Ryan Graham, Observer Reporter
With the winter season here and in full swing it’s time to dust off your snowmobile and partake in the adventure that is snowmobiling. Chris Brown knows that excitement and thrill as he has been involved in the sport most of his life.
“Being able to go almost anywhere and having the opportunity to explore new terrain for me is the most exciting part in snowmobiling,” Brown said.
He became involved in the sport in 1997 while living in Colorado when he bought his first sled and hasn’t turned back since. After moving from Colorado to Whistler he says he knew from the beginning it was a fit.
“I moved to Whistler about 10 years ago when we were filming with Slednecks where we did a road trip to Whistler and I instantly fell in love with the Whistler backcountry.”
He says although it is a awesome sport to get involved with there are challenges like every sport.
“The physical aspect is the hardest part for people who have never done it before because you find muscles you never think you had, but fortunately the new sleds make it easier for you,” Brown said.
Brown who is with Ride Whistler teaches clinics that offer people new skills with the goal of helping them become a better technical rider.
“I try to teach people to ride with more confidence and in full control of the snowmobile,” Brown said.
“The goal is for people to have more confidence, new abilities and have control of their snowmobile all the time.”
Not only does Brown teach his clinics in Whistler but also in Golden, Valemount, Japan, Sweden and Iceland. Currently his snowmobile of choice is the 2017 Polaris Axys Pro and says it is one of the best he has ever used. Recently he hosted a riding clinc where he was featuring the 2017 Polaris Axys Pro and was asked by a person in the clinic if he could ride Brown’s 2017 to see the difference from the 2015 model, which Brown agreed too.
“I switched with him for a while and he rode the new Axys Pro and I was on the 2015 and I was tired by the end of the ride,” Brown said. “I then went back to the 2017 and it seemed like there was just less physical effort needed to ride. Not only are they easier to ride but they are easier to teach off of.”
For more information you can visit https://ridewhistler.ca.