When Quesnel city councillor Ron Paull came into a Nov. 23 meeting, he was fresh from snowmobile trails.
He’s not the only one trying to find fresh snow, as the Wells Snowmobile Club has begun grooming trails.
Bryan Lepine is a director of the club. He said COVID-19 didn’t play a big role in 2020’s operations.
“The ridership looked like a normal amount,” Lepine said. “Maybe there was a little bit less people coming from further distances away, but then again, maybe there were more people headed out just to do stuff recreationally… A lot more people bought snowmobiles as well, just like all recreation vehicles, there was a big increase.”
Trail maintenance is an ongoing process, even in the early season.
“We are excited to try out our new deep snow compactor bar attachment that we purchased this year through a grant from the Northern Development Initiative Trust,” he said.
“Even when there’s no snow there is always something going on from trail maintenance and firewood to administrative tasks like insurance and permitting.”
READ MORE: 2 Williams Lake men fined for snowmobiling in mountain caribou-protected area
The Wells Snowmobile Club grooms 75 km of trails, split between three alpine trails and an old logging road trails. Lepine said once enough snow is down, the goal is to make trails rideable for riders of all ages.
Adventurous riders are itching to hit the mountain after a long summer without, even if it means bumps and bruises to their machines.
“It’s a little bit of a rougher ride, and it can be a little bit dangerous at times, there will just be a strip of snow covering a rock,” Lepine said.
In the meeting, councillor Paull quipped that the person who most encouraged him to get out on the trails early was his mechanic.
Snow passes for the trails are available at the Jack ‘o’ Clubs General store. Avalanche and trail updates are available at www.snowmobilewells.com.
READ MORE: Wells Snowmobile Club director shares tips for safe sledding
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Make trails smooth and family friendly, so children to seniors can ride the trails comfortably into the mountains.
Maintainence to signage and tree removal.
“There’s always something to do”
“It’s a little bit of a rougher ride, and it can be a little bit dangerous at times, there will just be a strip of snow covering a rock”
Not significantly affected by COVID.
“The ridership looked like a normal amount,” “It’s hard to say, maybe there was a little bit less people coming from further distances away, but then again, maybe there were more people headed out just to do stuff recreationally…”
“A lot more people bought snowmobiles as well, just like all recreation vehicles, there was a big increase.”
Sell trail passes at store in Wells.
Revised our safety plan, Follow worksafe regulations.
Try to get trails done on Thursday night and Saturday night.
75 km of groomed trail.
3 Alpine trials, 1 logging trail loop.
Seeing if a contactless poker run will be approved elsewhere.
“People around here seem to be adapted to winter recreation, or some people just accept it’s coming regardless,” he said, laughing.
There is always something going on with the club. And yes, it’s that time of year with lots of sleds on the trucks and people itching to get out. We normally even get people from Prince George and beyond that come down for the early season riding that we get.
We are still waiting for a little bit more snow so that we can begin grooming the trails for the season. Lately we have been doing repairs and servicing to get the Snow Cats ready to go. We are excited to try out our new deep snow Compactor Bar attachment that we purchased this year through a grant from NDIT. Even when there’s no snow there is always something going on from trail maintenance and firewood to administrative tasks like insurance and permitting.
We can always use volunteers and we are always looking for people to come ride and check out our beautiful area. Let us know if we can answer any questions!