vol9 2 - ofsc.on.ca cafe/GSM Vol9#2... · Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian ... Game 3rd Page Ad ... the winters of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015.

Vol.9#2

1GSOM

Onlin

e Only

OFSC LOGO Mission is to: Provide leadership to member organi-zations in our commitment to enable exceptional snowmobile trails and

rider experiences throughout the province.

OFSC Vision is that: Snowmobiling is recognized and celebrated as Ontario’s premier winter recreation and tourism experience.

The OFSC GO Snowmobiling Ontario CampaignThe OFSC GO Snowmobiling Ontario Magazine is the voice of the OFSC and the OFSC Go Snow-mobiling Ontario Campaign. Go Snowmobiling unites snowmobile clubs, industry stakeholders and snowbelt communities to promote the recreational lifestyle, experience and fun that OFSC trail riding offers Ontarians every winter. Our goal is to grow snowmobiling by attracting new participants, persuading former riders to return, encouraging casual snowmobilers and families to ride more — and by urging everyone to do their sledding right here in Ontario!

Keep Receiving This Magazine!To keep your name on the mailing list for the OFSC Go Snowmobiling Ontario Magazine, you must sign up for OFSC member benefits when you buy your 2016 Seasonal or Classic trail permit. If you don’t sign up, you won’t get your mags!

WARNING: Some of the action shown in this magazine is potentially dangerous. Almost all riders photographed are professionals, racers or experienced experts. It is strongly recommended readers do not attempt to duplicate stunts beyond their capabilities. Always wear a helmet, boots and safety equipment.

Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations

“We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage”

ONTARIO FEDERATION OF SNOWMOBILE CLUBS: 9-501 Welham Road, Barrie, ON L4N 8Z6 • 705.739.7669 • www.ofsc.on.ca

Supertrax Go Snowmobiling Ontario magazine is published four times yearly by SUPER-TRAX Publishing Inc. Undeliverable copies and change of address notices: 762 Upper James Street, Suite 187, Hamilton, ON L9C 3A2. Tel. 705-286-2135. Office Mailing Address: 762 Upper James Street, Suite 187, Hamilton, ON L9C 3A2. Copyright 2016 SUPERTRAX Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro-duced without the written consent of the publishers. Publishers are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. Address for subscriptions is: 1025 Rouge Valley Drive, Pickering, ON L1V 4N8. Subscription rate is $14.99 for 4 issues / $26.99 for 8 issues / $33.99 for 12 issues (prices include GST in Canada). TOLL-FREE NUMBER FOR ADVERTISING & SALES ONLY: 1-888-905-TRAX (8729) For Address Changes and Corrections Go To: [email protected]

PUBLISHER: Mark R. Lester / CO-PUBLISHER: Kent Lester / MANAGING EDITOR: Matt Lester / OFSC EDITOR: Craig Nicholson / FEATURE EDITORS: John Arkwright, AJ Lester, Matt Lester, Mike Lester / PUBLIC RELATIONS EDITOR: Harold McAdam / ART & PRODUCTION: Andrew Knor / ADMINISTRATION: Barbara Lester, Leslie Austen / CIRCULATION: Matt Lester MARKETING: Paul Stewart, Mike Lester, John Arkwright, Vern Putzer, Normand Trottier, Guy Duhaime, Gary Broderick / TEST RIDERS: AJ Lester, Jeff Martin, Jordan Elliot, Luke Lester

columns 04 President’s Message: More On The Snow.

22 OFsC insigHt: Finding Great Lodging

information 06 vOltage: Winter Forecast for 2016/17

08 OntariO sled destinatiOns 33 Snow Tours for You

10 real sledders Following The Snow 12 sledding tiPs Teens on Tracks.

14 Meet a grOOMer Luc Levesque, The Groomer Guy

Volume 9 #2

EXTREME THIRD PAGER EN

ROUND

1

SNO160036

Game 3rd Page Ad

Arctic Cat

None

0.2625” x 0.625”

2.875” x 10.75”

0.125” x 0.125”

None

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

APPROVALS

Creative Director

AD/Designer

Copywriter

Layout Designer

Account Manager

Project Manager

Print Producer

Brien S.

None

None

None

None

Lisa L.

None

CC 2015InDesign INITIALS DATE

Job No.

Job Name

Client

Media

Live/Safety

Flat/Trim

Bleed

Pubs

Fonts: DIN OT (Condensed Medium, Italic, Bold Italic)

10-12-2016 2:53 PMDate

Images: SNO160036_AC_SplashPart.psd (CMYK; 613 ppi), SNO160036_AC_SplashPartguy.psd (CMYK; 1127 ppi), SNO160036iphoneMockupv2.psd (CMYK; 558 ppi), Download_on_the_App_Store_Badge_US-UK_135x40.psd (Gray; 2002 ppi), SNO160036_GooglePlayStore_Icon.psd (CMYK; 514 ppi), AC_Extreme_BlkGrn.ai

10-12-2016 2:53 PMFile Saved

Colors

SNO160036_Arctic_Extreme_Third_Pager_2.875x10.75.inddFile Name

FONTS USED WITHIN THIS FILE ARE FOR OUTPUT ONLY BY THE END PRINTER/VENDOR. CHANGES TO COPY MAY REQUIRE FONT LICENSING AND PRINTERS/VENDORS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LICENSING COSTS REQUIRED.

Katy CoombePage Artist

NonePrinted At

The comfort of your couch can be an intense place when you play the Arctic Cat® Extreme Snowmobile

Racing game. Travel across snowy landscapes with the swipe and

tap of your finger. Master tricks, unlock riders and more. All from

wherever you’re sitting.

Gloves not required or recommended.

FEEL THE LACK OF

WIND IN YOUR HAIR.

© 2016 Arctic Cat Sales Inc.

S:2.35”S:9.5”

T:2.875”T:10.75”

B:3.125”B:11”

SNO160036_Arctic_Extreme_Third_Pager_2.875x10.75.indd 1 10/12/16 2:53 PM

Cove

r Pho

to co

urte

sy o

f Cra

ig N

icho

lson

Vol.9#2

4GSOM

R iders are looking for great trails every time we go snowmobiling. As an OFSC volunteer, I don’t like riding bumpy

trails anymore than you do. I know every club volunteer feels the same way. That’s why we took a long, hard look at the way grooming happens across the province and came up with an ambitious plan to do better.

At the recent OFSC convention, our 212 clubs agreed to start implementing this new plan, called “More On The Snow”. I’m not going to bore you with details, but it’s important to know how More On The Snow will improve our trail riding in the coming years.

From the founding of the OFSC 49 years ago, grooming has been a club responsibility. This method worked when snowmobiling was predominantly a localized activity.

But today, most of us are snowmobiling at least regionally. We expect consistently and reliably groomed trails from club to club to club. While trail location, preparation, maintenance and landowner relations remain club responsibilities, More On The Snow introduces a new approach for grooming. It shifts the responsibility to OFSC districts, where clubs will work collaboratively to coordinate and deliver grooming on their own trails according to a cooperative regional plan. This means all of our Industrial groomers will be shared and managed through districts, with no more “club” equipment and no more club grooming boundaries. So snowmobilers travelling along the same trail as it goes from club to club will experience a more seamless and consistent ride. And if one groomer

Special Message to Snowmobilers: What More On The Snow Means for You

breaks down, the district has other equipment options at its disposal to keep those trails in shape.

When it comes to delivering more reliable trails, a sustainable grooming fleet is as important to our plan as using them properly. Presently, the replacement value of our fleet is more than $70 million. Too much of this huge asset is aging rapidly – and worn out equipment is both unreliable and costly to repair, often throwing good money after bad, dollars that could have been invested in new equipment.

A groomer expert who researched our fleet and grooming operations recently concluded that we have to find a better way to make it sustainable than leaving it up to each club to try to come up with the $250,000 or more to buy each new groomer. So under More On The Snow, the management of the entire groomer fleet – planning, purchase, replacement and allocation of new equipment – will shift from individual clubs to the provincial level in consultation with districts. We have already launched this new approach by purchasing 16 new industrial groomers worth about $4 million funded from permit dollars. This enabled our districts to get rid of our worst pieces of equipment immediately. For riders, the long-term benefits of this new provincial fleet management will include more reliable trails, fewer groomer breakdowns and more cost-effective use of permit dollars.

More On The Snow also recognizes that club volunteers want to spend more time working on their trails and less on paperwork - and that clubs must remain strong and viable. To accomplish this and the grooming changes noted above, the number of districts will be reduced from the present 16 to 12. The new districts are more equal in number of clubs and kilometres of trails to help make standardized administration and operations easier. Much of the paperwork will shift to the district, making life much easier for our volunteers and freeing them to focus on having fun in their clubs, and what we all love doing - delivering the trails everyone rides. You will notice old district numbers disappear over the next year to be replaced with new regional names.

But I can assure you of this: we are on the right track and we are taking action to improve the trails you ride. Taken together, all of the measures in More On The Snow will make grooming across Ontario more efficient and effective, make OFSC trails more reliable, make better use of permit dollars and most important, ensure that we and our children are able to enjoy great OFSC trail riding in Ontario for many years to come. GSOM

Remi Sauve, OFSC President

FrOM tHe President

Everything You Need To Know About Rides, Itineraries, Destinations and Gear

Discover Canada’s most popular site for touring riders!

Vol.9#2

6GSOM

2017 Snowmobile Trail Permits are not available at retail outlets, so buy yours online at www.ofsc.on.ca.

La Niña is Coming: Luckily for us, it looks like Old Man Winter and Mother Nature agree this season and are going to deliver wintertime

bliss. Before I get to my prediction, it’s important to understand the difference between the weather events known as “La Niña” and “El Niño”. Right now El Niño (which gave us last winter’s conditions and a hot, dry summer) is transitioning to La Niña, where the water in the South Pacific near the Equator is cooling off.

Why does this matter? Because it will change the average position of the jet stream this winter. The jet stream guides

storm systems around the globe, ultimately determining where the heaviest snow falls in any given winter season. Last winter, Ontario was dominantly controlled by one of the strongest El Niño’s on record. Let’s take a look and compare two maps to the left that demonstrate the difference and effect it has on our snowmobile seasons. 

only see heavy snowfall, but also Polar Vortex temperatures such as we experienced during the winters of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015.

Old Farmer’s Almanac: This theory is supported by the Old Farmer’s Almanac, which boasts 80% accuracy in the prediction of seasonal weather. It released preliminary forecasts for the winter of 2016-2017 in mid-August (see map below). Using its proprietary prediction model, the Almanac predicts: “Winter will be colder than normal, with above-normal precipitation and snowfall.” It’s even been predicted that the GTA area will be slammed by a major snowstorm on December 8, 2016.

By Jeff McGirr

Winter Forecast for 2016-17snowy & Cold For Ontario

AccuWeather: The location of the Polar Jet Stream in the map beside gets me excited. It correlates directly to the map above, produced by AccuWeather.com, in which meteorologists predict we will not

2016-17 Prediction: The Winter of 2016-2017 is looking like it’s going to be a winner. So I think you will agree that the odds are good it’s going to be one great Ontario snowmobile season, and here’s why: 

• The Great Lakes’ water levels are up, way up, and the water is warmer than usual. With the right winds and temps, we could see lake-effect systems develop, dropping gargantuan amounts of snow across the traditional snowbelt areas. 

• The Farmer’s Almanac reports: “the coldest periods will be in early to mid-January, late January, and late February, with the snowiest periods in mid- and late December, early January, and mid-February.”

• La Niña is back, with the jet stream tracking to be in the right place at the right time, bringing us both the cold and snow we need when we need it.

And finally, • I’ll be riding a 2017 Yamaha Sidewinder

B-TX 153 this winter, a sled I know is bred to #ConquerSnow – so bring it on!

Guest article donated by Jeff McGirr, District Sales Manager Northeastern Ontario for Yamaha Motor Canada and Vice President of the Mattawa & Area Snowmobile Club. GSOM

voltage Sledding Info & Updates

OUR NEX T PL ATFORM. YOUR NEX T THRILL.

WHAT MATTERS ISWHAT’S NEXT.The Next Ski-Doo MXZ® TNT.® All-new REV® Gen4 platform, with revolutionary forward-leaning position. New Rotax® 850 E-TEC® engine, the most powerful 2-stroke engine in the industry.* For the precision and power to own the toughest trails. Which means there are more answers than ever for that never-ending question, “What’s next?” Find out more at ski-doo.com.

©2016 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Products in the United States (US) are distributed by BRP US Inc. Always ride safely and responsibly.*Observed HP measured on internal Dyno test in optimal conditions for 2-stroke engines.

SkiDoo MXZ EN_8.125x10.75_GSvol9no2.indd 1 9/27/16 9:57 AM

Vol.9#2

8GSOM

Day ride or saddlebag tour, these great riding experiences all over Ontario take the guesswork out of discovering new destinations and make navigating unfamiliar places a breeze!

Wee

kend sledding destinationOntario

PhOTOS BY Martin Lortz FOR Ontario Tourism

Story by Craig Nicholson

2017 Snowmobile Trail Permits are not available at retail outlets, so buy yours online at www.ofsc.on.ca.

ToursSnowRIDE

ToursSnow the

Central OntariO/MuSkOkaMuSkOka MaGiC tOur 125 km (Gravenhurst/Bracebridge Area)

lake Of BayS WatCh tOur 190 km (Baysville/Dwight Area) raP tOur 708 km (Dorset/Dwight Area)

eaStern OntariO

BOn eChO lOOP 235 km (Bancroft/Mazinaw Area)

frenCh COnneCtiOn lOOP 298 km (Morrisburg/Alexandria Area)

raP tOur 708 km (Whitney/Pembroke Area)

nOrtheaStern OntariOaBitiBi CanyOn lOOP 303 km (Cochrane/Smooth Rock Falls Area)

BOBCat lOOP 90 km (hornepayne Area)

Cartier MOOSe lOOP 253 km (Sudbury/Wanapitei Lake Area)

33 Snow Tours For You!

In recent years, Snow Tours promoted by the OFSC have become the talk of

Ontario snowmobiling. More and more riders are discovering and enjoying these turnkey, self-guided rides located all over the province – and the winter of 2017 will be no exception. With 8 new Snow Tours being promoted this winter, riders now have a total of 33 great rides of varying distance to choose from and experience!

Six of these new Snow Tours are located around the Grey Bruce area of Southwestern Ontario in District 9. One in District 3 circles Rice Lake is east central Ontario, and one loops between North Bay and Mattawa in District 11. Together with the 25 existing Snow Tours, these new riding opportunities mean that riders can find Snow Tour day riding and saddlebagging options most everywhere in the province.

The 33 OFSC Promoted Snow Tours provide snowmobilers with designated rides that are marked, mapped and well maintained, with access to services and amenities on route. Best of all, participating districts are committed to giving their Snow Tours priority grooming.

So what’s not to like? Check out the list

below, and then get more details by clicking the Snow Tour logo on the OFSC home page (www.ofsc.on.ca). Snow Tours are also highlighted on both the provincial and district print maps. They can also be viewed online in a drop down menu on the OFSC Interactive Trail Guide and there’s more info on participating district websites, including complete services listing for each Snow Tour.

alGOMa COuntrynOrth ShOre lOOP 446 km (Elliot Lake/Thessalon Area)

Central OntariO eaSt/kaWarthaSneW! arOunD riCe lake tOur 150 km (Bewdley/Campbellford Area)

haStinGS hiGhlanD tOur248 km (Apsley/Bancroft Area)

kaWartha hiGhlanDS tOur138 km (Bobcaygeon/Fenelon Falls Area)

Central OntariOeaSt/kaWarthaS

ChiniGuChi WOlf lOOP –223 km (Sudbury/Cartier Area)

neW! exPlOrerS SnOW tOur 234 km (Bonfield/Mattawa Area)

GateWay tO nOrth lOOP 217 km (Cochrane/Smooth Rock Falls Area)

GOlD ruSh tOur 704 km (New Liskeard/Timmins Area)

luMBerjaCk lOOP 145 km (Kapuskasing Area)

MiSSinaiBi exPeDitiOn lOOP 165 km (hearst Area)

nOrthern COrriDOr aDventure1,645 km (Cochrane/hearst Area)

rainBOW elk lOOP349 km (Sudbury/Espanola Area)

raP tOur708 km (North Bay/Mattawa Area)

rOunD lake niPiSSinG (ran) tOur 412 km (North Bay/Lake Nipissing Area)

nOrthWeStern OntariOGateWay tO OntariO lOOP 168 km (Kenora Area)

nWOSta WilDerneSS lOOP906 km (Atikokan/Sioux Narrows Area)

White Otter lOOP 203 km (Atikokan Area)

SOuthWeStern OntariO5 alive tOur 420 km (Kitchener/Strathroy Area)

neW! aPreS harveSt tOur 215 km (Palmerston/Listowel Area)

neW! BruCe PeninSula tOur 193 km (Wiarton/Lion’s head Area)

neW! hurOn GateWay tOur 177 km (Wingham/Seaforth Area)

neW! Queen’S BuSh tOur 185 km (Mount Forest/Markdale Area)

neW! SauGeen river tOur 263 km (Port Elgin/Teeswater Area)

Sun & WinD tOur 159 km (Thedford/Watford Area)

tnt tOur 149 km (Tillsonburg/Thamesford Area)

neW! Walter’S fallS tOur 142 km (Owen Sound/Markdale Area) GSOM

all 2017 PerMits gO OnlineSince online permit sales started several years ago, 87% of permit holders have discovered the convenience, ease and security of obtaining their Snowmobile Trail Permits 24/7 through the OFSC permit website. By some estimates, online permit buying has reduced administrative workload for snowmobile clubs and their volunteers by over 28,000 hours – time that can now be spent on trails and club activities! Selling permits online has also saved clubs considerable expense by eliminating frequent delivery and pick up of permits throughout the season at numerous retail outlets, and the considerable costs associated with the manual handling of permit receipts and dollars.

Pre-Nov 1 and Classic Permit sales are already online only so now, with only 13% of all permits

being sold at retail outlets last season, (Pre-Dec 1 & Post –Dec 1) and Multi-Day Permits - are now also online only effective November 2, 2016.

THE LEADER IN RECONDITIONED ENGINES,

PARTS AND ACCESSORIES

MOST COMPLETE INVENTORY IN NORTH AMERICA

CYLINDER REPLATING ENGINE AND CRANKSHAFT REBUILDING

CVT PULLEYS, PISTONS, GASKETS AND MORE!

WWW.CVTECH-AAB.COMFax : 418 335-2206

1 800 518-7220

Vol.9#2

10GSOM 10

time we got home, all the trails we’d been on for the past three days were closed. I guess we were lucky to get out, but it was depressing to see everything shut down so quickly.

Barrie to Owen Sound: Finding snow last winter was sometimes challenging, but persistent and motivated riders tracked the white stuff and went where it was. Around the second to third week of January, the first big snowfall arrived in the Barrie area and many trails opened. Seizing the opportunity, we snowmobiled a 3-day mini-trip towards the Grey Bruce area. Despite having to take a couple of concession roads along the way (as not all the trails were opened yet) we made it to Markdale for lunch and fuel.

We arrived at the Best Western Inn on the Bay at Owen Sound after a very enjoyable, 193-kilometre day with great weather (sunny and -8) and groomed trails. The district map is very well marked and gas and food can be obtained many places. All the intersections are numbered as well so that helps too.

Next morning after breakfast at the hotel, we left for a leisurely day of “touring” heading west towards TOP Trail B108 by Lake huron, but staying mostly on local trails and completing a 190-kilometre circle ending in hanover for the night at the Travellers Inn.

Day three was overcast and cloudy, but not very cold, so trails started deteriorating rapidly as we headed back to Barrie. By the

Parry Sound & RAP Tour: For our next overnighter, we decided to head out from just south of Parry Sound in mid February for a six-day adventure. Nice day, -10 and we had a

2017 Snowmobile Trail Permits are not available at retail outlets, so buy yours online at www.ofsc.on.ca.

FOllOWing tHe snOWStory by The Sleddin’ Sisters

REAL RIDERS

In our final issue last February, we introduced you to Linda, Joan and Susan…the Sleddin’ Sisters, and you enjoyed it so much that we checked in with them again about their most recent rides!

mixture of good and not so good trails snowmobiling to North Bay via The Seguin Trail and TOP Trail D. Unfortunately, there is no where to stop for a meal once you leave the Seguin so we just kept on going after getting gas in Sprucedale. We hit the trail going across Lake Nipissing around 3:30 only to discover there was no snow to ride on – just bare ice. That took a bit longer than anticipated, as we were careful not to overheat our machines. After 225 kilometres, we arrived at North Bay’s Comfort Inn Lakeshore to get ready for next day’s ride to Sudbury.

Day Two was cloudy and -8 as we rode north to Marten River on TOP Trail A. Good trail for the most part and enjoyed a “15 minutes of fame” moment when we were recognized at lunch in the Rock Pine Restaurant from our story in the OFSC Go Snowmobiling Ontario Magazine last fall!! The sun actually came out that afternoon and after filling up with gas in River Valley, we checked in at the Valley Inn Motel & Suites in Azilda after a 260-kilometre day of good, fast riding.

After breakfast on day three, we hit the trail early as it was going to be a longer journey than we usually do these days....all the way to Mattawa. All the trails around Sudbury were awesome, except the lake trails we decided to take were icy and bumpy, bad choice. We fuelled up in River Valley again and then made great time to do lunch at the Portage Restaurant on Trout Lake and topped up our gas.

It started to snow heavily later in the day, but we took the time to stop and visit the Mica Mine on TOP Trail A112A on the way into Mattawa. After getting gas, we checked into the Valois’ Motel & Restaurant after a little more than eight hours and 320 kilometres of nice riding.

At day four breakfast, we had another “15 minutes of fame” as a couple of groups recognized us from the magazine and came up to chat. It was really fun to talk to people about our adventures during the past years, but It had snowed a lot during the night and we wondered if anyone had headed east to break TOP Trail A to Pembroke before us!

Fortunately, a couple of snowmobilers had done so, although our first 50 kilometres were still tough going trying to follow the trail. Then we had a small incident where the trail crossed a road with snow banks ploughed over six feet high, and wouldn’t you know it, one of our machine’s tipped over trying to get across. With “girl” power, we were able to upright this 650+ lb. machine and keep on trekking. The going got better as we progressed, topping up gas in Stonecliffe, then carrying on to Pettawa for a break and final gas fill up. We arrived at the Colonial Fireside Inn on the outskirts of Pembroke with 228 kilometres more on our odometres.

Day five dawned sunny and -17, but the trails were pretty rough for most of our 238 kilometres. We never saw a groomer anywhere and, after stopping in Whitney for gas and snack, we met up with some friends whose Eagle Lake cottage we were staying at that night.

The morning of day six was warming up -4 and cloudy. A large group set out taking lake trails towards Dorset to see us off on our way back to Parry Sound. It was slow going until we said our goodbyes and set off on our own. The trails were still rough most of this day too, but we hit Sprucedale for a late lunch and returned to Parry Sound before dark after riding 248 kilometres.

And that was the end of our snowmobile season. We thought about trailering to New Liskeard to hit a few more trails north to Cochrane etc., but frankly, we were tired and glad to have gotten out a couple of times and had some decent snowmobiling. After all, we’ve been riding for many years and there’s always the coming season and a lot more snowmobiling to enjoy! GSOM

Vol.9#2

12GSOM

2017 Snowmobile Trail Permits are not available at retail outlets, so buy yours online at www.ofsc.on.ca.

122017 Snowmobile Trail Permits are not available at retail outlets, so buy yours online at www.ofsc.on.ca.

“We’re very strong advocates of making sure we are an

industry where the kids keep coming in. If you don’t bring them in young, you lose your

ridership.” This quote from Dennis Burns, executive director of the Canadian Council of Snowmobile

Organizations is right on – and here’s a great example of how to get your teens excited

about Ontario trail riding!

My students are often curious as to what I do for fun outside of school. When they found out their teacher had recently purchased a snowmobile, some started hounding me to go riding with them. It soon became apparent that there wasn’t enough time to fulfil their numerous invitations, so I suggested a group ride.

Midhurst to Wasaga: I connected with my buddy, Brent Murphy, an avid snowmobiler (and the guy who got me hooked on trail riding) for assistance. After many scheduling conflicts, we coordinated a ride from Midhurst to Wasaga beach to hit up Boston Pizza for half price wings. The invitation was sent out via social media, with a special invite to parents as well. I invited Brent and another friend, Josh Davy, to ride along for adult supervision.

enjoying the ride: Not knowing how many students would show up, I arrived at the arranged meeting place first It wasn’t long before I heard the roar of machines bearing down on my position. Within minutes, there were 13 machines lined up along the side of the trail. What really caught my attention was that the boys who showed up were from different grades and didn’t usually chum around in the same friendship circles at school. however, all had one thing in common: we loved sledding. Some of the boys rode along with us for a while, but had other commitments and were not able to stay with us the whole way. Unfortunately one boy’s machine broke down; his dad had to come pick him up at a local gas station.

The trails for our ride were decent, with only a few rough parts across open ploughed fields. Along the way, I was very impressed with how this crew of young people followed the rules of trail etiquette…waiting for all riders to catch up

at various intervals along the way, maintaining good distance and proper speed, and using hand gestures to communicate effectively.

After a 45-minute ride, we parked our machines at Boston Pizza. The host sat us in a reserved section on the non-bar side as we had prearranged. The students were incredibly respectful, made great conversation, and after our fill of wings, we put our gear back on and headed back home. When we made it back to our meeting place, everyone said how great the ride was and expressed an interest in repeating it.

everyone Wants More: Next day at school, word about the ride spread like wildfire. Kids showed up to my class or stopped me in the hall asking to join the next ride. Unfortunately, poor riding conditions made another ride impossible. Nonetheless, some students took the initiative to work on starting a snowmobiling club at our high school. With a little encouragement, the school club idea

soon morphed into a community destination ride to various restaurants throughout the region open to anyone with a machine. The girls planning it wanted to offer a community ride once a month, weather permitting, as a means of bring everyone together to enjoy the trails and restaurants that our region has to offer. They are hoping to use networking and social media to launch this initiative for the coming season.

I’d like to bring clubs, business owners and all other community partners together to help the students accomplish this goal. If we want to see organized snowmobiling grow and see our local communities thrive in the winter, it is important to get behind these student-led activities. hopefully, others will catch the bug and jump on board. What can you do to start a similar group ride or riding club for teens in your community?

Jason Beer is a high school teacher at Eastview Secondary School in Barrie. Brent Murphy owns Murphy Insurance and Financial Services. GSOM

Consider the reliability of the kid’s machines. Not all kids have new reliable sleds. We aim to keep the ride within an hour of home. Make contact with parents if possible. We invite them to join us if they wish. Get signed permission forms from parents and hold harmless forms from parents.  Contact restaurant, make advance reservation and pre-order food (e.g. wings for all.) have an emergency plan in place with people on call to assist if needed.

FOR ORGANIzING YOuTh RIdES... Plan your route in advance.5 Key tiPs

S l e D D i n G t i P S

getting yOutH exCited abOut snOWMObiling B Y J A S O N B E E R W I T h B R E N T M u R P h Y

Vol.9#2

14GSOM

Check Luc out at: facebook.com/thegroomerguy; twitter.com/thegroomerguy; instagram.com/thegroomerguy; youtube.com/user/groomerguy

luC levesque OF dubreuilville, OntariOHe’s “The Groomer Guy” B Y M A R k h A L S A L L

m e e t a s n o w g r o o m e r

Luc Levesque has been grooming snowmobile trails in the backwoods of northern Ontario for 20 years, and thanks to social media, he’s become famous for it.

Luc Levesque resides in Dubreuilville, a small town of just over 600 souls situated in the pristine wilderness of northern Ontario. It’s an exceptionally remote community that, in Levesque’s own words, is “right in the middle of nowhere,” but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming quite well known. And the reason he’s famous? Snow grooming.

Levesque, who goes by the handle “The Groomer Guy,” has been busy on social media for years. his blog on snowmobile trail grooming (groomerguy.blogspot.ca) surpassed the one million hit mark earlier this year, and his Twitter feed and Facebook and Instagram pages – also about snow grooming – have generated thousands of views. Levesque was even shadowed by a film crew for a short documentary on The Groomer Guy that’s now up on YouTube.

The largely francophone community of Dubreuilville is a three-hour drive north of Sault St. Marie, Ontario. It’s fantastic country for sledding, with snowmobilers coming from far and wide to experience its trails, and perhaps not surprisingly, The Groomer Guy has become something of a celebrity in his hometown. “It’s crazy,” said Levesque, who owns a convenience store in town. “When I meet snowmobilers and I tell them I’m from Dubreuilville, they’ll ask, ‘Are you The Groomer Guy?’”

Levesque’s first forays into the worldwide web began in the late ‘90s, when he participated in online forums on trailconditions.com and other sites to set the picture straight about the terrific snowmobiling to be had, not just in his area but in northern Ontario in general. Because the right information was lacking back then, “I wanted people to know about the great riding in the north,” he said. “Ever since those days, everywhere I go I use the handle The Groomer Guy and that’s stuck with me. I’m popular in snowmobiling because of that name.”

Levesque, who’s 41, fell in love with snowmobiling as a kid. In 1996, he started grooming trails for his local club, the Dubreuilville Alouettes, which operates about 300 kilometers of trails and sells about 130 trail permits annually. The club currently utilizes a New holland trail groomer, but the Alouettes are due for a new snow-grooming machine and Levesque has his eye on a Prinoth husky as a replacement vehicle.

In addition to his snow grooming responsibilities, Levesque currently serves as president of the Alouettes, a position he’s held numerous times during his 20-year tenure with the club.

Levesque’s passion for snowmobiling hasn’t abated over the years, and these days he enjoys going out on the trails with his wife and their two daughters whenever he has a chance. Levesque acknowledges he doesn’t do as much sledding as he’d like, and that’s because he’s usually out

grooming trails instead. “If I see a trail that needs grooming, I’ll just jump in the tractor and I’ll go do that,” he said. “I always say to people, once I retire, I’ll be able to ride.”

Fortunately for Levesque, he also loves snow grooming, which he typically does at least a couple of times a week. “What I really like about grooming trails is going out there and laying that perfect trail,” he said, adding he loves the feeling of contentment he gets from a tranquil night ride. “There’s no cell phone, no worries, you’re able to look at nature, and sometimes the moonlight will just come down perfectly at night,” he said. “A few snowmobilers might come by and give you the thumbs up, and you know they’re all happy and smiling under their helmets. That’s what’s great.”

CLOSE CALLSThat’s not to say there haven’t been any bumps in the trail for Levesque over the years. he’s had a few close calls, largely because of the remote, rugged terrain that he grooms trails in. “Up here, when you take off to go grooming at night, you’re gone for 15, 17 hours, even 18 hours. There’s nothing for 100 kilometres in any direction around you,” said Levesque. “Over 20 years, I’ve have everything happen,” he said, citing instances where his groomer has sunk up to the roof in a lake and equipment breakdowns that forced him to sleep in the groomer for eight hours while waiting for a rescue.

his worst scare, says Levesque, was about 18 years ago when the club’s regular groomer was being repaired and he was taking a loaner vehicle out for the first time during one bone-chilling -20 F night. A couple of hours into the run, the engine stalled. The battery, and with it the CB radio, also died, and to make matters worse, Levesque realized that he’d neglected to stow matches or any of the other emergency survival gear he’d usually have with him while snow grooming. “After probably an hour of waiting – and I’m not a religious man, but I did pray – I turned the key on the machine,” he said. “[There was] just enough juice to restart the tractor and then I turned around and drove it to town.”

Levesque considers himself very lucky. That’s because back then, nobody would have come out and checked on him until probably late the following day since he wasn’t expected back until then. he’s thankful communications have improved considerably since those days, making a similar situation less likely.

Levesque has been snow grooming a long time, but The Groomer Guy still takes pride in laying a great trail for Dubreuilville’s many snowmobiling visitors. “My motto is I’ll groom my trails like I’ll be riding on them the next day,” he said. “I put myself in the other riders’ snowmobile boots; if you’re here on vacation and spending a lot of money coming from far away, you want the best experience out there. I want to make sure the trails are really nice for those riders.” GSOM

Article Courtesy of Snow Grooming magazine. Originally published in May 2016

2017 ONTARIO TRAIL PERMIT

* Regular Seasonal Permit Fee is $260. Classic Permits (sled model year 1999 or older only $140.Prices go up at 12am EST on December 2, 2016. Your transaction must be completed and checked out prior to this time.

Ontario law requires a 2017 Snowmobile Trail Permit to access OFSC Prescribed Trails.

Buy Online & Save ...when you buy your Seasonal or Classic Permit online on or before December 1st*

$210*

Ride the trails all winter for only

Vol.9#2

22GSOM

rider insigHtCraig Nicholson, The Intrepred Snowmobiler

Finding Snowmobile-Friendly Lodgings

With so many lodgings competing for our overnight

business, how do you find the best place to stay? Begin by defining your budget and the kind of accommodation: full service resort, chain hotel, mom & pop motel, lodge with cottages, outfitter cabin or bed and breakfast? how many will be in your group and how many beds do you need? Some lodgings may be more suitable for families and couples than others. With a larger group, it’s fun to stay in a chalet with multiple bedrooms and a central living space where you can social without interruption. Some places really cater to snowmobilers with home-cooked meals and little extras like providing brooms and rags for cleaning off your sled in the morning or providing free use of dryers for wet gear. I’ve even had one place call me before I left home to offer a rebooking for a later date because they had a meltdown.

Wherever possible, try to restrict your selections to only those facilities that advertise on snowmobile trail maps published by snowmobile associations or clubs. At least you know these places offer some support back to snowmobiling. Then make some calls…

Is It Trail Accessible? If arriving by sled, your first question is: Can I get there directly by groomed snow trails without having to

run along bare streets or back alleys? Ask what trail number to take and what local spur if applicable, and what signs to look for. If you’re trailering in and expect to leave your rig for a period of time, confirm that parking arrangements are possible, secure and free. If the person on the front desk can’t answer these basic questions, my inclination is to try someplace else. Is There a Snowmobile Package? Next, inquire as to any applicable snowmobiler packages or specials. Sometimes you can get a better rate for multiple nights, multiple rooms or during the week. Then, find out what services are available on site or nearby: restaurant, gas, convenience store, and any dealers. Wherever possible, also ask about a ground floor room that has its own outside door, and whether you can park my sled in front of it for easy loading and observation. An increasing number of places offer secure snowmobile parking in fenced tennis courts, outdoor pool areas or in special tents or garages – and some require advance reservations. What Guest Services does it Provide? Inquire about available guest services. Is the front desk open 24 hours or not? Is there free Wi-Fi? What about the restaurant hours of operation? If you plan to get away early or arrive late, will you get fed? Do they have a hot tub? What about pop and ice machines? Finally, ask the clincher: do they have The

Everything You Need To Know About Rides, Itineraries, Destinations and Gear

Discover Canada’s most popular site for touring riders!

Weather Network so you can fine tune your riding plans and wardrobe for next day’s ride? What about Room Amenities? Are there phones in each room and are they usable 24 hours for both outgoing and incoming calls? Is there a fridge and microwave? Is the heat centrally controlled or individually set in each room? What is their Cancellation Policy? If most of the preceding is answered to your satisfaction, you’re as certain as possible that the lodgings will be snowmobile-friendly. So confirm a room and get a reservation number, being sure to ask what their cancellation policy is in the event of a meltdown or breakdown. If you change my mind later, call and cancel so other snowmobilers can find a place to stay.When to book? It used to be that I toured on the fly, not booking rooms ahead, but those days are gone. Too may places have closed for the winter, while others sell out their rooms for the winter to mining, logging, utility and construction workers. So my motto is always to book ahead; how long before depends on several factors…

As with any lodgings, there are peak times and slow times. Weekends are obviously busier than weekdays, unless it’s during Christmas holidays or March break. The weekend and weekdays prior to the third Monday of February can be very busy too (Try Our Trails + Family Day Weekend).

Lodgings in the most popular snowmobiling areas or where there’s more snow that season than anywhere else will get booked up more quickly. It’s better to have a room confirmed and have to cancel due to breakdown, storm or other factors, than to have to sleep in the local school as I did one night in the boondocks.

If I have a spacious room with lots of convenient places to hang gear, place helmets and boots out of the way, and more than one measly coat hanger, I’m a happy camper. Then if my wake-up call is on time, I’ll hit the trail early – and be sure to tell everyone about another great place for snowmobilers to stay! GSOM