Scholarships and award pay tribute to late 18-year-old snowmobile enthusiast

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. —  He was an enthusiastic hockey player, but all of that changed the moment Tyler Kosick took his young son Carter for a snowmobile ride in the Peace region.

Born in Fort St. John, Carter Kosick grew to be passionate about snowmobiling. 

Then, when he was just a teenager, 18-year-old Carter was killed in a traffic accident earlier this year. Now, both the BCSF and his family have made steps to honour the young man and his love of snowmobiling with scholarship awards.

“He grew up playing hockey,” Tyler recalled to Energeticcity.ca. “[We] ended up taking him snowmobiling in the mountains when he was 12. He fell in love with that.”

Having moved with his family to Salmon Arm in 2018, he continued to snowmobile in the area, joining up with local club the Salmon Arm Snowblazers.

He also enjoyed mountain biking, skiing, dirt biking and was active on the family’s beef farm, even being a member of the local 4-H chapter.

His affinity for snowmobiling got him recognized as youth snowmobiler of the year in both 2021 and 2023 by the BC Snowmobile Federation (BCSF) and, upon early graduation from high school, he had just started a snowmobile YouTube channel and moved back to the Peace region to work in instrumentation.

“He was just starting to gain ambassadorships in snowmobiling,” said Tyler. “[He was] starting to become recognized as a rider, and have his name blown up in the community.”

The BCSF announced the Carter Kosick Memorial Award beginning in January 2026 on November 16th.

According to a press release, the award will provide a scholarship to one youth rider annually to complete Avalanche Skills Training level one certification. The award will be handed out at the organization’s annual general meeting in the spring.

A total of $500 will go towards avalanche training for those at least 16 years of age who are members of a BCSF-affiliated snowmobile club and residents of British Columbia. The successful applicant will complete the training the following winter.

The funding for the award came through the Carter Kosick Memorial Society, a non-profit established by his family in partnership with the Shuswap Community Foundation.

It will provide annual scholarships to those pursuing a career in trades, agriculture and in the oil and gas and mining industries.  

Toques and hats can be purchased to support the foundation at Backcountry and Hi-Performance Motor Sports in Fort St. John.

Ultimately, his father says while his son’s death was tragic, through the various memorial accolades, Carter’s name will still have a legacy in snowmobiling.

“He was working towards making his own name in the snowmobile world,” said Tyler. “He was getting there. It’s happening. We’re trying to make that a reality for him and try to give back to the snowmobile community.”

To learn more about the Carter Kosick Memorial Award, visit the BCSF website. Additionally, information about the Carter Kosick Memorial Society can be found on its webpage.