Another great season comes to an end for the KSA
Spring has arrived in the Yukon, and with that comes the last days of snowmobiling season. And what a good season it was!
The 2022/23 snowmobiling season got off to a slow start, with limited snowfall early in the season; however, the snow did eventually come—and fun was had by many snowmobilers, young and old. It was great to see so many Yukoners and visitors, alike, enjoying everything that a wonderful Yukon winter has to offer.
With winter coming to an end, we’d like to remind anyone getting out for a last go at snowmobiling to please ride safely. Snow conditions change fast in this weather and can quickly alternate between hard, slippery snow and soft, heavy snow. Ice gets thin, as our waterways begin to wake up and, up in the mountains, avalanches are most definitely a concern. Go with people who know, and be safe out there!
When you park your sleds for the season, it’s a good idea to properly prepare them for summer. Riding gear should be brought inside, unpacked, cleaned, inspected and either properly stored or repurposed for summer activities.
Snowmobiles are best stored in a safe out-of-the-way place with some kind of cover to keep the weather and the sun off. Your paint will look better and your seat will thank you later. Keeping the tracks off the ground and out of the mud will also help. Adding some fuel stabilizer to your gas tank, and carefully following the instructions for it, can make for a much easier start next season, and any extra fuel jugs you have are probably best used in something else and replenished with fresh gas, come fall. If your snowmobile could use any parts or servicing, now is a great time to order what you need. That way it will arrive well before riding season, and you can do your maintenance over the summer and not waste any sledding time (or freeze your fingers!).
As snow machines get parked for the season, we must say it was also great to see so many people supporting the volunteers that maintain the Yukon’s multi-use trail networks and who worked to protect and promote snowmobiling opportunities in the Yukon this season.
This year, Klondike Snowmobile Association volunteers spent hundreds of hours grooming and maintaining multi-use trails for you, and they were supported by a record number of members. We truly appreciate the continued support from the well over 1,100 individual members and 30-plus corporate sponsors. Without you, our volunteers could never do what we do.
Looking to the future, our volunteers are already getting excited for the next snowmobiling season. Our new groomers should be ready for action once the snow returns (a HUGE Thank You! to Yukon Honda and the Community Development Fund for the help on that one), and we are also planning to host more group snowmobile rides. We’d like to hear from you with some ideas for where and when to go on group snowmobile rides next season, so please do contact us with your ideas. In the meantime, we are also planning some much-needed summer trail work, and extra volunteers are always needed. More information on all of this will be posted on our website at ksa.yk.ca, which will continue to be updated year-round.
Thank you, everyone, for another great winter!
