When looking for a snowmobile raid or tour in Canada, many travellers focus exclusively on the snowmobile’s specifications (power, engine type) and the daily mileage. Back from their snowmobile trip in Québec, most of them realize that a snowmobile raid is first and foremost a human adventure. Indeed, the memories that last are very often those of their relationships with the guide and the other riders, and the group dynamic that goes with them.
When preparing a snowmobile trip, it is important to understand the purpose of the trip and to share that purpose within the group. When the group is mixed (individuals brought together), the main goal of the briefing is to set a common objective accepted by all participants. This is the starting point of the group dynamic, and from there, everyone will put their energy into achieving the common goal: having fun safely while completing an adventure raid in Canada.
Achieving this goal means respecting certain rules set out by your guide at the briefing:
–apply what is decided at the briefing, and above all, discuss it together if you need to deviate from it.
–keep the group in visual contact at all times. Each adventurer is responsible for the safety of the teammate behind them, and breaking this visual chain means losing the group’s efficiency and affects safety. This technique is the one used in racing. In any case, we all arrive together at the stop in the evening.
–ride on the right side of the snowmobile trail, because we share this trail with other users coming from the opposite direction… You should never encroach on the left side of the snowmobile trail.
–respect speed limits and signage. The trails we ride on are marked, and traffic on them is governed by laws and regulations for our safety. Federation patrol officers and police make sure these rules are respected through frequent checks, especially in the busiest areas. Speed limits are set in many places to respect the peace and quiet of local residents, who graciously grant snowmobilers a right of way.
–respect the environment and wildlife: Canada and Québec are an immense natural space whose quality must be preserved. We are aware that we use a means of transportation that has a significant impact on nature, which is why we make sure to follow common-sense rules:
–signal in accordance with the federation’s signalling rules, to indicate the presence of other snowmobilers behind you to oncoming users, by pointing out hazards to the teammates following you, and by repeating your guide’s safety signals.
–take no personal initiative without agreeing on it with the guide, as it could compromise short-term safety or the smooth running of the tour.
–finally, behave like a responsible adventurer, which means being open to the culture of the country you are visiting, accepting its differences and not missing out on the cultural or ethnographic side of your adventure.
The notion of adventure in Canada necessarily involves a share of the unexpected and sometimes stepping more or less far out of your comfort zone; that is the very essence of a snowmobile Adventure. So to make yours a success, adopt Québec’s pace and keep smiling at all times!