Originally Posted by Summiteer 
I normally agree with most of what you have to say Glen but this time I can't.
Unless I misread Keirans explanation, they want to restrict access to a couple of sections of the snow cat roads that they build in the winter because they are unsafe for vehicles other than snow cats to use. that sounds pretty reasonable to me. Would there be access there if Big Red Cats didn't put in their winter roads? Are they restricting access by sled or keeping trucks with trailers or decks off their roads? What are sleds doing on the roads anyway? Why should Big Red Cats foot the entire bill if they have actually opened up more areas to access through their winter road building.
why would you(Kevin) even ask a question and then basically tell the guy that he's a liar anyway?
Keep in mind I'm asking these questions as a sledder that has no interest in skiing whatsoever and any opinion I have formed is only from information I have read in this thread.
Summiteer, does it sound reasonable to be denied access to any area of crown land that you may have sledded on for more then 20 years? If this was in your back yard, would you be agreeing with a company to have tenure on your sledding territory, knowing that it could turn into an exclusive tenure at any time?
As Ratatat stated, sledders have been using these areas for years, decades actually. The snowcat roads are built on the same lines that sledders have been using before he received tenure on the land.
Summiteer, the "roads" he is using aren't plowed forest access roads, they are built on top of the snow, basically a groomed trail, not plowed to bare earth, so the forest practices act that states a snowmobile can't operate on cleared forest roads does not apply here.
And he hasn't opened up more area by building snowcat roads, he has just made them easier to access. It used to be a challenge to get to some of these ridges, now any stock sled from the '70s can make it with ease.
The biggest mistake we (sledders) made was to not make enough of a noise when the original tenure was applied for. I've seen a few of these cat-ski tenures put in place in the last few years, and every one has caused conflict between snowmobilers and the company owners.
Kieran, you state that the fully loaded cats can travel at speeds greater then 20km/hr. Why don't your operators reduce travelling to a safe speed for everyone? I find it hard to believe that a snowcat that can crawl up an incline of 30degrees can't come down at a safe slow speed and come to a stop from that slow speed. Unlike a snowmobile that needs momentum and track spinning to climb steep hills, the snowcat isn't spinning it's tracks when climbing. I've seen the cat tracks, and they are very distinct in the snow, not a trench like a snowmobile that is spinning to climb. Now I know this will increase travelling times, but if it only has to be done over a 300 metre length, I doubt reducing speed from 20km/hr to 2-5 km/hr over such a short distance will increase times by more then a couple of minutes.