THE IMPORTANCE OF WEARING PROPER SAFETY GEAR

SUBMITTED BY: Mike Keith

Accidents are always unexpected, and nobody likes to have one, especially when snowmobiling, or riding an ORV. These are my accounts and reminders on why wearing a simple piece of safety gear (TekVest) may lessen your injuries, and even save your life. After a 2014 snowmobile accident landed me in the ICU for seven days, and nearly 200 miles from home, the last thing I wanted to do was call my wife from the ambulance, but I had to.

Previous to owning a TekVest, I looked at others who had them, and mildy brushed them off as “Wanna-Be Racers” - Why would you need one of those on the trail? Unfortunately, I had to find out the hard way, and you should consider a TekVest for its race-tested soft-armor configuration. If you read TekVest’s specs, you’ll learn it’s made from special hand-laminated foam, and its Ultra High Molecular Weight panels deliver a lightweight, thin profile with eight times more cut resistance than HDPE (fancy talk for high density plastic).

I’ll attest the TekVest offers additional comfort over time as it molds to your body shape. On top of that, it provides excellent wind protection and insulation for your lower back and kidney areas during cold weather riding. You may even find yourself wearing different thickness base layers and/or outerwear (jacket) to increase your comfort and mobility.

The impact protection provided from a TekVest was visibly apparent when a friend of mine was wearing his. He encountered a downed tree across the trail causing him to roll his snowmobile over on its side to avoid it, but Jim’s body came to a stop after a 2-inch diameter branch from the tree pierced through the back of his coat, but the TekVest prevented the branch from piercing his body.

If we fast forward, I fell back into my bad habits this season, and more times than naught, I’ve logged more miles without my TekVest than with. During the last weekend of trail grooming in Michigan for 2023, one of my friends had an accident on his snowmobile, and like myself in 2014, found himself in the ICU with several reported injuries. After a phone call from Dan, I was relieved to hear he was wearing his TekVest, and he reassured me, had he not been wearing it, his injuries would have been far worse and possibly life-threatening, which was a stark wake-up call from God in my eyes to wear mine every ride.

Please don’t get complacent like I was about safety gear. If you don’t currently ride with a good helmet and torso protection, invest in your safety along with your family and friends. It’s worth it so you live to ride another day. I always remember what Video Mike says on Snowtrails TV, “ There is no centerline. The right side is mine.”

Whether snowmobile or ORV, Remember to Ride Right and save any alcohol consumption for after the ride.

MISORVA Board of Directors and Regions Map

District 1

Ernie Reimann 906-367-1566 erniereimann@gmail.com

Joe Chavis 906-284-1762 upchavis@hotmail.com

Mike Fik 906-288-3110 imstrech@msn.com

District 2

Don Britton 906-458-9594 brittonjd@charter.net

Keith Churill 906-202-3568 keithchurill@gmail.com

Keith Lynch 906-280-2193 upsesky@yahoo.com

Donna Cody 734-636-9295 snowmobiledonna@gmail.com

District 3

David Satchell 989-743-5612 catsatch@gmail.com

Roy Hart 989-370-3779 roylhart@yahoo.com

Rich Rottier 616-550-8201 richrottier@yahoo.com

Grant Dewitt 906-876-2388 grantinhulbert@yahoo.com

District 4

Ken McCrum 989-657-4168 kmccrum@charter.net

John Houk 989-306-2545 rjhouk@frontier.com

Kaye Houk 989-734-7359 kjh64@frontier.com

Andrea Eder 989-350-0208 lovemydaisy1019@yahoo.com

District 5

Gary Blaser 586-202-5452 blasergary@aol.com

Bob Bailey 248-840-2781 robertb814@gmail.com

Greg Ruppel 989-578-0784 gruppelsr@gmail.com

District 6

Pete Finch 231-884-9601 pete@coyotecrossingresort.com

District 7

Todd Maschke 989-551-3913 tmask2013@hotmail.com

Brian E Hicks 989-871-4767 bdhicks@tds.net

Nick Ferrante 248-756-0695 npferrante@gmail.com

Dan White 313-520-3828 drdirt800@msn.com

Devin Gardner 810-623-8709 deving751@gmail.com

District 8

Steve Veltman 231-246-0086 veltmanhardware@aol.com

Jim Berens 616-328-2621 fsr401@sbcglobal.net

Brad Beardsley 231-519-3723 sandmanbb1@yahoo.com

Mike Keith 231-750-4986 xcrkeith@gmail.com

District 9

Lee Palmer 574-286-7457 palmlee@yahoo.com

Jeff Mariucci 517-231-1624 jeffmariucci@gmail.com

David Low 616-550-2707 ddlow@att.net

Joshua Driscoll 616-218-5759 jserepair@gmail.com

Scott Matteson 269-760-0188 michsnowrider@gmail.com

Scott Beltman 616-292-1414 scottbeltman2@gmail.com

Todd Blanchard 847-910-3297 john.blanchard@equitable.com

MAY

8: Dirt / Grading Committee Meeting Zoom call, 7pm-8pm, more information on misorva.org Calendar of Events

10: ORV Advisory Workgroup Meeting, 1pm-3pm, In-person location TBD, more information on misorva.org Calendar of Events

13: MISORVA Board of Director Meeting, 10am-4pm, held in conjunction with Dirt Grooming Workshop at Ogemaw Hills Snowmobile Clubhouse. The workshop will be Thursday (11th) or Friday (12th) and the meeting will be on Saturday, May 13

15: Publication / Membership Committee Meetings Zoom call, 6:30pm – 7:30pm, more information on misorva.org Calendar of Events

JUNE

5: Legislative Committee Meeting, Zoom Call, 7pm-8pm, more information on misorva.org Calendar of Events

10-11: Free ORV Weekend - Twice a year, residents and out-ofstate visitors legally can use Michigan’s 4,000 miles of off-road vehicle trails and routes and the state’s six scramble areas (Bull Gap, Black Lake Scramble Area, Holly Oaks ORV Park, Silver Lake State Park, The Mounds and St. Helen’s Motorsport Area) without an ORV license or trail permit. All other ORV rules and laws still apply, and the Recreation Passport is required where applicable

This year’s free weekends take place June 10-11 and Aug. 19-20, 2023.

12: ORV Initiatives Committee Meeting, Zoom Call, 7pm-8pm, more information on misorva.org Calendar of Events

22: Snowmobile Advisory Workgroup Meeting, In-Person location TBD, 10am – 2pm, more information on misorva.org

Calendar of Events

27: MTAC Michigan Trails Advisory Council Meeting, In-Person location TBD, 1pm – 3pm, more information on misorva.org

Calendar of Events

July

3: Publication / Membership Committee Meetings Zoom call, 7pm – 8pm, more information on misorva.org Calendar of Events

10: Dirt / Grading Committee Meeting Zoom call, 7pm-8pm, more information on misorva.org Calendar of events

17: Publication / Membership Committee Meetings Zoom call, 6:30pm – 7:30pm, more information on misorva.org Calendar of Events

29: MISORVA Board of Director Meeting, 10am-4pm, In-Person meeting, location TBD, more information on misorva.org Calendar of Events

715-479-4200 Email: