Yukon Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 I spoke with Kathy McConnell from the MSR earlier today and thanked her for such a great article and asked if I could post it on the snowmobile forums . Great work Kathy ! This article was ran in the most recent MSR magazine and I thought I'd share it with you all . Editorial: A message from the Muskoka Snowmobile Region President, Norm Hofstetter and the Muskoka Snowmobile Region Staff, Kathy McConnell and Darlene Barnes When you trace the roots of this sport, you'll find very humble beginnings. Organized snowmobiling originated from a group of riders getting together to go out and enjoy nature during the winter months. Off they would go, often into uncharted territory for a few hours of fun and camaraderie. From these humble beginnings evolved modern snowmobiling. A desire to experience new areas, lead to the development of trail networks. As traffic increased so did the need for grooming equipment to smooth out the bumps. These snowmobile pioneers invented a number of unique ways to make their trail network more enjoyable for their own use. Many early groomers were nothing more than a private snowmobile towing an old bedspring or hand built drag. From social events to building and maintaining a trail network, snowmobiling was a team effort with most riders participating in one fashion or another. As snowmobiling evolved, a new generation of snowmobilers emerged. While early participants in the sport focused on community spirit, many modern snowmobilers view the sport as a form of winter recreation or tourism. No longer can we claim that snowmobiling is a total team effort, for many riders their involvement ends at the time of their trail permit purchase. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, the "I have my trail permit, now show me the trails" philosophy has changed the future of the sport. Yet the snowmobile trail permit is perhaps the least understood aspect of our sport. Snowmobiling on an OFSC trail is a privilege, not a right. A valid OFSC snowmobile trail permit properly displayed on a snowmobile provides the operator of the machine with permission to use OFSC trails, nothing more, nothing less. A trail permit does not provide the user with free reign to do whatever they so please on the landowners property. Our land use permission only provides us with the right to use the designated route. A trail permit does not provide permit holders with a guarantee for wide, smooth trails. While trail permit revenue helps offset club operating costs and capital equipment purchases, a clubs survival is still dependent on the generosity of volunteers and community spirit. It's important to note the words "help offset" as clubs cover operating costs through trail permit revenues, donations, volunteer efforts, marketing and fund raising initiatives. A snowmobile trail permit provides the operator with right of permission; it is not the cure- all for all of our problems. Which brings our leaders to a dilemma, how can we continue to meet the expectations of this new generation while operating in a framework developed by the previous generation? How much are snowmobilers prepared to pay for this modern trail system that they demand? How long will the community spirited volunteers continue to serve the sport and will they have replacements when they retire? Many in our industry commonly refer to modern snowmobiling as "the business of snowmobiling". While it remains uncertain as to how much snowmobiling will change within this century, one thing is certain, change it will. Where will we be in 2010, a year that is just around the corner, better yet 2020, only the future knows for sure? Muskoka Snowmobile Region OFSC District 7 Tel: 705-645-3123 ext 3 800-328-7245 ext 3 Fax: 705-645-3451 Email: permits@msrsnowtrails.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbill Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 As much as I hate to admit it permits need to go up and volenteers need to be thanked often Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Great article! While I hate to see the cost of permits increase, I think WildBill may be right. But we also need to somehow recruit more volunteers. I understand that if you usually ride in an area away from home it is difficult to find time. This is my first year being involved as a volunteer and I have had only a glimpse into the complexities and frustrations the clubs face. Our club (Heart Of Ontario) seems to have a relatively small core of people that do the work. We are in the GTA and should not have as big a problem with the commuting ridership as the clubs in snow country. However, there is always more work that there are volunteers. I don't know what the solution is. Possibly a higher permit fee with somesore of credit for hours volunteered with the issuing club in the prior year. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbill Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 The volenteer credit idea although good is subject to abuse .Some clubs would use it as a way of discounting permits . Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Volunteerism is far from dead but this is becoming, or has become the "me" generation. These are the people that rip up the corners, guzzle beer on the trail and strew the cans over somebody's land and then steal the signs as a souveneir for their bar at the end of the day. The "credit" system concept is not new. For something like this to work the decisions on how much of a discount somebody get's on their pass versus volunteer hours has to be weighted fairly and responsibly. Sadly, that means most likely taking that out of the local clubs and having somebody independant "do the math". I for one see the value of the permits. As most do on this forum. For those who run the numbers a pass is about 12 cents a kilometer!, based roughly on 1500KM's of riding! Pretty good deal when we pay how much for gas? They(permits) need to go up and conversly, clubs need to create new ways to generate revenue. I have seen clubs that charge a small fee to have a day with a professional mechanic to walk you through some repair work and maintenance, there are the swap meets that return some funds to the clubs, then there are raffles and stag's and the list goes on. The bottom line is that the club needs to be proactive instead of reactive. Proactively seeking and generating funds which means more money to groom and buy equipment. That means happy riders and recurring permit sales. Reactive in that low permit sales and revenue generation means less money for grooming operations or reduced grooming and unhappy riders. The formula is simple. The work is tough. Maybe the future of sledding is professionally run companies, in part anyways. Subsidized by volunteers and actually hiring a marketing person to generate revenue. I am afraid that some day the goverment will take over the trails entirely and pour some huge tax dollars into the trails, then we will be using transponders and billed per use. Then they could sell the trails for a profit of billions while we still pay the defecit down on the original capital...while the private owners also profit....oh wait! That is the 407ETR!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbill Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 How about a trail pass lottery for volenteers . Several trail passes would be refunded by this lottery . This is a self policing program as the frauds would be exposed by the club volenteers . No volenteer would tolerate someone winning thier pass if they had not helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 How about a trail pass lottery for volenteers . Several trail passes would be refunded by this lottery . This is a self policing program as the frauds would be exposed by the club volenteers . No volenteer would tolerate someone winning thier pass if they had not helped. Interesting idea. I am not sure how it would balance out as far as fairness. Say you and I both volunteer. You put in say...five hundred hours one season and I put in only six hours, yet I win the lottery. Do you still pay full freight for your permit? What about discounting permits based on hours volunteered being assigned a dollar value or part therof? EG: You volunteer two hundred hours and I volunteer twelve hours..that could be assigned a breakdown by the hour and then you might have to pay only fifty bucks toward your permit and I will have to pay one hundred and something. If that is too "mathy" what about grades for volunteering and permits. A- 200+ hours = 75% off permit price B- 150-200 hours = 50% off permit price C-100-150 hours = 25 % off permit price You would have to look at total volunteer hours and assess the contribution to adjust this formula. The club could get other incentives if they were really strapped for volunteers. Dinner passes, movie passes, shirts and promo things. Just bouncing around ideas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooer Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 As much as I hate to admit it permits need to go up Increases to offset inflation are inevitable, but I'm not sure there is much room for it to go up significantly. We need new ways of generating revenue. One way would be to secure land access for the growing segment of riders who want to ride off-trail. An additional permit would be required to access these areas and the only cost to the OFSC would be insurance[1] with very little volunteer time after the rights were secured. It's win-win for everyone. [1] The odds are good that the insurance would be so expensive that the idea would never be feasible, but I believe it is something that still needs to be looked at very closely. It's where the sport is going, OFSC or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 One way would be to secure land access for the growing segment of riders who want to ride off-trail. An additional permit would be required to access these areas and the only cost to the OFSC would be insurance[1] with very little volunteer time after the rights were secured. It's win-win for everyone. Would something like abandoned quarrys or pits be an idea , with a park type setting similiar to Skateboard parks be an idea? Something that would be adjacent to OFSC prescribed trails ? I have been thinking about this for awhile now ! The odds are good that the insurance would be so expensive that the idea would never be feasible, but I believe it is something that still needs to be looked at very closely. It's where the sport is going, OFSC or not. I would think if we went this route that a liability waver would need to be signed apon entrance to said park , with parents consent . A small Alpine with a drag would do the trick for snowcross purpose's , a groomer could make a pass the odd time in the park during a scheduled period while out doing the Prescribed trail ! Thoughts are out their , just need a team of volunteers too adress it and investigate ! I also know it's not as simple as it sounds , but to achieve it will take some effort! Yukon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooer Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Would something like abandoned quarrys or pits be an idea , with a park type setting similiar to Skateboard parks be an idea? Something that would be adjacent to OFSC prescribed trails ? I have been thinking about this for awhile now ! My thoughts exactly. A place to go where you can play on the hills, in the deep snow, etc. without any worries about landowner issues. I'm certain there is a market, especially in the south were we don't have crown land at our disposal, if the logistics can be worked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbill Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 How about a trail pass lottery for volenteers . Several trail passes would be refunded by this lottery . This is a self policing program as the frauds would be exposed by the club volenteers . No volenteer would tolerate someone winning thier pass if they had not helped. Interesting idea. I am not sure how it would balance out as far as fairness. Say you and I both volunteer. You put in say...five hundred hours one season and I put in only six hours, yet I win the lottery. Do you still pay full freight for your permit? What about discounting permits based on hours volunteered being assigned a dollar value or part therof? EG: You volunteer two hundred hours and I volunteer twelve hours..that could be assigned a breakdown by the hour and then you might have to pay only fifty bucks toward your permit and I will have to pay one hundred and something. If that is too "mathy" what about grades for volunteering and permits. A- 200+ hours = 75% off permit price B- 150-200 hours = 50% off permit price C-100-150 hours = 25 % off permit price You would have to look at total volunteer hours and assess the contribution to adjust this formula. The club could get other incentives if they were really strapped for volunteers. Dinner passes, movie passes, shirts and promo things. Just bouncing around ideas! Maybe thats what they win or 1 ballot per hour or 5 hours or ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreezerBurnt Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 You volounteer for a reason The OFSC created this monster of expectations Why should we volounteer to have people EXPECT us to have this and that done perfectly. Just because you bought a damn permit you are able to bitch and do nothing about it The discount to volounteers is SO open to abuse if they go that route Is our trail system for locals to enjoy or is for tourist and businesses to benefit off the back of locals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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