Warm your body with a kick of adrenaline later this month by taking part in Valemount’s fourth annual Winter Festival, which this year includes snowmobile drag races.

The races, for all classes and age groups, will be administered by the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Racing Association and will take place in an open field at the Canoe River Campground, just south of Valemount.

The race strip is 1,500 feet long. Racers will be timed for the first 500 feet and then have the final 1,000 to cool down.

Curtis Pawliuk, general manager of the Valemount Area Recreation Development Association, said the guys from Saskatchewan will be bringing specialized snowmobiles that go so fast they could knock your socks off.

“There will be some specialized, extremely fast snowmobiles at this event,” he said. “I imagine some of the sleds will be over 300 horsepower. 

“At the same time there will be some of us mountain boys out there just seeing what we can do.”

The festival is taking place Feb. 25 through 26, with drag races being held on the first day.

Registration for the event will take place on race day.

Pawliuk said he encourages everyone to come out either to participate or watch.

“Get out and try something new,” he said. “It’s a great spectator sport or a great way to have fun with a group of individuals racing their snowmobiles.”

For those people looking for a more casual, laid back ride, there’s also the annual Poker Run taking place on Sunday.

The run will take participants, who have collected pledges before the race, around the Westridge Family Loop to five checkpoints. 

At each checkpoint, participants will receive a tick. Once they have all five ticks, they receive a poker hand. The participant with the best poker hand receives a prize, as does the person who collects the most pledges.

All of the proceeds from the run are donated to the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities as part of a provincial campaign organized by the British Columbia Snowmobile Club.

Last year, the event raised just over $4,000, placing Valemount as the second highest contributor.

“We hope to do just as well if not better this year,” said Pawliuk.

Between the two days, Pawliuk said there is an event for everyone.

 “Get your horsepower out of your veins on Saturday and then come out for a relaxing ride and hot chocolate on Sunday.

“Sunday’s a great day for charity. It’s a great family ride. It’s a great way to get out and enjoy our mountains and it’s kind of a non-aggressive atmosphere. It’s a ride for all levels.”

There will also be an award ceremony and plenty of hot chocolate and hot dogs to go around.

More information is available at www.visitvalemount.ca.