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THE EDMONTON SLED SHOW WITH COURTNEY
Posted on November 8, 2012 by joydigger.com
By: Courtney Langford
What better way to start off the sled season than with a little BRAAP to get you going!
The 25th Annual Alberta Snowmobile and Powersports Show welcomed the 2012/2013 season with a bang and a loud one at that… Being Western Canada’s largest show of its it kind brought together more than 150 vendors, record breaking sales and thousands of attendees from all over North America. It’s every sled junkie’s favourite way to begin a new season, including mine.
I have been attending these shows for as long as I can remember and still I am intimidated by the intensity. My first step into the exhibition greeted me with adrenaline and excitement. Where does someone start in such a huge place? I had a few hours to kill before I started my shift at the Snow and Mud booth, so I made a loop to get a feel for the layout, noticing how much it feels like Christmas to like me.
Almost immediately I see familiar faces and the shop talk begins, getting right into the nitty gritty of things. Typical conversation held ranged from gear – boots, under wears, gloves, helmets – to the best avy pack, to beacons, and of course the machine that started it all. Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo, Yamaha, and Polaris each made their appearances at the show. Bringing their A-game, putting on the best displays and their best faces, each brand rocked it and left their fans with a lasting impression. Among the many, many dealerships, clubs, and associations, each and every booth had its own unique spin on the snowmobiling community and helped make this show one of the best ones yet.
The show which took place October 26 to October 28 is made up mostly of clubs that work actively in the industry to improve snowmobiling in the province, and further making expanding impressions in the snowmobiling community. The Alberta Snowmobile Association was present, along with some of the clubs from around the province. Fort Saskatchewan Snow Angels, Calgary Snowmobile Club, were a few along with many other clubs, signing up new and existing members for the upcoming season.
Just part of the Martin Motorsports set-up.
Martin Motorsports represented their company and brands they offer in a huge way, with one of the biggest exhibits, they were definitely hard to miss taking up almost an entire hall to themselves. Offering up information and demonstrations on ABS bags and bringing in two of the best people to educate and represent,David Norona and Stephanie Schwartz definitely made ABS the star of the show and getting down and dirty with these backpacks, but mostly scaring the heck out of bystanders who didn’t know what was coming when they pulled the cable pull. These two could be found walking the show with their backpacks on and ready to explode at any minute. I’ve never seen so many empty cardboard boxes from all the nitrogen cans those two used! I couldn’t think of two better people to represent as well as they did! You guys rock!!
Martin Motorsports brought in their best machines for this event, and proudly displayed Ski-Doo in the ultimate way with 8 enclosed trailers, and a handful of sleds, combining the display with BRP for the most outstanding exhibit. A visit to the accessories department was a must when going through Martin’s section of the show with a huge inventory of Klim gear as well as MotorFist apparel.
Alongside Martin’s for promotion and sales were other booths such as ASE Motorsports from Sherwood Park Alberta with a 2012 M8 162 Sno Pro Arctic Cat stealing the show with a little bit of everything, including Feet Hooker board inserts, a Rasmussen edition Boss seat, and camoplast 2.5 xtreme track to name a few of the mods. T&T Power Sports from Bonnyville Alberta made a wicked appearance bringin’ it with the latest and greatest in Arctic Cat as well! Terry from T&T generously shared a portion of his booth with the Bettie’s and had on display some of the sisters sleds which were proudly on demonstration with all of the wicked awesome wraps the girls had created with Marc through Spiralus Designs. The girls were promoting the Betties Power Sports Network to female rider eager to get out there (I’m sure the hubbies weren’t complaining) and selling tons of apparel, Bettie’s bracelets, and decals, and of course the Betties Adventure movie!
Putting a little bit of focus on the “newbie” vendors side of things and heading over to Main Jet Motorsports booth was the crazy Trish Drinkle all the way from Nelson BC and her contagious enthusiastic, extremely bubbly personality ROCKED the stage. For being a first time exhibit at the Alberta Snowmobile Show, Trish and her crew sure had me fooled with their outstanding performance, expert set up and how smoothly they ran things over there. With an exhibit like theirs and how well it was put together, I wouldn’t have known the difference between long time vendors and Main Jet. Well done you guys!!
Courtney out meeting and greeting.
The beer gardens was an imperative stop for me a few times, as that is the hangout for attendees needing a break from the ooh’s and ah’s of show, and where most people could get more shop talk done… And maybe compare with their buddies some of the items they purchased. I saw a few goggles and helmets going for a test drive for those that were still undecided.
Back at the Snow and Mud booth, there were a lot of friendly encounters happening, as new peeps stopped by, introduced themselves by their forum name and finally being able to put a face to the name. Some people have talked over the site for years and never met each other, so it’s definitely always nice being able to put the two together. Tons of laughs, lots of hugs, and reconnecting was going on as tons of merchandise was flying out the door. Lisa Smith and Ron Willert did a super duper job and at times could hardly keep up with how busy it was. The ladies apparel was the most popular as it’s the newest line to Snow and Mud, and the yoga pants were literally sold out in a matter of a few hours (I think we all know why though…)!
Making the show all the more worthwhile were a few big deal names that made it even MORE impossible to disappoint. In one corner we had Jim Phelan and his badass Thunderstruck boys signing autographs, selling movies, and telling their stories. In the next corner was Slednecks rider Chris Brown with a never ending line-up for his autograph. Just down the way from Brown, was Chris Burandt at the Boondocker booth, also signing posters for his fans. Sean Maxwell could also be found helping out Curtis Pawliuk at the Tourism Valemount (VARDA) booth, and I heard he handed out a few autographs of his own. I’m sure all those guys cheeks hurt at the end of the day from all the smiles for pictures being taken by their fans. It’s always a pleasure being in the presence of such highly respected icons, especially since they’ve each been an influence on me in one way or another when it comes to shredding.
All in all, the 25th annual Alberta Snow show was one to remember for a very long time and I am already counting down the days until next year’s show. It’s going to be tough to top this one that’s for darn sure. I know there has already been some talk from dealerships already planning for next year! Now that the show is over the season can officially begin, so bring on the snow! Happy shredding peeps… And don’t forget to ride safe! Cheers.
THE EDMONTON SLED SHOW WITH COURTNEY
Posted on November 8, 2012 by joydigger.com
By: Courtney Langford
What better way to start off the sled season than with a little BRAAP to get you going!
The 25th Annual Alberta Snowmobile and Powersports Show welcomed the 2012/2013 season with a bang and a loud one at that… Being Western Canada’s largest show of its it kind brought together more than 150 vendors, record breaking sales and thousands of attendees from all over North America. It’s every sled junkie’s favourite way to begin a new season, including mine.
I have been attending these shows for as long as I can remember and still I am intimidated by the intensity. My first step into the exhibition greeted me with adrenaline and excitement. Where does someone start in such a huge place? I had a few hours to kill before I started my shift at the Snow and Mud booth, so I made a loop to get a feel for the layout, noticing how much it feels like Christmas to like me.
Almost immediately I see familiar faces and the shop talk begins, getting right into the nitty gritty of things. Typical conversation held ranged from gear – boots, under wears, gloves, helmets – to the best avy pack, to beacons, and of course the machine that started it all. Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo, Yamaha, and Polaris each made their appearances at the show. Bringing their A-game, putting on the best displays and their best faces, each brand rocked it and left their fans with a lasting impression. Among the many, many dealerships, clubs, and associations, each and every booth had its own unique spin on the snowmobiling community and helped make this show one of the best ones yet.
The show which took place October 26 to October 28 is made up mostly of clubs that work actively in the industry to improve snowmobiling in the province, and further making expanding impressions in the snowmobiling community. The Alberta Snowmobile Association was present, along with some of the clubs from around the province. Fort Saskatchewan Snow Angels, Calgary Snowmobile Club, were a few along with many other clubs, signing up new and existing members for the upcoming season.
Just part of the Martin Motorsports set-up.
Martin Motorsports represented their company and brands they offer in a huge way, with one of the biggest exhibits, they were definitely hard to miss taking up almost an entire hall to themselves. Offering up information and demonstrations on ABS bags and bringing in two of the best people to educate and represent,David Norona and Stephanie Schwartz definitely made ABS the star of the show and getting down and dirty with these backpacks, but mostly scaring the heck out of bystanders who didn’t know what was coming when they pulled the cable pull. These two could be found walking the show with their backpacks on and ready to explode at any minute. I’ve never seen so many empty cardboard boxes from all the nitrogen cans those two used! I couldn’t think of two better people to represent as well as they did! You guys rock!!
Martin Motorsports brought in their best machines for this event, and proudly displayed Ski-Doo in the ultimate way with 8 enclosed trailers, and a handful of sleds, combining the display with BRP for the most outstanding exhibit. A visit to the accessories department was a must when going through Martin’s section of the show with a huge inventory of Klim gear as well as MotorFist apparel.
Alongside Martin’s for promotion and sales were other booths such as ASE Motorsports from Sherwood Park Alberta with a 2012 M8 162 Sno Pro Arctic Cat stealing the show with a little bit of everything, including Feet Hooker board inserts, a Rasmussen edition Boss seat, and camoplast 2.5 xtreme track to name a few of the mods. T&T Power Sports from Bonnyville Alberta made a wicked appearance bringin’ it with the latest and greatest in Arctic Cat as well! Terry from T&T generously shared a portion of his booth with the Bettie’s and had on display some of the sisters sleds which were proudly on demonstration with all of the wicked awesome wraps the girls had created with Marc through Spiralus Designs. The girls were promoting the Betties Power Sports Network to female rider eager to get out there (I’m sure the hubbies weren’t complaining) and selling tons of apparel, Bettie’s bracelets, and decals, and of course the Betties Adventure movie!
Putting a little bit of focus on the “newbie” vendors side of things and heading over to Main Jet Motorsports booth was the crazy Trish Drinkle all the way from Nelson BC and her contagious enthusiastic, extremely bubbly personality ROCKED the stage. For being a first time exhibit at the Alberta Snowmobile Show, Trish and her crew sure had me fooled with their outstanding performance, expert set up and how smoothly they ran things over there. With an exhibit like theirs and how well it was put together, I wouldn’t have known the difference between long time vendors and Main Jet. Well done you guys!!
Courtney out meeting and greeting.
The beer gardens was an imperative stop for me a few times, as that is the hangout for attendees needing a break from the ooh’s and ah’s of show, and where most people could get more shop talk done… And maybe compare with their buddies some of the items they purchased. I saw a few goggles and helmets going for a test drive for those that were still undecided.
Back at the Snow and Mud booth, there were a lot of friendly encounters happening, as new peeps stopped by, introduced themselves by their forum name and finally being able to put a face to the name. Some people have talked over the site for years and never met each other, so it’s definitely always nice being able to put the two together. Tons of laughs, lots of hugs, and reconnecting was going on as tons of merchandise was flying out the door. Lisa Smith and Ron Willert did a super duper job and at times could hardly keep up with how busy it was. The ladies apparel was the most popular as it’s the newest line to Snow and Mud, and the yoga pants were literally sold out in a matter of a few hours (I think we all know why though…)!
Making the show all the more worthwhile were a few big deal names that made it even MORE impossible to disappoint. In one corner we had Jim Phelan and his badass Thunderstruck boys signing autographs, selling movies, and telling their stories. In the next corner was Slednecks rider Chris Brown with a never ending line-up for his autograph. Just down the way from Brown, was Chris Burandt at the Boondocker booth, also signing posters for his fans. Sean Maxwell could also be found helping out Curtis Pawliuk at the Tourism Valemount (VARDA) booth, and I heard he handed out a few autographs of his own. I’m sure all those guys cheeks hurt at the end of the day from all the smiles for pictures being taken by their fans. It’s always a pleasure being in the presence of such highly respected icons, especially since they’ve each been an influence on me in one way or another when it comes to shredding.
All in all, the 25th annual Alberta Snow show was one to remember for a very long time and I am already counting down the days until next year’s show. It’s going to be tough to top this one that’s for darn sure. I know there has already been some talk from dealerships already planning for next year! Now that the show is over the season can officially begin, so bring on the snow! Happy shredding peeps… And don’t forget to ride safe! Cheers.
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