, nicknamed “sea to sky”, is simply spectacular. With the sea on one side, rocky cliffs on the other and a multitude of mountains on the horizon, I didn’t know where to look. I couldn’t enjoy the scenery to my heart’s content, as the road is so winding that it requires constant attention. In the summer, it must be fun for motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts, but let’s just say that my Jeep was not the best vehicle to enjoy the drive. Once I got out of Vancouver’s city traffic and the stress of driving in a metropolis for the first time, I could really start to enjoy the trip. I had a smile on my face the whole way, the further I went the bigger the mountains got and the higher we went. The adrenaline was flowing just anticipating the days to come in this magnificent setting.
When I arrived at the lodge, hostess Kim gave me a tour of the facilities. It’s a huge Scandinavian chalet-style residence, all wood paneling and a huge stone fireplace. With a capacity of about 11 guests at a time, it has a multitude of bedrooms, two large living rooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen-dining room, a laundry room and two rooms for drying clothes and boots. The atmosphere is very relaxed and one quickly gets the impression of having rented a cottage with friends. As an international snowmobile destination, I was able to meet two groups of Icelanders and several Americans during my stay. The common interest in snowmobiling, the general atmosphere, the layout of the common areas and a few beers encourage discussions and quickly the ice is broken between us all. Evening meals and lunches are prepared by our hostess; the home-style food is simple, but plentiful and tasty. For breakfasts and snacks, which are self-service, the house is full of a wide variety of food, giving us plenty of choice.Pour la première journée, nous quittons tous ensemble en un long cortège vers le stationnement de Cougar Mountain à environ 30 minutes de distance. Nous sommes une douzaine et une fois tout le monde en possession de sa motoneige (des Polaris PRO-RMK 800, quelques 850 et quelques turbos), de son sac d’avalanches et de sa balise, nous partons à l’assaut des montagnes. Dès le départ j’ai quelques difficultés à m’adapter à ma machine (PRO-RMK 800 155 que je trouve instable et imprévisible. C’est pourtant le même modèle que je possède à la maison, mais celle de location est équipée de bras de suspension plus étroits que ceux d’origine ainsi que d’amortisseurs de performance alors que j’ai ceux à ressorts, c’est peut-être ces petites différences qui expliquent mon inconfort initial.
Things got a little better with some adjustments, but the next day I switched to a PRO-RMK 850 163 that I kept for the rest of my stay and that seemed to fit my riding style better. For 20 minutes we ride one behind the other up a narrow trail that takes us to the alpine area proper, then to a lake. Here the group is subdivided into three with each guide: eight Icelanders of varying experience who wanted to stay together, two pairs of very inexperienced Americans and an Australian of similar level to mine (beginner-intermediate) with whom I was paired. We went our separate ways and started the day with some sidehill lessons. It hasn’t snowed for a few days and the hardened bottom doesn’t make it easy for us, but after a few tips from the guide, we gradually improve. We then set off in search of better snow conditions and succeeded in finding areas where the windswept snow had accumulated in abundance. Towards the end of the afternoon, we rejoined the rest of the participants and the most tired decided to return to the parking lot with a guide. The rest of us volunteered to stay an extra hour to have fun. We soon realized that we had greatly overestimated our energy once we reached the bottom of a long, steep, winding coulée. One after the other, we tried several times to go back up the coulée without success and it was soon littered with snowmobilers who were stuck, tired and whose muscle/brain coordination was definitely not optimal. The guides didn’t know where to turn because the situation was so ridiculous; for each person they freed from the snow, two or three others took their place elsewhere on the slope. After more than an hour and several lane changes, we finally managed to get out of this unfortunate position. We returned to the vehicles completely exhausted, but happy with our day.
Day 2: VIP service and zero visibility
It’s under the rain that my second day starts. Don’t worry, it will quickly change to snow as we climb the mountain. Today, I have the chance to be the only client of the company and I find myself with a private guide. The atmosphere is relaxed and we prepare ourselves without haste. Obviously, the logistics are much simpler than the day before and we quickly set off in search of powder. As we climb the mountain, we find ourselves in the middle of a snowstorm, with sometimes strong winds and very poor visibility. My heated goggles are not enough for the task, even if they eliminate the fog inside, the melting snow outside of them makes vision very difficult. I will unfortunately spend a good part of the day juggling different goggles, as the wind and snow make it almost impossible to hike without them. In these difficult circumstances, the knowledge of the guide is essential. The one who accompanies me knows the mountain by heart; its relief, its weather, the way the wind circulates, where the snow accumulates and how all these elements put together influence the different sectors. Incredible as it may seem, we came across a couple alone on their touring snowmobile! Even on a sunny day, it goes against all basic caution to venture out alone in the mountains. I let you imagine how quickly the situation can deteriorate during a storm, whether it is due to a mechanical breakdown, a wrong maneuver or a spatial disorientation when the sky and the ground become one.Malgré la mauvaise visibilité, j’ai pu m’amuser dans des zones où plus d’un mètre de neige fraîche s’était accumulée. Je n’avais personnellement jamais vécu de telles conditions et c’est à la fois enivrant, intimidant et physiquement très exigeant. Étant seul avec le guide, je me sentais presque dépassé par les possibilités quasi infinies de lignes à essayer, c’était comme si j’avais ma montagne personnelle comme terrain de jeux! En fin d’après-midi, la météo s’étant encore détériorée et j’étais épuisé, nous sommes donc redescendus vers le stationnement.
Day 3: Dream conditions with an inexperienced and dangerous group
For my third and final day, I was paired with a group of eight Icelanders who, with one or two exceptions, were very inexperienced in snowmobiling and even more so in off-roading in a mountain environment. After the previous day’s private ride, I knew this one would be more chaotic. On the other hand, the weather conditions were ideal: heavy snow after the previous day’s storm, bright sunshine and a mercury of about -5 degrees. After a long and slow start from the parking lot, a few stops on the trail leading us up to the top of the hill to untangle participants who had gone off trail or had gotten stuck at the bottom of a steep slope, we arrived at a large lake at the foot of the slopes dotted with islands of trees and hills. Unlike the previous day, the visibility was excellent and the snow just as abundant, it was perfect. On the other hand, we had to be very vigilant and constantly observe our environment, because the other participants were running in all directions, more or less in control of their machine and especially, not always paying attention to the other people circulating around them. After avoiding a few fender benders and getting cut off a few times, I adopted a precautionary approach by avoiding the fray whenever possible, and instead focused on the front or back of the procession in our movements. Despite several reminders from the guides to be careful, the experience remained perilous all day and ended up with one snowmobile hitting a tree and a second one following too closely, hitting it from behind. Fortunately, the material damage was light and no one was injured. One of the risks of participating in group tours is being with strangers who vary greatly in their level of experience and caution. Still, the day was amazing and I was able to get a breathtaking view of the surrounding peaks for the first time since I arrived.
A quick word about guides. I have used the services of guides several times on my snowmobile trips and I feel that they fall into one of the following categories: the athlete, the lazy man and the Swiss Army knife guide. The athlete seems to be there more to have fun and impress the group with his technical prowess than to take care of the group, even if it means jeopardizing everyone’s day with an injury or a mechanical breakdown. The lazy man is content to take the group from one place to another, leaving them to their own devices once they have arrived. The Swiss Army knife guide knows the mountain by heart, knows survival in a hostile environment and first aid, is there for his clients, so that they are safe, have fun, learn new techniques and don’t get stuck for 20 minutes watching others have fun. On this trip, I had the guide on all three days, but his job was complicated on the last afternoon by the athlete disappearing into the trees unbeknownst to everyone to go and take long minutes, which forced the hike to be stopped.
The return home the next day was a bit more complicated than the outbound trip; a long wait at the airport, delays, flight and itinerary changes and finally, a missing suitcase when I arrived in Quebec City (the one containing all my clothes and snowmobile equipment!). Ironically, I had gone out west to find the snow that was missing in Quebec, but I had just landed the day after a huge storm that affected a good part of the province. Let me tell you, waist-deep in snow is a lot more fun on a snowmobile than behind a snowblower.
Text Olivier Daniels / Photos Blake Jorgensen
