IGNITION

Brainstorming creative ways to tie magazine content together into a single, cohesive theme is usually a pretty fun task for an editor. But it wasn’t so easy this time. Like a buckshot pattern, the range of topics in this issue spread out as it moved forward in development. There was no singular concept. Some ideas went astray. Other, better stories were added. When it was done, we had a fantastic collection of mountain sledding content with very little unifying connection. Yet, I think this issue benefits precisely because the ideas weren’t corralled into one shape or direction. We simply chased down our favourite story ideas—whichever way they went—and brought them back to stuff this issue full. It begins with some important news on land use decisions affecting snowmobilers in British Columbia. Land use issues are always complex, and the potential closures facing snowmobilers in the South Peace region are no different. We go further by shedding light on the reasons why it feels like snowmobiling access in BC is constantly at risk.

If there is a semblance of consistency within, it must be with the few bits of advice and tips. First, we provide the goods on an amazing mountain sledding zone near Sicamous, BC called Blue Lake. This same area is used as an example to help explain how Avalanche Canada’s Avalanche Terrain Rating Scale (ATES) works. Next is a riding tip by one of today’s leading big mountain snowmobile athletes, Cody McNolty, who shares his process on evaluating and safely executing large cliff drops. In our final piece of advice, Brooke Astells outlines proven ways to maximize the performance of your dirt bike for cold and snowy conditions when converted to a snow bike. As more snowmobilers experience the fun of riding snow bikes, we wondered what it takes to ride both vehicles with skill at an advanced level. For answers, we turned to Brock Hoyer, who is among the very few riders out there who can truly shred on both a sled and a snow bike. We finish with a couple of people stories. In the first, North Rockies Field Team member Martina Halik describes what many consider to be a dream job, being paid to spend days in the backcountry, collecting data for Avalanche Canada’s public forecast bulletins. And finally, long-time Mountain Sledder contributor Allan Sawchuck shares his experience fulfilling the request of a person he’d never met, for one last ride. A slug will get you a longer range, but in tight quarters that doubleaught buckshot packs a lot of punch. So that’s what this issue is—a loose grouping of powerful stories that I hope will hit the mark. Thanks for reading this issue. – Patrick Winslow, Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO: STEVE SHANNON @steveshannonphoto RIDER: DANIEL STEWART @danielstewart_photo

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