SNOW
BUSINESS
W
e Canadians are often
referred to as a hearty
lot; tough, adaptable
and outdoorsy, we face
the sometimes harsh
Canadian climate with
a determined smile and a Tim Hor-
ton’s coffee, refusing to be slowed by
Mother Nature.
Well, that is pretty much true, and
even more so when it comes to ad-
venture riding in the beautiful Cana-
dian wilderness.
For most Canadian adventure
riders, there is a four-month period
that makes motorcycle riding more
dangerous than adventurous. From
a low average of 33cm of snow per
year in Victoria, BC to a high average
of 335cm in St. John’s Newfoundland,
winter is a season to be reckoned
with. For most of us it means a long,
cold season of stored motorcycles
and PMS (Parked Motorcycle Syn-
drome). No longer able to pursue
our shared passion for two-wheeled
TRAVERSE 99
overland adventures, we do what is
required; we adapt.
We lovingly winterize our bikes.
Performing end-of-season mainte-
nance and attaching a battery tender,
we sadly say goodbye to our motorcy-
cles until the warmth of spring melts
away the snows and April showers
clean the roads of their heavy res-
idues of sand and salt. It can be,
and often is, a sad occasion for most
riders, many of whom while away the
weeks and months by shopping for
accessories and farkles (functional
sparkles) for their iron steeds.
Some of us though, have come to
embrace winter in all of its blustery
glory. This is the season when ad-
ventures take on an entirely new look
and feel. Blanketed in a crisp white
covering, the same areas that we ride
our motorcycles through for almost
eight months of the year take on a
whole new persona.
This is the season snowmobilers
live for.