Hiway16 Magazine... about people and places in north-central British Columbia, Canada

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Blazing Through Powder and Politics

by Debi Osborne

You wake up in the morning and see the clear blue sky, the sunshine streams through your window and you suddenly remember the snowmobile sits full of gas and loaded on the back of your truck.

Chores for this weekend will have to wait! Should you choose the Sibolas, Dungate Meadows or the ever-popular Telkwa Range? You call some friends, pack your lunch and off you go for a day of play.

"Gotta be fun"
(All photos courtesy of Terry Close)

This is what snowmobiling is all about. Fun, camaraderie, fresh air and, with any luck, miles of untracked powder once you reach one of the many wide-open meadows.

But getting to those meadows can be a challenge. Due to the long, narrow stretches that lead to favorite spots, the snow develops miles of unavoidable "rolls" and dips. This is hard on the machines and even harder on bodies. The more riders, the worse the trail becomes.

Close to 30 years ago, local enthusiasts realized the need for proper trail cutting and grooming. By 1985, there were enough interested to officially form the Houston Snowmobile Club. They've been blazing trails through powder and politics ever since.

Fresh air, scenery and nature, club president Terry Close feeds a whiskey jack on Telkwa Range

Houston's much publicized "Caribou Debate" resulted in a first-ever working agreement between any snowmobile club and the Ministry of Environment (MOE). This has spun off another new program called "Snow Patrol" where volunteers with avalanche training and two-way radios will be on site to protect both the caribou and the snowmobilers. The club's determination and progress over the years has shown its ability to "High Mark."

(If you don't know what that means, you need to keep reading!)






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