Blog - Author - Jennifer Thompson Feed

Top Outdoor Destinations to Visit This Winter

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:22:16 +0000

This winter will be the perfect opportunity to have that staycation you’ve always dreamed about, to stick close to home and enjoy the beauty your own backyard has to offer. With snow and freezing temperatures come exciting outdoor adventures and activities the whole family can enjoy. So bundle up and make warm and lasting memories, without travelling too far from home.

We’ve put together a small list of great outdoor destinations – but there are so many to choose from! As always, please follow local health authority guidelines about travelling and check with the destination to make sure they’re open.

Prince Albert National Park
Winter is a beautiful time to visit northern Saskatchewan, especially Prince Albert National Park, a million acres of snow-covered wilderness. This winter paradise offers many family-friendly outdoor activities like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, skating, winter camping, wildlife photography and much more. Snowmobiles are not permitted in Prince Albert National Park but there are hundreds of kilometers of excellent, groomed trails outside the park (see below for more info).

Blue Mountain Adventure Park, North Battleford
If you’re looking for a fun and unique getaway this winter, then Blue Mountain is the place to go. This beautiful outdoor destination has everything on your list, including a tubing park, over 30 kilometers of groomed trails for skating and cross-country skiing, designated trails for snowshoeing, plus a nice chalet to warm up in when you’re cold! You can rent snowshoes and cross-country skis onsite, but you do need to bring your own skates.

Johnston Canyon Ice Walk, Banff
This is one of the most popular attractions in Banff National Park, and home to spectacular frozen waterfalls. This guided hike takes you along steel catwalks built into the canyon walls up to the iconic frozen upper falls, with beautiful views into the gorge below. Wander through a natural cave to gaze down at the frozen falls up close or continue onto the upper falls – a tower of ice that rises 30 meters above your head.

Canmore and Kananaskis
With gorgeous snowy mountains and many winter activities, Canmore and Kananaskis is fun for the whole family. Enjoy scenic snowshoeing at Chester Lake, cross-country or Alpine skiing, waterfall and ice-cave climbing, underground tours of the famous Rat’s Nest cave under Canmore’s Grotto Mountain or even SnowFlow yoga, designed specifically to elevate your season on the slopes with a mindful, proactive approach.

Local Snowmobile Trails

As of the date this blog was posted, snowmobile trails are open in Saskatchewan and Alberta. There are hundreds of kilometers of well-maintained trails in both provinces for sledders to enjoy.

Check out these articles from SnoRiders magazine for the top places to snowmobile in Saskatchewan and Alberta. For eight years, readers voted Hudson Bay their favourite spot in Saskatchewan. It offers consistently deep and fresh snow, lasting well into April, and 690 kilometers of maintained trails with 16 warm-up shelters.

Or check out one of Alberta snowmobilers’ top picks: Athabasca, on the banks of Alberta’s longest river. This outdoor-oriented town boasts 300 kilometers of groomed trails west of Baptiste Lake, with terrain and scenery including boreal forest, river valleys and rolling hills. Two staging areas allow for easy access to the trails, and there are cabins and warm-up areas with picnic tables, fire pits and firewood.

Visit the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association’s website, Snowmobilers of Manitoba’s website, or the Alberta Snowmobile Association’s website for more up-to-date information on the status of your local snowmobile trails.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Winter Staycation Contest

Have you entered our Winter Staycation contest on our Facebook and Twitter pages yet? Until January 15th, we’re giving away some awesome prizes to make your winter vacation even better, including a brand-new ice shack. Simply by like our Facebook or Twitter page, like the pinned post/tweet and tag a friend. Visit our social media pages for more information!

Sled N Snap Photo Contest turns international

Wed, 23 Oct 2013 14:35:00 +0000

The Sled’N Snap photo contest has launched for its third year and we’re excited to showcase a brand new website! This site will make it even easier for people to share, view and comment on each other’s photos.

Visitors to www.slednsnap.com can upload their pictures in a variety of categories and in April the public will vote for the grand prize winner. The site is also a place to celebrate all things snowmobiling, while promoting safe riding and registered sleds. It has valuable information like trail maps, upcoming events and safety articles.

We’re also happy to announce that Sled’N Snap has turned international and Snowmobile North Dakota has joined the contest! Anyone with a registered sled in that state can enter a photo.

“We are really excited about joining Sled’N Snap,” says Keri Wanner, executive director for SND. In 2011, she attended the Saskatchewan snowmobile show where an enclosed trailer with “Win Me!” on the side caught her attention. It was the grand prize given to the winner of Sled’N Snap to use for a year, which prompted Wanner to find out more about the contest and get involved.

“As a manager of snowmobile trails, there is no other opportunity that can outshine promoting snowmobile registration,” adds Wanner. “That’s how you can maintain trails and do the work behind the scenes to make sure you can ride.”

“Having North Dakota join Sled’N Snap is something I pushed for,” says Chris Brewer, executive director of the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association (SSA), another Sled’N Snap partner. “I don’t believe in borders as a snowmobiler. We all have a common cause: we love to enjoy winter. To open up internationally is absolutely fantastic for snowmobilers.”

Sled’N Snap isn’t the only thing turning international this winter. A new snowmobile trail linking Saskatchewan and North Dakota is opening in February. The first of its kind trail will connect the two systems at the Port of Carievale and allow snowmobilers from either side of the border access to thousands of kilometers of new trails. An international ride to commemorate this trail opening will take place on February 15.

Snowmobilers with a legal sled in North Dakota may cross into Saskatchewan free of charge. Snowmobilers with a legal sled in Saskatchewan coming into North Dakota must purchase an out-of-state permit for $15. This fee will be waived for the International Ride on Feb. 15. Snowmobilers must still cross at the normal border security crossing and have a valid passport.

Sled’N Snap is put on by the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association, the Alberta Snowmobile Association, Snowmobilers of Manitoba, Snowmobile North Dakota and Flaman Group of Companies. For contest details visit www.slednsnap.com.

Everest Edition trailer celebrates Flaman manager's summit

Tue, 08 Oct 2013 16:03:00 +0000

Standing at 28,700 feet above sea level, the crisp mountain air whipping around him, the first rays of morning sunlight glittering on the untouched snow ahead of him, Steve Whittington, Saskatoon mountaineer and Flaman Trailers division manager, took his final steps onto the South Summit as the top of Mount Everest exploded into view. The Hillary Step and final summit ridge were all that remained between him and the top. At that moment, after living on the side of a mountain for almost two months, he knew he was going to make it.

Whittington and his climbing Sherpa Dawa had been battling a storm for hours considering turning around. When they reached The Balcony they stopped to rest and have a drink. Assessing the situation, Whittington realized his oxygen consumption had been far less than he had originally thought and he didn’t have to change tanks. This meant he was doing better than he realized. “And then I got mad. After 56 days on this mountain I was not going to let a storm turn me around,” Whittington says.

After reaching the South Summit, Whittington traversed the corniced ridge line and quickly climbed the Hillary Step. Then it was an emotional victory march as he made his way to the prayer flag adorned summit. “It was clear, it was bright, it was beautiful,” Whittington recalls. “I burned the moment into my soul.”

As Whittington stood at 29,029 feet, staring at the world below, 10 years of his blood, sweat and tears had finally culminated into that one perfect moment. There’s not a lot of time to celebrate at the top, but he and Dawa took a few moments to place prayer flags and take photos. Snapshots show Whittington with a banner dedicating his summit to childhood friend Warren Thompson and posing with a Flaman Group of Companies flag.

The team at Flaman is extremely proud that one of our own was able to accomplish such an amazing feat. To celebrate Whittington’s summit, Flaman Trailers is introducing the exclusive Everest Edition sled trailers. These trailers come with bonus, value-added features for extra convenience and functionality. Our manufacturers stepped up to help us celebrate and we’re able to offer these features at no extra cost to the customer.

The 2014 XR Series trailers come with new interior kick plates, interior black matte trim, new aluminum rims, a cabinet, coat rack, bench and a 110 Volt Plug. You can see all these great features by clicking here.

All Aluma flat deck snowmobile trailers and the 2 place enclosed sled trailer come with special Everest Edition aluminum rims. To see the different Aluma trailers Flaman has, click here.

Check out these trailers soon, as they are only available this winter! Not all XR sled trailers will feature this new package, so please talk to your local salesperson.

Whittington’s journey to the top of Everest started 10 years ago. He has more than 40 summits to his name, including five of the world’s seven summits. “Climbing Everest was a longing that I didn’t quite understand,” Whittington says. “But I knew I had to be patient enough to build the skills that I needed to climb it over the past decade.”

Whittington followed a grueling program of work outs and went on several climbing trips to increase his strength and endurance, add weight (he lost 30 pounds on the mountain) and increase his maximal oxygen intake. You can read his training blogs on Flaman Fitness’ Fit Talk blog.

Could there be a second trip up Everest in the future? Whittington is steadfast in his answer: “I have no desire to go back.” But he does have plans to finish the seven summits and eventually tap the top of Vinson Massif in Antarctica and Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania. Right now, he says, he’s focusing on his family. But the pull of the mountain is strong.

“When you’re climbing there are so many uncertainties, so many what ifs. But where other people see uncertainty, I see possibility. This is why I climb.”

Steve on the top of Mt Everest with the Flaman Group of Companies flag.

The new XR Everest Edition sled trailer comes with many great features like:

New aluminum rims Fold down bench

Coat rack

Flaman named Top 100 Company

Fri, 27 Sep 2013 09:28:00 +0000

Flaman Group of Companies is proud to announce that we have been named #49 on Saskatchewan’s Top 100 Companies List for 2013.

This list is published annually in Saskatchewan Business Magazine and looks at a company’s overall sales. The final rankings were revealed at a gala on September 4 and the full list is available in the September magazine edition. Saskatchewan Business Magazine is home to the original and official Top 100 Companies List for Saskatchewan. First published in 1984, the list remains the barometer of Saskatchewan’s top performing businesses

“The only reason we made the list is because of our customers,” said Don Flaman, president. “Thank you to all our customers for supporting us.”

The Top 100 List paints a positive picture for business in Saskatchewan. According to the magazine, revenues are up across the board and Saskatchewan is a “must be” destination for business, boasting major private firms along with the traditional co-ops or Crown corporations.

“Saskatchewan businesses have found their stride, a testament to the quality of owners and managers who have developed a unique skill set, learning to excel in a market best characterized by its sparse population and expansive landmass while roughly two thirds of its output is destined for a buyer outside our borders,” writes Paul Martin in the September issue of Saskatchewan Business Magazine.

“This annual listing is as much a celebration of the past – of those who built an environment that attracts players from all corners of the planet – as it is a tribute to the new players who are helping to broaden and deepen our entrepreneurial pool.”

Sled'N Snap Calendars have arrived!

Mon, 16 Sep 2013 08:23:00 +0000

Now you can relive your favourite snowmobiling memories all year round with the new Sled’N Snap calendar, available from Flaman.

This 2014 calendar features beautiful winning photos from last year’s Sled’N Snap photo contest. Use it to keep track of your all important events, trips or keep on top of the kids’ activities schedule. The calendar also includes important dates and events from the Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and North Dakota snowmobile associations, and Flaman Group of Companies.

Even in the sweltering summer you can enjoy the photos and day dream about hitting the fresh powder next winter with your sled.

Stop by your local Flaman store today to pick up your free calendar. Or you can get a calendar from the Flaman Trailers booth at the upcoming Alberta Snowmobile Show in Edmonton Oct 18-20 and the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Show in Saskatoon Nov 1-3. Don’t forget to grab one for your friends too!

You can sign up for a Sled’N Snap account and submit photos to contest online at www.slednsnap.com. Next year your photo could be in a calendar!

Congrats to our Sled'N Snap winners!

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:42:00 +0000

It may be summer, but there are a few people who are getting excited about snowmobiling next winter. Gerald Serson of Regina recently traveled to Saskatoon to pick up his grand prize from our Sled’N Snap Photo Contest. He won the use of an enclosed snowmobile trailer for a year!

More than 860 photos were submitted to Sled’N Snap from across Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. The grand prize winner was determined by public voting. Just over 27,600 votes were cast for the top 20 finalists.

Gerald says he was “pretty excited” to hear he’d won the trailer. There are four people in his family who snowmobile, and he says he’ll get great use of it. His winning photo was taken at a warm up shack in Hudson Bay this past January while Serson was sledding with his family.

“This photo contest has opened people’s eyes to snowmobiling,” Serson says. “I think some people didn’t realize what’s out there for shelters and trails and all the wildlife you can see.” He believes this contest will help promote the sport and more people will want to try snowmobiling next winter.

Random draw winners were also selected by the sled associations for a 2-place tilt sled trailer. The winners were:

Charity Jarduk, Yorkton

Todd Lander, Rocky Mountain House

Treena Massey, Winnipeg

You can view all the winning photos at www.slednsnap.com.

New photo contest created for local snowmobilers

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:43:00 +0000

A new website has been created to get the message out about safe sledding to local snowmobilers.

Sled’N Snap (www.slednsnap.com) is an online photo contest and community forum that celebrates snowmobiling in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association and Flaman Group of Companies recently launched the new website as a way to reach out to the sledding community.

“Our biggest challenge is getting the message out to our many members about safe and courteous riding,” says Chris Brewer, President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association. “This contest is a fun and interactive way to spread the word to a larger audience.”

“But it’s more than just a photo contest. It’s a destination site for anyone who snowmobiles. There are links to trail maps, articles about safety, a tips forum and more.”

Sled’N Snap’s premise is simple – visitors to the site upload their photos in a variety of categories like Trail/Scenery/Wildlife, Youth and Family, Action!, or Club Rides. At the end of March, the photos will be judged by an association panel who will select a group of finalists and then the public will vote for the grand prize winner.

Up for grabs is the use of the amazing, fully-loaded Stealth aluminum enclosed sled trailer for one year. There are also category prizes from the Saskatchewan Association and every entry is eligible for the random draw for a new two-place aluminum tilt trailer from Flaman Trailers.

And it’s a way for snowmobilers across the province to share memories and common experiences. They can leave comments on photos or share pictures on Facebook. “One of the submitted photos is of a cabin that’s used as a shelter, and someone’s already commented on how they remember going to that same place,” says Brewer.

The submission period for the photo contest ends March 31, 2012. To be eligible for any prizes, entrants must have a registered sled. For more information, visit www.slednsnap.com.

Flaman Trailers takes to the road!

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:37:00 +0000

At Flaman Trailers, we’re dedicated to customer service. So much so, that if you can’t come to us, we’ll come to you!

That was the motto behind one of our salesman’s recent trip to Fort McMurray. Aaron Farrell, a trailer specialist at the north Edmonton store, loaded up a H370 flat deck trailer with a XR7 cargo trailer and an Aluma 638 utility trailer and headed up north To Fort McMurray on June 3 and 4.

This is the first time Flaman Trailers has gone on the road. Not long ago Aaron was looking through his customer list and noticed that many of them were form Fort McMurray. Talking with his customers, they expressed some difficulty in getting trailers up there. Many of them made the drive down to Edmonton.

“I thought: why not go up there? I had nothing to lose,” Aaron says.

He set up shop at the Fountain Tire in the MacKenzie industrial area, displaying the trailers on government land right in front of the store so everyone could see them as they drove by. Although Aaron says he had a bit of bad weather on the first day, the set up worked. He even sold the utility trailer on the spot.

“Lots of people were pulling over on the side of the road,” he says. “Many recognized the ad we had put in the paper. I talked to about 24 people over the 2 days I was there. It was great!”

Feeling confident, the second day he was there Aaron pulled his trailer over to a mall parking lot and set up for a few hours, where he also got a lot of traffic. He says he got a lot of interest from the oil field in equipment haulers and flat decks, but also a lot of interest in cargo trailers.

Aaron says he would “absolutely” like to take Flaman Trailers on the road again, and plans to go back to Fort McMurray.

Flaman Trailers in Siberia

Fri, 06 May 2011 09:35:00 +0000

No, we’re not opening a new Flaman Trailers location in Siberia. But an interesting story unfolded this past March where trailers purchased from Flaman Trailers in Nisku played a background, but important, role in taking some special guests to the northern Russian region.

Parks Canada moved 30 Wood Bison calves from Elk Island National Park in Alberta to Lenskie Stolby National Nature Park in Sakha, Russia as a way to preserve the animals’ endangered population. This move created what is called an “out-population” in a region where bison went extinct thousands of years ago. Essentially, having these bison in Russia is an insurance policy, in case anything happens to the vulnerable population here in Canada.

So where does Flaman Trailers fit into all this? Well, as one woman quips in the documentary of the bison’s journey filmed by Discovery Channel, you can’t transport the bison in passenger seats.

The 30 calves were loaded into Southland stock trailers purchased from Flaman to make the one hour trip to Edmonton International Airport. These loaded trailers were then put on a Russian transport plane for the 10 hour flight to Yakutsk, Russia, then continued on a four hour drive along bumpy roads and a frozen river to the nature park.

These trailers had been in Russia since 2006, after they carried bison there as part of a pilot project. Almost five years later, as they were given the once over before the bison were loaded in, the trailers looked “excellent” according to the General Trades Assistant at Elk Island. I think it’s a testament to the quality of these Southland units – not only their durability but the fact they were trusted with carrying such precious cargo.

You can watch the story of the Flying Bison on Discovery Channel’s “Daily Planet” by clicking this link www.discoverychannel.ca/article.aspx?aid=31897

Frank Flaman's generosity continues with Haiti donation

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 13:33:00 +0000

One year after a devastating earthquake struck the capital of Haiti, Frank Flaman has once again generously given half a million dollars to support the relief effort.

In a simple presentation on Jan. 12 at Flaman Sales in Nisku, Flaman donated $250,000 to the Salvation Army and $250,000 to Oxfam. These funds are in addition to the $500,000 he donated to the same charities shortly after the earthquake hit in 2010 through the Frank Flaman Foundation.

“These charities do a lot of good work,” says Flaman. “And there’s a real need in Haiti. There’s still so much suffering there – people are living in tents with no clean water.”

Around 230,000 people died and 1.5 million were left homeless after a magnitude seven earthquake struck the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince last year. Billions of dollars in international aid have been donated toward relief work, but money is still needed to reconstruct the devastated city.

“This donation is a symbol of the generosity Canadians continue to demonstrate as Haitians struggle to rebuild their country,” says Robert Fox, executive director of Oxfam Canada. “It's a tremendous display of support at a time when it's needed most."

Since the earthquake, Oxfam has provided clean drinking water and sanitation facilities to more than 400,000 displaced people, provided 98,000 people with emergency shelter, distributed hygiene kits containing personal-care items like soap, shampoo and towels to 120,000 people and assisted 175,000 people in reopening businesses and removing rubble through cash-for-work programs. Among other programs, the organization has spent $19.5 million on water, sanitation and hygiene and $11 million towards emergency food security and livelihoods programs.

The Salvation Army currently operates 49 primary schools throughout Haiti, along with several children’s homes and secondary schools. The Army’s medical work includes maternity programs, dispensaries, tuberculosis clinics, primary health care centres and a nutrition centre.

“I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the support Frank Flaman has provided for our work in Haiti,” says Karen Diaper, The Salvation Army’s assistant public relations director. “This donation will help many people on their road to recovery and redevelopment. Without such community minded, generous people as Frank Flaman, The Salvation Army wouldn't be able to provide such assistance, in Haiti and around the world.”

Along with its support for Haiti, the Frank Flaman Foundation has funded and helped countless global charities provide their valuable services, both locally and around the globe. For more about the foundation visit www.flaman.com/foundation