Sno-Drifters prepared to lead the way

by Karina Hunter

The Sno-Drifters' new 2002 Holland Sur-Trac. Photo courtesy Ron Jung

Though the 2009-10 snowmobile season has been less than ideal, executive members of the Manitou Sno-Drifters continue to move the club forward with the club’s most recent accomplishment, the acquisition of a new groomer.  President Phil Leduc, Treasurer Ron Jung and member Peter Martindale recently traveled to Hornepayne, officially accepting the transfer of a 2002 Holland Sur-Trac groomer under the OFSC’s Industrial Groomer Program. Jung drove the machine home, grooming all the way to open the trail to Longlac and Hornepayne.  The Sur-Trac, which became available when Hornepayne added a brand new Pisten Bully groomer to their own collection, will bring the Drifters’ fleet total to 3 machines serving the area as they have also signed a letter of intent to purchase the Trucker Sno Cat currently in their possession and the Marathon Sno-Kickers are acquiring a rebuilt Bombardier BR180 at the end of the season. 

The Sno-Drifters intend to offer a course for operators of the new machine as early as the beginning of next season.  Jung explained that the course will benefit new and experienced operators and that preference will be given to current and past operators while social or full membership in the snowmobile club will also prioritize acceptance in the course as it offsets costs of training. Finally, assisting with these costs will be the participants’ necessary commitment to providing volunteer hours in exchange for the free instruction.   

It has long been one of Jung’s goals to establish Manitouwadge as a Groomer Training Centre and he explained that procuration of the Sur-Trac continues progression towards creation of the centre as a variety of groomers are necessary in the establishment of the centre.  “The biggest hurdle is getting volunteers for all aspects of the course” said Jung. He and the executive have been quite adept at working through many ‘hurdles’ put before them in the past few years; in addition to expansion of their fleet of groomers, they have also been successful in working with the township in regards to re-routing local snowmobile routes, singing of hundreds of kilometers of trails this season in spite of minimal snowfall and just last summer, completion the Nama Creek double bridge project which, prior to their involvement, had been delayed with red tape and bureaucracy for the better part of a decade,  any obstacles remaining between the Sno-Drifters and realization of the training centre will certainly be overcome. 

It is becoming quite evident that membership in the Sno-Drifters represents much more than camaraderie and adventure on our local trail system; like many clubs within our community they are an integral part of the big picture in regards to diversifying economic growth. Persons interested in moving Manitouwadge towards a more prosperous future need only attend the club’s monthly meetings to learn of the many opportunities available to anyone, snowmobiler or not, interested in being at the forefront of changes.