Found this on the Sylvan Lake News site:
BY CARSON PAPKE
SYLVAN LAKE NEWS
David Thompson Snowriders are inviting snowmobilers to try their nicely groomed trails this year.
The Snowriders recently purchased a trail grooming tractor and trailer from a snowmobile club in Estevan, Saskatchewan. Clint Bromling, president of the club, said the groomer will do a lot by keeping trails smooth and providing great trails for people to use.
“We will be able to groom everything so people will be able to see where the trail goes,” said Bromling. “It will also allow riders to have nice trails to ride along and not have to worry about unseen bumps or holes in the trail.”
The club was able to purchase the machine for a fraction of the cost of new grooming machines that can run upwards of $100,000. They were able to access grants and used $9,500 in club funds. They are also seeing great support from the community. GTI Petroleum is providing fuel for the groomer free of charge. Bromling said the groomer has worked well and will be used to keep the club’s trails groomed every year.
The club has seen a few riders taking advantage of the groomed trails. Bromling and Gerry Hansen are the club volunteers grooming the trails and are finding it is lots of fun. They haven’t got stuck yet and have received lots of compliments on how nice the trail system is to ride on this winter. They have groomed all the land part of their trail system but caution riders that they have not groomed the sections that go along waterways due to safety issues.
The groomer is a big deal for the club as they have close to 100 kilometres of trails around the Eckville and Sylvan Lake areas. Bromling said trails run from Sylvan Lake to Bentley, Sylvan Lake to Eckville, and there is a loop which goes south of Eckville to Hespero and comes back to join with the main trail. Warm up shelters along the trails include wood stoves and wood if people need to stop for a break. The club’s current main staging area is based at the lake entrance by Sylvan Lake pier. They’ve started another staging area south of Eckville that has a shack which can run power through a portable generator. Hansen said they are working on building it as a staging area where people can load and unload snowmobiles.
Bromling and Hansen said it is a great way to enjoy the Central Alberta scenery with family and friends on a nice winter day. All they ask is that people respect the trails and obey the rules.
“Riders need to buy an Alberta Snowmobile Association (ASA) trail pass to ride on the trails,” said Bromling. “If you buy a pass it allows you to ride on all the other club trails in Alberta.”
The trail pass is $70 for the year and can be purchased through Rainy Creek Powersports or from Bromling. They also ask that no off-road vehicles except for snowmobiles ride the trails. All the land provided for the trails is donated for the winter by the owners and Bromling said vehicles such as quads can leave damage that landowners don’t want. They ask riders to adhere to ASA and government safety regulations including wearing a helmet at all times.
The club is hosting a snowmobile poker rally on Feb. 19 beginning at the Sylvan Lake pier staging area. Registration starts at 10 a.m. and will cost $20 for the first hand (which also covers the day pass for the trail system) and $5 per hand afterwards. There will be a 50 per cent pay out and it will cover 80 kilometres of the club’s trails. The fundraiser is also to make people aware of the trail system.
“We are making it a fun, family-friendly event where people can come out and enjoy the trails,” said Hansen. “If people already have an ASA trail pass then they can register for just $5 a hand. It will be a fun event that we hope brings out a lot of the local snowmobile riding community.”
Bromling said the Snowriders are looking for new members. They have run short on volunteer help and cancelled their annual grass drags because of that situation. They have now turned their focus to the trail system and would love to see more people get involved with the club so they can do more events like family day rides and poker rallies.
“We get a few people that come and buy a membership but only about twelve people show up for meetings if we get everybody,” said Bromling. “It would help us not rely on the same volunteers to do all the events and give us an opportunity to do more events in the future.”
Hansen feels the trail system provides a structured environment for snowmobilers so they are not riding in places they are unwanted.
“It is an organized trail and what that does is keeps people away from places they aren’t supposed to be,” said Hansen. “It’s not trespassing and keeps people away from dangers of fences and other things like that. It gives the area a unique and fun winter activity that is structured for snowmobiles.”
For more information on the David Thompson Snowriders or their trail system visit their website at www.dtsnowriders.com or contact Bromling at 403-392-3424 or Hansen at 403-746-3627.
BY CARSON PAPKE
SYLVAN LAKE NEWS
David Thompson Snowriders are inviting snowmobilers to try their nicely groomed trails this year.
The Snowriders recently purchased a trail grooming tractor and trailer from a snowmobile club in Estevan, Saskatchewan. Clint Bromling, president of the club, said the groomer will do a lot by keeping trails smooth and providing great trails for people to use.
“We will be able to groom everything so people will be able to see where the trail goes,” said Bromling. “It will also allow riders to have nice trails to ride along and not have to worry about unseen bumps or holes in the trail.”
The club was able to purchase the machine for a fraction of the cost of new grooming machines that can run upwards of $100,000. They were able to access grants and used $9,500 in club funds. They are also seeing great support from the community. GTI Petroleum is providing fuel for the groomer free of charge. Bromling said the groomer has worked well and will be used to keep the club’s trails groomed every year.
The club has seen a few riders taking advantage of the groomed trails. Bromling and Gerry Hansen are the club volunteers grooming the trails and are finding it is lots of fun. They haven’t got stuck yet and have received lots of compliments on how nice the trail system is to ride on this winter. They have groomed all the land part of their trail system but caution riders that they have not groomed the sections that go along waterways due to safety issues.
The groomer is a big deal for the club as they have close to 100 kilometres of trails around the Eckville and Sylvan Lake areas. Bromling said trails run from Sylvan Lake to Bentley, Sylvan Lake to Eckville, and there is a loop which goes south of Eckville to Hespero and comes back to join with the main trail. Warm up shelters along the trails include wood stoves and wood if people need to stop for a break. The club’s current main staging area is based at the lake entrance by Sylvan Lake pier. They’ve started another staging area south of Eckville that has a shack which can run power through a portable generator. Hansen said they are working on building it as a staging area where people can load and unload snowmobiles.
Bromling and Hansen said it is a great way to enjoy the Central Alberta scenery with family and friends on a nice winter day. All they ask is that people respect the trails and obey the rules.
“Riders need to buy an Alberta Snowmobile Association (ASA) trail pass to ride on the trails,” said Bromling. “If you buy a pass it allows you to ride on all the other club trails in Alberta.”
The trail pass is $70 for the year and can be purchased through Rainy Creek Powersports or from Bromling. They also ask that no off-road vehicles except for snowmobiles ride the trails. All the land provided for the trails is donated for the winter by the owners and Bromling said vehicles such as quads can leave damage that landowners don’t want. They ask riders to adhere to ASA and government safety regulations including wearing a helmet at all times.
The club is hosting a snowmobile poker rally on Feb. 19 beginning at the Sylvan Lake pier staging area. Registration starts at 10 a.m. and will cost $20 for the first hand (which also covers the day pass for the trail system) and $5 per hand afterwards. There will be a 50 per cent pay out and it will cover 80 kilometres of the club’s trails. The fundraiser is also to make people aware of the trail system.
“We are making it a fun, family-friendly event where people can come out and enjoy the trails,” said Hansen. “If people already have an ASA trail pass then they can register for just $5 a hand. It will be a fun event that we hope brings out a lot of the local snowmobile riding community.”
Bromling said the Snowriders are looking for new members. They have run short on volunteer help and cancelled their annual grass drags because of that situation. They have now turned their focus to the trail system and would love to see more people get involved with the club so they can do more events like family day rides and poker rallies.
“We get a few people that come and buy a membership but only about twelve people show up for meetings if we get everybody,” said Bromling. “It would help us not rely on the same volunteers to do all the events and give us an opportunity to do more events in the future.”
Hansen feels the trail system provides a structured environment for snowmobilers so they are not riding in places they are unwanted.
“It is an organized trail and what that does is keeps people away from places they aren’t supposed to be,” said Hansen. “It’s not trespassing and keeps people away from dangers of fences and other things like that. It gives the area a unique and fun winter activity that is structured for snowmobiles.”
For more information on the David Thompson Snowriders or their trail system visit their website at www.dtsnowriders.com or contact Bromling at 403-392-3424 or Hansen at 403-746-3627.
