Fig. 13.1. Snowmobiling in fresh powder snow. (Photograph courtesy of Iain Stewart-Patterson.)
13 The Impact of Commercial Snowmobile Guiding on Local Communities
Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada
*E-mail: spatterson@tru.ca
Many mountain towns in British Columbia are filled with snowmobilers for much of the winter season. A growing element is the availability of snowmobile guiding operations that offer more than just ‘cabin tours’. Demand for untouched powder snow is driving the need for all-inclusive snowmobile tour operations that employ highly skilled guides who possess not only intimate localized terrain knowledge, but also excellent avalanche risk management skills and exceptional client care.
Commercial operators will benefit from knowing what their potential clients are looking for so that meaningful experiences can be constructed. The motivation of skilled riders to engage in mountain snowmobiling may be based in the concept of rush – the combination of a flow experience with the thrill of adrenaline – risk-based activity. Buckley (2012) defines rush as the excitement that a highly skilled athlete experiences when a difficult skill is performed well. Conditions are optimal and there is an inherent level of risk associated with the activity. It all comes together. Participants want to find the optimal balance of rush and risk. Participants experience flow (Csikszentmihalyi and Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) in achieving a peak experience (Maslow, 1968). This is described as a form of flow experienced by someone with some level of expertise. It is not just a thrill, or adrenaline-based experience that is not related to expertise.
Levels of acceptable risk need to be negotiated. Entry-level clients typically want the perception of risk without the reality of potential injury or death, whereas clients with advanced skills may be motivated by the rush experience (Buckley, 2012). It can be difficult to describe rush to someone who has not experienced it (Williams and Soutar, 2009).
Exploring the push and pull motivation of a mountain snowmobiler may provide greater understanding as to the growth of mountain snowmobile guiding. The push motivation for a mountain snowmobiler is likely stimulated by a desire for challenge and the need for arousal (Caber and Albayrak, 2016). The pull motivation that brings a snowmobile tourist to British Columbian mountain towns such as Revelstoke or Golden includes the copious amounts of dry powder snow (see Fig. 13.1) and an infrastructure within the regions that supports access to terrain.
Previous economic impact studies have attempted to measure the spending habits of recreational snowmobilers. This has included: road travel, food, alcohol, accommodation, fuel, repairs, equipment and trail fees. The most recent study in North America is a 2018 Utah study. In this study, Utah residents who owned registered snowmobiles were surveyed as to their frequency of trips and the amount that they spent on snowmobile activities. Snowmobile registration is required by Utah state law. Of the owners of the 22,803 registered snowmobiles, 13% responded to the survey. The study did not include out-of-state residents. Guide services were lumped in with snowmobile rentals and tour packages. Only 2% of the typical cost of day trips (representing 79% of the total trips) was spent on guide services and rentals. On overnight trips (representing 21% of the total trips), which were on average 3 days long, only 1% was spent on guide services and rentals. There were many limitations to this study. Out-of-state tourism, both inbound and outbound, was not included. In addition, the assumption was made that all snowmobiles would be registered, as per the legal requirements. Total value of the economic impact including direct effects, indirect effects and induced effects was estimated to be US$138 million.
A recent study conducted for the Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations estimated a nation-wide contribution of 41,000 jobs and CA$8 billion of snowmobile-related economic activity in 2015 (Harry Cummings & Associates, 2016). However, the data for British Columbia were based on a 2004 study focused on the potential impact of licensing and registration of off-road vehicles. Adjustments were made to account for the 12% increase in population in BC, but no adjustments were made to account for the increase in popularity of snowmobiling, or the increase in snowmobile tourism due to a massive influx of Albertan snowmobilers. The direct economic impact in BC was estimated at $200 million, with the total economic activity at $398 million. The BC Snowmobile Federation commissioned a new study to be completed in 2018.
The British Columbia Snowmobile Federation (BCSF) was founded in 1965 as a volunteer-driven non-profit organization. The federation’s objectives are stated as ‘dedicated to safety, the growth of the sport, protection of the environment and securing access to public lands for all’ (British Columbia Snowmobile Federation, 2018). By 2018, the BCSF was the voice for British Columbian snowmobilers, representing the interests of its 60 clubs and 6993 members. A conservative estimate puts only 10% of BC snowmobilers as club members.
A recent economic impact study produced by the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club (RSC) suggests that snowmobile tourism generates about $11 million per year for the local economy, with a per person per day spend of $444.31 (see Table 13.1) (Revelstoke Snowmobile Club, 2011).
Table 13.1. Spending per person per day – Revelstoke.
| CA$ spent | |
| Accommodation | 114.89 |
| Food and beverage | 92.36 |
| Retail shopping | 34.90 |
| Snowmobile costs | 102.81 |
| Entertainment | 67.29 |
| Miscellaneous | 63.06 |
| Total | 444.31 |
The RSC lists 11 riding areas on its webpage. Two of the areas have groomed access trails (Boulder and Frisby). Trail passes are collected and accurate rider numbers are recorded. In 1990–1991, just over 2000 riders used the Boulder and Frisby staging areas (Streeter, 2002). This grew to 12,000 riders by 2001–2002. From 2015–2018, the RSC has recorded about 30,000 rider visits per year. Just over 50% of the riders came from Alberta and Saskatchewan, whereas locals represented only 17% of the recorded visits.
A downside of the increasingly popular snowmobile destinations like Revelstoke is that the most well known and easily accessible areas such as Boulder and Frisby become quickly tracked out. A snowmobile tourist is likely lacking the local knowledge to find the secret stashes of untouched powder (see Fig. 13.2). The evolving solution is to hire a guide with local knowledge. The challenge is to find a guide who can safely lead a tourist in complex mountainous terrain complicated by an ever-changing avalanche hazard.
Fig. 13.2. Untouched powder is attractive to snowmobilers, but without local knowledge often hard to find. (Photograph courtesy of Iain Stewart-Patterson.)
As of June 2018, 24 snowmobile guiding and tour companies had web profiles in British Columbia. Some of these companies have their own tenures, some have joint use agreements with tenure holders, while others do not have tenures. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are many more sole proprietor businesses that operate by word of mouth. It is likely that these smaller operators do not have tenures and are conducting business on the fringe of legitimacy.
Snowmobile guiding operations offer three distinct types of experiences:
• ‘Cabin tours’ use groomed trails to access treeline locations. Many of the operators have cabins that are used for warming up and/or eating lunch. Often a trail snowmobile is used that has seating for two people. Two guides can manage a group size of up to 10–12 guests. The goal of the tour is to experience winter. Due to the higher guide to guest ratio, these tours often have a better profit margin for the operators. The guides need intermediate-level technical snowmobile skills and group management skills.
• Backcountry tours go beyond the groomed access trails into ungroomed avalanche terrain. Mountain snowmobiles are used. A single guide will manage a group of up to six guests. The goal of the tour is to build snowmobile skills. The guides need extensive avalanche terrain management skills.
• Avalanche skills training courses (AST).
An examination of the guiding companies’ websites found the following statements used to attract guests.
Would you like to find the deepest pockets of powder right now? Would you like to get to the best spots in the sledding area without having to guess your way around where they are?
Stop wasting fuel and daylight searching for Powder. Allow our highly trained, knowledgeable and certified guide lead you to the best snow and terrain imaginable. Our guides will teach you back-country safety and riding tips that will allow you to get to that next level and ride another day.
We know the secret, back areas of our sledding playground. We will show you around the sledding paradise – on your timeline! We promise to find you fresh snow EVERY TIME – as long as you can ride!
We guarantee you won’t be bored!!
Let our guides show you the best terrain in a safe environment.
Like we said; if you can handle it, we’ll ride it.
AST is a curriculum that has been developed by Avalanche Canada. Two levels are offered. Level 1 is a 2-day course ($350) and Level 2 is a 4–5-day course ($700). Level 1 uses simple mountainous terrain, while Level 2 will move into more complex terrain. The instructor skill set and avalanche certification needs to be correspondingly higher for the Level 2 course. The curriculum is delivered across Canada, but the majority of courses are offered in the mountainous regions of BC and Alberta. An average of 1250 snowmobilers per year have taken courses over the past 3 years. The bulk of these courses have been the 2-day Level 1 course. This generates a conservative estimate of $475,000. Although there are 37 companies listed with Avalanche Canada as offering avalanche training for snowmobilers, the bulk of the training courses are delivered by five or six providers.
The greatest challenge for commercial snowmobile operations is access to terrain. The British Columbia government has an Adventure Tourism – Land Use Operational Policy that defines how commercial operators will access land. The application process for a tenure is extensive. The policy includes the obligation to consult with Aboriginal groups who have rights and title to the applicable area. A key consideration for new tenure applications is that most of the mountainous land base in southern British Columbia has existing winter tenure holders. Just over 106,000 km2 are under tenure agreements. Most of these tenures are helicopter ski operations. To overlap on an existing tenure holder, new applicants must demonstrate the compatibility of the two business models. Mountain snowmobiling is not a compatible activity with heli skiing. If the proposed activity has the potential to negatively impact the existing activity, then a joint use agreement must be negotiated. The only joint use agreements in place are for valley bottom snowmobile trails.
For example, there are nine snowmobile tenure holders in the Whistler region with tenures ranging in size from 24 km2 up to 703 km2. Some of these tenures are overlapping with each other. In contrast, the two helicopter ski operations in the area have tenures in the range of 2700–2800 km2 and they are exclusive.
Snowmobile guiding operations seek to provide high-quality wilderness experiences, with the emphasis on finding untracked snow. As commercial snowmobile operators use the same terrain as recreational snowmobilers, ‘getting to the goods’ first is an ongoing battle. Guiding operations have a limited number of secret spots to take their guests. Inherent within the problem is that today’s guest may become tomorrow’s competition.
The three primary backcountry user groups are snowmobiling, ski touring and mechanized skiing (heli skiing and cat skiing). In the quest for untracked powder, snowmobiling is the dominant force within the ‘hierarchy of conflict’ among winter backcountry users (Cooper, 1995). Overlapping or joint use of terrain has been recognized to place a disproportionate negative impact on non-motorized users, whereas the reverse is not true (Erlandson, 2008). When skiers and snowmobilers meet, the conflict is often perceived as one-sided, as the skiers are not only seeking fresh snow, but also a tranquil, natural setting (Gilden, 2001). Ski touring is potentially the most disadvantaged usage (Webster, 2013), but cat skiing is also at a potential disadvantage, as the groomed access roads created by the snowcats are also a beautiful ‘paved’ highway for snowmobiles.
In the past, helicopter skiing had the greatest advantage. Some helicopter ski terrain was accessible by snowmobile, but large areas were retained for exclusive use, simply due to the difficulty of access. However, current and evolving snowmobile technology has virtually eliminated this advantage. Expert mountain snowmobilers on state-of-the-art machines can access most of the terrain used by helicopter ski operations. Cat ski operations represent low hanging fruit as groomed cat roads provide easy access to alpine bowls. Due to speed of access, snowmobilers can easily beat ski tourers to untracked snow. Steep trees, once the exclusive domain of skiers, are now being accessed by snow bikes. An emerging trend is the use of snowmobiles by ski tourers (sled skiing) to access terrain more quickly and to access terrain further from the road. Increasing numbers of mountain snowmobilers have exacerbated the conflicts, in the never-ending quest for untracked snow. Informal agreements to share or restrict user groups to specific areas have been based on voluntary compliance. The major hurdle to this is communication of these agreements to all users as many areas experience large influxes of non-local users (Erlandson, 2008). In a study of adventure tourism operations offering ski programmes, 100% of guests complained of a reduction in their satisfaction and the quality of their experience due to interactions with snowmobiles (Webster, 2013). Possible effective strategies to manage conflict include education, zoning and enforcement.
One of the greatest challenges for both recreational and commercial snowmobiling is the loss of areas that are closed due to the provincial caribou recovery management plans. Mountain caribou have been identified as a threatened species in Canada (Simpson and Terry, 2000). Mountain snowmobiling has been identified as a contributor to the ease of access for predators such as wolves (Apps et al., 2013). Areas that are closed to snowmobiling rely largely on voluntary compliance from the snowmobile community. Closures are generally well respected, however snowmobile tourists may be unaware of or unwilling to comply with closures resulting in negative public perception of snowmobilers and increased area closures enforced by government compliance officers.
The industry currently lacks a unified guide training and certification process. This has been identified as a major shortcoming. The British Columbia Commercial Snowmobile Operators Association (BCCSOA) was created in 2005 ‘to unify, represent and support member owners and operators in the areas of marketing, operations, government regulations and responsible tourism (including safety and the environment)’. Attempts were made to build a training and certification stream, but never came to fruition. As of June 2018 there were 12 member companies listed on the BCCSOA website.
The objectives of the BCCSOA are:
• To promote and enhance professional commercial snowmobiling, to promote our code of ethics and standards in safety operating methods, procedures and protocol for the industry.
• To act as environment stewards and promote backcountry ethics and awareness within the commercial snowmobile industry, to represent the industry as a collective voice in co-operation with government and non-government agencies.
• To strengthen co-operation and promote working relations between its members and sponsors, to act as a governing body to ensure that all members of the association conduct themselves within the standards set out by the association.
As of January 2018, efforts were underway to create a new certifying association. Currently the only requirements to become a snowmobile guide are certification as a Canadian Avalanche Association Level 1, and an 80-h first aid certification.
The exam criteria for a snowmobile guide certification would include:
• Risk management – hazard recognition and analysis, minimization of risk, emergency response.
• Wildlife Management – closures.
• Guest management – client care, finding untracked snow.
• Technical systems – rescue, evacuation, snowmobile field repair.
• Professionalism – equipment, planning, preparation.
• Riding skills.
• Terrain assessment – navigation, route selection, route finding.
• Application – use of the appropriate technique.
• Mountain sense – judgement, decision making, error correction.
The current certifications of first aid and CAA Avalanche Level 1 would be the prerequisites to entry into the guide certification process. CAA Level 2 Avalanche Training would be required for lead guides. The barriers to higher levels of CAA avalanche training are a lack of mentors and opportunities for operational experience.
There are numerous opportunities for the growth and development of commercial snowmobile guiding in British Columbia. The growth in recreational numbers has led to an increase in the demand for guides. Recreational snowmobilers (see Fig. 13.3) seeking untracked powder are becoming increasingly challenged to find areas that have fewer riders. This has led to an increased willingness to pay for professional services. It is no longer good enough to rely on a friend of a friend’s local knowledge. These professional guides do far more than just find the untracked snow. They are increasingly adept at hazard management and avalanche terrain selection. Not only are guided groups less likely to have an accident, the professionally trained guides have skills in emergency management and incident response.
Fig. 13.3. Snowmobiler heading home at the end of the day. (Photograph courtesy of Iain Stewart-Patterson.)
As the demand for professional guiding services rises, so does the willingness to pay. This leads to increasing wages for guides with higher levels of training and certification. Snowmobile guiding operations are beginning to recognize that full service operations which provide guiding, food, accommodation and equipment have the greatest financial opportunities. The 2018–2019 costs of a 5-day all-inclusive backcountry snowmobile excursion is approximately $4500. This compares favourably to a 5-day heli ski trip at $5575 and a 4-day cat ski trip at $4950. Guided snowmobile trips are coming of age.
Commercial snowmobile guiding is at a crux transition in its evolution into long-term viability as a contributor to local economies. Recreational mountain snowmobiling is growing. The demand is placing strains on small mountain towns to provide both infrastructure and commercial guiding. The absence of snowmobile guiding certification coupled with the challenges in securing land tenure for a commercial operation are channelling guests toward uncertified, unlicensed and uninsured guides.
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