SPECIAL SNORIDERS SNOSCENE REPORT

Ladies, ladies, ladies! Now that I have your at-tention, what direction will I actually take withthis president’s message?

So far this season B.C. has experienced someunusually lean snow volumes in many parts.Let’s hope for some better “pow” days ahead.

Unless you have been living under a rock, youhave likely noticed the increasing number ofladies involved in sledding these days. The B.C.Snowmobile Federation (BCSF) would like toofficially welcome Tamara Osborne of the Bet-ties Power Sports Network (www.thebetties.ca)to our board of directors. In addition, the BCSF isvery proud to announce the Betties as having of-ficial club status within theBCSF. A hearty welcomeladies and we look forward toworking with your club.

Tamara joins existing BCSFdirector, Jen Luszcz of theLumby/Mabel Lake club, aswell as office manager, Done-gal Wilson, to the BCSF team.

Just look around the snowmo-bile landscape and you see awe-some examples of ladies ex-celling in the sport. One of themore recent SnowTrax episodes(www.snowtraxtv.com) pro-files Amber Holt and her back-country basics riding school inWest Yellowstone. To thatend, we have our very ownBCSF Snowmobiler of theYear 2013, Julie-Ann Chap-man of She Shreds MountainAdventures (www.sheshreds.ca). Of course,we also have Carole Savage, snowmobile co-or-dinator for the Canadian Avalanche Centre;Larissa McKeown, new president of the PowderMountain Snowmobile & Outdoor RecreationClub in the Sea to Sky corridor; and, just recent-ly, Trish Drinkle, new president of the Associa-tion of British Columbia Snowmobile Clubs(ABC). All great stuff leading to greater partici-pation of the lady demographic in snowmobiling.

On a personal note, my wife, Tammy, is also asledhead (albeit, her participation this year hasbeen quite sparse lately, as she has taken on therole of assistant coach for my six-and-a-half-year-old son’s hockey team).

Just recently, I had the opportunity to Take aFriend Snowmobiling (www.GoSnowmobiling.org). This is an International Snowmobile Manu-facturers Association (ISMA) initiative that runsfrom January 1 to March 31, 2014.

We were visiting family in Pemberton and Itook my wife’s Aunt Judy (well into her 60s andhad never been on a sled) on a fun day adventure

up the Rutherford Trail to thePemberton Valley SnowmobileClub’s safety cabin, about a 45-kilometre round trip. Previousto that weekend, I had sent hersome email links to the eightsafety videos that the BCSFhas on its online snowmobileoperator safety course. Thosevideos alone provided someinvaluable information andthen I did some hands-on in-struction in the parking lotbefore we started the day.For a complete newbie, AuntJudy was a champ and didgreat on the trail.

I encourage you all to takesomeone new snowmobiling.Feel free to use the videos aswell. Simply go to www.bcsf.org/learn. It is free to access thecourse and then under the Guidetab, you will find all the compo-

nents of the course for review as well as the linksto the videos. You don’t have to pay for them un-less you want to take the course (which we rec-ommend you do).

The BCSF and our Let’s Ride BC initiative arevery excited to announce our YouTube contestfor every snowmobile club (regardless of affilia-tion) across the province.

HERE’S TO THE LADIESSOME AWESOME EXAMPLES OF WOMEN EXCELLING IN THE SPORTBY ERIN HART, President

▼Continued on page 26 sidebar

Aunt Judy enjoys a day on the trail.

It’s time for a break.

From the office—by Donegal Wilson

I think this winter is one ofthe strangest winters I can re-member. Here in the Similka-meen we had a good, earlysnowfall and a cold Decemberfollowed by spring-like tem-peratures in January. For us,areas that traditionally havelots of snow have none and weare travelling great distancesto find some snow. We are notalone.

As we venture into unknownterrain, please remember thatavalanche conditions havebeen high with many crazylayers in the snowpack fromall the temperature swings. Ifwe do get more snow it willcontinue to be unstable, soplease be careful out there andalways make sure you havethe necessary gear. Be sure tocheck the forecast to pick yourterrain based on current condi-tions.

I completed an outreach tripto the North in early February.The clubs had some greatevents planned and I will do afull writeup for the next issueon the Burns Lake ColdSmoke Drags, DawsonCreek’s Thunder on theMountain, Terrace’s FamilyDay Ride and what all theclubs in between are up to.

I personally am hoping for astellar spring of riding thatcontinues at least into April. Ihave faith that the snow iscoming. Please ride safe.

CLUB NEWS>>

Check out our websiteat www.bcsf.org

CLUB NEWS>>

www.bcsf.org

26 SnoRiderswest.com » MID WINTER 2014

We have made it really sim-ple for a club to enter. In atwo- to five-minute video,show us “why you have thebest snowmobiling in B.C.”Talk about your club, yourtrails and riding area, yourlocal dealers, etc. You haveuntil the end of March 15,2014, to submit your videoand the contest winner willwin a $2,000 prize.

The judges for this contestwill be the sales managers forArctic Cat, BRP, Polaris andYamaha. Your video will re-side on the Let’s Ride BCwebsite so that all visitors cansee what your riding area is allabout. Make it informationalbut also have some fun with it.All the official rules for thecontest are posted on the Let’sRide BC site. Make sure yourefer to them to avoid disqual-ification. We look forward toseeing all the entries for thisfun contest.

▼ PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEContinued from page 25

It’s been a real privilege to travel around talk-ing to snowmobilers from Edmonton, Quesneland Tumbler Ridge. In some ways every area isunique, but in a lot of ways our clubs strugglewith many of the same issues. At a provinciallevel I am learning a lot from my colleagues inthe federation about provincial issues, but thebeat that thumps the loudest for me is the pound-ing within the very heart of the local club.

A while ago I got a phone call from Ralph Sun-derman of Clearwater, B.C., and he had some en-couraging words for me. He said, “Richard, weneed to do what’s best and directly related to ourlocal members and their clubs.”

Not that what he said was anything new, but itbrings me back to the reality that we won’t be afederation if we don’t have healthy and thrivingclubs throughout all communities of B.C. Youneed a provincial voice and the federation will dothat for you, but if we get too focused on dealingwith government, politics and provincial issueswe, as a federation, will lose sight of our individ-ual club struggles.

I believe that once your club becomes strongerin your community, tourism, business and gov-ernment will stand up and take notice of yourlocal voice as well, and that is very important. Ilook forward to meeting more clubs and execu-tives throughout B.C., and I encourage you tokeep plugging away.

I have put together a list of things I think everyclub needs to consider and evaluate when yourclub decides a direction. Here are 10 vital ele-ments of a thriving club: 1. THE PRESIDENTIAL LEAD:

The president must have an openness and con-siderate attitude toward all types of people. Thepresident takes the lead in focusing the executiveboard and members toward a spirit of catering toall types of individuals, riding styles, genders,ideas and opportunities. The club leadershipmust be able to engage, encourage and build upall members, accepting their riding style and un-derstanding the passion for the sport each indi-vidual has.

The president must also understand the individ-ual member’s motivation for being part of theclub. Did a member join because of a sense ofobligation to organized snowmobiling and thehard work behind it? Did they join because theywanted to find new friends and seek the social as-pect? Or did they join because they just loved toride and explore? It is the job of the executive toengage their members and seek to fulfill the de-sire of the members at a grassroots level.

2. THE LIVING NEWSLETTER: One of the easiest ways to engage the member

who may be a bit shy, or simply just does nothave enough free time, is to enter their home oroffice via a simple, yet informative newsletter.How about some information about your lastmeeting, a positive and informative look at someclub struggles or an opportunity to pat a hard-working member on the back? A written thankyou for their efforts goes a long way at recogniz-ing those who donate their time, energy and oftentheir own money for the good of many others.Your newsletter can be the tool your club needsto put some enthusiasm into your meetings andwork bees. Add some provincial news and may-be an article about a new sled or riding area. Theclub newsletter is a way of regaining membersand rejuvenating new life in those same 10 peo-ple who seem to do all the work. I remember thatfeeling as a teenager after joining my first cluband my mother handed me a newsletter with myname in it. It made me feel like I was a part ofsomething real and it was my first taste of beingpart of something. 3. A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DEALERS:

Let’s face it, nobody understands the sport ofmotorized recreation more than dealers do. It istheir passion for riding that pushed them to takethe plunge and go all out with their huge time andfinancial commitments, all aimed at running asuccessful business. A growing, enthusiasticsnowmobiling club can affect their wallets andthat is real and very tangible—the bottom line isthat they did not go into business to fail. Whendealers understand and feel your efforts are pay-ing off and they buy into a club, they are usuallythe first to support you with events and give nu-merous donations for prizes. The province is lit-tered with these businesses and, more than likely,you have a few in your community. Please takethe time to build that relationship and respect thatthey are busy, overworked and, just like you,pushing the edge of being overcommitted.4. CAPTIVATING YOUR YOUTH:

No one in the snowmobiling world may havecaptivated the attention of youth more than theAthletes of Snowmobiling. Young people can beseen with their jaws dropped and eyes wide open,staring at brightly coloured sled wraps and thesound of revving engines. It should not surpriseus that sleds camouflaged like candy wrappersgrab their attention. How does your club engagethese youth and make the dream a reality? If youcan hook the kids on snowmobiling, you may

Ten elements of a thriving clubAT THE HEART OF SNOWMOBILING IS THE LOCAL CLUBBY RICHARD CRONIER, Vice-President

▼Continued on page 27

Thunderstruckfundraiser sponsorsTeam Thunderstruck Yamaha Motor Canada 509 Inc.Cycle Works Pro-Am Motorcycles Boost-It Turbos MC Xpress Kelowna Yamaha & Marine CR Racing Bulldog Super Decks FXR Mountain Backcountry Access Stacey Carlier -

Carlier Consulting Eric Wickberg -

Armor Well Servicing Selkirk Mountain Helicopters Canadian Avalanche CentreParker Marine - Courtenay BRP Trigger Point Snow Services Gamma Sales HTR Designs Dave Renshaw

▼Cont’d. on page 27 sidebar

MID WINTER 2014 » SnoRiderswest.com 27

▼Continued on sidebar

www.bcsf.org

Remember...Don’t Drink & Ride!

March 15, 2014Timberline Cruisers - MidnightCruise

April 5, 2014Arrow Lake Ridge Riders - PokerRun

April 6, 2014Timberline Cruisers - Rabbits DenEggstravaganza

May 3 & 4, 2014BCSF Spring Annual GeneralMeeting

▼ TEN ELEMENTSContinued from left

CLUB EVENTS>>

another capable body in the community to step inwhen the time is right. You can’t mentor withoutgetting involved in some way, shape or form insomeone’s life. You are part of a club and some-times we forget that in the community we livein—the club was started as a way to get to knowpeople and share in a passion together. In orderto do that, sometimes we need to check our egoat the door and be willing to take the time to getto know someone. I am sure we can all look intoour club and see that one individual who, with alittle encouragement and a little nudge, could bebrought into the fold and be groomed to take thelead. 8. IS YOUR CLUB TECH CHALLENGED?

There’s no question in our minds that when itcomes to our snowmobiles we like the new tech-nology that comes off the line of manufacturerseach year. I have never heard anyone say theywish they could just keep making those modernlooking Ultras of the ’90s. No matter where yougo, advertising, the community and people haveadapted to the World Wide Web, websites,email, Facebook and Twitter. Perhaps your clubis lagging behind on this new way to communi-cate, chat, laugh and share. Moving forward I donot see an app for generating new members, but Ido see the need to adapt and embrace the worldaround us if we want to become relevant in theworld we are in. Somewhere in your membershipcommunity may be an Internet-savvy, technolog-ically advanced cyber-snowmobiling-geek thatcould become your club’s best asset. 9. CAN WE GET A SENIOR’S PERSPECTIVE?

Since I’ve covered youth, dealers and technowizards, where would you be without your sen-iors—literally. Don’t ever let your club forgetabout your founding fathers, the men and womenwho were ahead of you and forged the way tomake your club what it is today. Do you recog-nize them with awards or honourable mention?Setting up awards within your club and recogniz-ing a sense of community spirit can not only hon-our those who came before, but drive thosecoming forward. There is a wealth of knowledgeand history that should be celebrated and ac-knowledged within your club and your commu-nity. It is the role of the executive board of eachclub to ensure that the significant past of yourclub is not forgotten. 10. MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL!

How do you know if you were successful if youdon’t take a long look in the mirror once in awhile and ask yourself how you did? My ownpersonal life has been a mountainscape withsteep rugged peaks where I could look at theview and see what I had accomplished and it wasgood. Other times I tripped and stumbled oversome hellish rocks and the wounds are deep andthe scars took a long time to heal.

If you took a look at your club over the past few

have a member for life. Talk to your schools andtake a class snowmobiling, cook a hotdog, andengage your youth. Whether it’s a colouring con-test at your meeting so that children can be in-volved or a simple trail ride just for kids, clubsneed to address their youth segment. 5. WHAT DOES YOUR COMMUNITY THINK ABOUTSNOWMOBILERS?

How can we change what your communitythinks of snowmobilers? We know there are al-ways a few rotten apples who spoil it for the restof us. Don’t let those rotten apples get ahead ofyou in your community presence. A well-writtenarticle about what your club is doing, a volunteerwho gets praise or supporting a charity—thesecan all change what people think of snowmobil-ers. But you will have to take that message to themedia. Once you establish that relationship witha sportswriter in your city or town, they willcome to you seeking stories. In my short tenureas your vice-president, I have met some of themost charitable, friendly and community-orient-ed groups of organized snowmobilers, and I amoften bamboozled about how the world couldhave such a negative attitude about such a greatgroup of people.6. MOULDY BREAD AND A STALE MEETING:

I’ve had those days when the kids have madetheir lunches and left the bread bag open in a rushto get out the door. Nothing is more dishearten-ing than having a sandwich so dry and hard toswallow that no amount of butter can help thatbread to go down.

Are your meetings productive, exciting andwilling to accommodate the many faces that arepart of your club? Are you all business and nofun? Have you thought about a guest speaker rel-evant to issues, or perhaps a speaker who justwants to talk about something relevant to snow-mobiles or snowmobiling? I have heard of trans-ceiver testing and education at meetings, ofdealers bringing prototypes of new sleds to meet-ings, professionals teaching kids how to fit hel-mets, and even movie releases, games and sur-vival quizzes. Have you researched and soughtout many of the BCSF snowmobile rider pro-grams and benefits available to members onlyand discussed them to educate your members?You will not attract your youth unless you areready to deal with the next generation who wantto ride, have fun and are not quite ready to dealwith the politics involved with the organized ele-ment. So let’s get back to club basics and our ne-cessity to engage culture and be relevant.7. TAKING THE LEAD BY MENTORING:

Some of us are beginning to show a few greyhairs and are stopping for a few too many breaksalong the trail. We look around and wonder,“Who is going to do this when I’m done?” Thekey is not to wait until you are done, but weshould be seeking, encouraging and mentoring

days, months or years, I amsure you made some mistakes,and perhaps you missed ap-plauding some friends,screwed up an event or missedan opportunity along the way.But I am sure that if your clubis still surviving, you did moregood than you think, your clubis still relevant and still has alot more it can offer yourmembers within your commu-nity. Whether you are sittingas a president, director or amember, don’t be afraid totake a look at your club, anoverview of your membersand the diversity they bring,and evaluate whether you’reon a mountaintop, or strug-gling up the next rock bluff insearch of the horizon.

▼ TEN ELEMENTS Continued from page 26

Robertson Motorsports ONE Boardshop Kreos Aviation Inc.Blueline Oilfield RentalsRecreation Supply Co. Mountain Motorsports Powerhouse Customs Saskatoon Watersports Revy Snowbikes Colter Energy Services Inc.Boulder Mountain Sled Shed Smokey Bear Campground

▼ FUNDRAISER SPONSORSCont’d. from pg. 26 sidebar

CLUB EVENTS>>

28 SnoRiderswest.com » MID WINTER 2014

www.bcsf.org

In late November snowmobilers came from farand wide to kick off their riding season in Revel-stoke and to attend the Revelstoke SnowmobileClub/Team Thunderstruck fundraiser. This is notjust any fundraiser. It is an epic event that raisedfunds for the Revelstoke Food Bank and theCanadian Avalanche Centre and has become anevolving tradition in Revelstoke each year.

People travelled from as far away asSaskatchewan to be present at the event and agood time was had by all. Happyhour resembled a big fami-ly reunion as sledderscaught up on the news withfriends and familiar facesand made new friends andfuture riding buddies. Thiswas followed by a dinnerand the famous auction withamazing auctioneer RandySwenson. Jeff Rosner(Rozzy) was the VannaWhite of the evening, model-ling snowmobile clothing,equipment and other donated items. The eveningwas capped off with a showing of the latestThunderstruck Films movie, which helped gener-ate even greater enthusiasm for the riding seasonto come.

Carole Savage, the Canadian Avalanche Centresnowmobile program co-ordinator and a sledderherself, said the following about the event: “Thisevent is amazing because it brings snowmobilerstogether with a common passion for some amaz-ing causes and it is a great kickoff to the ridingseason. It was humbling and heartwarming forme to see the generosity and engagement of thesnowmobile community and is another reason

why I love this sport somuch.”

Gilles Valade, the new ex-ecutive director of theCanadian Avalanche Cen-tre, had this to say aboutthe event: “This was myfirst involvement with theclub and I was extremelyimpressed with the com-mitment to avalanchesafety and the CAC. I wasamazed with the auction

and how much enthusiasm there wasfrom all involved, especially the bidders.”

What are you doing next November? Come outto Revelstoke for this amazing event and join theparty! Consider it a great time for great causes.November 2014’s event is likely to be an evenbigger event. Hope to see you there.

Thunderstruck fundraiser rocksBY KATHY BURKE

Each year the B.C. Snowmobile Federationtakes part in events relating to InternationalSnowmobile Safety Week. During this week Itravelled to Revelstoke and Kelowna for Ava-lanche Awareness Days.

In Revelstoke I completed snowmobile out-reach in partnership with the Canadian Ava-lanche Centre, Revelstoke Search and Rescueand the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club. We talkedto many large groups of snowmobilers out on thehill and I was pleased with the number of peoplethat had the gear. I think we still have some workto do on getting across the importance of taking acourse to understand how to use the gear and,more importantly, how to reduce the risk ofbeing caught in an avalanche altogether.

The Revelstoke Snowmobile Club’s network oftrails is amazing and the grooming was perfect.There were a lot of people on the hill but we stillmanaged to find some fresh snow to play in andthe weather was beautiful. I wish everyonewould go and try snowmobiling to experience

those views where you can see forever and theclouds that are below you look like lakes. Thankyou to Mark Shaede for the use of a snowmobilefor the day.

The next day I travelled to Big White for theKelowna Snowmobile Club’s Avalanche Aware-ness Day event. This was the first year the clubhosted this event and it was also their first eventhosted in partnership with the Big White Resort.The trails were groomed perfectly from BigWhite out into the club’s riding area atGraystokes and their cabin called the White-house. A few dealers had demo sleds on hand forpeople to try out and I think we may have had afew new friends join the sport. Many peoplewere excited to try out the Yamaha Timersledand everyone came back with a smile on theirfaces. Thank you to Kelowna Yamaha & Marine,Valley Motosport and the Canadian AvalancheCentre for coming out and supporting the Kelow-na Snowmobile Club, as well as introducing afew people to the sport.

Snowmobile safety weekBY DONEGAL WILSON

The Frostbitten Rider—by Richard Cronier

I have realized over the pastyears that a man would makemuch wiser decisions with re-gard to his children if therehad been a manual given outwith each child. Or perhaps atoe tag with a brief descriptionof their future aspirations thatcould help you steer them in adirection better suited to blue-bird days and that deep, deeppowder.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m afather of four by our own deci-sion and I love them all, butsomehow I feel a little heads-up would have aided my deci-sion making. So I am writingthis thinking not only of my-self, but also my fellow riderswho may be both starting outin the sport and beginning toraise their families.

Lisa and I laugh when I tellher that I picture myself stand-ing in the delivery room as thedoctor looks at me and readsout what the toe tag says:“Born to hunt.” Myself andthe doctor would break into afury of high fives. Then camethe next one: “Will do well inschool and loves children”—another winner! Me and thedoctor celebrating again! Thenthe third one came and the toetag gets read: “Loves to playhockey—you will spend allyour weekends at hockey are-nas across the province” and ahush falls across the room.You better do a recheck andreread the address on that one.Then came number 4 and thedoc reads the toe tag: “Masterof disaster and owner of Bust-ed Knuckle Garage.”

▼Cont’d. on pg. 29 sidebar

MID WINTER 2014 » SnoRiderswest.com 29

www.bcsf.org

Well, I can tell you that thelearning curve of teaching andallowing your kids to achievetheir best has taken its toll onmy time, tools and pocket-book. They all share my loveof riding snowmobiles overfields, snowdrifts and moun-tains. However, the “master ofdisaster,” as he is knownaround the house, has been thedriving force behind the heart-break I feel every time I breakout the tool box. A little oldernow, the children have learnedhow to pre-check and start thesnowmobiles that I havepassed down to them, but fartoo often the excitement of theride has seen them throw cau-tion to the wind. And so Ispend many hours tighteningchains and changing carbides,broken levers and even a cou-ple windshields. They cantruly keep a guy heavily in-volved in the maintenance partof the sport.

But we snowmobilers needour youth to get involved. Theaging volunteer pool is gettingslimmer every year. The aver-age age of a snowmobiler isnow 45 years old, so thismeans that we can presumestatistics would put the aver-age age of the volunteer fairlyclose to that number as well.More and more we see lessentry-level snowmobiles foryouth and the high cost ofthese machines keep youngfamilies out of the sport. So Ikeep pushing on with the mas-ter of disaster and any youth Isee to try and get them in-volved locally, so that some-day they will take over for me.We need to do our best to getthe youth of B.C. outside andon a snowmobile. Please takeyour children snowmobiling—just remember that the learn-ing curve can sometimes justcause you to shake your headand your pocketbook.

▼ THE FROSTBITTEN RIDERCont’d. from pg. 28 sidebar

CLUB NEWS>>

Brenden Parker is an ambitious Grade 11 stu-dent in Surrey, B.C., diagnosed with cerebralpalsy. He’s like many teenage boys—he loveswatching sports on TV and going to the mall.He’s also an avid sports fan who watches a lot ofhockey and football and cheers on his local hock-ey team, the Cloverdale Colts, often travelling tosee them play tournaments as far away as Van-couver Island. He’ll also tell you that he’s beento several B.C. Lions football games and hastravelled to the United States with his family towatch NFL games! Brenden alsoparticipates in sportsthroughout the year andplays on a local powerchair soccer team.

Brenden is a great stu-dent who is actively in-volved in student activities,including the student coun-cil where he helps organizeevents at school such asdances and sports tourna-ments, something every stu-dent can appreciate. He is astrong advocate for Easter Seals camps andspends many hours each week advocating forlocal charities.

When asked, “What does camp mean to you?”Brenden replies, “It means a lot! It’s so much funfor six days and the staff and campers are sonice.” At camp, according to Brenden, “everyoneis so active and doing things the whole time.”

Snowarama supports Camp Squamish

Proceeds to Benefit Easter Seals Camps and Easter Seals House Vancouver

TM

British Columbia/Yukon

EasterSeals

Hosted by:In support of:

http://bcsf.org/events/snowarama

Together we can make FRESH TRACKS for BC’S Children with Disabilities.Consider hosting a Snowarama in 2014

This past summer Brenden got to go to Week 6 atCamp Squamish, a week of camp specifically tai-lored for teenagers with physical disabilities, andit was his favourite camp experience so far. Hereally enjoyed connecting with other camperslike himself who are high school students withdisabilities. Brenden especially liked hanging outwith the nurses this year at Camp Squamish.

According to Brenden’s dad, Baron, EasterSeals Camp Squamish gives Mom and Dad a

break for a week and is theirson’s favourite part of theyear. “When we go to pickhim up at the end of theweek, Brenden doesn’twant to come home,” hisfather says. “His favouriteactivities at camp includethe low ropes obstaclecourse, the big swing, ac-cessible swimming pooland, of course, hangingout at the waterfront withother campers. Our son

has been able to experience many things forthe first time because of Easter Seals, including acampout night with a pizza party; we couldn’t behappier to hear about these adventures.”

When he gets older, Brenden wants to be acamp counsellor at Easter Seals Camp and theneventually start his own business.

Each year, Snowarama events support amazingindividuals like Brenden Parker.

Counsellor John Gill (L) and Brenden Parker are all

smiles at Camp Squamish.

30 SnoRiderswest.com » MID WINTER 2014

B.C. Snowmobile Federation officeDonegal WilsonP.O. Box 277, Keremeos, BC V0X1N0Ph. 250-499-5117 • Fax 250-499-2103Toll Free 1-877-537-8716 • Email: office@bcsf.org

PresidentErin Hart, Surrey, BCpresident@bcsf.org

Vice-PresidentRichard Cronier, Dawson Creek, BCvicepresident@bcsf.org

SecretaryNelson Bastien, Whistler, BCsecretary@bcsf.org

TreasurerVic Lockhart, Beaverdell, BCtreasurer@bcsf.org

REGIONAL DIRECTORS:Region 1: Northeast

Neil Girard, Dawson Creek, BCregion1@bcsf.org

Region 2: Northwest Tamara Osborne, Windermere, BCregion2@bcsf.org

Region 3: North CaribooRalph Sunderman, Clearwater, BCregion3@bcsf.org

Region 4: Lower MainlandGeorge Scott, Langley, BCregion4@bcsf.org

Region 5: Sea to Sky/Vancouver Is.Tyler Kraushar, Pemberton, BCregion5@bcsf.org

Region 6: North OkanaganJen Luszcz, Lumby, BCregion6@bcsf.org

Region 7: RockiesRon LaRoy, Revelstoke, BCregion7@bcsf.org

Region 8: South OkanaganVacant - interim Vic Lockhartregion8@bcsf.org

Region 9: KootenaysDoug Dean, Fernie, BCregion9@bcsf.org

Affinity members offer reduced rates to club mem-bers and clubs. They rebate a portion of BCSF mem-ber purchases to the BCSF Trails, Safety andEnvironment Enhancement Fund.Amsoil

www.bcsnowmobile.wboil.comContact the office for your memberdiscounts on all Amsoil products.

Bank of Montreal/MasterCardDan Bell3300 Bloor St. West, 6th Floor,Center Tower, Toronto, ON M8X2X3416-232-8152 • Fax 416-232-8015www.bmo.com/bcsf

Capri Insurance204 - 1835 Gordon Road, Kelowna, BC V1Y3H5www.capri.ca/snow • 1-888-818-5821

Sandman Hotelswww.sandmanhotels.com

Wide Open Throttle1-888-327-7779 • www.wotmotorwear.com

Arctic Cat Sales Marc-Andre Casavantmcasavant@arcticcatinc.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CORPORATE AFFINITY MEMBERS

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

B.C. SNOWMOBILE FEDERATION Bombardier Recreational Products Inc.Rod Arnold • rod.arnold@brp.com

Koocanusa Publications Inc.Keith Powell, Cranbrook, BCkeith@kpimedia.com

Polaris Industries Inc.Cory Davidsoncory.davidson@polaris.com

Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.Randy Swenson, randy_swenson@yamaha-motor.ca

Gordon Galloway Elkford, BC

Arnold and Pat Wied Valemount, BC

George & Darlene Dance Kamloops, BC

Ralph Sunderman Clearwater, BC

Clayton Prince Kelowna, BC

Gordon Hume Creston, BC

Bob Zimmerman Quesnel, BC

Herb ShaedeRevelstoke, BC

Ron LaRoyRevelstoke, BC

Al HorningKelowna, BC

Nelson BastienWhistler, BC

Roger FrostLake Country, BC

Stan MatthewsLone Butte, BC

Larry BlackburnChetwynd, BC

John WrenWilliams Lake, BC

Patti WrenWilliams Lake, BC

Rose PrinceKelowna, BC

Tom DicksonRevelstoke, BC

Jack FisherCrescent Valley, BC

Toby Cave, Quesnel, BCFrank Parker, Smithers, BCPat Whiteway, Kelowna, BCJack Barnett, 100 Mile House, BC

Field instructors are located throughout theprovince. Please call the office for one near you.Herb Shaede Revelstoke • 250-837-8715Rob Hanna Nanaimo • 250-756-7669Craig Beattie Pemberton • 604-932-0888Doug Ellis Vernon • 250-306-1713Dave Merritt Prince George • 250-565-8558

Region 1: Northeast Contact: Neil Girard 250-782-5608Fort Nelson Snowmobile Club

Rick Seidel • 250-774-4203Northland Trailblazers

Peter Bueckert • 250-261-8734Paradise Valley Snowmobile Association

Richard Cronier • 250-719-7214Pine Valley Trail Blazers

Fred Vanheddegan • 250-874-3304

HONORARY LIFETIME MEMBERS

SENIOR COURSE INSTRUCTORS

MEMBER CLUBS

LIFETIME MEMBERS IN MEMORIUM

Rocky Mountain RidersMarlon Spooner • 250-997-4561

Region 2: Northwest Contact: Tamara Osborne 250-347-6988Burns Lake Snowmobile Club

Dennis Firomski • 250-692-4172Houston Snowmobile Club

Stephen Ringland • 250-845-4032Quesnel Snowmobile Club

Guy Berlinguette • guyber@telus.netSkeena Valley Snowmobile Association

Bill Kawinsky • 250-635-6488Wells Snowmobile Club

Phil Leroy • 250-994-6803Region 3: North CaribooContact: Ralph Sunderman 250-674-3773100 Mile Snowmobile Club

Alan Reichardt • 250-791-6322Bridge River Valley Snowmobile Association

Brian Stuart • 250-238-2283Clearwater Sno-Drifters Snowmobile Club

Ralph Sunderman • 250-674-3773Williams Lake Powder Kings

Rick Jelley • 250-392-4818Region 4: Lower MainlandContact: George Scott 604-533-0136Burke Mountain Snowmobile Association

Marcel Marsolais • 604-521-3116Chilliwack Snowmobile Club

Brian Romak • 604-866-1200Summit Seekers Snowmobile Club

George Scott • 604-533-0136Region 5: Sea to Sky/Vancouver IslandContact: Tyler Kraushar 604-935-0962Bacon Lake Snowmobile Association

Wade Macadam • 250-286-3535 Black Tusk Snowmobile Club

Tony Cailes • 604-818-8456Mid-Island Sno-Blazers

Rob Hanna • 250-756-7669North Island Snowmobile Association

Robin Schopp • 250-923-7179Pemberton Valley Snowmobile Club

Al Bush • 604-894-6442Powder Mountain Snowmobile &Outdoor Recreation Club

Nelson Bastien • 604-932-3279Sunshine Coast Snow Seekers

Bruce Lanskail • 604-885-5476Region 6: North OkanaganContact: Jen Luszcz 250-547-8781Lumby/Mabel Lake Snowmobile Association

Tom Luszcz • 250-547-8781Monashee Snowmobile Club

Don Main • 250-542-6209Salmon Arm Snow Blazers

Robin Fleury • 250-838-2668Vernon Snowmobile Association

Ben Drodge • 250-542-2649Region 7: RockiesContact: Ron LaRoy 250-837-4708Arrow Lakes Ridge Riders

Mark Aichelle • 250-265-4684Columbia Snodrifters Society

Roy Smerdley • 250-348-2285Golden Snowmobile Club

Fabrice Carrara • 250-344-5252Revelstoke Snowmobile Club

Greg Byman • 250-837-6738Windermere Valley Snowmobile Society

Barry Lightfoot • 250-342-5148Region 8: South OkanaganContact: Vic Lockhart

250-484-5586Christina Lake Snowmobile Society

Dan Marcoux • 250-447-9373

BCSF CONTACTS Kelowna Snowmobile Club Clayton Prince • 250-491-2773

Similkameen Snowmobile Club Forrest Nelson • 250-499-6522

South Okanagan Snowmobile ClubSylvain Gagnon • 250-809-2851

Timberline Cruisers Snowmobile ClubNorm Morrison • 250-295-4011

Region 9: Kootenays Contact: Doug Dean 250-425-5044Corbin Country Club

George Neubauer • 403-362-6401Cranbrook Snowmobile Club

Doug Hogg • 250-421-1144Elk Valley Mountaineers

Norris Fedorch • 250-425-2042Fernie Snowmobile Association

Bob Arnott • 250-423-3790Moyie Lake Snowmobile & ATV Club

Ken Philpot • 250-829-0519Scaia Scamps Snowmobile Society

Brad Makortoff • 250-365-3102

ALL SEASON’S MOTOR SPORTS LTD.

Cranbrook • 250-426-4009B & F SALES & SERVICE

Grand Forks • 250-442-3555BIG TOP POWERSPORTS

Chilliwack • 604-703-0221CAT SHACK

Chetwynd • 250-788-9558FOSTER COVERED WAGONS

Dawson Creek • 250-782-2722FULL THROTTLE MOTORSPORTS

Quesnel • 250-991-7933GHOSTRIDER MOTORSPORTS

Fernie • 250-423-9251GORDO’S RENT-ALL

Williams Lake • 250-398-7300HOWIE’S MARINE SERVICE LTD.

Prince George • 250-563-7727INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS

Delta • 604-288-1553LEADING EDGE MOTORSPORTS

Kamloops • 250-372-8534LINO’S SALES & SERVICE

Burns Lake • 250-692-7959MAIN JET MOTORSPORTS

Nelson • 250-352-3191MAPLE RIDGE MOTORSPORTS

Maple Ridge • 604-465-0441MILE ZERO MOTORSPORTS

Ladysmith • 250-245-5414MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS

Golden • 250-344-6100NEID ENTERPRISES LTD.

Terrace • 250-635-3478RICH’S SAW SALES

Vanderhoof • 250-567-2362ROUTE 99 MOTORSPORTS LTD.

Pemberton • 604-894-6840SHUSWAP XTREME

Salmon Arm • 250-832-3883SOUTH CARIBOO MOTORSPORTS

100 Mile House • 250-395-2366TRAN-S-PORT ARCTIC CAT

Fort St. John • 250-785-1293VALLEY MOTORSPORTS KELOWNA

Kelowna • 250-765-3400VERNON MOTORSPORTS

Vernon • 250-545-5381WAYSIDE SERVICE

Smithers • 250-847-5473

ARCTIC CAT DEALERS

www.bcsf.org

MID WINTER 2014 » SnoRiderswest.com 31

BCSF CONTACTS

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Sicamous • 250-836-2541KICKSTART MOTORSPORTS

Terrace • 250-635-1623MOTOR TECH ENTERPRISES

Golden • 250-344-2888NO LIMITS MOTORSPORTS

Squamish • 604-815-4444NORTHERN METALIC SALES LTD.

Fort Nelson • 250-774-6101PERFORMANCE ALL TERRAIN& RENTALS LTD.

100 Mile House • 250-395-2550PLAYMOR POWER PRODUCTS LTD.

Crescent Valley • 250-359-7111REICHERT SALES & SERVICE LTD.

Tulameen • 250-295-6489RTR PERFORMANCE

Kamloops • 250-374-3141TRAIL BLAZ’N POWER LTD.

Dawson Creek • 250-782-6685TRAIL BLAZ’N POWER LTD.

Fort St. John • 250-785-6675VALLEY CHAINSAW &RECREATION LTD.

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KEN’S MARINE O/A NORTH STARTerrace • 250-635-2909

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MAIN JET MOTORSPORTSNelson • 250-352-3191

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SCHULTZ MOTORSPORTSKamloops • 250-828-2200

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Quesnel • 250-992-5602FAST TRAX MOTOR SPORTS

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Abbotsford • 604-854-3440G.A. CHECKPOINT

Port Moody • 604-461-3434GHOSTRIDER MOTORSPORTS

Fernie • 250-423-9251KELOWNA YAMAHA

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Golden • 250-344-6100NICOLA CHAINSAW &EQUIPMENT RENTALS

Merritt • 250-378-2234OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

Burns Lake • 250-692-3777PARKER MARINE (COURTENAY)

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Kamloops • 250-828-2200SOUTH CARIBOO MOTOR SPORTS LTD.

100 Mile House • 250-395-2366SPECTRA POWER SPORTS

Williams Lake • 250-392-3201VALLEY YAMAHA

Chilliwack • 604-795-4403VERNON MOTORSPORTS

Vernon • 250-545-5381

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32 SnoRiderswest.com » MID WINTER 2014

www.bcsf.org

How about that snow! From mid-November,people in most parts of the country have beencomplaining about the amount of snow they havereceived. The newest term, the polar vortex, re-minds us how quickly we all forgot how cold -35really is. Well, over the holidays we were allmade very aware of what a good Canadian wintercan be. Mother Nature shook Western Canadawith such a chill that when it settled, itdropped snow in Texas and as far eastand south as South Carolina. What’s agood cold snap or winter chill if it is notshared with our American friends?

When it all settled, many days werelost in airports as the stormy weather oc-curred over more than one weekend. De-lays were experienced from Dallas, Texas, toToronto, Montreal and other points east. Newsflash—it warmed up but . . . ice became the nextterror to hit. Montreal got 30 centimetres of snowone day, then 50 millimetres of rain the next andthen it dropped 25 degrees in eight hours. Thenthe power went out for thousands of people andbusinesses—some for over a week.

The point of it all is—choose your days, ride

whenever you can and enjoy what Mother Naturethrows your way. By mid-January most areas hadalready enjoyed six weeks of winter with manyareas experiencing the annual, yes annual, Janu-ary thaw. One good friend in northern Ontariokeeps his truck stored for the winter and for thepast 20-plus years he waits for those days in Jan-uary when it is above zero to start his diesel to

keep it in running condition. Most years hefinds the same opportunity in February as

well. It’s interesting to remember thosemild days that normally go unnoticed.SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT

While we debate the weather we needto think about other factors in snowmo-

biling—from the Code of Ethics to under-standing what keeps the trails in place. From

the safety and environment side of our business,we encourage every snowmobiler to ride withintheir limits and know before you go. This in-cludes riding on rivers and lakes with question-able ice, mountain riding, being avalanche awareand packing your trash out—leave tracks, nottrash. All of the messaging in the world onlyworks with peer pressure, so be there for all of

Winter is back with a vengeance!

Coast to Coast by Dennis Burns

Clarity Conferencing Inc.

Dennis Burns

Please support businesses that support the CCSO—the nationalvoice of organized snowmobiling!

The CCSO would like to thank oursponsors for the 2013/2014 season..

us, work as a team and en-sure that you are there again toride another day. Go Farther isa backcountry message fo-cused on avalanche safetyawareness.IS IT A RIGHT OR A PRIVILEGE TO SNOWMOBILE?

Know that we want to betrail riding and/or boondock-ing for years to come and toensure that we have the ac-cess, we need to raise aware-ness. First join a club and getorganized. There is strength innumbers and working togetherwill help ensure that we con-tinue to have access to ridingareas. Work together withother groups, get and keep theattention of the various levelsof government and earn thesupport of resort and businessowners. Fight to maintain thecurrent access to areas andwork hard on every closure.Let government leaders knowthat nationally snowmobilinghas an $8-billion impact. Getthe numbers from yourprovincial/territorial organiza-tions, then meet with yourMLAs, MPPs, MPs and sena-tors—share with them howimportant snowmobiling is tothe winter economy of ruralCanada.NEW BUSINESS SUPPORTERS

Snow-Guard by CelluTrak isa theft prevention device withtelematic capabilities for yoursnowmobile. With CelluTrak’seasy-to-use interface, you andyour family can track yoursnowmobile in real time fromany desktop, tablet or smart-phone (www.cellutrak.ca). Aswell, the inReach SE two-waysatellite communicator withGPS will work where cell-phones don’t. Send and re-ceive messages anywhere andshare your journey. CCSOmembers save 15 per cent offany monthly subscription(www.inreachcanada.com).

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