Following the precautionary measures in place for COVID-19, we regret to inform you that the 2021 Sneak Peek Show in Kanata has been cancelled.
Thank you for your understanding.
Stay healthy!
Call for nominations: Volunteers of the year
Fellow club members. As I’m sure you are well aware, organized snowmobiling in Ontario is largely dependent on volunteers. This is certainly true in your West Carleton Club. Many volunteers work tirelessly, without recognition.
While we must be thankful for all volunteers, we have a tradition of highlighting some of the truly outstanding volunteers in the club. The Board of Directors will select one such volunteer in each of the following categories. What we need from you, our members, are nominations for each of the categories. Please write a few lines of what the volunteer has done and why you think they are most deserving of the honor and forward to treasurer@wcstai.com by Saturday March 14. This will give the Board enough time to vote and arrange for prizes to be awarded at the landowner dinner later this month. The categories are:
WC Volunteer of the Year
WC Family of the Year
WC Safe Snowmobiling Ambassador
WC Outstanding Snowmobile Promotion
WC Rookie Volunteer of the Year
Thank you for your input and I look forward to seeing many of you at the dinner on Saturday, March 28.
West Carleton trails are now closed. Thanks to our Landowners, Volunteers and Permit Buyers.
Wow. What a fantastic season it has been!
Snowmobilers are being warned to stay off of West Carleton Snowmobile Club (WCSTA) OFSC Prescribed snowmobile trails effective immediately as the snowmobile season has come to an end. These trails are now reported as “Unavailable” (Red) on the OFSC Interactive Trail Guide, and WCSTA have stopped regular grooming operations and signs and stakes are being removed and gates and fences closed. Snowmobilers are also advised that rapidly deteriorating snow and ice conditions due to spring thaw make snowmobiling extremely hazardous on closed trails. In our area, roads and road crossings are now generally bare and the ice on all waterways is melted, melting or unstable.
The public is also reminded that an OFSC snowmobile trail on private land reported as “Unavailable” means that access to that trail is also prohibited for any other users or persons for all other seasons, without the specific prior permission of the landowner. On behalf of our club and volunteers, we want to thank all of the landowners who have generously allowed the use of their property for an OFSC snowmobile trail this winter. We also appreciate the support of the many snowmobilers who bought trail permits to help pay their share of the cost of trail operations for the past season.
A very special thanks is also extended to all of the club volunteers who donated their services to assist local clubs in providing a successful season of snowmobiling. Although the winter is over, snowmobiling has become a year round business, so many volunteers will start immediately to plan and prepare for next winter.
Planning for Next Year
WCSTA is actively looking to fill a number of roles within the West Carleton club. We are looking for people to work with the Board of Directors to assist with the delivery of our required programs and to develop Club initiatives. We are increasing our efforts to identify and coordinate our volunteers, one of our most valuable resources.
If you would like to volunteer to keep your Club strong, and our trails first rate please fill in the Volunteer Contact form on our Volunteering web page. We will put together groups of people to help repair and maintain trails this spring and summer, as well as prepare for the 2020-2021 season. In order to remain strong, your Club needs more involvement from its members. In return, we are also focusing on member engagement in a fun way and hope to have a number of activities and get togethers next season for everyone.
So, if you can help us, and this will help you, please let us know.
The Board of Directors thanks you for a fun and accident free season. See you on the trails next winter. Remember to buy your permit in WCSTA.
WCSTAI trail side BBQ on Feb. 16
We’ve had a great trail side BBQ on Feb. 18. Beautiful weather, smooth trails and friendly smiles all around!
Thank you so much to all the volunteers involved with the club, your hard work makes these events possible!
Join us for specials on food at our sponsors!
The Prior is blocked (temporarily) & Bridges is closed.
We got you covered!
The Marshes Golf Club – Ridge Rock Brewing Co. – PJs Arnprior
Marshes Golf Club:
Wednesday Wing Night at Ironstone Grill. The special will be available from 2-9pm each Wednesday through the sledding season. A new opportunity for riders to stop in for a bite, relax in front of a warm fireplace, they offer discounted drink specials as well.
Ridge Rock Brewing Co.:
Monday Night, half price wings; cold Ridge Rock draught. Try the new trail into Carp. Do some drifting around the corn fields (please stay off the tracks!)
PJs Arnprior:
Thursday Night, half price wings. After 4:00. Whitewater Beer! Also a great place for breakfast.
Web publishers’ note: We apologize for this notice making it’s way slowly to the web site. While some of the content here is a week old we feel it is still important to share it on the site.
From your Vice-President, Feb. 7, 2020:
We have now received approval from the City of Ottawa to open all trails in our Club that are on City property. We are opening a number of trails to YELLOW on the ITG today so go to the OFSC website and see what is open. Our groomers are going to be out day and night so be cautious on the trails.
With the new snow it is important that everyone stay between the pickets – stay on the trails – and respect our land owners.
As I said last night, it has been very difficult getting agreement on some snowmobiling issues during our discussions. Your individual riding habits are the greatest risk to all snowmobile Clubs losing access to Insurance and trails across Ontario. We as Club Members and snowmobilers must contribute to keeping our trails open. This means slow down in built up areas. No loud starts in built up areas and around houses. Respect other trail users. Stay on the trail.
Our future negotiations with land owners, municipalities, insurance companies and others now depends on each and every one of our behavior on the trails.
We appreciate your patience while we worked to open our trails. Enjoy the rest of the winter. Now you can spend money on gas.
Paul McDonald, Vice President
Web publishers’ note: We apologize for this notice making it’s way slowly to the web site. While some of the content here is a week old we feel it is still important to share it on the site.
From your Vice-President, Feb. 6, 2020:
We are very close to opening our trails. Today we reached agreement with the City of Ottawa, the OFSC and the Insurance providers on the terms of our Licence of Occupation with the City of Ottawa and Insurance for trails on City of Ottawa property. We will hear in the morning about receiving our Certificate of Insurance and then we can open trails in the City of Ottawa that are packed and ready to go. We will put trails on the Interactive Trail Guide as they are opened. Stay tuned for an announcement tomorrow morning.
It has been very difficult getting agreement on some snowmobiling issues during our discussions. Your individual riding habits are the greatest risk to all snowmobile Clubs loosing access to Insurance and trails across Ontario. We as Club Members and snowmobilers must contribute to keeping our trails open. This means slow down in built up areas. No loud starts in built up areas and around houses. Respect other trail users. Stay on the trail.
Our future negotiations with land owners, municipalities, insurance companies and others now depends on each and everyone of our behavior on the trails.
Let it snow and enjoy your trails. Your Board of Directors and volunteers have worked very hard to get your trails open. Lets keep them open.
More to report tomorrow.
Paul McDonald, Vice President
Congratulations to Doug Fisher!
Winner of the 2020 Anniversary Indy 850 Patriot Adventure.
Congratulations to Polaris for 40 years of Indy! And thank you for your incredible support of West Carleton Snowmobile Trails; including the World’s Longest Snowmobile Bridge (set to open next season if someone fixes the insurance)
Thanks to Blacks Corners Motorsports for their continuous generous support of snowmobiling in our area. Thank you Brad and Steve (pictured beside Doug Fisher).
What an incredible snowmobile. The computer gauge & Integral GPS looks amazing…..like a rocket ship. Love the retro graphics (just like your first Indy?)
And luckily Doug has a nice big trailer, so there will be no problem getting to all of the amazing trails that are open. Next year we will raffle off a Blacks Corners Trailer.
Volunteers with your District and Clubs are working hard to get more trails open. Personally, I’m killing time doing a snow dance. We are expecting good thing happening very soon! In the meantime, show support for our sponsors like Blacks Corners, pick up a new trail guide, and throw those sleds in the truck/trailer for some sledding. Check your ITG.
Thanks to all the people who supported West Carleton Trails with our big fundraising raffle. Thanks to Doug Fisher. And thank you again, Polaris Industries Canada, and Blacks Corners Motorsports (Home of Polaris Indy) in Carleton Place.
2019-2020 WCSTAI Trail Guide now available
New West Carleton Snowmobile Trail Maps are available at the following locations.
Thank you to all of our sponsors who make snowmobiling in West Carleton an awesome experience.
| Constance Bay | The Point The Lighthouse The Legion |
| Dunrobin | Nicholls Gas |
| Pakenham | Centenial Restaurant Karson’s Gas Scheel’s Butcher Shop |
| Carp | RidgeRock Brewery Pride Marine Yamaha Carp Shell (March/417) |
| Carleton Place | Blacks Corners Motorsports Polaris CP Marine Yamaha Pioneer Gas Hwy 7 (Tims) |
| Calabogie | Urban Powersports Yamaha Redneck Bistro Charbaneaus Gas Bogie Gas Ultramart |
| Fitzroy | Harbour Pizza and Store |
| Kinburn | Darvesh Corner Store Gas Kinburn Community Centre (rink side) |
You may have seen Steve Burgess’s recent post and the lack of volunteers to open and maintain our trails. Not one of our Members (read YOU) showed up. There was a comment from one Club Member that we did not contact him. Also, another comment that not everyone sits around and reads Facebook.
There is a fact that: too much is being done by too few for too many Club Members who like to ride but do not want to help. I also know that a number of Members have offered to help but we do not contact them.
We are in desperate need of a Volunteer with some social media skills who likes to talk to people to work with the Board and coordinate those people who have offered to help. Facebook is not working. We need fresh ideas as to how to make our Club a community where people want to be involved. This goes beyond trail maintenance to other fun events we can hold to involve our Members.
If you can help, please contact me directly. Email me at paulmcdonald@magma.ca or call me at 613-832-2362. I like to talk to people. Do not message me. Facebook or whatever it is does not work.
As Steve Burgess points out the people who are currently maintaining your trails are getting tired (read fed up). We opened the trails and we cleaned up after the last storm. Who is going to clean up after the heavy snow we just received. Maybe no one!!
A good start is for someone to work with the Board to develop an effective communication plan. Then we can ask for help when we need it from those few other Members who have offered to help. Would one of you please volunteer to take this on? Bring a friend and make it an enjoyable part of being a Member of YOUR snowmobile club.
If you know someone and they do not follow us on our website or Facebook please pass this on.
Paul McDonald, Vice President and Volunteer