MOUNTAIN SLEDDER CHECKS IN WITH BRAD GILMORE
Mountain Sledder: How long have you lived in Fernie, and what prompted the move there?
Brad Gilmore: I have lived in Fernie for 3 1/2 years now. I grew up in the small town of Pemberton, tucked away behind Whistler. I spent my entire life there chasing hockey games, motocross races and of course powder. After following work up and down the corridor for years, I decided it was time for a change.
Brad Gilmore, chasing blower interior pow.
MS: Not a lot of professional sledders live there – how do you convince people to come visit?
BG: Friends coming to visit is actually a touchy subject, haha. Yes, it is far away, but it’s awesome, so come visit anytime!
MS: What kind of sledders ride Fernie? Where do they come from?
BG: Fernie is full of complete shredders year round, so it’s always a good time. The sled scene is pretty diverse though. There is a lot of Alberta/Saskatchewan traffic which keeps the local zones busy. You have your local shredders who are ski/board touring. Then you have your sledheads… my kinda peeps! The ones who love to burn gas, get stuck, jib off anything that has a lip, and make sure to not leave a single clean line after a deep day.
MS: What are your favourite riding zones around there?
BG: My favourite zones here… come on now, did you actually think I was going to answer that??
Brad, stuck in his secret stash.
MS: You must be jonesing to get out this winter after missing much of last year due to a shoulder injury.
BG: The 2014/2015 season is going to be amazing. As some people know, I took a serious digger last winter which cost me a lot of time-off riding and work. After surgery it gave me the motivation to be better, train harder and learn from my mistakes. It was a harsh reality to realize that riding and filming was not going to happen last spring. I was still lucky enough to ride a bit, but sad I missed a year. The Slednecks team put together a deadly movie and it was great to see some new talent.
MS: Besides Fernie, where else will you be adventuring this winter?
BG: Well, this winter I’ve paired up with an Arctic Cat dealer based out of Golden, BC. This will give me the opportunity to work/ride closer to home and explore some new zones that hopefully will bring some new features to the filming world.
MS: What else is going on in Fernie? Should we all move there?
BG: Fernie is so different than what I am used to and it’s been nice to have a change. With waist-deep choker pow and massive tree descent lines, it’s really hard to beat. The backcountry here has become my second home. Between biking, hiking, hunting and sledding, there is so much ground to cover and not enough daylight to do it. My new life here with my little family is truly a gift, I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Just a couple of buds, hanging out in waist deep pow.
Ride carefully everyone, and take care! Sweet pow dreams…
BG
