Two very happy sledders win big in the Trailblazers’ sled raffle

The Whitecourt Trailblazers wrapped up the 2017 Sled Raffle drawing out names and making two individuals very happy. The draws were split between the afternoons of February 18 and 19 and were held in the parking lot of Westward Hall. Both sleds were bought by Trailblazers at a discount thanks to the huge generosity of Adrenaline Powersports (Polaris) and Riderz in Edson (Ski-Doo). Vice-President of Trailblazers, Dan Guenette, said it’s great to have a local business to team up with, in Adrenaline Powersports, “They’ve put a lot of effort in over the years with selling trail passes and helping the club out so it’s great to be able to support them back with the purchase of a raffle sled.”

Dwight Fuhrer won the Polaris and Gary Marriott was chosen from the massive ticket pot on Sunday, winning the Ski-Doo. Trailblazers’ president, Aaron Munro, immediately got on the phone to give Gary the good news.  When asked how it felt to make the call, Aaron said “It’s probably the most exhilarating experience that I can imagine. You’re giving somebody this amazing prize and everybody who’s buying a ticket pretty much loves snowmobiling or loves the sport so it is just a thrill.”

The money raised from the event will be focused towards maintenance and improvements. Both the sled raffles and the rally are the biggest income revenue generators for the club and with two years without a rally due to weather, the sled raffles become that much more of a big deal. “It’s not as much as we typically would be able to work with but we will do what we can,” said Aaron. Recent upgrades include Sno-cat brush guards, trimming trees, better lighting for night riders, and a new wood shed out at one of the cabins, as a short list.

Whitecourt is home to the largest snowmobile club in the province with almost 500 kilometres of groomed trails. The trails require plenty of upkeep throughout the season and with so many users, between five and 10 thousand each year, whether local or visitors, it’s clear that the Trailblazers crew has done very well.

On top of the meticulously groomed trails, they also have an added bonus for sledders. “We have three warm-up shelters on our system. Each cabin is between 600 to 900 square feet with a wood stove. We also have multiple lookout areas that you can stop and enjoy with a fire pit and an outhouse,” explained Aaron. One of the lookout spots is the Athabasca lookout which gives a beautiful view over the town and along the river. “It’s an amazing system.”

“We appreciate the support from the people out there even with the lack of snow. We had people buying trail passes and making the best of it, going out and riding even though the snow wasn’t very good. People buying raffle tickets. We appreciate that support very much. Every bit of the money that we raise goes back into making these trail systems better and more useable for people,” added Aaron.

For more information on the Whitecourt Trailblazers, visit www.whitecourttrailblazers.ca.