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HARD AT WORK: Clearing deadfall was part of the Whitecourt Trailblazers trail cleanup project. —photo by Dwayne Brandly

A JOB WELL DONE: The new Gundy Rest Area is located on the Whitecourt to Swan Hills trail. —photo courtesy Ken Linford

Well, it’s that time again. All snowmobile clubs are calling on their members to participate in trail cleaning and upgrading in anticipation of the coming snowmobiling season. Most clubs have already undertaken some trail cleaning while several have finished and are anxiously awaiting the snow.

Trail cleaning is an essential activity for any club. Each fall, just before the snow comes, all trails must be cleared of fallen trees and broken or overhanging branches and any new growth. The trails need to be made wide enough for the groomer to pass by and clear enough so the groomer does not get hung up with branches, sticks or other debris. Once the groomer is able to smooth and pack a trail, it will be safer travelling for sledders and families who want to have an enjoyable outing and get to the play areas. I checked with a couple of local clubs to see how they were making out.

In Alberta, the Whitecourt Trailblazers have more than 330 kilometres of trails to clean in the Golden Triangle and Silver Summit areas. In early October the call went out for volunteers and 85 club members responded; within 290 hours, they had completed the task in just two weekends.

Prior to the cleaning dates, seven club members attended a chainsaw safety course and the club purchased 10 sets of protective pants, hard hats, face shields and ear protection. They also purchased 50 safety vests. This was done as a safety measure for the volunteers; it was initiated because of the tragic incident last year involving long-time member Dale Gunderson—who was struck and killed by a tree during the trail cleaning.

On November 11, after the trails were completely cleaned, a new warmup cabin was moved and set up on the Whitecourt to Fox Creek trail in the Virginia Hills. This fully equipped cabin and rest stop was dedicated as the Gundy Rest Area in memory of Gunderson. The building was supplied by Blue Ridge Lumber and was put in place with a permit from the Alberta Sustainable Resources Department. Construction, transportation of the building and supplying the wood, stove, table, benches, fire pit and emergency equipment was all done through the club by volunteers.

Ensuring the season’s success
Another club I checked in with is the Caroline Snowmobile Club. Caroline, Alberta, is located about 2.5 hours southwest of Edmonton. This small club has 35 members and maintains 185 kilometres of trails in two loops. They had also put out the call for trail cleaners and almost all the club members showed up and completed the clearing in one weekend.

They still have a couple of bridges to build. The club will be making every effort to ensure their trails, bridges and warming cabins are in tip-top shape since they were given the honour of hosting the 2008 Alberta Snowmobile Association Jamboree. This will be held February 22, 23 and 24; it promises to be a great time for everyone.

Support the sport
Each year, a lot of work goes into preparing the trails we ride on. This is made possible only through your purchase of trail passes and club memberships. This activity goes on not only in Alberta, but also in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. A lot of dedicated work is done by relatively few volunteers—when compared to the thousands of snowmobile enthusiasts and trail users. Unfortunately a lot of sledders do not purchase trail passes.

As you can tell, the trail fee we pay is put to good use in maintaining the trails, groomers, cabins and staging areas we all use.