Yamafest 2019 and the Winter That Keeps on Giving
What better way to show off some new iron than to invite a bunch of snowmobile enthusiasts, head up one of the best mountain snowmobiling zones on earth and give everyone in sight a chance to rip around? That’s what made Yamafest 2019 so much fun and why the event is still going strong, 16 years after its inception.
As usual there was a huge turnout on the day, with both parking lots at Boulder Mountain packed with trucks.
Yamafest 2019 and the Winter That Keeps on Giving
It sure didn’t feel like April up on Boulder Mountain on Saturday. The winter that keeps on giving is still going strong in the BC interior. Snow was coming in hard and heavy, like a mid-winter Pineapple Express. We showed up a little late for the Yamafest meeting and departure from Boulder Cabin, and so we had to find our own way to Sugar Bowl. No easy task given the conditions.
Now anyone who has ridden Boulder Mountain before can tell you that it can be a little troublesome to navigate when the visibility goes south. Even a solid familiarity with the area sometimes isn’t enough when the weather socks in. Fortunately, sledders were out in droves on Saturday, with packs of ten and sometimes more riders cruising around in groups, trying not to get lost.
Lucky for us, a well-travelled path in the fresh snow led up and over the hills to Sugar Bowl, where the Yamafest 2019 event was staged.
It didn’t feel much like spring, with heavy snowfall and limited visibility all day.
Yamafest 2019 Demo Rides
The key draw for the day is of course the chance to hop aboard one of the Yamaha demo sleds. The 2019 Sidewinder M-TX 162 Limited Edition (LE) model was on hand, as well as the in-season M-TX 153 and 162 models which will be available next winter.
The Yamaha Sidewinder M-TX 162 LE was on hand for riders to demo.
It’s a bold colour scheme for Yamaha, and we like it.
Yamafest 2019 participants also took advantage of the opportunity to test ride a Yamaha WR450F with a Camso DTS 129 Snow Bike kit from the accessory catalogue. The bike was looking pretty slick and shiny in an accessory wrap.
Yamaha doesn’t sell a snow bike outright, but Camso’s DTS 129 Snow Bike kit can be purchased as an accessory to their bikes.
The Yamaha WR450F bike was looking awesome all wrapped up.
Fun Folks and Positive Attitudes
Yamaha had a number of product specialist and management folks there, helping out with organization and answering many questions about the products. Also on hand were Yamaha athletes Brock Hoyer and Cody Matechuk, aka the fastest men on snow bikes. Both are multi-sport athletes, and they were there shredding on sleds with some of the customers throughout the day.
Cody (left) and Brock (right) were there, mingling and riding with event-goers all day.
We managed to sneak away after the event was wrapped up for a few quick shots of the guys shredding on their Yamaha four-stroke iron.
Brock Hoyer making the most of 200-class turbo horsepower.
You could barely see your hand in front of your face. But that didn’t stop Cody Matechuk from getting airborne.
As always, there was a big crowd at the event, including the dirt bike and sled racing Buettner Braapers family. The young ‘uns were ripping around in some of the more mellow and safe terrain on their SnoScoots, while Mom and Dad stood by ready to deal with some inevitable stucks in the fresh snow. It’s awesome to see the future of our sport getting involved at an early age and loving it!
That little SnoScoot is a ripper! The Buettner Braaapers boys were having a blast up in Sugar Bowl.
It was another successful Yamafest—a tradition that we hope continues for another 16 years at least. The event usually marks some of our last days on snow for the season, which is a little sad. But Yamafest 2019 felt a little more like mid-winter than spring. It’s got us looking forward to the start of next winter more than thinking about the end of this one.
– MS
