BC Snowmobile Federation and Revelstoke Snowmobile Club Host MLAs for On-Snow Experience
On February 2, 2026 the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club and the BC Snowmobile Federation welcomed Members of the Legislative Assembly to Revelstoke for a day focused on the value, challenges, and future of organized snowmobiling in British Columbia.
In attendance were Á'a:líya Warbus, Donegal Wilson, Brennan Day, Trevor Halford, and Scott McKinnis.
While the experience took place in Revelstoke, the Federation emphasized that this club represents one of nearly 60 volunteer-driven snowmobile clubs across BC delivering managed recreation, supporting tourism, and leading stewardship in their regions. Together, organized snowmobiling contributes more than $300 million annually to the provincial economy while helping build resilient rural communities and supporting major industries across the province.
Presentations highlighted how clubs provide safe, responsible, and accessible recreation through a grassroots, user-pay system — maintaining trails, staging areas, warming shelters, and cabins that families, visitors, and riders rely on each winter. MLAs also heard about the thousands of volunteer hours invested each season to keep this infrastructure operating.
The BC Snowmobile Federation outlined several challenges facing clubs across multiple ministries, including the need for increased capacity in the Recreation Sites and Trails BC partnership program to expand managed recreation, greater transparency and consistency in land-use planning to reduce volunteer burnout, and the importance of inventorying and preserving resource roads to understand their recreational and economic value before deactivation occurs.
The Federation emphasized that organized recreation and conservation are compatible when done responsibly, and that supporting community-led recreation reduces land-use conflict, improves environmental outcomes, and delivers tourism infrastructure at a fraction of the cost of government-run systems.
A special moment during the meetings saw MLA Donegal Wilson — former Executive Director of the BC Snowmobile Federation — receive the 2025 Gordon Ritchie Service Award from Avalanche Canada in recognition of her longstanding contributions to backcountry safety and the snowmobiling community.
To bring the conversation from policy to practice, Great Canadian Tours guided the group on a ride to the Boulder Mountain Cabin. Experiencing the terrain, trail systems, and volunteer-built infrastructure firsthand gave MLAs a deeper understanding of the work local volunteers do every season to provide safe, responsible, and accessible snowmobiling opportunities.
Organized snowmobiling not only supports outdoor recreation — it strengthens small towns through winter tourism, local employment, and year-round volunteer engagement while creating authentic BC experiences for families and visitors.
Days like this are about more than riding. They are about building understanding, strengthening relationships, and ensuring decision-makers see the real people, communities, and volunteer effort behind organized snowmobiling in British Columbia.
The BC Snowmobile Federation extends sincere thanks to the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club, participating MLAs, Avalanche Canada, and Great Canadian Tours for helping showcase the impact of organized snowmobiling in BC.
