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K.S.A. Online Newsletter - December 2009 |
KSA AGM Sees One Addition to the Board - Mark Daniels It was great to see a few more members come out to the last couple of meetings, including the AGM on October 5. Even if folks aren’t interested in serving on the board, we’re always happy when they show an interest in the operation of the KSA. We’re eager to hear what the membership wants the KSA to do on their behalf. The meeting schedule is on the KSA website. We normally meet on the first Monday of the month at 7 pm at Sport Yukon but there are some exceptions. You’ll want to check the schedule on-line just in case.
We held elections at the AGM and returned the old guard to the board with one addition. The 2009-10 KSA executive is as follows:
President – Mark Daniels Vice President – Jim Connor Secretary/Treasurer – Phil Perrin Directors – Rheo Bedard, Lorne Whittaker, Harris Cox, Armando Heredia
We’re pleased to welcome Armando Heredia as a KSA Director. Armando got interested in the KSA by talking about the benefits of organized snowmobiling with Phil Perrin and me. He rides a combination of trails and backcountry and he’ll bring a balanced perspective to the board.
We don’t often get requests from the membership but, when we do, it’s for more organized events. We’re planning even more activities for this season including a couple of poker runs, another family fishing day, and some group rides. Keep an eye on the KSA website Coming Events page for details.
Major Trail Project Wrapping Up – Mark Daniels As I mentioned in the last newsletter, we finally got the culvert installed at Skipping Rock Creek. This upgrade was part of a $40,000 initiative that included the culvert installation, repair of the Sima Creek bridge, repair of a small bridge on a secondary trail near Mt. McIntyre, sign replacement on Hamilton Boulevard and the Copper Trail, and brushing and grading of various sections of trail from Wolf Creek to Trails North and connectors to Porter Creek and Granger. A contractor did the bulk of the work. Volunteer labour by club members and inmates from the Whitehorse Correctional Centre supplemented this effort. The work is done; the money is spent. All that’s left is the paperwork. Again, I’d like to recognize the federal government via the National Trails Coalition and the Yukon government via the Community Development Fund for bankrolling this project. Funding agencies like to know that their contributions are having a positive effect on the community. To that end, please send any comments you have on these trail upgrades to us and we’ll include them in our project summary.
While much of the trail work was needed to offset normal wear and tear and acts of God (and beavers), I was disappointed to see how much of the time and money was spent repairing vandalism. This fall, some ‘antisocial individuals’ pulled out every sign along the Hamilton Boulevard trail from the highway to the school and threw them in the ditch. It took about 50 person-hours of work to repair and replace all those signs. Over 80% of the signs and posts installed on the other trails were replacements for ones that were stolen and/or run over in the last two years. Someone even knocked down a couple of new sign posts the day after we installed them. We didn’t even get the signs on them! These are 4x4 wooden posts buried two feet into the ground but it doesn’t seem to matter if we use wood or steel. It’s obvious that someone is joy riding in a pickup and smashing into things just for fun. If you see any such acts of vandalism, please call the RCMP. The signs are there for everyone’s safety. It would be great if all our efforts could be used improving the trail instead of repairing vandalism.
KSA Catches the Olympic Spirit - Mark Daniels Over the course of 106 days, the Olympic Torch will cross Canada by land, air, and water, stopping in over 1000 communities from October 31, 2009 to February 10, 2010. Trans Canada Trail (TCT) volunteers and supporters plan to welcome the Torch at TCT pavilions across the country. The Torch will pass 25 pavilions as it travels from coast to coast to coast. As the Yukon agent for the Trans Canada Trail, the KSA was invited to be a part of the Olympic Torch Relay as it progressed through Whitehorse. A small group of members and executive braved the cold wind to greet the torch bearer at the pavilion in Rotary Park with our TCT banner. We’re proud to be a part of both national endeavours: the Trans CanadaTrail and the Olympic Torch Relay.
Never Too Old To Learn - Mark Daniels Safety is everybody’s concern. Whether you’re brand new to snowmobiling or you’re an old pro, you can always pick up some new skills by taking a safety training course. Chris Jastrebsky works as a biology consultant and spends quite a bit of time in the field on snowmobiles. Over the years, he saw a growing need for snowmobile safety training in the industry. Chris combined his knowledge of industry needs, interest in safety, and passion for snowmobiling and started Safe Trails North Training Service in 2008. Safe Trails North is a KSA gold corporate sponsor. Originally from northern Ontario, Chris moved to Whitehorse 2 ½ years ago. He’s a BC Snowmobile Federation (BCSF)certified Snowmobile Instructor with 20 years of riding experience. Chris offers two separate standard BCSF courses.
The Snowmobile Operator Course is a one-day on-the-snow course aimed at the recreational rider. It offers instruction on basic snowmobile maintenance, regulations dealing with snowmobiling, and snowmobile operation. The operation training covers riding strategies, starting, warming up and stopping the engine, starting out, moving forward and backward, braking (normal & emergency), turns, obstacles, U-turns, riding over hills and side hilling, and good trail manners.
The Industrial Snowmobile Operator Course is a two-day course that offers employees who use a snowmobile in their work the same lesson plans as the Snowmobile Safe Operators Course on the first day. Day two involves specific training on safe work practices while operating a snowmobile, plus more difficult and challenging riding on a snowmobile. Chris customizes the course to meet the needs of the participants, focusing on situations they would meet in their particular work environment. He also includes basic instruction on loading and unloading a snowmobile, mechanical troubleshooting, basic field repair, how to get a snowmobile unstuck and how to tow a disabled snowmobile.
Participants must provide their own snowmobile, certified helmet, and warm clothing. Chris can help make arrangements if you need to rent a snowmobile. He trains groups or individuals but normally runs class sizes between three and eight. The cost of the basic course is $175 per person; the Industrial course is $325 per person and each course includes training materials. Money spent on safety is always money well spent. For more info or to sign up for a course, contact Chris at 335-1932 or safetrails@elr.ca
Plan on Participating in Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week – Ed Klim (November 5, 2009 – Haslett, MI) The snowmobile community is excited to announce the second annual Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week – which will be held February 12-22, 2010. This elongated week celebrates friends and family snowmobiling for 11 days including two weekends (and President’s Day in the United States). The snowmobile week was introduced to go hand in hand with the Take a Friend Snowmobiling campaign and has been developed to encourage all of us to take our non-snowmobiling friends out snowmobiling. We have all had many conversations, telling stories about how much fun it is to take people snowmobiling, and many of us are realizing that we have a lot of non-snowmobiling friends to take snowmobiling. The event is really designed to be simple. There are a few recommended guidelines. They are: Safety training - make sure to cover all the safe snowmobiling behavior with your friend before taking them out on their first ride. Points to cover should include:
A key ingredient to a good time for a first time snowmobiler is for us seasoned riders to make sure non-snowmobilers are comfortable when they first get on a snowmobile. You need to be cautious and ride slow when taking out a new rider. You should plan on making numerous stops and enjoying the scenery. It is always recommended that the first ride be rather short and include a stop for a light meal or hot chocolate or coffee and a little camaraderie and storytelling at the local restaurant, clubhouse or outdoor barbecue area. Clubs are encouraged to participate in the activity and try to hold a special day or weekend encouraging members to bring non-snowmobiling friends to the clubhouse to go for a short ride and discover what snowmobilers do during the winter. This effort follows the guidelines and recommendations our customer research has shown us, which highlights that non- snowmobilers know very little about snowmobiling. Most non-snowmobilers don’t know where the trails are, really don’tknow who builds and maintains and pays for the trail systems, and have no idea of the beautiful scenery that we enjoy and the fun that we have in the winter riding our snowmobiles. The research has showed us that folks who don’t snowmobile rate their desire to go snowmobiling a solid 9 on a 10 point scale. All we need to do is ask. We have all heard the stories of snowmobilers taking friends out, and much to their surprise the friends enjoy themselves so much, they end up buying a new or used snowmobile to join in the winter fun. What a pleasant surprise that is for all of us and why not encourage our family and friends to join us outside this winter on a snowmobile? As a special incentive to take non-snowmobilers snowmobiling, the manufacturers will give away a $250.00 gift certificate to a lucky individual who registers and participates in the Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week event. The Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week Registration Form is now displayed on the Go Snowmobiling website: www.gosnowmobiling.org, the ACSA web site: www.snowmobilers.org and the CCSO web site: www.ccso-ccom.ca. Non-snowmobilers and their snowmobiling friends need to fill out a registration form to be entered in the drawing for the gift certificate. The registration form is easy to fill out and can be:
T ry to involve your local Snowmobile Dealer(s), Ski Hills, Chambers of Commerce, restaurants, and snowmobile clubs. All of us collectively can really expand the idea and make this week an annual event. If you are going to be snowmobiling any time over February 12-22, 2010, plan on participating in Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week. Don’t forget to fill out a registration form, take advantage of the opportunity to win a $250 gift certificate, and have fun doing it!
Other online editions of the KSA newsletter: October 2009 December 2009 January 2010 March 2010 |