Our Trails are so smooth.....

Some people can't tell the difference between the Highway and the trails!!

Newsflash

The first General Members Meeting will be held on September 1, 2010 7PM at the Newbury Fire Station. Hamburgers & Hot Dogs will be served!!
Home Membership Top 10 Reasons to Join a Club!
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Top 10 Reasons To Join the Club!

(An article in the March 1997 issue of Snow Goer magazine by John T. Prusak)

Without our Clubs, there would probably be no snowmobiling infrastructure, and the trails that might exist would be ungroomed, unfunded, and basically unridable. Therefore, if you are not a member of a snowmobile Club, it is time to accept the fact that you are a freeloader.

That may sound harsh, but it is the cold hard truth. To those people, we offer this list. In no particular order, here are the Top 10 Reasons You Should Join A Snowmobile Club.

10) Snowmobile Clubs gain land access to create snowmobile trails. Without the Clubs securing land leases and paying insurance costs, no trails would cross private property, and that means the sport as we know it would not exist. All this takes time, effort and money.

9) Snowmobile Clubs clear and create trails. After the land access is received, somebody has to go out and clear away the brush, cut down interfering limbs, haul out the trash, and smooth out the base of the trail. They also must build bridges over creeks, rivers and low spots, and that takes a lot of work and money. This is all done by volunteers who truly love the sport. Without these hidden heroes, either the trails would not get cleared, bridges would not get built, and most trails would close, or some entity (say the state) would have to pay a team of workers to do the grunt work. If that happened, you could expect to pay several hundred dollars, or more to register your snowmobile each year to cover the costs.

8) In most areas, members of the snowmobile Clubs groom the trails. Sometimes these groomer operators get a token fee for their hard work, but the dollar-per-hour rate is menial at best, and that's when a groomer operator actually gets paid. Again, these are more of the hidden heroes who spend their time in a slow-moving groomer, tending to the trails and making them as smooth as they are. Remember, if you are not a Club member you have no right to complain about trail conditions.

7) While we're talking trails, who do you think put up all the stop signs, directional arrows, etc. If you said "the snowmobile Clubs," give yourself 10 points and keep reading, because we have only just begun.

6) When funding is needed to pay for groomers, insurance or trail development, do you know where that money comes from? Sure, the $25or $35 people spend to join a Club helps, but in most states the money comes from snowmobile registrations and gas tax rebates. Why does our sport get this money from the state? Because our sport is organized. If the state snowmobiling association can talk about it's 1,000's of members, for example, and then those members call their local lawmakers and ask for support, the bill has a much better chance of getting funded. Furthermore, it's the snowmobile Clubs and state associations that fight the battles to open public lands to snowmobilers, and there is strength in numbers. Become one of those numbers.

5) With some Clubs and associations, membership brings financial benefits. I get discounts at sponsoring businesses and I get the state publication. All this and more, for a mere $ amount a year.

4) Belonging to a Club makes for better, safer snowmobiling. That's right, surveys and accident statistics have shown that snowmobile Club members have a much lower accident rate than non-Club members. Why? Because Club members tend to be conscientious, they tend to stress safety and they are aware of safe-riding issues.

3) Belonging to a snowmobile Club gives you a great social outlet for your favorite hobby. You can attend Club rides, go to Club meetings, take part in Club fund-raisers or take trips to far away snowmobiling destinations. Belonging to a Club gives you a good opportunity to ride with different people, experience different areas and hang out with people who have similar interests.

2) Belonging to a snowmobile Club makes you a part of the solution instead of a part of the problem. If you think the snowmobile trails should be groomed more often, that a certain trail should move to the opposite side of the road or if you consider some corner on the trail dangerous or poorly marked, get involved. Most snowmobile Clubs seek fresh opinions and want more feedback from users.

1) And the #1 reason to join a snowmobile Club: It's just the right thing to do. For all the reasons listed above and many more, you should belong to a snowmobile Club. The costs are minimal, the benefits are nice and it is your responsibility to support the sport. It's cheap, it's simple and it's right.
 
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