Members of the David Thompson Snow Riders snowmobiling club have marked out their riding trail with the aim of opening it this weekend (Dec. 13).
Preparations are being completed on the 30-mile loop, which spans an area encompassing Sylvan Lake, Eckville and Bentley.
The two-way trail will offer a safe track for snowmobilers to travel on, and keep them from inadvertently trespassing on someone’s land or venturing into dangerous territory, according to club president Clint Bromling.
“We have permission to have our trail where it is, but anywhere else on people’s land is trespassing,” he said.
Bromling said the trail is obstacle-free, meaning riders won’t run the risk of hitting fences, trees or anything else with the potential to cause injuries.
That’s just one of the many reasons to stay on the trail, he explained.
“If you go off the trail, you might hit a fence or a rock or whatever somebody has on their land out there which is hidden under the snow,” he said.
Trespassing, he added, can cause bigger issues such as the club having to create a new riding trail for future seasons — landowners may refuse permission for riders to use their land.
“If people are snowmobiling where they are not supposed to, landowners won’t sign up the next year to give us permission to have our trail, and eventually we will lose it,” said Bromling. “It only takes a few to ruin it for everyone else.”
An Alberta Snowmobile Association trail pass is required to ride the Snow Riders trail. That same pass also enables riders to access trails all across the province.