It is officially the time of year when the people of Saskatchewan are getting ready to take part in their favorite winter activities. For a large number of Saskatchewanians that means getting their snowmobiles ready to hit the trails.
We spoke with Leah Switzer, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association, to learn more about safety and best practices for those venturing out for a winter ride.
The first order of business for those entering the sport will be brushing up on their snowmobile safety explained Switzer.
“We do have our snowmobile safety course and anyone before on or after January 1st, 1989, is required to take that course. You can do it either online or we have classroom safety courses, and we do have some classroom courses coming up here in the next little bit.”
“We have some in Yorkton and Invermay and you can find all that information on our website.”
She explained that those who wish to have a course held in their hometown can reach out to the Association and request one.
“It all comes to interest, so if someone is interested in having a classroom course come to their town or community, they can get in contact with us. If we have enough participants interested, we will send out an instructor and put on a course.”
While the intricacies of the course are best left for the instructors, Switzer did give a sneak peek at some of the items that would be covered.
“We always try to remind everybody to make sure they have good winter gear with them so that you're, you know, your winter gear is going to be warm. It's going to be water resistant. So, it's not going to get wet on you and make you cool good gloves, your snowmobile helmet, of course.
“Making sure that you have some emergency supplies with you, like a fire starter, some snacks in case you got stuck out on the outside overnight, that type of stuff, just to make sure that you make it through. And then we always also recommend that you never ride alone. So always ride with a friend and when you do go out, make sure that you give someone at home an itinerary of where you plan to be and how long you plan to be gone.”
She also advises riders to be conscious of water and ice, especially during the initial stages of the season, as it will take a while for those areas to be frozen enough to safely cross.
Another thing to be aware of is the changes to trespass laws in Saskatchewan, which require permission from landowners before crossing, Switzer explained that the rules are the same for snowmobile riders as they are for hunters.
“With the trespass changes that came in a few years ago you do need permission to enter anyone's private land, so if you're looking at leaving the road, if you're in a highway ditch and you want to jump up into a farmer's field, you actually need permission for that.”
“You can ride on Crown land but a lot of that is in the northern part of the province. If it is crown land and in those highway ditches that are public lands that you are allowed to ride in. You also must be very careful about entering city limits., other people's property as well as parks, that type of stuff. Those would be off limits.”
To help ease the difficulty of finding approved areas to ride, the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association and its 53 member clubs throughout the province operate and maintain an extensive series of trails.
“Our member clubs actually go out and do that work for you, for the trail system. So, they've spoken with all those landowners and got permission for that trail that is on their land.”
“In total, we have just over 11,200 kilometers of trail throughout the province, so then it all depends on our snow year as to how many of those kilometers are open. The goal for the clubs is always to have all of them open and operating, and if we get good snow and cold conditions.”
Switzer noted that well over 1,000 members and volunteers work throughout the season to get those trails ready for the over 20,000 registered snowmobile riders in the province. Explaining that the registration fees are what fund the maintenance of the aforementioned trails.
“The registration of your snowmobile is actually what funds the trails. So the trail fee that's attached to your registration goes back to the clubs and helps pay for the grooming and maintenance of those trails.”
“There is liability insurance that you're purchasing with (the registration) that covers you. If you were to get into an accident, would cover you for 3rd party liability.”
You can learn more about the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association, find safety courses and trails in your area by checking out their website.