MARCH 2018 VOLUME 26 ISSUE 5
IN THIS ISSUE: SPRING TIME RIDING GEAR AND INFORMATION - PAGE 6 PLAN TO TAKE A VACATION SNOWMOBILING - PAGE 16
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Cal Taylor, President
Chris Mazuran, Treasurer
1236 South 1800 West Syracuse, UT 84075 801-882-8659 president@snowut.com
1741 East Shane Cir. Sandy, UT 84092 801.815.5079 theskulljolly@gmail.com
David Klamm,
Jay Ombach, Executive Director
Vice President
765 East Center St. Bountiful, UT 84010 801.845.6932 dpklamm@yahoo.com
Russ Mangone, Secretary
2260 West 4805 South Taylorsville, UT 84129 801.969.7335 rumangone@gmail.com
2159 North 550 West Layton, UT 84041 801-825-1164 jayo@beacon-metals.com
Curt Kennedy, Director–Public Lands
302 South Maryfield Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84108 801-582-3882 ccklpk@gmail.com
Stacey Eddings, Snow Scoop Coordinator
2645 East 7800 South South Weber, UT 84405 801-510-7796 utahsnowscoop@yahoo.com
Gina Taylor, Awards
1236 South 1800 West Syracuse, UT 84075 calandgena@gmail.com
Chris Haller, State Parks Representative
P.O. Box 146001 Salt Lake City, UT 84114 801-349-0487 chrishaller@utah.gov
CLUB DIRECTORY Salt Lake Valley Snowmobile Club
Les Thompson, President 2760 N 1650 E Layton, UT 84040 801-771-8748 slvsnow@outlook.com
Davis County Snowmobile Club
Jon Lifferth, President 2622 West 900 North Layton, UT 84041 801.698.1341 liffejon@hotmail.com
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Golden Spike Snowmobile Association
Jeffery Eddings, President 2645 East 7800 South South Weber, UT 84405 801-510-7791 jefferyeddings@yahoo.com
USA BUSINESS MEMBERS Frank May Ski-Doo 6740 North Hwy. 38 (Honeyville) Brigham City, UT 84302 www.frankmayskidoo.com Brandin’ Iron Inn 201 N Canyon St. West Yellowstone, MT 59758
Utah State Parks 1594 W North Temple STE 116 Salt Lake City, UT 84116 www.stateparks.utah.gov Weller Recreation 936 W 200 S Kamas, UT 84036
Flying Saddle 118878 US Hwy 89 & 26 Alpine, WY 83128
FIND THE SNOWFLAKE INSIDE THIS ISSUE AND YOU COULD WIN! E-mail the location to utahsnowscoop@yahoo.com and you’ll be entered into a drawing. Must be a USA member to participate.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 SPRING TIME RIDING GEAR AND INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 PSAS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 POKER RUN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 WORLDS LARGEST SNOWMOBILE FUNDRAISING EVENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY WOODY’S!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 PLAN TO TAKE A VACATION SNOWMOBILING! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 GSSA NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER UPDATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 MARK MICHIE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
DISCLAIMER USA is Utah’s advocate for snowmobiling! As the voice of over 26,000 registered sled owners in Utah, the Snow Scoop is USA’s official publication. All contents of the Utah Snow Scoop are copyrighted and may not be reprinted without permission. Submitted articles and advertising do not necessarily represent the opinion of USA or the Utah Snow Scoop. The Utah Snow Scoop is not liable for any claims by those not of the same opinion. The Utah Snow Scoop welcomes articles, letters, pictures and advertisements. Please submit all material in electronic format by the respective issue due dates to the Snow Scoop Coordinator. Articles should be .doc files and advertisements should be .jpg, .tiff, .psd, .ai, or .pdf files.
ISSUE DEADLINE RELEASE DATE October September 25 October 9 November October 23 November 6 December November 20 December 4 Winter January 8 January 22 March February 26 March 12 The Utah Snow Scoop is owned and published by the Utah Snowmobile Association. The Snow Scoop coordinator is Stacey Eddings. She may be reached at: Utah Snow Scoop 2645 East 7800 South South Weber, UT 84405 801-510-7796 utahsnowscoop@yahoo.com For current Snow Scoop advertising rates, please click here or visit http://www.snowut.com/
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE by Cal Taylor
Winter is finally here! For those of us who have been patiently waiting, the snow is starting to stack up. The spring storms are typically ones where you need to go at the tail end of the storm and by the next day, the fresh snow now has a crust on the sun exposed surfaces. Just make sure to check out the avalanche forecast at utahavalanchecenter.org and for any other information such as grooming or trails log on to snowut.com. April is a great month because it’s my birthday. Also, we get to find out who will receive awards at our annual USA convention and awards ceremony. If you haven’t looked in a while the scholarship application along with all the other award applications have been updated on our website, but you will need to hurry it along as they are due April 1st 2018 and that’s no joke. We are looking forward to the annual Awards Banquet to be held near the end of April. The date and location are TBD but you can find up to date information on our Facebook page facebook. com/UtahSnowmobileAssociation/. This is also where you can connect with other USA members and see what the clubs are up too! Anyways, this banquet was a lot of fun last year, we had dutch oven spare ribs and all the fixings including peach cobbler to top things off. This is a re-election year and the opportunity to be a part of the board of directors is very rewarding and fulfilling way to get more involved. We have a good thing going and with that some new projects along with the other successful ones that are building steam. Our current board has worked incredibly hard and deserves the utmost respect. Please let them know they are appreciated for all they do.
Then in June I will be meeting with international leaders as we discuss and plan for the next several years as to how we can better implement our causes across the world and within our home states. This conference is called ISC or International Snowmobile Congress. This year it will be held in Nova Scotia, Canada.
The most important things our association does is to make sure snowmobiling in Utah is enjoyed by all who want to participate. I will be visiting
If there is ever anything that you feel would increase your enjoyment as you recreate in Utah’s back country, please contact me.
Washington D.C. at the end of April to meet with other representatives from all the other 22 snow states. We also get to hear from organizations like the forest service and the department of transportation to name a few. But the most important reason for going is to meet with all 6 of our state representatives from here in Utah. This is so crucial for snowmobiling in our state and with more and more people getting out on motorized snow vehicles such as snow bikes and UTV’s with track kits on them. More importantly, these vehicles are not registered as snowmobiles, so it’s even more important for these user groups to join the Utah Snowmobile Association so we can make sure we have one clear voice when we visit them.
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SPRING TIME RIDING GEAR AND INFORMATION Submitted by Travis Hancock-Assistant Manager, Yuba State Park
For snowmobile enthusiasts there are not 4 seasons in a year, there are only two. These two season are; snowmobile and all the other time that Mother Nature doesn’t give enough snow to make it on the mountain. That being said spring time brings some of the best opportunities for riding. Usually by this time we have a good base of snow which means that every foot of fresh snow is a winter wonderland to ride. A good base of snow means good traction and your sled is not going to dig a trench to the ground as often. Usually this means no more worries of hitting rocks and trees that are lurking underneath the snow. Hopefully, some of the dangers that come with riding at the first of the year are over. Winter months mean you have to get up early and be on the mountain or else you won’t have enough daylight to have a long enjoyable ride. It’s pretty hard to get off work and have enough time to get on the mountain before dark. As the days get longer there is more time to spend enjoying the new powder that the latest storm dropped. Spring also means temperatures are getting a bit warmer, not that snowmobilers want warm weather, but riding is a lot more fun when the temperature is in the high 20’s then when it closer to 0. With warmer temperatures, make sure you have the right gear. You don’t want to have so many layers that you sweat and get overheated while riding. On the other hand you need to make sure you have enough to keep warm, just in case one of those freezing blizzard arrives or worse yet you end up having to stay the night. Make sure to have plenty of water to stay hydrated and some good food or snacks. Emergency equipment is essential in making sure that should something bad happens one would be able to survive a night or even 2. I always carry an emergency kit with me. Yes, it adds weight to the sled that isn’t optimal but I would rather have some extra weight as opposed to freezing or starving on the mountain. Some of us can say it won’t happen however one never knows when your sled will break down or separated from the group. Spring is also one of the most dangerous times to ride. With the warming temperatures the snow is melting and freezing constantly. This means that avalanches can increase significantly, so be extremely careful where you choose to ride. In addition, make sure and check avalanche dangers, as it only takes a minute to review the forecast. Visit https://utahavalanchecenter.org/ or install the free app on your phone. Avoid areas where you can see evidence of mud slides or previous avalanches. Invest and always wear a good Avalanche Beacon; it will be your greatest asset if you or someone else gets caught in an avalanche. GET OUT THERE to enjoy the spring weather as it means an opportunity for riding as the season is slowly drawing to an end. You will never regret getting on the mountain and carving fresh powder or boon docking through a meadow. I have never heard someone complain because they spent too much time snowmobiling and you will regret not going when the sun is high. The complaints can come from those who don’t take the time when the conditions are right.
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AMERICAN COUNCIL OF SNOWMOBILE ASSOCIATIONS
National News February 2018
ACSA is the 501(C)3 Charitable Organization Protecting your Rights to Access Federal Lands
Daines submits
New York State Wins 2 Key Decisions for
legislation to remove 449,500 acres from
Snowmobiling in the Adirondacks!
Montana's Wilderness Study Areas Public lands and protections remain a hot topic in Washington D.C. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced legislation to remove 449,500 acres in Montana's Wilderness Study Areas. Daines describes the "Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act" as an effort to follow bottom-up requests from the state legislature and local communities. “40 years of D.C. paralysis has frozen our access and use of public lands. It’s time to keep public lands in public hands.” The WSAs included in Daines' proposed legislation are the same areas included in Rep. Kerry White (R) of Bozeman's House Joint Resolution 9 that passed 60-40 in the House and 33-17 in the Senate in 2017. HJ 9 asked the U.S. Congress to address Montana’s seven WSAs on National Forest System Lands. Daines has received support from the Montana Mining Association, Citizens for Balanced Use, Big Game Forever, Montana Snowmobile Association, Treasure State Resource Association, the Beaverhead County Commissioners, Ravalli County Commissioners, Judith Basin County Commissioners, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, Montana Snowmobile Association and The Capital Trail Vehicle Association, among others. How can you help? Write your legislators expressing support for these initiatives!
View of Gothic Peaks at Boreas Ponds in the Adirondacks (Photo Credit: Phil Brown/Adirondack Explorer)
An Albany judge has upheld the state’s construction of new snowmobile trails in the Adirondacks, which had been opposed by an environmental group. Acting state Supreme Court Justice Gerald W. Connolly issued a recent ruling that cutting the new trails would not violate the Forever Wild clause of the state Constitution that protects the Adirondack forest preserve from development, including timber cutting. Cutting the trees needed for snowmobile trails does "not constitute an improper use of the preserve which impairs the wild forest lands to an unconstitutional extent,” Connolly wrote. The approximately 36 miles of trails in question are known as “community connectors” that link the towns of Newcomb, Minerva and North Hudson. The entire system is slated for completion in 2020. Much of the trails are complete but construction on parts of the project were halted due to the lawsuit. In another contentious issue, the Adirondack Park Agency voted to approve a compromise in the Unit Management Plan for the Boreas Ponds Tract. The plan allows for parts to be classified as wilderness and parts as wild forest, which allows continued motorized use to connect communities via trail!
ACSA Media Center In case you're not aware, ACSA has established a Media Center where articles, videos, and posters can be found for a wide variety of topics. These tools and resources for your use..at no cost..and many can be personalized by adding the State Association or Club. There is still lots of winter left...which means there is time to get positive messages out. Many of these messages address issues and challenges that we are dealing with, from drinking and riding to trespassing to safe riding. If there are challenges and issues that are not addressed, please contact the ACSA office. We will do our best to continue to add to these tools and resources. Media Center: http://snowmobilers.org/acsa-media.aspx
Support snowmobiling and enter chance to win monthly prizes! Love snowmobiling? Love the
Want to know more about ACSA? Go to www.snomwobilers.org - Facebook.com/AmericanCouncilofSnowmobileAssociations - www.snowmobileinfo.org
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Follow us on Instagram at ACSA_snowmobiling and on Twitter @ACSA_snowmobile
PSAS It's cold and snowing....and the trails and riding area are open! There is still a lot of winter left -- and time to get the positive messages out! The following are PSAs that were recently developed, as well as other readily available resources and tools. Please distribute these to your clubs and members. The more these are distributed, hopefully the better for organized snowmobiling. Below are links to each of the PSAs on YouTube, hosted under ACSA's account.
Audio PSAs
Don’t Drink and Ride This 30 second audio PSA reminds riders that alcohol consumption lowers cognitive functions such as vision, balance and reaction time, which are imperative to the operation of a snowmobile. •• https://youtu.be/-nvyOPFiTyo Speed Kills This 30 second radio spot) reminds riders that no matter how familiar the trail, or how thrilling the experience, excessive speed can severely reduce your control and limit your ability to react to unforeseen obstacles. •• https://youtu.be/63kZx-FVd0A
Video PSA
It’s Simple. Slow Down. Think. Don’t Drink and Ride. Snowmobiling public service announcement focusing on the dangers of snowmobiling and drinking. https://youtu.be/ClRqbnGJ88k
•• Snowmobilers.org: http://www.snowmobilers. org/public-service-announcements.aspx •• Snowmobileinfo.org: http://www. snowmobileinfo.org/snowmobiling-safetyeducation-tools.aspx •• Snowmobile.org: http://www.snowmobile.org/ snowmobile-videos.html http://www.snowmobile.org/snowmobile-radiopsas.html
Here are some other resources that are readily available.
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POKER RUN The 2018 USA Poker Run on January 27 was a huge success! Over 50 riders took off from the Strawberry Marina on a very cold, we had minus 4 degrees when we arrived, blue bird morning. We had a fresh foot of snow just a few days before the ride so the conditions were very good considering it’s a really low snow pack year. Hot dogs, hot chocolate and clam chowder were provide at the poker stops. At the awards ceremony $650 in cash and many prizes were won by a very enthusiastic group followed with a delicious prime rib dinner. Thank you to all the clubs who worked very hard to make this a success. Also, a huge thank you to all of our wonderful vendors who provided highly sought after prizes. your GSSA Ambassador…………..Bruce G.
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WORLDS LARGEST SNOWMOBILE FUNDRAISING EVENT In June 1999 Greg Sorenson (me) and Randy Bannor were sitting in Randy’s garage sipping an ice cold Windsor. Because we enjoy long distance multiday rides, we were contemplating our next ride. We had heard of a ride around Lake Superior and decided that would be our next conquest. We would be joined by Randy’s dad, Larry and his lifelong friend, Dennis Nelson, from Austin, MN. We decided if we are doing a ride of this magnitude we should raise money for a good cause. We knew a young snowmobiler that had ALS or Lou Gehrigs disease. We decided raising money for ALS would be our goal. At that time I knew nothing about ALS, but did some research and learned most patients live an average of 3-5 years. It is always terminal. ALS-MN heard of our adventure and also got involved. We planned to start our ride the end of January. Over the next few months my dad and I discussed the ride many times. Five days before the ride he stopped by for one of his frequent visits. After normal small talk, he broke the devastating news to me that he had been diagnosed with ALS. The ride suddenly took on a whole new urgency. I wished he had waited until after the ride to tell me, I had too much time to think when riding that many hours a day. Its hard to ride with tears in your eyes. Sadly he passed in 2005. That first year we were delighted to raise $15,000. We met so many generous people before, during and after our ride. One of the cabins where we stayed had a breakfast for us in their small lodge. When it came time to cash out, they said we owed them nothing and presented a $250 check for our cause. Generosity like this happened often.
When we were traveling from Marathon to Thunder Bay, we rode 60 miles in a track a groomer with no drag had recently made. A few hours into our ride we could see headlights several miles down the power lines. Finally we met two riders, they stopped us and jumped off their sleds to run up and shake our hands and hug us. They were so excited to meet the guys that were riding around the lake. Everyone we met knew what we were doing and were always supportive. We had a few memorable moments; one being the day we rode across Michigan in pouring rain. The trails had 4 inches of water on them. We learned leather bibs were not good in the rain. Larry and I rode in wet bibs for 3 days! One day we rode 12
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hours, another day 15. Riding loses it’s luster after that many hours in the saddle. On the 4th day I stopped to warn the others of a deep ditch. As I stepped on the running board to turn to look back, the sled tipped onto me. I felt a slight pop in my knee. It swelled up and hurt a bit when walking. After two weeks of not feeling better, I went to the Doctor to find out it was broken. After 10 days and 2,015 miles, my knee and a frozen shock were our only issues. Because of the interest, in 2000 we started a 360 mile, 3-day ride. We ride from Proctor to Tower the first day, Tower to Two Harbors the second day and Two Harbors back to Proctor on day three. That evening we have a banquet including a silent and live auction and a raffle. In 2017, 205 riders raised an amazing $1.14 Million! To date we have raised an incredible $9 Million to support ALS patients and to fund research to find a cure. If you are interested in donating to the event you can do so by simply going to: http://WWW.blackwoodsblizzardtour.com click the red DONATE box. Type Greg Sorenson in the perform a search box, click search, click donate now, and make your pledge. Please make your donation by February 6th. Thanks to those who purchased raffle tickets at ISC. If you are interested in joining us or need additional information, please contact me. Guaranteed fun! Thank You For Your Support, Greg Sorenson, Minnsnoman@aol.com
HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY WOODY’S! Woody’s, a very familiar company to snowmobilers, is about to embark on their 50th Anniversary. Woodys remains a family owned company in Michigan and is under the second generation of Musselman leadership. Founded by James Musselman and his partner, Woody Kozlow, Woody’s is now led by Robert and Mark Musselman. Woody’s, is the trademarked name of International Engineering & Manufacturing’s private label traction devices. These devices have been used around the world on snowmobiles and off-road vehicles.
make the outing fun, by offering unique prizes, holding a silent auction as well as several other fun fundraising events at the outing. The Charity Gold Outing is concluded with a dinner, most often having a special guest speaker, a breast cancer survivor and past recipient of a PRR gift card. Hats off to Woody’s from turning the part-time business into an international corporation and supporting charities that help their community and their consumers – snowmobilers! Thanks for all you do for organized snowmobiling! Happy Anniversary!!
Long known by the snowmobile community, from ACSA to state snowmobile associations to clubs, Woody’s has always supported the grassroots of snowmobiling. They are regular contributors to fundraisers that support snowmobilers, donating products to benefit raffles and silent auctions. Giving back to the community is a core belief that is shared by the employees of Woody’s. They believe in goodwill and take personal pride in their efforts. Because of their beliefs, they wanted to find a way to help their customers and the snowmobile community. After research, they chose Pink Ribbon Riders (PRR) as their charity of choice. PRR supports men and women in their fight with breast cancer. There have been many recipients throughout the year thru PRR. The recipients receive VISA cards that can be used on anything from medical supplies to gas and parking – all charges that are incurred and not covered by insurance. The program assures complete confidentiality for all applicants.
Snowmobilers at the Golf Outing
Woody’s hosted the 8th Annual Charity Golf Outing in August 2017. Their first outing resulted in a contribution of almost $4,500 and doubled the second year. They have contributed over $75,000 over the last 7 years – and contributed nearly an additional $14,000 this year. The employees show their beliefs by donating their personal time at the golf outing each year. Also involved in the Charity Golf Outing are distributors, vendors, and snowmobile racers. They strive to
Rob and Mark Musselman
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Find your recipe for adventure at:
FRANK MAY SKI-DOO 6980 North 3600 West Honeyville, UT 435.279.8421 frankmayskidoo.com
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!
Jeff Eddings, President, GSSA
The Utah Snowmobile Association would like to express their gratitude to the following sponsors of our 3rd Annual Poker Run Fundraiser. The event raised over $4,000 for the association and this couldn’t have been accomplished without their generous donations. Make sure to express your gratitude towards them the next time you find yourself patronizing their businesses. •• Strawberry Bay Marina and Lodge •• AD Triple S Motorsports •• Daniel’s Summit Lodge •• South Valley Motorsports •• Red Robin •• Island Park Cabin and Lodges •• Brandin’ Iron Inn •• Box Y Lodge •• Klim •• Motorfist •• Hayhurst Bed and Breakfast •• Davis Technical College •• Volgloves •• Solitude Ski Resort •• Ruby’s Inn •• Three Bears Lodge •• Wasatch trailer •• Club Rec •• Matco Tools •• Buttar’s tractor •• Frank May Ski-Doo
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PLAN TO TAKE A VACATION SNOWMOBILING! Ed Klim, ISMA President
HASLETT, MI, February 8, 2018: I recently attended a Tourism planning event and learned that Americans love to take vacations and they say vacations are important to them – and yet more than 54% of all United States employees with vacation time leave a considerable amount of their vacation time unused! As a matter of fact, up to 25% of the employees interviewed, reported that they did not take even half of their allowed time off. These unused vacation days carry a significant economic impact and since individuals don’t recreate enough in the United States, it impacts on their productivity, creativity, and can damage an employee’s personal well-being and relationships with family and friends. Knowing all of the above, why not use some of your vacation time to take a snowmobiling vacation? Throughout the winter, I often snowmobile on the weekends – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when most people are out riding. Once in a while I am able to take somebody snowmobiling on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday – mid-week – and what an enjoyable time it is! The trails and riding areas are much less crowded and I can easily get a seat at my favorite restaurant for breakfast in the morning. In our culture, we have hyper connectivity which Sociologists call ‘work martyrdom.’ Individuals who take their vacation time off, have greater happiness at work and at home. Individuals who take their time off to go snowmobiling have even more fun and help support a great outdoor recreation activity that supports rural America. The key to taking vacation time, according to the experts, is to plan for it. Studies show that 75% of the people who plan a vacation actually take it!! The most effective remedy for us who want to use our vacation days is to plan for them. People who plan their vacation tend to take longer vacations and enjoy themselves more while people who do not plan for vacations take significantly fewer days – from 0 days to 3 days at the maximum. I would recommend that many of us consider going on a 5 to 7 day snowmobile vacation. There are some great trails and riding areas out there, and it makes sense to me to bring some family and friends along to build memories. Rather than pack in a short vacation where you are tired at the end, enjoy a longer vacation and do things in a more relaxed fashion so you are mentally and physically rested and rejuvenated for when you return to work. At the Tourism seminar I learned that most bosses support individuals who take their vacations. The boss knows when you take a vacation you come back happier and you are more efficient while you are working. For the rest of this snowmobiling season and for next season, it’s important that we all try to change our habits and take a few additional days off for snowmobiling! You can start by reviewing your calendar and put down some definite dates to take that snowmobile vacation. Holidays are a great time of year for snowmobiling and it should be relatively easy to take an extra day before or after the holiday to take a longer snowmobiling vacation. It is never too early to start planning your next snowmobile vacation. Block some days on your calendar and plan to go snowmobiling. As many of us know, there is not snow everywhere, but certainly snow can be readily available after a short drive.
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GSSA NEWS by Debbie Hudman
While everyone is complaining about the lack of snow, GSSA members have found more snow to get stuck and have trouble in than I can report. I have been in tropical climates but our Ambassador, Bruce, sends regular reports and pictures. I don’t think I have ever seen so many underneath sides of sleds, sleds on their sides, or just barely more than handlebars showing knowing a sled was buried. And the underbellies aren’t from a good photo op of a jump (although he did have a couple of those too). The guys have found great powder and lost track of who got stuck the most. Seven of our club members went to Sutton’s Cabin near Liberty, Idaho, over the Martin Luther King holiday. They had clear skies and lots of snow. They found 3-4 feet of untouched powder just a few miles from the cabin. The second day the girls stayed behind, and President Jeff led the group into what Bruce described as “tight unused trails” where they had to do bush whacking. Guess they had to use saws to cut down lots of tree limbs. After having to do that last year, I’d have thought Jeff would have strapped a chain saw to the back of his sled. They did have a great ride even though trees grabbed them, and a tree stump sent one rider over his handlebars. The last day Jeff and Bruce had a very eventful day of “tight and tree laden trails.” Though they had adventures, they were both smiling at the end of the day because they survived another GSSA event.
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Jeff and Stacey always do a fabulous job planning fun events and I heard the meals were delicious— thanks Stacey! Several of us enjoyed the USA Poker Run at Strawberry. It was a cold morning, in the negatives to start, but it was a beautiful day. There was not a lot of snow pack but those who looked hard enough found good snow. Four of us gals rode together with my son, Cory Hudman, chaperoning us from high above. We always knew he was there if we needed him. Lisa, Cindy, Marsha and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Thanks for supporting us Cory! The stops were fun, hot dogs, soup, cookies and hot cocoa were refreshing, and we enjoyed visiting with members of other clubs. Found several of our guys at the tasty prime rib dinner and they had a fun day too. A very successful event and a big THANK YOU to USA and the vendors for all their hard work. Other rides by Club members have shown more sled underbellies and deep snow (many with a sled buried in it). The guys have found unfamiliar territory and deep snow. They may never be content riding with us novices again. But they’ll have less digging and less expenses of repairing sleds if they slow down for us. Almost scares us wondering where they’ll take us for our Club Poker Run next week. This article is due before the ride so all we can do is wish for the best—and hope they want pictures of beautiful sleds riding smoothly over fresh power and not tumbling down mountainsides. Best wishes for a last few safe rides and an enjoyable summer. Here’s hoping for an even better snow year next year—hope you made the best of what we had and had a fun and safe season.
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UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER UPDATE We also continued the loaner sled program through our solid partnerships with Tri-City Performance/ Polaris and Weller’s Recreation/Ski-Doo. In addition, this year we secured a snowbike with the great support from Morgan Valley Polaris and Timbersled. We are grateful for all these amazing community partnerships because the sleds and bike allow us to see more terrain, interface with a variety of user groups, and ultimately saving lives by issuing more accurate forecasts.
The winter that wasn’t turned into a super productive season for the Utah Avalanche Center.
There’s still plenty of winter left and we look forward to seeing y’all on the mountain.
First, with very generous support from USA, we kicked off our annual Boondockers fundraiser… this year at the Depot. It was a tremendous success and we’re already planning for next years gig, which will coincide with the fall Snowmobile Show.
Next… the 10th annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop held a special, motorized specific morning breakout season attended by nearly 100 sledders. The morning session focused on avalanche issues from a motorized perspective. We plan to offer the same workshop next year on Saturday October 27th and plan to update our website www. utahavalanchecenter.org with details.
And finally, we partnered with the Backcountry Institute, a motorize based avy education organization, to provide more specific avalanche awareness field days for sledders. Even though the lack of snow deterred our usual standing room only attendance, we none-the-less offered several classes statewide and look forward to ramping up for even more outreach next season.
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MARK MICHIE Sadly, Mark Michie from the Davis County Snowmobile Club passed away on February 15th. Mark was a member of the Davis County Snowmobile Club and was very influential in the Utah Snowmobile Association. He has been involved with snowmobiling at the state and national levels for many years. Rest in peace Mark. Obituary below: Mark Lowell Michie (79) passed away peacefully in his home Feb 15, 2018 following a brief battle with Glioblastoma. Mark was born to Monroe Michie and Delsa Jane Hardman in Orem Utah, Feb 26, 1938. He grew up in Hanna Utah. He had 4 Siblings Coy Harmon, Rex, Evan & Allan Michie. He graduated from Tabiona High School, Duchesne County Utah. He attended BYU, Dixie College, and Central Utah Vocational School in Provo. He met his sweetheart, Lorna Kaye Labrum, while working in Roosevelt, Utah. They dated for a short time and were married in the Salt Lake City Temple on his 21st Birthday Feb 26th, 1959. Together, they quickly started a family Karey, and Mark (Mick) came while living in Layton, Utah. They were lucky enough to be able to buy a house and moved to Clinton, Utah, Kris, and Marshall came while there. He dreamed of having enough property for his kids to roam like he had been able to do as a kid. In 1966, they were able to buy property in Fruit Heights; they built a house and moved there in 1967. This is where they raised their family and had enough space to grow fruit, raise horses and other livestock. In 1969 he started his own business (KM Manufacturing) adjacent to his home. This allowed him to stay close to the things he loved most, and allowed him to spend more time raising his family while instilling his ethics and values though service and hard work. Mark and Kaye had endless concern for the others, and would help out whenever they could. They did not want recognition; just a thank you was more than enough. They generously opened their home to any family or friend that needed a place to stay. They chose to help people in other countries with donations and through Davis High School they learned about and became affiliated with exchange students from the United States and abroad, in 1979 Mary Lane Keenan (New York) became a part of the family for 6 months and in 1980 Carlos Ruiz (Costa Rica) lived with them for a full year, both are loved and considered family. This generosity was about life lessons and a gift of learning and service to the whole family. Mark was always teaching through service and example. Mark was born and raised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as Scoutmaster, Varsity Coach, and gospel doctrine teacher, also in the Bishopric, High Priest Group Leadership, Elders Quorum Presidency and as a primary teacher. Mark and Kaye served a Church Service Mission. Mark was involved and served for about 45 years in the scouting program. He has been awarded the Scouting Award of Merit and Silver Beaver. He was also a member of the Order of the Arrow. As District Advancement Commissioner he awarded many boys their Eagle Scout Award. He was very patriotic, he was thrilled to live in a country full of freedom to choose the right and be anything we desired. He respected our nation’s flag and displayed it with honor at his home. He also took pride in sharing flags up and down the street on all holidays.
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He served his community on the City Council, Building Commission, Davis County Co-Op, and on the DATC Advisory Committee. He was honored as an Un-sung Hero by Fruit Heights City. Mark was a history and geography buff, more than anything, he enjoyed just going and seeing what was out there. He enjoyed seeing the beautiful world. Even in his final days he just wanted to go for a ride and see where the road would take him. Many friends or family member would call and with just a brief notice they would be off, whether there was a need for some type of rescue or just a sight seeing trip it never took much to get him to go with you and it didn’t matter where the trip would take you. He would go by horse, snowmobile, motorcycle or truck. He had a love of the outdoors and travel; he loved sharing them with family, friends, and neighbors, with many trips throughout the years. He loved the Uintah Basin, the area he grew up in, and always enjoyed going back there and seeing the area. His memory was exceptional, he could tell the things about about the history of the area. He was an avid snowmobiler, he shared this passion by co-founding a snowmobile club, Snowflakes Snowmobile Club, He later served as the President of the Utah Snowmobile Association, and he helped with educating the public about issues and creating legislation to keep public lands accessible. He is survived by His wife Kaye Michie; His Sister Coy (Phil) Harmon, of Rigby, ID; His children; Karey (Jim) Abel, of Tremonton, UT, and Mick (Carolyn), Moroni, UT; Kris (Michael) Bahr, of Enoch, UT; and Marshall (Sharilynn) Michie, of Kaysville, UT; and 18 grandchildren, and 30 great grandchildren. A Viewing will be held Friday Feb 23rd from 6 to 8pm at Russon Mortuary (Farmington, Ut). The Funeral Service will be held on Saturday Feb 24th at 11:00 am in the Country Lane Chapel, viewing from 9:3010:30 am prior to the Service. Interment will be in the Kaysville City Cemetery. Mark has requested in Lieu of Flowers, go spend an evening out with your families and have some fun. He was preceded in death by his Parents, Brothers Rex, Evan, Alan and one great granddaughter Felicity Michie.
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