Ottawa Valley snowmobilers will have to accept less access to routes this year due to a lack of funding, according to a representative from the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC).
Terry Vaudry, OFSC’s Administrator for District Six, also called the Snow Country Snowmobile Region, said in an interview that expenses were overtaking his organization’s revenue, leading to a mandate from leadership to cut down on the number of redundant, underutilized trails being maintained.
Vaudry expects some local riders to miss the trails that are no longer being maintained, although he anticipates it won’t affect touring riders that move between communities. He also said the fourteen member clubs in District Six – which covers the Haliburton, Bancroft and Ottawa Valley regions – had a say in which trails were chosen.
Vaudry said club membership is on the rise, with permit sales comparable to those from the 2021-22 season that he described as a recent high watermark. He said the best way to support the OFSC and see the trails expand again is to buy a trail pass, but there are other ways to support the local snowmobiling scene, including volunteering.
Anyone interested in buying a trail permit or learning more can visit the Snow Country Snowmobile Region website.
(Written by Steve Berard)