Fred Quimby Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Playing on the Top B towards Whitney and back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted February 23, 2012 Author Share Posted February 23, 2012 Trail Conditions Updated: Feb 22nd 2012 Family Day Weekend has come and gone, great grooming, great riding, great weather. The trails have held up well from the weekend. The groomers were out Tuesday night cleaning things up. We received 4 cm of new snow, more apparently is to be coming before the weekend. Colder weather is in the forecast for this coming weekend. The groomers are widening the trails out where ever possible. All our trails are open so this coming weekend should be another good one for riding. Enjoy your ride and remember you are on a trail not a road, conditions can change in an instant, so be alert at all times. HCSA website: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 Been snowing steady since 10 A.M. and heavy since Noon.Easily 6" of fresh gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperules700 Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Decided to head to Kearney on Tuesday. Rode most of the hcsa system last weekend. I will be back next year though for a whole week. Enjoy the snow Fred. You get 2000km yet this winter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted February 25, 2012 Author Share Posted February 25, 2012 Should be good up Kearney way! Enjoy! Doing okay this year. I have not checked the odo, I won't tally it up till the season ends. I hate looking at the odo. Just enjoying the rides when I can! Awesome tonight! Loads of snow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperules700 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Thanks Fred. My viper is getting dated just turned 17000km last weekend. The engine is bulliet proof. Going to get a new skidoo 1200 xp long track. Hopefully be back up to 4k a season next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted February 25, 2012 Author Share Posted February 25, 2012 Ride report for Haliburton February 25th, 2012 Started the day with a new coat of fresh white gold everywhere. Was anticipating that the club has been out all night grooming majic with the fresh wonderment! Near Pine Springs, TOPB, while there was some awsome sunshine and great fresh snow..no groomer to be seen??? On the B112 from Pine Springs into Minden. Trails were nice, but only because the fresh snow had laid a nice path, not because of any effort from the HCSA! B112 south of Hwy 118, more fresh powder and lot's of riders out today! would have been a banner weekend to showcase the trails. Weather was great, epic in fact! B112 right in Minden. Access into town is hassle free and Minden council has worked hard with the HCSA to develop access. This floating bridge is a great example Had a late lunch at the Dominion Hotel. Fast service and friendly, parking for sleds right on the B112 in town just over the floating bridge! Menu was pretty much standard fare. Wings, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, soups, salads, several apps, plus they had a Saturday night band and an all u can eat roast beef buffet from 5 till 8pm. I had a nice pastrami on rye which was fine. Notably there was no clubhouse sandwich?? usually my choice! Not quite Mc Kecks selection but a step up from the Rockcliffe for sure. A decent lunch for $10. I was a little pissed as the HCSA had a golden opportunity today to really show up and demonstrate a great club. They fell again, flat on their face. While I will be the first to step up to support my home club, I will also deliver criticism when due. This is the case today. With over 8`` of fresh good snow, not fluff..one would think that they would have had their fleet of five industrial groomers out last night and the BR180`s too. This was a heavily travelled weekend and having fresh groomed trails on such an epic day would have brought people back to the area. This was not the case and the one and only reason the trails were decent, was due to mother nature, not the HCSA. Also while leaving MInden on Tr4 I got buried in a thigh deep mudhole! This was covered over last night and there was a weak attempt to throw some hay into the hole to soak up the muck. What the hell were they thinking? This mudhole needs a section of corduroy in there..heck even a couple wood pallets would have ensured safe travel over! Not even caution tape to warn of the mess either! Well earlier in the day I stopped to help a Father and Son unstuck a sled near Ox narrows..so fortunately for me a group stopped to give me a hand and it was much appreciated! All of this hassle could have been avoided by some TLC on the trail not neglect. I am thinking to support a different club next year! The HCSA is striking out large again this year! Nice work boys...they say that they are grooming 5 nights a week plus daytime..but you choose to not groom with fresh snow the evening before a weekend?? HELLO!!! Mc Fly! Over and out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperules700 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I passed two groomers last Saturday night, one Sunday morning and another one on Monday. Trails were nice in flat in the morning. Maybe fuel budget Is all used up?? Sucks about the mudhole, there is a bridge using high bales too on top b passed the narrows. Need some new bridges for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted February 26, 2012 Author Share Posted February 26, 2012 I have seen lots of groomers this year, but one would think that with a load of fresh snow they would have had them out on at least the TOP trails and connectors the eve before Saturday? There is no excuse for a giant mudhole either when as little as 20 small logs could have fixed it up. There is no way they would have used up the fuel budget yet. The trails did not open until January 21st. This clubs sells over two thousand permits too. The dangerous mudhole is just past Hwy 35 between the dead end of Scotch line Rd, on Tr 4 as you approach Horseshoe Lake Rd. There is no warning either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white dragon Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 my brother & his wife were on sum sort of ''introduction to sleddin'' ride in hali...said trails needed to be groomed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted February 26, 2012 Author Share Posted February 26, 2012 my brother & his wife were on sum sort of ''introduction to sleddin'' ride in hali...said trails needed to be groomed... That was at the Pine Stone last week or two weeks ago... the groomers are out there..like on a Wednesday afternoon for gawds sake! I also know the area is seeing huge rider pressure but there is no excuse not to groom with fresh snow on a Friday night..groomers are also paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guppy Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 my brother & his wife were on sum sort of ''introduction to sleddin'' ride in hali...said trails needed to be groomed... That ride was at wigamog resort,passed that group the trail the group was using was not bad,but it did not last long, Looked like a small groomer had passed over it earlier,just for a small section. The rest of the Haliburton trails had not been groomed,rode over to Paudash,what a difference!,smooth trails for the most part, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted February 26, 2012 Author Share Posted February 26, 2012 Yes..they rode from Pine Stone through the back to Wig a Mog. Club probably ran a BR180 down there before the try ride. Paudash is a nice system, it also does not see the same number of riders as Haliburton does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperules700 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 They went down trail 7 from the pinestone over wiagmog and back to pinestone on rail line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 Highlands snow draws sledders north By Jenn Watt Posted 6 days ago True snowmobilers will follow the snow wherever it is. In southern Ontario, good conditions have been hard to find, driving sledders north to areas like Muskoka and the Haliburton Highlands. “We have had the snow that everybody wants so they’re coming here to ride,” says Mark Lester publisher of Supertrax Magazine, who also wrote a letter to the paper this week. Lester’s business is snowmobiling and he’s been in communication with several businesses that are benefiting from the area’s abundance of snow. “They’re all just thrilled in our area with the increase in business this year. It’s come at the expense of businesses in other areas like Grey/Bruce, southwestern Ontario and even the Kawarthas,” Lester said. He credited the Haliburton County Snowmobile Association with keeping the trails in good shape for visitors. The season had a slow start with most of December leaving the landscape green, but the area’s recent snow fortunes have buoyed business. For Fire House Restaurant owner Anita Manning, traffic is back to regular levels – about 200 to 300 patrons on an average Saturday. “It was just a slow start. We’ve been fortunate we’ve been in a snowy area. We’ve been getting a lot of snow,” said Manning, who has owned the restaurant in Ox Narrows on Highway 35 for 10 years. “By the sounds and the look of the forecast it’s going to be a late season,” she said ahead of Friday’s 10-centimetre snowfall. “We haven’t had ... snowmobiling on March Break for three years,” she said. While Manning didn’t think 2012 was an extraordinary year, she agreed with Lester that her restaurant, and the Haliburton Highlands in general, were doing better than other places with less snow. “It’s benefiting us. Snowmobilers follow snow. By about Wednesday or Thursday our phone is ringing off the hook [with] people asking what our trail conditions are like,” she said. At Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve, there have been a substantial number of snowmobilers coming through of late. Forest general manager Dave Bishop said the season has improved thanks to a solid foundation of snow. “It’s busy without a doubt. There are people everywhere out travelling looking for the little bit of snow that they can find. We’re having a great season right now. It’s a slow start, but right now it’s busy,” Bishop said last week. During the Family Day weekend, he estimated 2,000 snowmobilers went through the Forest on the trail from Kennisis to Little Redstone lakes. “It was unbelievable. We went through about 18,000 litres of gasoline on the weekend,” he said. Normally, they would sell around 10,000 litres. With 300 kilometres of trails and snowmobiles for rent, Haliburton Forest has been operational since Dec. 27 of this year. Bishop said machine rentals have been down, while activity has been up. “My theory … is anybody who has an investment in winter [such as owning a machine and trailer] … is searching out snow and of course Haliburton Highlands and east of here has snow. Anybody who does not have an investment is not sourcing it out,” he said. While Bishop wouldn’t speculate on whether the good weather will keep up until March Break, he did say that within the Forest, the trails are ready earlier and stay frozen longer than most. “We put 50 years into developing our trail system and the vast majority of our trail is on gravel access road. You only need a four-inch base to start to groom, which allows you to get frost in to hold your trails longer and allows you to get people up here sooner,” he said, “A lot of it is about getting the frost into the ground so that you don’t lose the snow that you’ve already got. … So, the quicker you can get on there and pound down to get the frost in, the longer you’ll keep your trails.” In Haliburton, Shamrock Service Centre owner Greg Tibbitts said snowmobile business of late has been steady. “The last couple of weekends have been really good. You need snow. It depends on the weather,” he said. During the Family Day weekend, Tibbitts estimated about 800 snowmobiles fueled up at his pumps. According to Lester, snowmobilers will spend $800 to $1,200 a weekend wherever they travel. “If you can attract winter tourist [to your community], a downhill skier is your largest spender, but very close behind is the snowmobiler,” he said, noting they will spend on food, accommodation and gas. “That’s a really good tourists to have come to your community.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossy Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Some good press for a change! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 I thought so too. I dont know about the downhill skier comment though? I almost never see cars with skis on them in town or at restaurants? I don't think Sir Sam's is that big a draw over here. Interesting too that a lot of people don't believe me when I say "hundreds" of sleds travel through Haliburton on a good weekend and that is a huge factor to why the rail trail B103 get's so chewed up. This article sure proves the volume. At that service station you are either coming off the B103 or headed to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share Posted March 10, 2012 Met up with Mossy and a buddy of his today for a zip around. Started off at the Firehouse for a fast one, to start the day. Thinking that the Tall Pines trails would be groomed and since we were near..headed up St. Nora to Raven, lakes were okay in some sections and very bare at times! Chatter chatter with the carbides! 64 was very thin and worn down, as was the D101B, and 61. I think they put the groomer keys away for the season. Ran Kawagama from Russells landing TO 62 and over to Kenisis. A little more snow and less wind swept. Topped up the fuel in Haliburton Forest which was packed today, and headed down to Red Pine, Clear, and Hawk lakes. We parted at HCSA 16 and I went on to run the TOP B and HCSA 15 which were excellent. Over Hall's and down Boshkung to home. A nice 120 Km ride to cap the season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guppy Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Went the opposite way today,up the B,over Haliburton lake to the E,to lake St, Peter, rode Maple leaf trail up tp Madawaska, ,rail line to Whitney, and then down the B, A couple of wet spots,big one just before Whitney on the rail line, a few exposed rocks, No bumps to speak of. Great last ride, will try a small one in the am. Thanks to all the clubs and volunteers for a great season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossy Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Thank you again Fred for the tour! I have pictures I just have to upload them. What a weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 It was kind of the .50 cent tour, but for the end of the year it was better than nothing. Door is open here anytime! Thank you again for the Amsoil! Used it today in the ATV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperules700 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Glad you two had a great ride. Be nice to do an organized ocer ride up there. Ride to kearney and back or out to pembroke and back. Something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossy Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Here are some pics Blue at the cave.bmp kids in the cave.bmp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossy Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 A couple more kids in the cave.bmp oh dear.bmp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Looking forward to next Winter! Great pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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