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The OFSC hand clubs have done absolutely everything they can to drive new ridership.   overall costs and lousy weather are working against it.   I have taken 10 plus friends sledding for the 1st time. not oneof them has bought a sled, and isn’t because they didn’t enjoy it.   cost and time are the factors

YES!

I was thinking the same thing about people having the opportunity to go on a lake, field, etc…to have a chance to be exposed, or best case friend or family that has spare sled to try it out.  For me it was a family that let me try his sled, that turned into a weekend rental trip and then my own purchase.  But that does not change the permit price or change who will come, IMO - if they decide at that point they enjoy it, thoughts turn to many of the other expenses in order to dive in, that will not become cheaper in this day and age that no one can influence.    Set permit price at what it needs to be (the cheapest part of the sport) and enforce the use of the trails by the means required.  For anyone using the permit as a reason not to stay in the sport, are already done with it or looking for reasons to be, and are just complaining about nothing.    The permit I bought this year, I am not even sure made it into my sled, I know for sure I did not ride any OFSC trails…which I think makes that two years in a row for me…lol!

I agree sledding has priced itself into the "exclusive" sport category. Gear and accessories alone can add up quickly.  However, we have a few sleds that run around private farm lands  and ditches and got used alot this year by friends and family that have never taken an interest in the sport previously. They got rolled over and stuck all winter and the riders had a ball. Three of them now have newer used sleds from those experiences. The heavy snowfall this year made it possible for them to have some fun they didnt know they were missing. The sleds are older but not eligible for classic passes so none were registered or insured for trail riding. As ofsc trails cross some of these properties I can neither confirm or deny that they may have seen abit of trail running in the hands of a couple folks, but either way, it brought them into the sport as legitimate riders.  I think that if classic permits were based on 15 year old sleds again, we might see more people riding something more affordable just to have the experience. Once on the trails, there's the natural progression that comes with that experience. No different than fast cars or boats. It's addictive. Not all of us, but alot of us became addicts the first time we had the experience. The opportunity just had to present itself.  Just the opinion of a hopeless addict with a tolerant wife. 😁 

The OFSC has tried to make it appealing and affordable, I’m afraid it hasn’t worked for reasons they cannot control.  The reality that most can agree on is the sport is expensive, permit being one of the cheapest today is the point, that’s not changing, so come to terms with that and move on.  stop trying to pretend it should be an inclusive sport, it no longer is.  sorry, but that’s the reality IMO.