Athabasca will be in the spotlight next year as snowmobilers from across the province descend on the area.
The Athabasca River Runners Snowmobile Club is hosting the 2014 Alberta Snowmobile Association (ASA) jamboree.
“It is held every year with a different club,” River Runners special projects organizer Dennis Irving said. “You can expect 350–400 sledders for that weekend.”
The event is scheduled to for Feb. 21 and 22.
Irving stated the club has been planning the event for several years and even had the Athabasca Regional Multiplex booked for the last year-and-a-half.
Friday, Feb. 21, from 7-11 p.m., the River Runners are hosting a meet and greet, as well as registration at the multiplex.
The club is inviting people to register for the rally and jamboree and to socialize with snowmobilers.
Saturday, Feb. 22, starts at Forfar Hall at 9 a.m. From there, snowmobilers will explore the area.
Registration can be completed at the hall on Feb. 22; however, Irving advised that people register the day before.
All snowmobilers must return to the hall by 4 p.m. to qualify for prizes.
From Forfar Hall, the event moves to the multiplex for cocktails at 6 p.m. with dinner to follow.
There will be a dinner and dance, as well as a draw for the winner of the raffle, a 2014 Polaris 800 Pro-RMK LE 155 snowmobile.
The club is offering a shuttle to and from hotels.
“The Athabasca River Runners was formed in ‘92 and have more than 130 members,” Irving said. “When it comes to volunteer activity, when we started, we had about three or four people who do it, and we are up to 10 to 12 now.”
The network of trails the club has is located west of Baptiste Lake.
“We groom the trails on a regular basis and maintain the rest areas,” he explained. “We have more than 240 kilometres of groomed trails. We have five rest stops complete with fire pits, firewood, picnic tables and washrooms.”
Two of the rest stops have warm-up shacks in which people can take shelter from the elements.
“We promote safe, family snowmobiling,” Irving said. “We are going to be soliciting many of the local businesses for prizes. We will be starting in December and January.”
