Sisters company offers winter outings

When winter comes to Central Oregon and the snow piles up deep in the Cascades, access to some of summer’s favorite places is largely cut off for most people. A new snowmobile tour company that opened last week in Sisters changes all that.

Three Sisters Back Country Access, operated by Gabe and Rima (Givot) Chladek and their partners Shane Fox and fiancée Liz Asher, bring together a true love of the outdoors, environmental education and tremendous knowledge of the Sisters backcountry for the enjoyment of clients who want to experience the beauty and challenge of mountains during the snow season.

Gabe Chladek’s experience working for the Forest Service in the Sisters Ranger District and his many years spent on ski patrol, coupled with his work as owner/operator of Rapid River Rafters, give him a unique blend of guide experience and knowledge of the area to provide a quality experience for people who might not venture out off the beaten track on their own.

His wife Rima has also worked in ski patrol and river guiding and has a degree in science education. She has done many outdoor SOAR trips for youth and works as an assistant coach for the Sisters High School cross country team.

Fox and Asher have lived in Central Oregon for about 10 years as transplants from rural New York. The couple share the Chladeks’ enjoyment of the outdoors and have traveled throughout the world together seeking adventure.

“All four of us are people-oriented,” said Chladek. “We see our business as a chance to share our love of the area with others.”

The company plans to offer mainly daytime excursions of two to four hours. Sunset-to-moonlight tours are also planned and customized tours for groups and business are available. For adventurous skiers, the company offers shuttle service for backcountry skiers and their equipment to the wilderness boundary.

The company formed quickly after winning the bid as a guide service through the Forest Service last month. New snowmobiles arrived last week and Gabe and Shane entertained their first customers, three women visiting from Missouri, on Saturday, December 17.

“It went great for everybody,” said Rima Givot Chladek. “The women couldn’t believe how beautiful and wonderful it was to be up on top of Cache Mountain in the winter time.”

Snowmobile tours will primarily originate from Corbett Sno-Park, which provides a great jumping off point, according to Gabe Chladek. Other starting points will include the McKenzie Highway and Three Creeks Sno- Park.

“Corbett is great because it’s relatively close to Sisters and has comparatively less congestion than the Three Creeks and Ray Benson Sno-Parks,” he said. “From Corbett, we can explore miles and miles of snowmobile trails and get backcountry skiers into some amazing places.”

The company’s office is upstairs adjacent to Angeline’s Bakery at 101 W. Main Ave. in Suite 3. Customers can visit the office and plan out their trip from there.

The office space also includes a classroom for avalanche safety and first aid training for skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers, climbers, and snowmobilers, according to Rima Givot Chladek.

“Our avalanche courses are accredited by the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education and the first aid is American Red Cross certified,” she said.

The company hopes to build a bridge between motorized and non-motorized recreation in the back country.

“I think our environmental background is unique among guide services,” said Gabe. “We are totally committed to doing all we can to maintain a healthy environment by using machines that are cutting edge as far as minimizing noise and emissions. Even our company vehicles use biodiesel to reduce noxious emissions.”

Two-hour tours are currently scheduled for Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday and four-hour sessions are offered Saturday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Custom reservations can be arranged. For more information call 549-8101 or visit http://www.3sbca.com.