It was a love of snowmobiling that started at a very young age that got Mike Palumbo involved in the industry.
He is now the owner and tour guide of Snowpeak Rentals in Golden, and has been since 1996.
Palumbo had been a snowmobile dealer in Golden for a number of years before buying the company a few years later. He shared a story about how he got on a snowmobile for the first time and drove at the age of three.
“My sister had the snowmobile idling when she went in the house. I grabbed on and pulled the throttle. I smashed it straight into a big tree,” he said.
Palumbo said his father, to this day, is still mad at his sister over the incident and the snowmobile is now on the company sign near Kicking Horse River Lodge.
Palumbo explained that his sister went on to race locally at an oval which was in town, and he continued to enjoy them when he was a child.
As for Golden, Palumbo said that he feels this is a great place for people to come for a good time in a beautiful area.
“I am going to say it is the best. It is as good a mountain area as you could want in the world. The area around here is amazing. The snow is lighter and not so wet. It is just a fantastic area,” he said. “Everyday is like that.”
Having a great area to be in makes booking clients an easy thing for Palumbo to do.
“Knowing that when anyone books, when they get to the area it is always going to be good. It is such a big area with so much snow that it is always good,”
Palumbo also said that trying to do whatever he can to make sure his clients have a great day out on the machines has led to some great times over the years.
Palumbo shared one story which saw him get Tim Hortons coffee helicoptered in for a special snack.
“We were heading up the trail and a guy said he wanted Tim Hortons. There were 18 or 19 guys and I said it would be about $50 a glass,” he said.
After using a satellite phone to place the order a time was set for the drop off.
“Two guys said no so their buddies paid $100 a glass. So the owner came in the chopper and we all had coffee and a bunch of doughnuts. I still get people who stop me on the street and talk about coffee and helicopters at Silent Lake,” he said.
Getting things done is a way of life for Palumbo and he brings this attitude to the business.
“That is how I try to live life. I am a ‘doer guy.’ I don’t care if no one has done it, I think if we can do it then we just have fun and do it,” he said. “It is fun. The clients keep coming back for tours as the years have gone by.”
To learn more about the business, check out www.snowpeakrentals.com or call 1-888-512-4222/250-344-8385.
