Joey Payeur
The snowmobile riding demographic alone isn’t going to keep the luggage industry in business.
“All we really need to travel with is a credit card and an extra pair of underwear,” laughed North Western Ontario Snowmobile Trails Association vice-president Adrian Tessier during a stopover at Couchiching last Thursday morning on the final day of the organization’s first-ever “President’s Ride.”
A rotating group of about 20 sledders set out from Atikokan on Feb. 21 to begin the estimated 1,000-km tour over four days, which took them to Sioux Lookout, Kenora, Emo, and then back to Atikokan.
Riders from Dryden and Red Lake joined in along the way.
The event was held to promote the NWOSTA Wilderness Loop.
“It’s been phenomenal,” said Tessier. “The trails have been really good, although we noticed there’s a lack of snow in this area compared to Sioux Lookout and Atikokan.
“We’ve had no injuries and no crashes,” he added.
Tessier noted many of the riders, who came from as far away as Thunder Bay, had never travelled some or all of the portions of the route before.
“We want people to have the realization that you can do a four- or five-day trip without seeing the same trail twice,” he stressed.
Tessier also said snowmobile enthusiasts are not the only winners when they set out for different towns.
“We have to buy fuel and food along the way and, for this trip, we’ve had to reserve a block of 20 rooms at each place we stay overnight,” he explained.
“So there’s a good economic benefit for the towns we come through.”
NWOSTA president Kim Cross said the hospitality shown to the riders throughout the tour was outstanding as the organization tries to raise awareness about the positives of the estimated 2,500 km of snowmobile trails in Northwestern Ontario—part of the province-wide system that spans some 33,000 km.
She was adamant the advantages of enjoying the trails makes the purchase of a trail permit before the season begins even more of a necessity.
“A $180 pass is well worth it,” said Cross, with Tessier chiming in that over the course of an average three-month season, the cost breaks down to “a cup of coffee a day.”
“I ask myself, would I rather curl or snowmobile?” noted Cross.
“You’re going to get to curl only one or two times a week at set times on set days,” she reasoned.
“[Snowmobiling] is not time sensitive and you can go do it when you want on your own terms.”
The importance of what the permit fees are used for made itself apparent during last week’s “President’s Ride.”
“We had some bad fog near Kenora that made it hard to see or pass,” recalled Tessier.
“It would be easy for snowmobilers to get lost if not for the orange stakes marking the route that were out there,” he stressed.
“Those are the kind of things the permit fees pays for.”
Tessier, meanwhile, said the initial tour was such a success, a repeat next year almost is a certainty.
“We definitely plan to do it next year and we certainly expect more people to take part,” he remarked.
