2023 Kootenay Rat Raid Recap
The 19th annual Kootenay Rat Raid...what is there to say other than what an amazing weekend of great roads, amazing food and fantastic friends. We welcomed over 100 of our Triumph riding family and friends out to the Kootenays this year and everyone showed up with great attitudes to make the weekend even better!
For the first time in awhile, we had several of our sponsors in attendance. Happy to report that all three of our Triumph dealerships were there including Barnes Powersports Blackfoot from Calgary and our flagship dealership for 2022, M&M Performance from Kelowna and first time sponsor Precision Powersports from Lethbridge who gave nearly everyone their own Triumph shirt! Also in attendance was Montgomery Distillery from Missoula, Montana, Alarmtron from Kelowna and Mainjet Motorsports from right here in Nelson! Each brought their own flavour and added to the event.
Friday we headed out as the biggest group for Photo Friday to date and made our way up to Kaslo then over the 31A towards New Denver. We stopped at Fish Lake to settle the group so we could space out for our annual action shot care of Liam. Fish Lake holds different meanings for different people. Some like to visit the peacefulness it gives you, others have special ties with friends we have lost along the way. Either way, it is a beautiful place to stop and share with others. We even got a fantastic group shot from out there that you can see at the top of this page! Riders were then sent out one by one with an 8 second delay to allow for space. Liam does such a great job with these photos each year and the keepsake is appreciated by all!
As we were back to our 3-day format, Saturday had a couple of planned group rides for those interested. Alberta Raid attendee Geoff did set up a great on road ride that left at 7:30am! Local Randy stepped up again this year and took out another group for a road ride at 9:30. And in the middle of both, Aaron from Mainjet brought along his friend Dave and they took out a dozen or so of our off road guys for some trail riding! Others went out and enjoyed their own route or even stayed off bike for the day and explored Nelson including the Saturday market. Either way, Saturday was to do as you please until judging started at 4:30 for the Show & Shine and our banquet at 6:00.
The Show 'n Shine was a huge success. Some really amazing bikes won awards. A big thank you to our judges for this year who not by coincidence were winners last year! They included Sean, Liam, Sammi, Natasha, Lisa and Ducati Brad.
The banquet, dinner as usual was fantastic. The Adventure always does such a great job with everything they do for us. Before dinner we thanked our sponsors and raised a glass in memory of Chris Ellis, former President of Triumph Canada and a big fan of our event! And where we usually present to someone who has been at every single event, this year, our last man standing from last year was unable to come. That means the end of that tradition but we had a great run! We did have a lot of first timers, parents with their kids, and more so we still had a lot to cheer about! It was also at this time we had a couple of impromptu requests to speak from Neil Olson and Aaron from Mainjet...and you guys know how to make a girl feel good. The kinds words for me and the cheers from the group were heartwarming.
Once everyone had had enough to eat, we were off to give away some goodies from M&M Performance, Mainjet Motorsports, Grover Law Firm, Ill Fated Customs, Montgomery Distillery, Lords of Dirt, the Adventure Hotel and some donations that came from attendees who wish to remain anonymous. The room was full of positive energy. Once we finished handing out the Show 'n Shine trophies, I went to sort out the 50/50 and Sammi took that opportunity to grab the microphone to thank me for my efforts on behalf of the group and was again presented with a generous gift from everyone. We drew for the 50/50 which was over $600 to the winner, long time attendee Graham Barrows who may or may not have given half back to go to charity taking the total donation to $1000 as I may or may not have topped it up myself to a nice round number.
In 2019 I kept telling everyone I would see this through the 20th edition. Had COVID not happened, this year would have been that. However, I mentioned to the group at the end of the banquet and with full emotion, the 2 year break reinvigorated me to continue with this event for likely longer than the 20th. That does not mean that at some point it would be great if someone else took it over, but for now, I appreciate the volunteers that step up each year to help me out in Nelson. Perhaps they just don't realize I am grooming them to take over! hahaha! Just kidding....sort of!
We all need to thank our partners and sponsors in this event. Without their support, the Raid as a whole would be very scaled back. So in no particular order:
Website is now updated with next year’s dates with the registration form to be added soon. The new 2023 gallery of pictures can be found under Gallery!
IMPORTANT NOTE - 2024 marks the 20th Anniversary of our event. We have a cap on space therefore once we hit that cap, registration comes down and a waiting list will be created. Should someone find they won't be able to attend, as long as they let me know, I can connect them on a first come first serve basis from the wait list. The transfer of that registration is up to the seller and the buyer but I do need to know the outcome so I can update on my side.
Until next year, ride safe!
Cheers,
Liane
Raid Captain
For the first time in awhile, we had several of our sponsors in attendance. Happy to report that all three of our Triumph dealerships were there including Barnes Powersports Blackfoot from Calgary and our flagship dealership for 2022, M&M Performance from Kelowna and first time sponsor Precision Powersports from Lethbridge who gave nearly everyone their own Triumph shirt! Also in attendance was Montgomery Distillery from Missoula, Montana, Alarmtron from Kelowna and Mainjet Motorsports from right here in Nelson! Each brought their own flavour and added to the event.
Friday we headed out as the biggest group for Photo Friday to date and made our way up to Kaslo then over the 31A towards New Denver. We stopped at Fish Lake to settle the group so we could space out for our annual action shot care of Liam. Fish Lake holds different meanings for different people. Some like to visit the peacefulness it gives you, others have special ties with friends we have lost along the way. Either way, it is a beautiful place to stop and share with others. We even got a fantastic group shot from out there that you can see at the top of this page! Riders were then sent out one by one with an 8 second delay to allow for space. Liam does such a great job with these photos each year and the keepsake is appreciated by all!
As we were back to our 3-day format, Saturday had a couple of planned group rides for those interested. Alberta Raid attendee Geoff did set up a great on road ride that left at 7:30am! Local Randy stepped up again this year and took out another group for a road ride at 9:30. And in the middle of both, Aaron from Mainjet brought along his friend Dave and they took out a dozen or so of our off road guys for some trail riding! Others went out and enjoyed their own route or even stayed off bike for the day and explored Nelson including the Saturday market. Either way, Saturday was to do as you please until judging started at 4:30 for the Show & Shine and our banquet at 6:00.
The Show 'n Shine was a huge success. Some really amazing bikes won awards. A big thank you to our judges for this year who not by coincidence were winners last year! They included Sean, Liam, Sammi, Natasha, Lisa and Ducati Brad.
- Best Sport/Sport Touring - Chris Fry - Speed Triple
- Best Dual - Jenni Bailey - Scrambler
- Best Modern Cruiser - Gina Olson - Bobber
- Best Modern Classic - Loreen Youngman - Bonneville
- Best Overall - Lou Haymond - Bonneville
- Adventure Staff Choice - Lark Hawk - 1967 Daytona
- Paul England Memorial Award - Don Der - Ducati
- Furthest Travelled - Chris Taylor who took a roughly 1800 km motorcycle detour from AB, down to the US and up into the Nelson!
- Oldest Triumph - Lark Hawk - 1967 Daytona
The banquet, dinner as usual was fantastic. The Adventure always does such a great job with everything they do for us. Before dinner we thanked our sponsors and raised a glass in memory of Chris Ellis, former President of Triumph Canada and a big fan of our event! And where we usually present to someone who has been at every single event, this year, our last man standing from last year was unable to come. That means the end of that tradition but we had a great run! We did have a lot of first timers, parents with their kids, and more so we still had a lot to cheer about! It was also at this time we had a couple of impromptu requests to speak from Neil Olson and Aaron from Mainjet...and you guys know how to make a girl feel good. The kinds words for me and the cheers from the group were heartwarming.
Once everyone had had enough to eat, we were off to give away some goodies from M&M Performance, Mainjet Motorsports, Grover Law Firm, Ill Fated Customs, Montgomery Distillery, Lords of Dirt, the Adventure Hotel and some donations that came from attendees who wish to remain anonymous. The room was full of positive energy. Once we finished handing out the Show 'n Shine trophies, I went to sort out the 50/50 and Sammi took that opportunity to grab the microphone to thank me for my efforts on behalf of the group and was again presented with a generous gift from everyone. We drew for the 50/50 which was over $600 to the winner, long time attendee Graham Barrows who may or may not have given half back to go to charity taking the total donation to $1000 as I may or may not have topped it up myself to a nice round number.
In 2019 I kept telling everyone I would see this through the 20th edition. Had COVID not happened, this year would have been that. However, I mentioned to the group at the end of the banquet and with full emotion, the 2 year break reinvigorated me to continue with this event for likely longer than the 20th. That does not mean that at some point it would be great if someone else took it over, but for now, I appreciate the volunteers that step up each year to help me out in Nelson. Perhaps they just don't realize I am grooming them to take over! hahaha! Just kidding....sort of!
We all need to thank our partners and sponsors in this event. Without their support, the Raid as a whole would be very scaled back. So in no particular order:
- The Adventure Hotel (Nelson, BC) - for your 18th year in supporting and helping to host this event. Rob, Graham, Scott, Mandie, Chef, Rhonda and all the staff at the Adventure, you go above and beyond every year with help and stellar service for our group.
- Triumph Canada - Ian McKinstray thank you for your continued support and sending us jackets to give away! We all more than appreciate the support from the brand we all love.
- Blackfoot Motosports (Calgary, AB) - thank you for all you do to promote this event, sending Steve, Chris and Tera out to hang out with us and stepping up as a flagship sponsor this year!
- M&M Performance (Kelowna, BC) - so grateful for the support and sending out Brad and Graham this year! They were tons of fun!
- Precision Powersports (Lethbridge, AB) - Richard and Trisha, the surprise shirts were a hit, and your help to put packs together was very much appreciated!
- Alarmtron (Vancouver, BC) - James Baldo stepped up again to sponsor the event through his alarm company based out of Vancouver. Please consider him for your needs should you require home/business security systems.
- The Hume Hotel (Nelson, BC) - not just a favorite breakfast stop for our attendees, but also a great place to stay. Ryan, we appreciate your continued support of our event in your second year of sponsoring.
- Montgomery Distillery (Missoula, MT) - Ryan, god bless you for coming on board and coming back again and bringing all those amazing give aways from you and Lords of Dirt!!
- Grover Law Firm (Alberta) - Steve's firm has quickly become Alberta's go to for motorcycle related injury claims. As a long time rider himself with a fleet of his own, Steve is heavily involved in many motorcycle related events and associations. We thank him for the $400 gift basket that we gave away at the banquet!
- Liam Rathgeber (Calgary, AB) - Your continued support of this event through photography does not go unnoticed. You are the reason so many of us have great memories to hold on to. The idea to shoot on the 31A has remained a success. The time lapse footage from the arrival each year was pure genius and so fun to watch! I look forward to working with you next year on making this event even better. #PhotoFridayForever
- Volunteers - Big thanks from me to all who stepped forward to help with the event. Sam, Vanessa and Liam at registration were killer and the biggest help and David and Lance for helping sort the parking! Aaron, Randy and Geoff for setting up Saturday rides. Everyone who helped set up and tear down the tent and hauled boxes and water in and out of storage. Gina and Vanessa for help setting up the banquet. Sammi for helping me sell 50/50 tickets. Lisa for dealing with door prize tickets. The judges mentioned above for their efforts in the Show 'n Shine judging. Edwin for his design of this year's logo which was a huge success and fan favorite once again! And anyone I missed and I am so sorry if I did.
Website is now updated with next year’s dates with the registration form to be added soon. The new 2023 gallery of pictures can be found under Gallery!
IMPORTANT NOTE - 2024 marks the 20th Anniversary of our event. We have a cap on space therefore once we hit that cap, registration comes down and a waiting list will be created. Should someone find they won't be able to attend, as long as they let me know, I can connect them on a first come first serve basis from the wait list. The transfer of that registration is up to the seller and the buyer but I do need to know the outcome so I can update on my side.
Until next year, ride safe!
Cheers,
Liane
Raid Captain
