aar0n Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 People post a lot of reports on here and to describe trails they use mint, excellent, great, fair, poor, carpet, top notch, etc... but what do all those really mean? Especially because depending on the area, everyone might have a different definiton of excellent. Also, someone on a 2014 r-motion might say trails are excellent but someone on a 1990 polaris indy may say otherwise simply because of suspension. I think we should have a trail condition scale. Something like this 10/10: Freshly groomed, one of the first to pass 9/10: Groomed recently, no bumps 8/10: Starting to get soft, small shutter bumps in corners 7/10: Bumps starting to form in corner and on hills 6/10: Significant bumps, washboard beginning to form 5/10: Very bumpy, standing up necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbill Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I see where you are going with this but that changes so quickly that reports become obsolete with one groomer pass or some heavy traffic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aar0n Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 I see where you are going with this but that changes so quickly that reports become obsolete with one groomer pass or some heavy traffic That is true. Only takes a big group to chew up a trail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white dragon Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 once grooming slows down,this will work on late season reporting...i think ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhz06 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Good idea but it would be very difficult to have it be accurate. As an example, a 10 that was groomed and set up during the evening is a lot different than a 10 from a groomer that you pass mid day. Keep working on it because it would be helpful. I've been hoping just for a good definition of what makes a trail green or yellow for a couple of years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fast4u Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 you could have the best suspension on the planet, but when the trails are beat you feel the bumps after a while no matter what machine you are riding. I like your thinking aaron but conditions change so quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faceman Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Was riding sled with a groomer driver on Thurs. He asked me if I thought he should groom that night. My reply" I'm riding a Yamaha and I'm not complaining" His reply" so Saturday it is!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrafrozen Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I like your ten point scale but a 1/10 would have to be defined. Maybe a 1/10 could be so bad it makes you want to give up sledding! As for the yellow and green status on the OFSC website, the yellow is not related to trail condition directly but instead exists to highlight dangerous conditions which may put the OFSC in danger of litigation. Think rocks, branches, ice, etc. The Quebec website has a system that reports the last time the trail was groomed as well as current groomer position. This doesn't give trail condition but certainly gives you a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbakernbay Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I don't think this is practical and even if it was, who is going to post all that info, even on one trail number, there can be 3 or 4 different sections based upon traffic, geography and where the groomers routes are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggie Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 You can't say that if the trails were groomed today that the trails are in good condition. There are groomer operators who don't know what they are doing, soe cogs have bad drags, other trails have lists of traffic, other not much. I groom about 150 km of trail, groom them all double wide, where possible, the trails are between 30-35 feet wide, groom then 2 tines a week and I have maybe 5 km of trail what is always bad, the smaller trails in the forest, 12-15 feet wide are overall in good condition and in the fields they are 30-35 feet wide, they are always perfect. Thanks, Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildman Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I like your ten point scale but a 1/10 would have to be defined. Maybe a 1/10 could be so bad it makes you want to give up sledding! As for the yellow and green status on the OFSC website, the yellow is not related to trail condition directly but instead exists to highlight dangerous conditions which may put the OFSC in danger of litigation. Think rocks, branches, ice, etc. The Quebec website has a system that reports the last time the trail was groomed as well as current groomer position. This doesn't give trail condition but certainly gives you a good idea. TATA use to have a chart on their website that gave the last grooming date as well as the next grooming date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Grooming date and time would speak volumes. Real time data (similar to some Ontario clubs and Quebec) is a natural progression for snowmobiling. There WAS a concern that such data will cause riders to flock to a trail. However, if all trails are groomed to one standard, as the increased groomer frequency this year points towards, then that argument is moot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbakernbay Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 NBSC has been posting a link to our 3 SPOT GPS equipped Groomers for 4 years or so. Never had any issues to my knowledge. It only seems reasonable to give our Trail Permit buyers the latest grooming info so they can better plan tomorrow's trip. I believe STP does this as well. Very cheap technology, about $175 subscription per year for each unit. Www.nbsc.ca/trails then hit Spot Live Groomer link. Tracks stay for 24 hours. I also do a Prt Screen and post photos on our Facebook page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbakernbay Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Here's a sample from our Facebook page North Bay Snowmobile Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue er Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Liked the old ofsc guide with the little notes with trail.conditions butnthe interactive guide worksnfine for.me cant expect table top all the time thats half the fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhz06 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 HCSA had last date groomed and scheduled grooming on their website last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fast4u Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I agree with blue er. I liked the old guide with write up's. I used to print them off then use them as a reference in case a trail was closed here or there. Printing off of the new guide is a p.I.t.a. I rely on the good people here more than I do the guide. My nephew has the app its okay but could be a whole lot better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classic Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Liked the old ofsc guide with the little notes with trail.conditions butnthe interactive guide worksnfine for.me cant expect table top all the time thats half the fun Yes and the lawyers loved it too. Made their job easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue er Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Yes and the lawyers loved it too. Made their job easier.how so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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