Pages AB Fall 2014

SPECIAL SNORIDERS ASA REPORT
NEVER SLOW IN SUMMER
CLUBS SHOULD SEND IN THEIR REPORTS AND CONTACT UPDATES
BY LYLE BIRNIE, President
>> EVENTS
Alberta Snowmobile
& Powersports
Show 2014
Oct. 17 - 19, 2014
Edmonton Expo Centre
The Alberta Snowmobile Association (ASA)
office does not just function in the winter, providing things for snowmobilers to do.
Our executive director, Chris Brookes, and
Amanda Niblett, the program and marketing person, don’t take the summer off other than for regular vacation time. Chris is busy working on
getting bookings for the annual trade show in October, along with show manager Perri Price.
Being part of the Canadian Avalanche Centre is
also a commitment that requires time throughout
fall and winter, overseeing bookings for seminars
and keeping the media up to date if there is a fatality.
Chris also administers the Safe Riders school
program, getting it ready for the coming season,
as well as all the other safety programs. There are
also board meetings, our awards programs, general meetings for the clubs, a show in Calgary,
national meetings, and government relations and
grant programs—both national and provincial—
to keep his summer busy.
Amanda is always looking for new sponsors
and keeping the regular ones up to date with what
has been happening in the snowmobile world.
Sending out the next year’s trail pass books along
with all sorts of other office duties keep her a
busy girl. She is also working on keeping our
database updated and organizing mailouts and
other sponsor programs.
The ASA board meets monthly from September to April with an annual meeting in April and
a semi-annual meeting in October, along with the
Alberta Snowmobile & Powersports Show and
annual awards night.
For all the meetings, Chris has to make up an
agenda and produce reports to place with the
agenda. The executive and zone directors have
reports ready to present at the meetings, and
Amanda reports on her progress with the marketing items.
It gets very confusing when the board members
and the club leaders don’t send in reports on what
is happening in their areas. The more information
that Chris and the board receive from the clubs,
the more he can present to the various govern-
ment ministers that he deals with.
The Alberta government supports the snowmobile industry in Alberta, so we have to keep them
up to date with current information. Many times
when there is a switch over in club leaders the
ASA office is not informed, so it has to contact
the clubs on a regular basis to make sure the office has the correct contacts.
Otherwise the ASA information may not be
reaching the right people. Make sure your club
lets the office or regional director know when
your contacts change.
Every year brings new challenges to the snowmobile industry with new models with more
power, lighter weights and easier handling. A
large percentage of snowmobiles sold in Alberta
are equipped for mountain riding, and British
Columbia reaps the benefits from this, although
there are still a lot families and members who
love to ride the safe trails that the ASA-affiliated
clubs provide.
Trail pass sales help clubs maintain their trails,
and that is why it is so important to buy trail
passes that allow riding on any registered ASA
trail in the province of Alberta. Even if you don’t
ride a lot in Alberta, the small cost of our trail
pass will help provide a voice for snowmobiling
in Alberta and provide valuable safety information for our kids. The Safe Riders program gives
free presentations to Alberta schools every year,
so why not help our kids?
Keep an eye on our calendar of events page on
the ASA website, www.altasnowmobile.ab.ca,
for coming events throughout the winter season.
And don’t forget to send your event details into
the ASA calendar to let everyone know when
your ride or poker rally is happening.
In closing, if you are a club member, thanks for
all your hard work to make snowmobiling in Alberta a first-class winter activity.
All members—try to take a friend snowmobiling. They may become very active and new
members are always welcome. See you at the big
show in October!
The latest quote I am using: “Don’t look over
your shoulder, you are not going that way!”
Alberta Snowmobile
Awards of Excellence
Banquet 2014
Oct. 18, 2014
Edmonton DoubleTree
by Hilton Hotel
Tickets available from ASA office
ASA Semi-Annual
General Meeting
Oct. 19, 2014
Edmonton Expo Centre
Cagary Snowmboile
Swap & Show
November 1 & 2, 2014
Spruce Meadows, Calgary, AB
www.albertasnowmobileshow.
com/calgary
ASA Jamboree 2015
Feb. 14 & 15, 2015
Whitecourt, AB
www.worldsnowmobile
invasion.com
ASA Annual General
Meeting 2015
April 2015
Edmonton, AB
Watch the ASA webpage
calendar for details.
Spring Sneak
Peek 2015
April 11 & 12, 2015
Servus Place, St. Albert, AB
Watch the website for details.
www.snowsneakpeek.com
International
Snowmobile
Congress 2015
June 11 - 14, 2015
Niagara Falls, NY
www.isc2015.com
Alberta Snowmobile Association • www.altasnowmobile.ab.ca
>> CLUB
NEWS
Welcome back!
ASA HAS BEEN WORKING HARD TO PREPARE FOR WINTER
BY CHRIS BROOKES, Executive Director
50 SnoRiderswest.com » FALL 2014
might be the way to go. Coming just a couple of
weeks after the big show in Edmonton, this will
be the ideal venue for sledders to sell their old
stuff, pick up a used sled or parts, and come
down and meet with the Calgary club, whose
members will be running it.
Read the news and events section for more info
on the many things the ASA has been working on
over the last few months and talk to your regional
directors or board members with questions, ideas
or concerns.
NEWS & EVENTS
2014 ASA Snowmobile Show
The ASA was pleased last season to ride a 2014
Polaris RMK-800 155, sponsored by our friends
at Hi Line Polaris Suzuki in Wetaskiwin. You
can now show your ASA membership at Hi Line
and receive five per cent off of any non-sale
item, part or accessory as well. What great partners! Show your appreciation by visiting their location when you are in Wetaskiwin and thank
them for supporting organized snowmobiling in
Alberta.
Sneak Peek
The ASA has again been asked to produce the
sneak peek of the 2016 snowmobile models this
coming year. This year the show will again be at
the Servus Credit Union Place in St. Albert, on
April 11 and 12. Last year’s show was very successful, beating all previous attendance records
for this show, so we were invited by Ski-Doo/
BRP, Polaris and Yamaha to put the show together for them again this year. It looks like Arctic Cat will not participate again this year in this
show, but they will be at the Alberta Snowmobile
& Powersports Show in Edmonton and will likely do their own spring showings through their
dealers. Go to www.snowsneakpeek.ca.
Calgary Snowmobile Swap & Show
The ASA will be producing a second show this
year, November 1 and 2, in Calgary. Held at
Spruce Meadows on the south side of Calgary,
watch for a regional, southern Alberta show with
a twist—Alberta’s first provincial sled swap. Organized by the ASA and run by the Calgary
Snowmobile Club, this show will feature local
snowmobiles and accessories, clubs and riding
areas in southern Alberta and the first annual
ASA sled swap. This should be fun! Check out
the website at www.albertasnowmobileshow.
com/calgary.
A big thank you to Arctic Cat
A big thanks to Arctic Cat snowmobiles for
Continued on page 51
▼
Greetings all and welcome back officially to
the world of snowmobiling. I know that many of
you and the clubs are gone for the summer, usually not meeting again until September or October, when you get back together with the club or
are thinking about your ride. I know many members don’t consider the season as officially started until either the fall snowmobile show or the
snow flies, whichever comes first. For the ASA
office, there is no real downtime in between June
and October; in fact, we are busiest in August
and September. Our quiet time, if there is a time,
is December, believe it or not! By then the shows
are done, the general meetings and award nights
are finished, the year-end audit and report are
submitted and we are looking forward to club
rides and the jamboree in January and February.
For this first issue this season, I am presenting a
new and expanded news and events section, as
this best highlights all that has been going on
over the last few months. I would also like to
start featuring a club in each issue, so if someone
in your club wants to write a short article please
get it to me or your regional director and we can
print it in an upcoming issue.
Over the last few months I have worked with
our national colleagues on the National Trails
Coalition (NTC) program, our provincial trail
partners at TrailNet and the Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association (AOHVA) on a provincial trail program, and am pleased to see
government recognition of our trail work and
some dollars coming back into our trails. I was
also pleased to see trails—and snowmobile trails
specifically—mentioned often in the provincial
South Saskatchewan Regional Plan. It would appear that the efforts of the trail community were
realized by those planners and should result in
some ability to plan and have future access to
trails in that region.
The fall shows are again looking to be very successful and we have enjoyed our work with Peri
Price as our show manager. She brings a very
professional level of management to our shows
and is constantly looking for ways to improve
them. This year we are trying to do a small show
in Calgary, as we have not had a show presence
there for a few years. Our last few shows at the
Stampede Park facility in Calgary were not as
successful as we would have liked so we are trying something different this year, with a sled
swap as the focus. The largest snowmobile show
in the world—Hay Days in Minnesota—features
a large used sled and parts section and we have
nothing similar here in Alberta so we thought this
Common issues,
varied solutions
—by Scott Kruk,
Central Regional Director
Summer was barely over and
I was asked to write a short article for the SnoRiders magazine. This is almost harder
than trying to survive the 25 C
days we had been having.
I haven’t had much of a
chance to talk to the clubs in
my area, so there’s not much
there to talk about. So I will
try and give you something to
think about from my trip to the
International Snowmobile
Congress (ISC), held this year
in Keystone, Colorado. This
was my first time to the ISC
and what an eye-opener it was.
When I think of snowmobiling in other parts of the world,
I imagined they would have
different troubles facing them,
but not really. When you get
right down to it, we are all the
same people with the same
problems, so it makes it very
interesting to find out how the
rest of the snowmobiling
world deals with the closing of
riding areas, noise issues, animal problems, non-riders not
understanding and the list
goes on. When everyone sits
down to talk about these issues, different ideas come out.
I found the breakout meetings
had some good information,
and the questions that were
brought up were things I, and
probably others, had never
thought about, which made for
a wide variety of answers.
I did go to a meeting that had
to do with some things facing
us here in Alberta, but you
will have to come to our semiannual meeting at the show in
October to find that out. This
brings me to what I want to
say to all the members in Alberta—get involved—it is
well worth your time. Thanks
to my increased involvement
in the ASA, my eyes have
been opened a little further.
Alberta Snowmobile Association • www.altasnowmobile.ab.ca
Alberta Recreation Trails Partnership
The Province of Alberta, through the department of Tourism, Parks and Recreation and the
Department of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development has launched a pilot program to see if Alberta’s trail community can
work together to find a sustainable funding
model for trails.
Working with the ASA, Alberta TrailNet, the
Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association and
other trail groups, the pilot program will make
funds available to highlight to Albertans the existing trail network. No construction funds are
available at this time, but as the group meets it
will work on ideas that can provide long-term,
sustainable funds for the Alberta trail network.
This is something we have been asking for from
the province for many years and we are excited
to see some movement in this direction.
Sled ’N Snap returns for another year!
The ASA was pleased
last season to partner
with Flaman Trailers, as
well as the Saskatchewan
Snowmobile
Association, the Manitoba Snowmobile Association and the North Dakota
Snowmobile Association on the contest. Flaman
has agreed to provide prizes and technical assistance again this coming season and we are
Safe Riders: Ride With Respect school program
Our school safety program, offered free to Alberta schools and community groups, is touring
the province this coming season. Our program
brings a 60- to 90-minute presentation to Alberta
students, showing them how to ride safely offroad in all seasons. Nowhere in the Alberta
school curriculum are students shown how to
safely ride and operate a snowmobile, quad, motorbike or side-by-side. Our Safe Riders program
will show them how to ride with respect for
themselves, the machine, the environment and
for others. The ASA is proud of the many thousands of students we have presented to over the
last 15 years, and have made it even easier now
with the launch of the Safe Riders website:
www.albertasaferiders.com.
The website has information
on the program, photos from
presentations and registration
details for booking a presentation. The ASA also brings information from our friends at the Canadian
Avalanche Centre to the students.
Recreational access to grazing leases
The ASA is participating with the Department
of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) in a review of the regulations
surrounding recreational access to grazing leases.
ASA clubs have seen a variety of different issues
when it comes to accessing grazing leases and we
are pleased to work with the province on finding
a good balance for recreational users. Info is on
the ESRD website at http://esrd.alberta.ca under
Recreation on Public Land.
Partnering on avalanche safety
The ASA, Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC)
and Sandman hotels are again partnering this season to produce a billboard along the highway into
B.C., to remind sledders
to check the
avalanche conditions. This will be the third year
of the program, which is intended to reach backcountry recreationalists who may not receive the
message of avalanche safety and preparedness
through organized channels. There are many
snowmobilers out there who are not members of
the ASA or know who the CAC is, and we are always looking for new ways to get the safety messages out to the public. Watch also for the CAC
at the Edmonton Snowmobile & Powersports
Show where we at the ASA have provided them
with space to reach even more people.
Continued on page 52
>> CLUB
NEWS
A hot summer may
mean a lot of snow
—by George Deputat,
Secretary/Treasurer
What a hot summer—like
the kind we used to enjoy as
kids. I think this climate
change stuff is just a cycle. So
if that is correct, we should be
in store for another snowfilled winter. Last winter in
our area the snow was better
than average and reminded me
of the early 1980s when we
were constantly repairing our
1970s sleds but riding almost
every night.
The new sleds are definitely
more dependable and economical compared to those old
iron dogs. Plugs, oil and belts
were always an issue, and
spares for them were always
on board. Now I can’t remember when I last changed plugs
or a belt on the trail. It’s probably a good thing the sleds run
the way they do because I’m
nowhere near as enthusiastic
as I was about doing this work
on the trails. Now that I’m becoming an old-timer, all I
want to do is ride and enjoy
nature, good company and
well-groomed trails.
The whole sledding experience has totally changed but
will survive because once you
get hooked on this sport,
you’re hooked forever.
Until next time, ride safe,
ride sober and respect the
work done on the trails by all
our volunteers.
Let’s reminisce
for a bit . . .
—by Denise England
Vice-President
Remember buying your first
sled in about 1979? It could
have been a 340 Yamaha Enticer that you bought new and
your brother paid for half of it.
And you had so much fun
going to local rallies—douCont’d. on pg. 52 sidebar
▼
National Trails Coalition (NTC) program
The federal government provided funds to the
National Trails Coalition (NTC) again this year,
with $10 million
being available to
all trail groups
across Canada. The
ASA, as a member
of our national
CCSO group, was one of the eligible groups to
access the funds and several ASA clubs submitted applications.
The ASA will also participate in the program
by being one of three partners on the Alberta regional NTC committee, responsible for grading
the applications and assisting the national office
with followup and ongoing communication with
grant recipients.
As of the time of writing, none have been approved but we are very confident that we will see
federal dollars going into our provincial snowmobile trails. More details can be found at
www.ntc-canada.ca.
pleased to work with them. Members submit
their favourite photos to the site and prizes, including trailers, are awarded at the end of the
contest. It’s so easy and look for some revamped
categories this year. Watch the website at
www.slednsnap.com.
▼
▼
CHRIS BROOKES
Continued from page 50
being our corporate sponsors this year with the
prize sled giveaway at the fall show. This year’s
grand prize is an Arctic Cat M6000 valued at
over $12,000. Thanks so much to Kory and the
Alberta Arctic Cat team for helping us to get this
awesome machine to give away!
FALL 2014 » SnoRiderswest.com 51
The ASA is also an active member within the
CAC, with executive director Chris Brookes and
director Joel Wasnidge sitting as members of the
snowmobile committee (SledCom). We meet at
the CAC annual general meeting every year and
have many conference calls throughout the year.
There have been many changes at the CAC in the
last few months, with the hiring of a new executive director, Gilles Valade, and a rebranding of
the centre, soon to be called Avalanche Canada.
One of the items that the ASA has been leading
a drive on is to get a regular avalanche bulletin
for the North Rockies, an area that is much visited by snowmobilers but does not yet have a regular bulletin of any kind. We are working with the
centre to help them find a bulleting style that will
work in a data-sparse region. Chris and Joel have
talked with SledCom and Gilles about this and
will continue to work towards this.
ASA 2015 Trail Guide
We are pleased this year with our new trail
guide, produced with a new graphics company,
Tag Advertising, and a new cartographer, Tyler
Pell of CPP Environmental. The guide features
bold new colours and layout as well as an updat-
ed guide, showing where snowmobile trails are
located in Alberta. As always, our ASA guide is
not a directional map, but rather its purpose it to
get snowmobilers to contact the local club or
club where they may ride, in the hopes that they
could sign up as members. Often when riders get
in touch with the local club, they discover the
work that is done by our local volunteers and are
offered a chance to help out by at least buying a
trail pass.
World Snowmobile Invasion in Whitecourt
The Whitecourt Trailblazers, hosts of this
year’s ASA jamboree, are also putting on the World
Snowmobile Invasion the same week. Details are
at worldsnowmobileinvasion.com.
The club has put together a huge amount of
rides and events from February 11 to 15, based
out of Whitecourt. Ticket packages and details
are on the website now and smart snowmobilers
will know to book hotel rooms as soon as possible as this will be a very well-attended event. The
invasion will also feature an attempt to break a
Guinness world record by holding the world’s
longest snowmobile parade. The ASA is sponsoring this event and we hope you can make it
out.
Polaris Winning Riders program
The ASA wants to thanks Polaris for the winning Riders program again this year. A portion of
each snowmobile sale is donated back to the
provincial snowmobile association across Canada. We want to thank Polaris for supporting the
local volunteers who work hard to make snowmobiling great in Alberta!
Still loving the winter
THE FRIENDS YOU MAKE AND PEOPLE YOU MEET KEEP YOU GOING
BY BOB JONES, Southern Regional Director
52 SnoRiderswest.com » FALL 2014
I have noticed that over the last few years there
have been some not so subtle changes in my riding. I don’t feel a compulsion to prove I can blast
up that mountainside anymore just because it’s
there or just because Joe did it. I no longer think
that I haven’t had a good day riding unless I’ve
been stuck at least three times. In fact, I now
think that not getting stuck at all makes for a
good day. Nor do I feel it’s necessary to travel
that ungroomed trail at 90 kilometres an hour. It
may take me 10 or 15 minutes more to get there
but I will arrive more relaxed and it’s much easier on the back and knees. I now realize that it can
be very entertaining just sitting on my sled
watching the other people trying the near impossible and getting into trouble. Granted, I don’t get
Continued on page 53
▼
Well, winter’s not too far away and with it
comes the anticipation of another riding season.
With the first snows I start to think about riding
across slopes covered in deep powder or gliding
down a freshly groomed trail through the trees.
Being retired now, a lot of my friends and relatives have a tough time understanding why I’m
not heading to Arizona on November 1st and returning on April 1st. Maybe I’m just too stubborn
to admit I’m getting old and feel I can still do
everything I used to do. More likely it’s that I
still love the winter (the -20 not so much anymore) and still enjoy riding in the mountains over
the varied terrain and through the deep powder,
but I think most of all it’s the friends I have made
and the people I meet snowmobiling that keeps
me in it.
>> CLUB
NEWS
DENISE ENGLAND
Cont’d. from pg. 51 sidebar
bling, of course. Now, being
that the trails then were not
groomed like now, you spent a
fair amount of time falling off
the back of the sled in the
snow. Even in those days all
your friends wore helmets
with those great flip-up face
shields.
Then you get married and
your spouse has a 1978 440
John Deere Liquifier. That
probably sealed the deal! So
you give the 340 to your
brother and decide to double
on this 440, the seat still as
short and no suspension to
speak of. You still thought that
this was the most amazing
sport there was, and the ride
was amazing, sore back and
all. It did not take many
months of riding behind someone for you to decide that you
would, maybe, get four more
jobs, as you were so desperate
to pay for a sled of your own.
Starting with a Phazer was a
nice way to move along the
trails with your friends. But it
seemed that after a while of
not quite making it up all the
hills your friends climbed, you
needed more power. So you
took the leap and bought a 600
and found that it had all the
power you needed to stay with
your group, and the rest is
snowmobile history. Ride any
brand, any size, any time;
snowmobiling is still the best
sport in the world.
Volunteers needed to
get the year started
—by Vince Kirkham, Mighty
Peace Regional Director
Another winter season is fast
approaching. The first ASA
meeting was held on September 6 and the first meeting for
the Swan City Snowmobile
Club was held September 2.
This is the time of year when
Cont’d. on pg. 53 sidebar
▼
CHRIS BROOKES
Continued from page 51
▼
▼
Alberta Snowmobile Association • www.altasnowmobile.ab.ca
Alberta Snowmobile Association • www.altasnowmobile.ab.ca
to take you out and before you know it you will
have friends who ride. Just remember to ride
within your experience and ability limits, and
don’t ever let anyone put you in a situation that
scares you.
Just a reminder that as you start getting your
machine and equipment ready for the new season
now would be a good time to book that Level 1
avalanche course you’ve been putting off. If you
ride in the mountains a lot, or even just once or
twice a season, you really should have it. It may
not save your life but it could definitely help you
save someone else’s life. So remember even if
you don’t want to bother taking it yourself, I
would strongly recommend that at the very least
you ride with people who have taken it (assuming they want to ride with you).
My three worlds
FROM THE NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL PERSPECTIVES
BY JANET RIOPEL, Northwest Regional Director
▼
Here I sit broken-hearted, paid a dime and only
Northern Lights Snowmobile Club from Bar. . . that’s how my mind is thinking as I am trying
rhead and Pembina Drift Busters from Westlock
to come up with something to write for the magafor having worked hard over the summer months
zine article. I always wonder what you all would
to get all the paperwork done. I know that I have
like to read about—what’s happening in the
a great region in the Northwest. We are all forsnowmobiling world, or the Northwest Region’s
ward thinking and have plans as to where we
world, or my world? So, because it’s late summer
would like to go with our sleds. This helps when
and my mind isn’t working properly because it’s
announcements are made that there is money to
still on holiday, I will write about all three
be had and that projects are just about ready to
worlds.
go; all that is needed is cash. I know that it is a lot
In the snowmobile world things have been
of work to fill in the blanks, cross all the T’s and
busy. From the CCSO (our national association),
dot all the I’s in the applicato the ASA, the projects
tion but for some odd reason
and paperwork have been
the federal government repush, push, push. Once the
quires it to give out the
federal government anmoney. So I hope in the end
nounced that it was going to
that everyone who works on
fulfill its election promise
the paperwork and the projof money for snowmobile
ects finds it very worth it. I
trails (through the National
know anyone who didn’t
Trails Coalition grant prowill also reap the benefits
gram), the information has
of your hard work. So
!
nd
la
ince Edward Is
Pr
been vast. Then the provinthank you very much for
on
s
wa
it
e
What a fun rid
cial government has said that
donating some of your sumit would like to start a trail
mer to the paperwork and please, everyone, when
project for the province, so now it’s off to the
the projects are approved to proceed, we need to
races for everyone to get their applications in and
get ’er done. Please step up and call your local
find matching funding. As most of you know,
club or any other club for that matter, and lend a
Round 1 for the National Trails Coalition grant
helping hand. That old saying many hands make
process has passed and many of the projects for
light work still applies to this day and age.
Alberta are well underway. Six snowmobile projSo in my world it has been fun, busy and tiring
ects were submitted before the August 15, 2014
but would I change anything? No. In February I
deadline and the best part for me was that four of
had the pleasure of going to Prince Edward Isthe six were from the Northwest Region. So
land (PEI) for their 100th Year Celebration Ride.
thanks to Northland Sno-Goers from Fox Creek,
“Oh, what fun it is to ride!” is the slogan on their
Athabasca River Runners from Athabasca,
Continued on page 54
>> CLUB
NEWS
VINCE KIRKHAM
Cont’d. from pg. 52 sidebar
local clubs need volunteers to
help get the year started. We
need to clean up the trails and
get wood, do work on the
groomer, as well as other jobs
that need to get done. Remember that it takes a lot of volunteer work for trails to stay
open, and donations play another important part for clubs
to keep things going. Remember to support your local clubs
by buying trail passes, which
includes getting all your
friends to have passes as well.
Governments do not help as
much with money for clubs
anymore.
Also remember to pack out
what you pack in. Garbage is
one way to lose the rights to
trail access, and this includes
cigarette butts. A good way to
look at backcountry access is
to leave it better than you
found it. In other words, no
trace riding. Peer pressure is
the best way to keep everything going well, even if it is
your friends. Tell them to pick
up their cigarette butts or
garbage on the trails. Enforcement is not the way we want it
to go.
On another note, support
other clubs’ activities as well.
I had a great time riding in
Stewart, B.C. and Valemount
last year. I did a great ride
with friends in Stewart on the
May long weekend. And my
company did a weekend getaway for our employees earlier in April at Valemount. My
employees had a great time,
and we had some amazing
powder riding and sunny skies
in Valemount. So have fun
and a safe riding year.
▼
▼
BOB JONES Continued from page 52
to have bragging rights later when we are sitting
in the bar, but my body feels a lot better the next
morning as the old body doesn’t bounce back
nearly as quickly as it once did (especially if I
don’t limit myself to just two pints of the good
stuff).
What have these ramblings of an old snowmobiler got to do with anything you ask? Well, I
guess I’m just making the point that you don’t
have to be a young athletic daredevil to enjoy
snowmobiling, especially in the mountains.
You’re never too young or too old to enjoy snowmobiling, so long as you are in reasonable physical shape. Get out there and if you don’t have
friends who ride, get involved with your local
snowmobile club; they will be more than happy
Remember...
Don’t Drink
and Ride
!
FALL 2014 » SnoRiderswest.com 53
Alberta Snowmobile Association • www.altasnowmobile.ab.ca
▼
JANET RIOPEL continued from page 53
trailer. After three days of riding there was a
CCSO meeting, which was about where the
CCSO was going and how we thought we could
get there. It also included elections for president
and second vice-president of the CCSO, and we
have a new president—Dale Hickcox. Dale is
from PEI and the second vice-president is me!
Yes, I got elected for another term and I am very
excited to be working with the CCSO team for
the next two years. We plan on doing lots of
work with the federal government in getting programs to help with building and maintaining
trails, working on groomer programs and a few
more ideas that will keep the CCSO busy for the
next bit. The only sad part of going to PEI is that
I missed the Athabasca River Runners Jamboree
but I saw pictures and I know that everyone who
went had a great time without me.
Even when the snow leaves and we put our machines away for the summer there is still lots of
desk work to be done. I have sent out sign orders,
so remember—if you need signs your regional
director has to sign your order form before it gets
to the ASA office. Then it goes to me to fill and
ship out. We presently have lots of signs in stock
so now is the time to check your signs and see
what you may need for the coming sledding season, and get your order in. I know that I’m good
at getting your orders out, but if you don’t have
what you want when you are ready to go, I can’t
get them there fast enough. I also had the pleasure of screwing up my knee and—you know
me—when I do something I like to do it good, so
I am waiting for my knee replacement surgery
and may be on the couch for a month or so.
Hopefully, you remember that and get your sign
orders in ahead of time.
The only other thing going on in my world is
that the family is growing; we have another boy
on the way. So three grandsons it will be soon. I
am still waiting for my granddaughter but I think
that that is a few years off. I moved my parents
closer to me so it is nice having them 15 minutes
away instead of two hours, and our daughter
moved out of the city and back to Westlock so all
of our offspring are within 15 minutes of me and
I love it.
We will see you soon; until then ride safe and
ride sober.
Some timely sled-selling tips
BY ADDAM SARUK, Director at Large
This fall, with the hopes of big snow, the market is going to be flooded with used snowmobiles. Websites like Kijiji will grow from just
over 1,000 sleds to well over 4,000, as everyone
is looking for the new and better thing. Personally, I think the best time to sell is in the early fall
before the snow falls. Everyone is looking at this
time. People who look later on in the year are
usually looking for really cheap deals. The fall is
also a good time because all the snow-checked
sleds are coming in. Here are a couple tips to sell
your sled this season:
1. Take a good picture. A picture is worth a lot.
Most people don’t even click on the ad if there is
not a good picture. Make sure the lighting is
good and don’t have a messy background. Make
sure you take a picture of important features, for
example, custom mountain seats or wrap kits.
Take a picture from every side and pick the best
one to be listed. This is the one that everyone is
going to see first.
2. Describe your sled accurately. Make sure
you have the make, model and year, as well as
any accessories that will go with the snowmobile. The mileage is important as most people
want to know how many kilometres or miles it
has. List any work done or modifications to the
sled. If the engine was rebuilt have receipts; people like to have peace of mind knowing that the
work was done for sure.
3. Include contact information. Make sure you
54 SnoRiderswest.com » FALL 2014
put a phone number that you will answer or indicate if you prefer texting or email. There is nothing worse than phoning someone who would
rather be texted. It is frustrating when no one answers, or if they do not reply to emails. I have
found that emails are mostly tire kickers. The serious ones are the people that call you.
4. Clean it! You don’t have to professionally
get it polished but a little bit of elbow grease
does go a long way. Nothing is worse than opening the hood to see a mouse nest or pine needles
or last year’s sausage. It does not hurt to clean it
up a bit.
5. Make sure it runs. There is nothing more embarrassing then pulling it 200 times and it won’t
start.
6. Finally, price the sled right. You can look on
websites for prices, but remember that these are
the asking prices, not the final sale prices that all
of them are getting. Sometimes people think their
sled is worth its weight in gold. Call a dealer—
they have the right tools to tell you what your
snowmobile is worth. Try and have a bottom-line
price that will make you happy. Have a competitive price; you don’t need to give it away. Don’t
be afraid to negotiate with the buyer. Make sure
you are protected—try and take cash or a bank
draft. You can get a bill of sale from most registration offices in your town.
These are just a couple of pointers that might
help you make a quick sale. Happy selling!
>> CORPORATE
SPONSORS
Supporting Tracks
on the Snow
The ASA has many partners/
sponsors that support the overall
goals and objectives of the association and assist in delivering
many of our important programs
and services. The sponsorship
program has been developed to
provide information outlining the
opportunities for sponsors and
partners to assist us in our mission and duly recognize the
sponsors for their efforts.
Sponsors 2014 - 2015
Gold Sponsor
Arctic Cat
Alberta Sport Recreation Parks
and Wildlife Foundation
Alberta Tourism, Parks &
Recreation
Canadian Avalanche Centre
Drayden Insurance Ltd. &
Intact Insurance
Silver Sponsor
American Income Life
Capri Insurance
Flaman Trailers
Glacier House Resort
InReach Canada
SnoRiders Magazine
Polaris
Power Merchants
Bronze Sponsor
Athabasca Outdoor Products
ATV World
Avalanche Safety Solutions
Back Country Access (BCA)
Cycleworks
Ecko Marine
Fort McMurray Tourism
International Snowmobile
Manufacturers Association
(ISMA)
Jasper Sawridge Hotel
Piasta Printing
Portage College
Snowandmud.com
Zac’s Tracs
SPONSORS
Alberta Snowmobile Association • www.altasnowmobile.ab.ca
contacts
ASA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Lyle Birnie • ljbirnie@telus.net
Vice-President
Denise England • plasticandpowder@hotmail.com
Secretary
George Deputat • deputat@telusplanet.net
Mighty Peace Regional Director
Vince Kirkham • vincek@pro-west.ca
Central Alberta Regional Director
Scott Kruk • sskruk@xplornet.com
Northwest Regional Director
Janet Riopel • mriopel@mcsnet.ca
Northeast Regional Director
Darrell Scheers • d.scheers@shaw.ca
Southern Alberta Regional Director
Bob Jones • bobbyjones1@me.com
Director at Large
Addam Saruk • asaruk@telus.net
Joel Wasnidge • wasnidge@shaw.ca
ASA Office:
Executive Director: Chris Brookes
chrisbrookes@altasnowmobile.ab.ca
Marketing & Program Co-ordinator:
Amanda Niblett • 780-427-2695
amanda@altasnowmobile.ab.ca or
Information: info@altasnowmobile.ab.ca
ASA CLUB MEMBERS
Snowmobile clubs are an integral part of this popular
sport with activities including development of trail networks and staging areas, competitive events, trail rides,
picnic/bonfire rides, safety clinics, fundraising for charity, camping trips, search and rescue and maintenance
clinics. Club activities are often family oriented, so all
ages join in the fun and also the work to make the fun
possible. The ASA can help you form a club if there isn’t
one in your area. Call us at our office (780) 427-2695 or
visit www. altasnowmobile. ab.ca.
Alberta Beach Snowmobile Club - Alberta Beach
Kel Harder, Box 504, Onoway, AB T0E 1V0
780-967-3091 • glenkel56@gmail.com
Athabasca River Runners - Athabasca
Dave & Jean Bilsky • 780-675-3229
Box 1162, Athabasca, AB T9S 2A9
bil3229@telus.net
Bassano Snowpunchers - Bassano
Kay Schaffer • 403-641-3799
Box 148, Bassano, AB T0J 0B0
willyswheels@hotmail.com
Bonnyville Snowdusters - Bonnyville
Sheila Alton • 780-826-7476
Box 8090, Bonnyville, AB T9N 2H9
sheila.alton@sunlife.com
Brazeau Snowmobile Club - Drayton Valley
Lorne Standish
Box 6698, Drayton Valley, AB T7A 1S1
lorne@lornessmallengine.ca
Calgary Snowmobile Club - Calgary
Scott Kjarsgaard
cscasarep@calgarysnowmobileclub.net
81 Galwat Cres. SW, Calgary, AB T3E 4Y4
Caroline Snowmobile Club - Caroline
James Brady • 403-848-0706
#1 Baywood Link, Sylvan Lake, AB T4S 0A8
jdbrady@telusplanet.net
Cold Lake Snowmobile Club - Cold Lake
Dean Dube, Box 447, Cold Lake, AB T9M 1P1
dean.doubled@gmail.com
Crow Snow Riders - Blairmore
Doug Cox, Box 732, Blairmore, AB T0K 0E0
dougcox6@telus.net
David Thompson Snow Riders - Rocky Mountain House
Clint Bromling,
Box 772, Eckville, AB T0M 0X0
403-392-3424 • crbromling@gmail.com
Edson Snow Seekers - Edson
Brant Rolling • 780-706-6047
baron16@hotmail.com
Elk Point Trail Riders - Elk Point
Molly Kulczycki • 780-549-9552
Box 675, Elk Point, AB T0A 1A0
molly.kulczycki@hotmail.com
Fort Saskatchewan Snow Angels - Fort Saskatchewan
Brad Hooks • 780-445-9588
101 Bremna Drive, Unit 5,
Sherwood Park, AB T8H 0M7 • bhooks@shaw.ca
La Crete Polar Cats - La Crete
Brent Holick, Box 1323, La Crete, AB T0H 2H0
780-928-3088 • brent.holick@ufa.com
Lakeland Breakers Outdoor Society - Two Hills
Allen Zaparniuk • 780-657-2485
kohlman6@telus.net
Lakeland Breakers Outdoor Society,
General Delivery, Two Hills, AB T0B 4K0
Lamont River Rats - Lamont
Miles Melnyk, RR 1, Star, AB T0B 4E0
780-478-3597 • miles.melnyk@edmonton.ca
McMurray Sno-Drifters - Fort McMurray
Donna Fetzko • 780-792-7603
PO Box 30217, 300 - 19 Riedel Street,
Fort McMurray, AB T9H 5P8
mcmurray.snodrifters@hotmail.com
Northern Lights Snowmobile Club - Barrhead
Alan Breitkreitz • 780-674-7770
Box 4003, Barrhead, AB T7N 1A1
bhdelec@telusplanet.net
Northland Sno-Goers - Fox Creek
Rod North • 780-622-9373
Box 476, Fox Creek, AB T0H 1P0
RNORTH10@telus.net
Olds Snowmobile Club - Olds
President Lyle Statham • 403-556-7297
Box 17, Site 1, RR 4, Olds, AB T4H 1T8
lstatham@oldscollege.ca
Peace Valley Snowmobile Club - Peace River
Troy Lorencz • 780-618-6649
hammer@wispernet.ca
Pembina Drift Busters - Westlock
Cliff Bromberger • 780-674-5789
10715 - 108A Ave., Westlock, AB T7P 1C5
powerhound@live.com
River Ridge Riders - Myrnam
Blayne Trachuk • 780-210-0507
Box 214, Myrnam, AB T08 3K0
sleded340@live.com
Smoky Lake Trail Twisters - Smoky Lake
Vern Billey, Box 1004, Smoky Lake, AB T0A 3C0
780-656-4142 • dketsa@cciwireless.ca
St. Paul Trailblazers - St. Paul
Danny Smyl • 780-645-3607
4410 - 45B Street, St. Paul, AB T0A 3A3
dsmyl@telusplanet.net
Swan City Snowmobile Club - Grande Prairie
Rick Bennett • 780-539-9277
Box 1332, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 4Z1
rbennett60@hotmail.com
Swan Hills Snow Goers - Swan Hills
Don Kelm, Box 863, Swan Hills, AB T0G 2C0
780-333-2800 • dkkelm@telus.net
Tail Creek Snowbirds - Alix
Monte Turre, Box 362, Alix, AB T0C 0B0
403-741-4001 • tailcreeksnowbirds@gmail.com
Tri County Snowmobile Club - Leduc
Brian Beebe • 780-437-4706
374 Twin Brooks Drive, Edmonton, AB T6J 6T2
brianbeebe@shaw.ca
Vermilion Ridge Riders - Vermilion
Jim Zadorozny • 780-853-0914
6007 - 52nd Ave., Vermilion, AB T9X 1X3
jimzad@telus.net
Watt Mountain Wanderers - High Level
Barry Toker • 780-926-1231
PO Box 3574, High Level, AB T0H 1ZO
bts3@telusplanet.net
Wembley Snowmobile Club - Wembley
Dody Fedun • dody@profitbookkeeping.com
Box 593, Wembley, AB T0H 3S0
780-882-7427
Whitecourt Trailblazers - Whitecourt
Dan Guenette, Box 607, Whitecourt, AB T7S 1N7
780-778-0974
president@whitecourttrailblazers.ca
CORPORATE PARTNER LIST
509 Inc.
AJ & The Worx Clothing
Absolute Power & Performance
AFD Petroleum
Airdrie Trailer Sales
Alberta Beach Snowmobile Club
Alberta Iron Horse Trail
Allan Dale Trailers
All Season Equipment
Alpine Motor Sport
Arctic Cat Inc.
Argyll Motor Sports
Athabasca River Runners
Avalanche Safety Solutions
Back Country Access
Base Camp Guest House
Best Western Valemount
Boondocker Canada
Boondocker Movies
Brandt Motorsports
Brewster West Motorsports
BRP Ski-Doo
Bulldog Superdecks Inc.
Calgary Snowmobile Club
Caliber Products Inc.
Camoplast
Camrose Arctic Cat
Canadian Avalanche Centre
Canadian Council of
Snowmobile Organizations (CCSO)
Capri Insurance
Cheetah Factory Racing
Choko Design
Cooper’s Recreational Powersports
Crazy Mountain Motorsports
Crow Snow Riders
Crystal’s Grave Creek Cabins
CVTech-AAB
Cycle Works South
Days Inn Golden
Dialed In Motorsports
District of Chetwynd
Don’s Speed Parts
Drayden Insurance
E & S Motorcycles
Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club
Echo Cycle
Fast Enterprises/Millennium Technologies
Flaman Trailers
Fort McMurray Sno-Drifters
Fort Saskatchewan Snow Angels
Fourcast
Frankensled
Gateway Power Sports
GPRC Fairview College Campus
GT Performance Ltd.
Harvey Mountain Adventures Ltd.
Hi Line Polaris Suzuki
HTR Designs
H2R Distributing
Infinite Powersports/Revy Sled Rent
Key Maintenance Technologies
Kootenay Rockies Tourism
Lacustoms Performance Products
Liquid Customs Inc.
Main Jet Motorsports
Mansion On Main
Martin Deerline
Martin Motor Sports
McBride Big Country Snowmobile Association
Menz Toys
Ministry of Environment
Mountain Magic
Mountain Sledder Magazine
MS Society of Canada
Muck Boots 4 Sale
Nextech Industries Inc.
Northland Sno-Goers (Fox Creek)
Ontra Sales
Over The Top Rentals
Paradis Motor Sports Ltd.
Parkland Motorsports
Peaks Lodge
Pembina Drift Busters
Polar Spas
Polaris
Powder Lites Inc.
Power Cycle
Prairie Concessions
Prairie Recreation
Prestige Hotels & Resorts
Quickie Tie Down
R & M Promotions
Rapid Revolutions
Recreation Sites & Trails, Province of BC
Rocky Mountain Xtreme
Sandman Hotel Group
Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association
Sledix Apparel Inc.
Sled Sicamous
Smoky Lake Trail Twisters
Snobunje Canada
SnoRiders Magazine
Snowmobile Hood Cleaner
Southgate Pontiac
Specialty Sleds
Spiralus Design
Split Rail Ski
Starting Line Products
Swan Hills Snow Goers
T&T Power Sports Ltd.
TB Racing
Terracana Ranch Resort
Therma-Relief Inc.
The Sled Shop
Thunderstruck Films
Thuya Creek RV Show
TNRD - Blue River Tourism
Top Secret Shop
Tourism Valemount
Town of Whitecourt
Tri-County Snowmobile Club
Triple M Motorsports
Truck Boss
True North Log Homes
UTV Canada
Whitecourt Trailblazers
White Knuckle Motorsports
Willerton Ski-Doo
X Truck Deck (A & B Enterprises)
Xtreme Power Products
XXX Mod Rods
Yamaha
Yellowstone Tour & Travel
Yorkton Group International
Zac’s Tracs Avalanche Skills Training1
Zbroz Racing
Sure-Rider Snowmobile
Insurance Program
Trail permit riders are eligible for:
• Group Rates
• Limited Waiver of
Depreciation Available
• Loss of Use
Toll Free: 1-800-463-2300
Edmonton: 780-482-6300
Official Insurance Broker of the ASA
FALL 2014 » SnoRiderswest.com 55
Alberta Snowmobile Association • www.altasnowmobile.ab.ca
Coast to Coast
by Dennis Burns
ISC and Excellence Award winners
The International Snowmobile Congress was
Outstanding
Snowmobile
Dealership:
hosted this past June in Keystone, Colorado. At
Kelowna Yamaha & Marine, Terry and Laura
9,300 feet, the resort was beautiful, though it was
Poirier, Kelowna, B.C.
a challenge to acclimatize to the elevation. But
Outstanding Snow-Related Company: Pinemore than one tall snowland Co-op of Nipawin,
mobile tale was shared by
Saskatchewan
all and even some we can
Outstanding Promorepeat!
tion and Development
A fun time was had by
Group: The Golden Triall with lots of business
angle Committee from
completed by volunteers
Alberta
and snowmobilers from
Outstanding Snowmoaround the world. The
bile Club: Club VoyCCSO is again very excitageur de Hearst, from
ed to announce our naHearst, Ontario
CCSO president from PEI Dale Hickox (L) thanks Prime
tional award winners from
Outstanding SnowmoMinister Stephen Harper for a very welcome $10 million in trail improvement funds.
nominations that came in
bile
Family:
The
from across Canada.
Wyborn Family—Albert,
To all nominated, on behalf of all snowmobilShirley, Kevin, Darcy, Tracy, Jessica and Miraners, the CCSO extends a big thank you for your
da—from Brandon, Manitoba
commitment and dedication to make the trails so
Outstanding Snowmobiler: Alphee LeBlanc
magically appear each and every year.
from the Moncton-St. Antoine Snowmobile Club
The following are the 2014 CCSO Excellence
in New Brunswick
Award winners of the year. Congratulations to all
Outstanding Youth: Jesse Guenther, Nopimfor your well-deserved awards.
ing Sno-Mads, Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba.
The CCSO would like to thank our
sponsors for the 2014/2015 season ..
Please support businesses that support the CCSO—the national
voice of organized snowmobiling!
Dennis Burns
Clarity
Conferencing Inc.
56 SnoRiderswest.com » FALL 2014
It’s almost time to
play in the snow
We’ve already had snow in
many parts of Alberta and
B.C. As we think about shovelling our driveways and
preparing for winter, we are
also buffing and polishing our
snowmobiles.
Gearheads filled the aisles
again this year at the Sno
Barons Hay Days in Minneapolis, Minnesota. From the
swap meet to the centre court,
snowmobiles, motorcycles,
side-by-sides, large 4x4s and
anything motor-related was either raced, jumped or flipped.
New products were being
launched and pitched by the
vendors and the manufacturers
along with all of the after-market glitz that comes in all
colours and many product
lines. The rainy week was
rough for the setup crews but
the Sno Barons got someone
to deliver again this year as
the sun came out—cold mornings and very hot afternoons.
Both the water trucks and the
refreshment tents were very
busy.
Hay Days in Minnesota in
early September is known as
the first big snowmobile show
of the season and the official
start of winter. Congratulations to the Sno Barons Snowmobile Club of Minnesota,
which has been hosting this
event since 1967.
Protect your sled
with SnowGuard
Cellutrak Canada is a worldwide leader in theft prevention
and GPS tracking. Cellutrak is
excited to offer SnowGuard
this fall; you can visit the local
participating Kubota Canada
Ltd. dealers to review, purchase and install the unit. For
more information, go to
www.cellutrak.ca.