Each year, snowmobile clubs in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Yukon go on an annual membership drive, inviting individuals and families to join their ranks. The cost of an annual membership ranges anywhere from $60 to $250—depending on the club and if it’s a single membership or a family package. The membership packages usually come with a trail pass for the year and may include insurance discounts, a subscription to a magazine and other incentives. In some communities, businesses even offer discounts to snowmobile club members. But there are other benefits as well.
Of course, there is the social aspect of meeting new people and hanging out with like-minded individuals, but underneath that is an even greater good.
Protecting riding areas
As individuals, we often ride with the mindset that we have the right to ride our snowmobiles where we want and when we want. Unfortunately, that right can be taken away from us. Snowmobilers across Western Canada have been faced with trail and area closures, due to conflicts with wildlife, landowners or companies looking to benefit from natural resources. When these situations arise, it can be very helpful to be part of a snowmobile club. The fact is, individuals are more likely to be heard and taken seriously when they are in a group, unified by their concerns, rather than on their own.
The other side of the equation is that a club can get into the spotlight more easily, and I mean in a positive light. As a staff writer for SnoRiders, I hear so many reports each season of snowmobile clubs across Western Canada raising thousands of dollars for organizations like the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities and the Canadian Cancer Society and it truly amazes me.
Snowmobile clubs are also responsible for cutting new trails and maintaining existing ones, as well as mapping them out so that locals and visitors alike have a safe and fun place to ride. They spend countless hours and their work continues throughout the year, from summer to winter.
Sharing the workload
Like other kinds of clubs, snowmobile clubs have a president, a vice-president, a secretary and a treasurer as well as as a groomer operator, events director and sometimes a public relations co-ordinator. Every year, the club will have its annual general meeting and this is when the executive is decided. Unfortunately, many snowmobile clubs suffer from what is called Same Ten People syndrome or STP.
Donegal Wilson, office manager for the British Columbia Snowmobile Federation, explained the situation in her province.
“I hear over and over that the clubs are suffering from STP syndrome,” said Wilson. “It is the STP that are doing everything to keep the club alive and riding areas open and accessible.”
She also said that if snowmobilers do not step up and buy a membership to their local club and donate some of their time, they are in danger of losing riding areas or having the events that their local snowmobile club organizes cancelled.
Growing the sport
More than 200 snowmobile clubs exist across Western Canada and these belong to either the British Columbia Snowmobile Federation, the Association of British Columbia Snowmobile Clubs, the Alberta Snowmobile Association, the Snowmobilers of Manitoba Inc. (SnoMan), the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association or the Klondike Snowmobile Association. Above them is the Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations. This non-profit organization acts as the umbrella group for organized snowmobiling throughout the country.
Granted, not everyone wants to join a snowmobile club. There are many free spirits out there who simply like to go out and ride. They have their reasons for not joining a club; a shortage of time is likely a big factor.
Many clubs do not require their members to attend all the meetings, though, and those who do not have the time to commit to a club can still support their local club through monetary donations. Buying a trail pass—whether it’s for the day or the whole season—is the easiest way to show your support. It’s important to understand that if we want our sport to grow and ensure that our favourite riding areas will be open for next year, it is the snowmobile clubs that need our support to keep going.
To see if there is a local snowmobile club in your area and how you can join, visit the appropriate website for your provincial snowmobile association. There you will find a list of all the top snowmobile clubs as well as snowmobile trail maps and information on trail conditions.
