Welcome back to what I hope will be a stellar snowmobile season. The Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting winter temperatures will be above normal, on average, with above-normal precipitation and snowfall. The snowiest periods will be in mid-November, mid- and late December, early and mid-January, and early February. Here’s hoping!
The KSA had a busy summer doing the usual planning and administrative work plus brushing trail with a bunch of good people in camouflaged clothing.
We had a couple of changes on the corporate sponsor front. Fountain Tire has come on board with a five per cent discount on all regularly priced parts and tires. That’s great news for anyone with a vehicle. We also lost the food discount at McDonald’s—not so great. The Thorpes have been great supporters of the KSA for longer than I can remember. Times change and so does technology. It’s getting more and more difficult for the corporate McDonald’s point-of-sale machines to accommodate the KSA discount. Whitehorse McDonald’s is still a gold corporate sponsor, and as such, I hope you’ll still patronize their restaurants.
The City took a break from clearing the Copper Haul Road this summer. They’re shooting to get back at it in October and promised to let me know when they start up again so we’re not all surprised. I’m also trying to get them to leave the snow-covered trail intact in the middle of the right-of-way instead of plowing it to gravel like last year. Despite the hiccups, the haul road is much more open now. The combination of clearing and fire-smarting has really increased sight lines and improved safety. I think the City plans to brush the haul road south all the way to the Mt. Sima road this fall but I’ll let you know when I find out.
I had an interesting meeting with some folks from the Yukon Government’s Wildland Fire Management Branch at Sima in September. They’re talking about cutting a wide firebreak around the south end of town starting at the Mt. Sima parking lot. The intent is to avoid a wildfire scenario like the disaster in Fort McMurray, Alberta. I’ll keep you updated as things unfold.
