We are in the middle of yet another winter and hearing the sound of sleds running throughout the trails is like music to my ears. Although snow has been somewhat of a rare commodity lately, we are sure making the best of it.

Now that we are in December, whats on your mind? Shopping, decorating, snow tires, wrapping, hanging lights, fixing lights, vacation, parties, and it goes on and on. In such a busy month, I bet the one thing you did make time for was buying your trail permit.
Snow is now flying which is promising us a good season. If you are like us, you already have some trip dates planned, if not, how about we help you out.
Family Day, a long tradition of the Valley Trailmasters has now been set for January 21st 2012. Bring the whole family, enjoy a BBQ, some outdoor activities and some hot chocolate. It is always a fun time.
How about our Exploration Run? Yearly we pick an out of town destination, reserve a block of hotel rooms, organize a dinner for all and start gathering people for the ride. This season we are scheduled to embark on this great adventure on February 25th. Mark that date, you sure don't want to miss it.
I almost forgot, I'm sure you want to know about the locations for the Family Day and Exploration Run. Well, so do I. During the month of December we firm up the details and post them on our web-site at www.valleytrailmasters.ca . Make sure you check it out to keep up to date on our current events, pictures, news and meeting dates.
Speaking of meetings, stop by and chat with us at our next monthly General Membership Meeting. They are typically held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at Sunnyside Playground in Val Caron at 7:30pm. December 14th (the exception) and January 18th are the next two that you can mark on your calendar.
Just a reminder, everyone is excited about the upcoming season, it will come. So please don't rush it. The lakes will freeze, the snow will come. Please wait until the trails are open, and please stay off the lakes until they are staked. You can always visit the OFSC web-site at www.ofsc.on.ca for up to date trail conditions.
Have a great and safe season, we look forward to seeing you on the trail.

    We had a terrific summer! We had sun, we had heat, and the rain still seemed to work its way in at convenient times. However, summer has now come and gone and its time to start thinking about the best season of them all… Winter! Thats right, blinding snow storms, extreme cold, ice patches... well okay, I'm sure we can do without some of the extreme conditions, but hey, look what it leaves us with. A picturesque winter landscape that is home to almost 40,000 km's of trails throughout Ontario.
    The Valley Trailmasters would like to welcome you to the upcoming snowmobile season. Meetings have already started, trail work is underway, and event planning is starting up. Join us at Sunnyside Playground at 7:30pm on the 3rd Wednesday of each month to find out in detail about our trail plans, our fundraising events, updates on grooming, landowner relations, and of course coffee, donuts, and great sled talk.
    To the landowners, without your permission to ride your land, the trail system would not be as extensive, fun and as safe as it is right now, from all of the OFSC trail riders to you, I extend a huge thank-you. To the riders, imagine a trail system that only operated on lakes and crown land, we would only have a fraction of the trails of what we have right now. Please ensure you respect all signs, and remain on the trails, it keeps everyone happy, safe, and ensures our funfilled sport continues for years to come.
    Events! What would snowmobiling be without them. The Valley Trailmasters will continue their tradition this year with hosting a Family Day and also the annual Exploration Run. If mother nature treats us half as good as she did this summer, we are sure to have a good winter ensuring, as always, that the events turn out great. Dates and locations are currently being worked on and will be announced shortly. 
    Did you know that volunteers donate an approximate total of 750,000 hours of their time each year to the snowmobile clubs of Ontario? This includes many aspects of the clubs, including trail work, installing signs, volunteer coordination, trail patrol, event planning, or simply flipping burgers at Family Day. Where do you fit in? If there is any amount of time that you can offer, we will find a fit for you.
    Stay up to date with our club, visit us online at www.valleytrailmasters.ca . Here you will find pictures, news, and information on our upcoming events. It is kept up to date, so please, add it to your favourites and check back frequently.
    Permit sales are underway. You will be happy to know that once again there is no increase to the price of the permits this year. Remember, buy on or before Dec 1st and get your permit at a reduced rate. Once again, you can purchase your permits at Western Tire in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Mall. Many thanks to owners and staff of Western Tire, you have served us for many years and it is greatly appreciated.
    We look forward to meeting up with you this Winter. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to help out, please plan to attend one of our upcoming meetings on Nov 16th and Dec 21st at 7:30pm at Sunnyside Playground, or contact us through our web-site, www.valleytrailmasters.ca . Happy Trails!

It looks like spring is here—rain, lightning, thunder, mud and dirty snow everywhere.  Time sure flies when you’re having fun in the snow. 
In January we had the Family fun day with lots of sliding down a GREAT hill thanks to our host Chris, a barbeque with hot dogs and hamburgers thanks to Metro Val Caron and lots of hot chocolate.  Laughter was heard throughout the day and can’t wait until next year. You can view the photos on our website-- www.valleytrailmasters.ca.  In February we had our annual Exploration run with this year’s destination being Elliot Lake.  Although Mother Nature threw us a curve ball with the rain, we were able to proceed to our destination as she redeemed herself and gave us cold weather and a bit of snow on the Sunday.  The trails were great, two male lynxes were spotted on the trail and those who attended had a great time, or so it appears from the photos on the website.  We are working on next year’s destination and it will be revealed at the November general meeting.  We hope to see more newcomers come out to the meetings this year and find out what is going on with their local club and trails.  The final activity for the club is our FUN-FILLED bowlarama on April 9, 2011 and the cost is only $10.00 per person. This event is being held at the Chico’s Bowl in Hanmer—no serious bowling allowed—from 8:00pm to 12:00pm.  Tickets are available by contacting any club members, Jeanne Paquette @ 897-1361 or just showing up at the door.  Now that the sledding season is coming to a close, club volunteers are making preparations to improve/repair the trails for next season’s riding. Our next general meeting will be held on Wednesday April 20, 2011—7:30pm at the Sunnyside Park.  Volunteers are ALWAYS welcome, and input on how to improve the trails from those members using the trail system is especially welcome. 
Hope to see you all at the next general meeting!

Jeanne Paquette
President of the Valley Trailmaster

Here we are in December, freezing temperatures and a bit of snow!  To a snowmobile club, this is perfect weather to get the trails ready.  Volunteers are out doing some brushing, putting up snow fences where necessary and contacting landowners to address any issues that have come up over the summer.

VOLUNTEERS are the driving force behind snowmobile clubs, and VOLUNTEERS make sure the trails are in the best conditions they can be, based on what Mother Nature throws at us and the the many tireless groomers.  Without these volunteers many trails would not exist.  Thank you all!

LANDOWNERS who provides permission to access their property allows a continuing trail to go through and without this access many trails would not exist and seriously restrict access to many services or trails we now enjoy.  Frequently, landowner’s permission is revoked due to the damage done by ATV’s who do not respect posted signs/private property and the irresponsible sledders that do not stay on the marked trails. The purchase of a trail permit does not allow snowmobilers to ride off the marked trails and damage private property. 

We hold our general meetings every 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Sunnyside Park at 7:30pm and members are welcome.  You are a member if you paid the additional $5.00 when purchasing the trail permit.  New ideas to improve the trails, locations for our annual Exploration run, Family Day would be welcome.  During the meetings you will find out where problem areas are, events being held but most of all connect with fellow sledders.  The dates of our general membership meetings are: Wednesday December 15/10, January 19/11, February 16/11, March 9/11.  Sure hope to see more members come out to these meetings. 

Events being held are:
Exploration Run—Saturday February 26-27/11
Bowl-a-thon Fundraiser---Saturday April 9/11 at Chico’s Bowl in Hanmer

Any information regarding the above events, or any other information you require, do not hesitate to contact Jeanne at 897-1361.  I would be more than happy to provide the information you require (providing I know it).

Western Tire in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is currently selling trail permits. Permits are $200 on or before Dec 1st and $250 afterwards.

The Valley Trailmasters will have a table setup in the mall as usual on the days leading upto Dec 1st to help with demand.

Classic permits are available at price of $125, however they must be purchased at the STP office in Garson, call 693-SNOW for more details.

We are currently ramping up for the upcoming snowmobile season. Our first General Membership meeting will be held on Nov 17th, please check the Events section for details.

Organizatin is underway for the annual Exploration Run, Family Day and fundraising events. Details will be posted once final decisions are made.

Stay tuned

EXPLORATION RUN 2009

What a year! We had more snow than we knew what to do with. The trails were in excellent condition throughout the season. And after many kilometers of riding, its now time to prep the machines for the off-season.

We had a great early start, this encouraged a lot of new riders to join the sport, and also encouraged the revival of the older sleds. Traffic was noticeably increased on the trails which was a very good sight.

As we finish off this season, and in a few months start thinking about next season, we encourage you to attend our general membership meetings. They are very informative and will keep you up to date on all of our events and will give you a chance to contribute in any way you wish. Our meeting dates are posted here on the VTM web-site in the Events area.

We hope you enjoyed this season as much as we did, and we look forward to seeing you on the trails next year.

Have a fun and safe off-season

On Feb. 7th, 2009 the Sudbury Trail Plan, in association with Easter Seals, hosted the 35th Snowarama. The Valley Trail Masters is proud to have participated in this annual event.

Although weather predictions included rain, we managed to avoid it for the majority of the day. The day started off with some freezing rain which turned into a light mist and eventually dissipated..  Sure it wasn’t prime riding weather, but its these details which make events such as this very memorable.

The Valley Trail Masters would like to thank all who participated in this years Snowarama. This year, the Sudbury Trail Plan was able to raise over $20,000 for Easter Seals. This is something to be very proud of.

Easter Seals helps children and young adults who have disabilities. Help is provided in various ways including financial aid and summer camps. For more information on Easter Seals, please visit their web-site at www.easterseals.org .

We look forward to participating in Snowarama again next year, and encourage you to come out and join us.