Anyone with an interest in snowmobiling, building trails or simply having a good time, will want to come out to the South Cariboo Rec. Centre parking lot on Nov. 24.
The Interlakes Snowmobile Club is hosting a sled show and membership drive offering a great opportunity to take a look at a wide choice of sleds.
“This is a push to educate the public that wintertime is a fun time, and sledding is one of them. There’s a lot of areas here and we’d like to introduce people back into it,” says Marcel DeRepentigny, president of the Interlakes Snowmobile Club
“In so far as the club situation goes, it’s a social thing. I don’t know what the general public think about it but for the last few years we’ve been meeting people on the trails and they’re going ‘we didn’t know, we didn’t know.’ So talking amongst ourselves I think it was time that we come out here and educate people.”
The event is looking to show off the local snowmobile clubs (the Interlakes Snowmobile Club, the Mica Mountain Snowmobile Club, the Green Lake Snowmobile Club and the 100 Mile House Snowmobile Club.
There will be a concession offering a hot dog and a pop for $3 along with other goodies. The event will be kid friendly with games, a colouring contest and some prizes. Search and Rescue will be there as well.
“The main thing is, come with your questions: the safety aspect, the sport. To think that you’re sitting on a sled and you’re not getting exercise come out and try it. Come out one day.”
Marcel and his wife, Janet really enjoy going out sledding.
“For me, the number one thing is the group we keep. It’s always a hoot. It’s always a lot of fun. Everybody’s got a different riding style and so every day you go out there, it’s a different challenge. I just love it. I like being out there and hang off the handlebars,” he says.
Janet echoes that sentiment.
“In the winter how else would you get up there? So you stop in these wonderful places for lunch and we sometimes make a fire and then we bring smokies and stuff. I mean you gotta like that right? Spectacular scenery, everybody laughing and having fun.”
The clubs need people to keep the trails open, he says, adding that they used to look after 300 to 400 km of trails which is now down to 80 km.
“That’s just because of manpower,” says Marcel.
For anyone looking to snowmobile or help build trails, it’s a good idea to join a club, says Marcel, because there’s a provincial insurance plan in case something happens.
“If you’re gonna be out there clearing trails and that kinda thing you may as well join a club, be it a sled club, ATV club whatever. You’re gonna be covered for it.”
You can even join as a social member if you’re not a sledder, he says. The club has several of those already.
The event will be on from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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