Whitecourt Trailblazers put on another fantastic Family Snowmobile Rally

For the last 38 years, the Whitecourt Trailblazers Snowmobile Club has put on its annual Family Snowmobile Rally. Thanks to a lot of hard work spent grooming the trails in Whitecourt and Woodlands County, the area has become very well known throughout the province as a great place to ride. Though low snow accumulations have caused issues in the past, the dump of snow two weeks ago made a world of difference for snowmobile enthusiasts.

On Saturday, February 17 and Sunday, February 18 the parking lot at the Seniors Circle was loaded with snowmobiles of all kinds and riders of all ages. Saturday’s ride saw participants heading south on the Summit Trail and on Sunday riders went north down the Carson Cabin Loop. Both rides included several checkpoints laid out along the trail and various organizations manned those points, offering goodies to those who stopped in. On Saturday, both Mayor Rennie and Mayor Chichak were at the Summit Cabin, with Whitecourt Woodlands Tourism, and provided refreshments for riders.

Both excursions are roughly 75 kilometres and bring riders through different types of terrain. “It takes about two and a half, to three hours to do a full loop. We have straight stretches and lots of hills and corners.  There are lots of stops you can do along the way, with lookouts and great scenery” explained Trailblazers Executive Assistant Cindy Brooks. “Our trails are in pristine shape and because it’s so cold our trails will hold up better too. We have a really good base that has been groomed a few times, so it’s looking really good out there.”

The weekend event included nightly socials, over 400 prizes and a Gord Bamford concert on Sunday, February 18 at the AJMC, hosted by the Whitecourt & Woodlands Performing Arts Society. One of the biggest draws was the Polaris sled raffle which has been on display at Canadian Tire for quite some time. “Every year we have amazing volunteers and the support for our prizes and sponsorships is overwhelming. It’s a pretty good feeling to know we have that support in the community” said Cindy.

SnoRiders recently presented Whitecourt with six platinum awards in provincial categories including Favourite Overall Snowmobiling Area, Favourite Scenic Snowmobile Area, Favourite Groomed Trail Riding, Favourite Powder Riding, Most Challenging Riding Area and Favourite Area for Family Snowmobiling. “The riders from Western Canada voted on that, so from Manitoba to British Columbia. We are so grateful for the support that we get. We have a really strong club and that tells you how well we are doing.”

Something a bit unique about the Town of Whitecourt is that it has an off-road vehicle bylaw that other communities have tried to pass without success. For this reason, Dan Guenette, Whitecourt Trailblazers President, said it’s important to educate riders on the bylaw so that Whitecourt doesn’t lose it. “Bylaw 1138 essentially allows off-highway vehicles to travel in the town limits from December 1 to March 31.”

Riders need to remember that the speed limit in town is 20 kilometres an hour and that there are areas that are off limits including the ditches along Dahl Drive and highway 43. “You can travel from wherever you store your snowmobile, generally at home, to the shortest route out of town. We’ve got a trail system that the town created on the edges of town, behind Park Drive and along Flats Road, that allows you to easily gain access to the trail system” said Dan.

To keep up with information about the trails, follow the Facebook page, Whitecourt Trailblazers Snowmobile Club. “We want to thank everybody for coming out and we are so happy to have our riders and our community support us” said Cindy with a big smile.