By: Craig Nicholson, OFSC Communications

The international snowmobile community recognizes the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs as a world leader. OFSC ideas, programs and campaigns are emulated, copied and applauded.

The OFSC has efficiently and effectively operated the largest recreational trail system on the globe for more than 40 years.

Yet, some Ontario snowmobilers view the OFSC as “the ministry of snowmobiling.” Others are convinced all the OFSC does is line its own pockets. Some take the OFSC for granted, assuming that snowmobile trails will appear magically each winter.

Still others are wary that “they” at the OFSC don’t have the best interests of the rest of “us” at heart. After all, “they” are located in Barrie and couldn’t possibly understand local needs or relate to individual riders.

As a result, too often, there’s a disconnect within our snowmobiling community. And that leads to mistrust, disunity and apathy. Boy, can we be our own worst enemies or what?

The simple fact is that to keep on trail riding in Ontario, we all need to pull together as part of TEAM OFSC. Snowmobiling has more than enough naysayers, critics and competitors on the outside without being dissed by our own.

So it’s time for every snowmobiler to get on board for the greater good of snowmobiling — to keep our recreation activity healthy now and for the future. So let’s take a hard look at the OFSC…

The OFSC was created by local clubs and built as a grassroots-up federation. That means governance, responsibilities and programs are keyed to the needs and demands of its local clubs and volunteers.

These grassroots snowmobilers have both a major stake and say in what the OFSC does and how we operate. Yes, the head office is in Barrie, but there are also 17 district offices, 234 clubs and more than 6,000 volunteers that are very plugged in locally.

These folks work very hard for you. They are the backbone of organized snowmobiling and keep everything focused on the grassroots.

Did I say “organized” snowmobiling? You bet. It wasn’t until early snowmobilers formed the first clubs and organized provincially that everyone benefited. We got a provincial trail system that is legal, linked, mapped, maintained, marked, prepped and opened each winter.

Best of all, it can be accessed for one reasonable fee. Before, local trails weren’t connected and each club charged its own fee for trail use. Often, snowmobilers had no idea where to ride, where snowmobiling was legal or where it was safe.

It took clubs, working through the OFSC, to organize, coordinate, protect and support trail riding in Ontario, and that mission is even more important today.

That’s why the OFSC remains a volunteer-driven, not for profit association… our goal is to allocate all revenues and proceeds for the greater good of snowmobiling.

Other non-profit groups in Ontario are always amazed at how much the OFSC puts on the snow with such a proportionately small investment in administration and overhead. Bottom line: The OFSC delivers great value, very effectively… and all snowmobilers should recognize and appreciate this success.

The OFSC also leads the snowmobile industry in Ontario. When insurance became a major crisis earlier this decade, the OFSC found a way to keep trails insured and open.

With permit revenues falling short of the $20 million or so it costs to operate trails each winter, the OFSC has successfully partnered with all three Ontario political parties that formed the government of the day to invest over $40 million since 1993 in our tourism trails.

And when participation in snowmobiling appeared to be stagnating over the past several seasons, the OFSC developed and spearheaded the Go Snowmobiling Campaign to get more people involved. Without OFSC leadership and vision, snowmobiling’s days would be numbered. Without the OFSC, the snowmobile and winter tourism industries would be bleak. And without the OFSC, Ontario snowmobilers would no longer have trails to ride.

The OFSC is not perfect. We cannot please everyone all the time. We can’t do everything. We can’t control the economy, the weather, the competition, or those opposed. And without your help, ultimately, we can’t succeed.

That’s because the OFSC represents you as a snowmobiler. We are your voice. We lobby for you and operates trails for you… and don’t ask much in return.

The OFSC asks you to assist by purchasing a Snowmobile Trail Permit for every sled you use on our trails. We ask you to sign up for OFSC benefits to get this magazine so that we can communicate with you regularly. And we ask you to be part of TEAM OFSC by supporting the OFSC in thought, word and deed.

That’s not too much to ask in return for the most fun on the snow, is it?

By: Bruce Robinson

This column is for all you 50 and uppers, the baby boomers. Having been born in 1954, I’m a charter member of this crowd.

We’re the generation that set out to change the world: Woodstock, war protests, birth control, recreational drugs, peace, love, rock ‘n’ roll and snowmobiling… snowmobiling???

Yes, our generation made snowmobiling the popular recreational activity it is today. Hundreds of thousands of us took to the snow on those “ski-doo’ thingies.

Like other products whose names became genericized, such as Kleenex and Xerox, “ski-dooing” was what we called our incredible winter pastime… even though we had dozens of makes of sleds to choose from.

My personal favourite was a 1971 Skiroule SS300 that I rode around the back forty; so-called because that’s how often it broke down.

Suddenly, we became experts in changing spark plugs and belts. We acquired the skill of taking a carburetor apart with a screwdriver and pliers in minus 20˚ F (no one had ever heard of Celsius).

Bare handed in the dark, we’d use a Zippo lighter to illuminate the scene (almost everyone smoked back then).

With our nicks, scratches and frozen digits, we were a tough bunch. Work gloves, rubber boots with felt liners, one-piece snowmobile suits (from farm Co-op: black only, so as not to show oil, grease and belt dust stains).

We were so hardheaded that we seldom wore helmets. After all, we were raised inhaling leaded paint on our cribs, standing on the front seat of our parents’ car, or getting our cavities filled without freezing.

No wimps in our generation. We didn’t need smooth trails, signage, GPS, cell phones, or heated handlebars. We thrived on the pure experience… a rider and a snow machine challenging the worst Mother Nature could throw at us. Natural selection at work. Survival of the fittest. Strength through adversity.

Of course, today we need every gadget known to man to survive out there. Only well-marked, well-groomed trails will do, and our modern sleds are a far cry from those primitive buckboards: They have electronic adjustable suspension; adjustable seat, windshield and handlebar height; electric start and reverse… and how about heated seats? I have more suspension on my 2008 snowmobile than NASA’s Mars exploration vehicle!

So what happened as we aged? Sure, we mellowed, but too many of us also become soft! A bunch of us even drifted away from the snowmobiling we used to love. Even with Gore-Tex™ suits and minus 80˚ F boots, “it’s too cold”! Even with today’s high tech machines, ‘it’s too hard on my back’! Even with the huge dollars spent on signs and trail maps, ‘it’s too easy to get lost’!

Fact is, many boomers would rather sit on their behinds watching the boob tube or behind computers surfing the net… a generation of spectators, getting their kicks vicariously.

These folks watch life instead of living it. And what’s worse, they’ve raised a whole new generation that is following by example. Their sedentary children and grandchildren have very little idea how to have fun in the great outdoors…and that’s a real shame.

So here’s my rallying cry for those of us who are still active snowmobilers: Help them rediscover snowmobiling! Don’t let your family or friends hibernate this winter… drag them outdoors and show them how to have some real fun. And remember to take the younger generation with you. Introduce them to our winter wonderland trails that are laid out all across this province.

Let them discover that good tired feeling of collapsing in bed after an exhilarating day of snowmobiling with friends and family. Help them rediscover the child-like excitement of watching a snowfall and anticipating those great smooth trails waiting out there.

Or relive the thrill of coming across a deer or a porcupine on the trail and being quick enough to snap a picture (much easier today with digital).

Yes, make this your winter to share one of the great recreational activities that our generation developed. You can take pride in passing on the legacy you and I built, to a younger generation.

They deserve the thrills and adventures that a day of snowmobiling brings. There’s nothing else in the world like it, so don’t let anyone waste another minute on the couch… get out there and go snowmobiling!

Until next time, remember to keep your skis on the snow.

By: Motorhead Mark Lester

Okay, we know there’s often angst over the cost of Trail permits. There are two sides to this story. The people who build and maintain the trails we love to ride tell us it’s been years since there’s been a trail permit price increase.

However, for the tens of thousands of snowmobilers who purchase Snowmobile Trail Permits, a fee increase is a thorny topic.

Where’s the middle ground? This year trail permit prices are staying the same as they’ve been the past four years. Go ahead, do a back flip and feel good about this. For the clubs and volunteers who work hard to deliver the trails we ride, this isn’t necessarily great news. Why? The price of diesel fuel is particularly problematic right now.

Given the current economic climate, we think history will record that stable trail permit pricing in this particular season as a good thing for snowmobiling in Ontario.

We’ve come off what generally is thought to be one of the best winters ever for snowmobiling in Ontario. Most clubs delivered groomed trails for more than 12 weeks last season and some as high as 16 weeks.

This will clearly set the stage for increased permit sales this fall. Unfortunately, 2008 will be remembered as the year of record fuel price increases across North America.

Maybe it’s time to take a look at the added value that comes as part of signing up for OFSC benefits when you purchase your Snowmobile Trail Permit; benefits beyond the trails we ride.

Being involved with the OFSC again this year after a six year hiatus, I’m impressed with the scope and magnitude of the extras I get along with my trail permit purchase from the OFSC. It isn’t just sizzle either; it’s steak.

In this issue you’ll find information on Sledders Choice insurance for your snowmobiles and just about everything else you own. The savings extended to permit buyers are significant and real.

If you haven’t called the people at Sledders Choice, you’re not getting everything from your trail permit. Take a good look at what you’re paying for insurance; these folks are saving you real money.

If you’ve been looking for a way to introduce a friend to snowmobiling, check out the Give It A Try Tour dates and locations. The Give It A Try Tour is an amazing tool that has proven all you have to do is put the uninitiated onto a snowmobile for a safe, supervised experience and, presto, you’ll make new snowmobilers.

In fact, last year, some Give It A Try Tour participants actually went out and bought snowmobiles as a result of their experience.

All of us at Supertrax Go Snowmobiling Magazine are really pumped about the potential for OFSC trail permit purchasers to win great prizes through the Take a Friend Snowmobiling (TAFS) Contest.

Yamaha Canada and the OFSC, working in conjunction with Supertrax will be awarding tons of great prizes to OFSC members and their non-permit holding friends who they expose to snowmobiling this winter.

When you enter the TAFS contest, your friend could win a new Yamaha Phazer, a NorthTrail trailer and snowmobile gear. You could even win an amazing snowmobile vacation package from Algoma Country Tourism.

You have to be a permit purchaser to get in on the TAFS contest, so make sure you click off a few digital pics of you and your friends enjoying a ride this winter.

There’s another way you can be rewarded for your trail permit purchase. This reward is not about money, it’s about contributing to something you really care about.

Think about getting involved with an OFSC club as a volunteer. Even if you only give a day or two helping out with trail maintenance, brushing, bridge building, fund raising or a social activity, you’ll find, like I did many years ago, there’s something very special about contributing to the trails you ride every winter.

Often, hooking up with a club’s trail maintenance crew for a day can be the beginning of great friendships and a lifetime of satisfaction as an OFSC club volunteer.

This winter our OFSC clubs have a formidable challenge. With high fuel costs, it will be tough to keep budgets in line. Grooming equipment is already being made ready for this winter’s work.

However, the hours logged on OFSC groomers were up from 210 per unit in 2007 to 349 per unit (average) in 2008. This means repairs and maintenance will be at an all-time high.

Here’s how we see it. We can all roll up our sleeves and make sure everyone we ride with buys a trail permit. We can all think about doing something extra this fall to help our local clubs with trail preparation.

We can all do something that’ll help lessen the burden and lighten the load on the people we depend on. When you’re thinking about all you can get when you purchase your trail permit from the OFSC this year, take a moment and think about all you can give.

The rewards go beyond dollars and cents.

As ‘Get Ready to Go Snowmobiling Week’ kicks off, Strathroy Ontario has been pounded with copious amounts of white.

The OFSC reminds snowmobilers that trails have not yet officially opened and that waterways are not safe.

Check out the photos on the OFSC website.