Fall/Winter 2022
FEATURING
Sledding in the snow for a half-century
This fall and winter, go chasing waterfalls
Sledding in the snow for a half-century
TheKamloops Snowmobile Association operates in partner ship with Rec Sites and Trails BC and the British Columbia Snowmobile Federation.
The KSA grooms in two riding areas close to Kamloops. The trails serve as either rideable loops or access points into off-trail boondocking and sub-alpine low-slope ter rain exploration.
The club operates a BR 180 snow cat with a custom drag behind it and a Ski-Doo Skandic with a miniature clone of the large drag. The two pieces make up the major ity of weekly grooming operations, with a few smaller drags used behind volunteers’ snowmobiles occasionally across the sea son.
The KSA maintains a fleet of small tools and equipment to clear and brush the trails for rider safety. Annual membership ranges from 350 to 400 people from Kamloops and the surrounding communities.
Under the club’s partnership with Rec
Sites and Trails BC and BC Parks, the KSA is responsible for maintenance and operation of 10 emergency warm-up shelters.
The small cabins are public access and maintained in the area to provide safe shel ter if required in an emergency. The facili ties also serve as a place for riders to stop, rest and socialize.
The KSA also holds one of the few agree ments with BC Parks to snowmobile inside three provincial parks: Porcupine Meadows, Tsintsunko Lake and Bonaparte Lake.
The KSA is 100 per cent volunteer-run,. Created in 1973, the KSA won the 2021 Canadian Snowmobile Club of the Year Award, as recognized by the Canadian Counsel of Snowmobile Organizations. The KSA has also been honoured with mul tiple BC Snowmobile Federation awards, including a director receiving the BCSF’s Presidents Award.
For more information on the club and how to join in on the winter fun, go online to kamloopssnowmobile.com.
Shift into winter driving habits
If you are planning a weekend trip on the Coquihalla Highway or Okanagan Connector, make sure your vehicle has winter tires installed.
Winter tire regulations came into effect on Oct. 1, with drivers required to have winter tires on their vehicles if they are travel ling on designated high ways around the province.
Those designated routes include the Coquihalla and the Okanagan Connector.
With extreme changes in elevation, drivers may
experience sunny and warm conditions when they set out, but run into heavy rain, snow or sleet along the way, which is why highway regulations call for winter tires on the high ways between Oct. 1 and April 30.
In B.C., winter tires are defined as those labelled with either the mountain snowflake symbol or the mud and snow (M+S) sym bol. The symbol is located on the sidewall of the tire.
Winter tires must be in good condition, with a
minimum tread depth of 3.5 millimetres.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Drivers who don’t have the proper winter tires on their vehicle on designated routes can receive a fine of $121.
• Drivers who don’t have the minimum tread depth on their tires (3.5 milli metres) on the designated routes can receive a fine of $109.
To see which other high ways require winter tires, go online to shiftintowinter.ca.
Be Cold Weather CONFIDENT