CANCELLED – 2024 Poker Run in support of The West Carleton Food Access Center

CANCELLED - 2024 Poker Run in support of The West Carleton Food Access Center

We wish we had the snow!  We’ll try again next year!

Join the fun at the2024 WCSTA Charity Poker Run, in support of The West Carleton Food Access Center.  This event is held in partnership with Kinburn Community Association.  A valid Trail Pass is mandatory.

GREAT PRIZES

Top Poker Hand – Oldest Driver – Youngest Driver

A raffle prize ticket will be given for each food item donated or $5 donation to the West Carleton Food Access Centre.

LOCATION 

Kinburn Community Centre, 3045 Kinburn Side Rd., Kinburn, ON.

There will be plenty of parking on site for trailers. At the end of the Poker Run dinner will be served. A cash bar will be available.

ENTRY FEES (per sled, includes dinner for one and one poker hand)

Before January 22nd  $45   
After January 22nd  $60 
Youth (under 12) Free
Extra Poker Hand $10
Dinner Only $20
Poker Run Only $25

SCHEDULE

9:30 a.m. Registration
10:30 a.m. Departure
5 to 5:30 p.m. Return
6 p.m. Supper (bar opens at 5 p.m.)

Registration

Payment can be made via Interac e-Transfer to recipient: pokerrun@wcstai.com.  We advise using a Security Question: 2024 snowmobile fundraiser and an answer of :  pokerrun (all lower case).

Please complete the form below and  select  the “Send” button to register.


    Volunteers needed!

    Volunteers needed!

    Volunteers needed!

    Hello fellow members of our club. 

    We have a chance for some of you to become active members working with us in this club, looking after some of our trails in the Almonte area.

     Our club has over 250 km of trails, and we have a dedicated group of people, our trail coordinators, who look after them.

    We split the trails into small pieces that are more manageable for each coordinator.  The trail coordinator for a section of trail, looks after getting pickets and signage installed in the fall, and removed in the spring.  They also watch for any issues that might arise in that section and work that may be needed.  Should anything arise, they can reach out to the board, to other coordinators,  and to volunteers at large who may be available.

    While we have trail coordinators  that take responsibility for a section of trail, whenever help is needed, we all pitch in, as best we can.   No one is expected to “do it all themselves”.

    The more people who can take on small pieces of the trail, the easier it is to maintain the whole system, and so, we are appealing to our members.

    The areas where we could use some extra help with are:

    • different sections of trails from Almonte in the directions  of Panmure (parts of A trail to W19),
    •  Pakenham (parts of W23, W311),
    • Blakeny (W12, W14).  

    We will work with new volunteers to ensure they are comfortable with handling a section of trail.   This is your chance to give back to snowmobiling and make a difference with your local club.

    Contact us at volunteer@wcstai.com

    Call for nominations: Volunteers of the year

    Call for nominations:  Volunteers of the  year

    Call for nominations:  Volunteers of the  year

    Fellow club members.  As I’m sure you are well aware, organized snowmobiling in Ontario is largely dependent on volunteers.  This is certainly true in your West Carleton Club.  Many volunteers work tirelessly, without recognition. 

    While we must be thankful for all volunteers, we have a tradition of highlighting some of the truly outstanding volunteers in the club.  The Board of Directors will select one such volunteer in each of the following categories.  What we need from you, our members, are nominations for each of the categories.  Please write a few lines of what the volunteer has done and why you think they are most deserving of the honor and forward to treasurer@wcstai.com by Saturday March 14.  This will give the Board enough time to vote and arrange for prizes to be awarded at the landowner dinner later this month.  The categories are: 

    WC Volunteer of the Year

    WC Family of the Year

    WC Safe Snowmobiling Ambassador

    WC Outstanding Snowmobile Promotion

    WC Rookie Volunteer of the Year

                                  Thank you for your input and I look forward to seeing many of you at the dinner on Saturday, March 28.

    Trails are now closed.

    Trails are now closed.

    West Carleton trails are now closed. Thanks to our Landowners, Volunteers and Permit Buyers.

    Wow. What a fantastic season it has been!

    Snowmobilers are being warned to stay off of West Carleton Snowmobile Club (WCSTA) OFSC Prescribed snowmobile trails effective immediately as the snowmobile season has come to an end. These trails are now reported as “Unavailable” (Red) on the OFSC Interactive Trail Guide, and WCSTA have stopped regular grooming operations and signs and stakes are being removed and gates and fences closed. Snowmobilers are also advised that rapidly deteriorating snow and ice conditions due to spring thaw make snowmobiling extremely hazardous on closed trails. In our area, roads and road crossings are now generally bare and the ice on all waterways is melted, melting or unstable.

    The public is also reminded that an OFSC snowmobile trail on private land reported as “Unavailable” means that access to that trail is also prohibited for any other users or persons for all other seasons, without the specific prior permission of the landowner. On behalf of our club and volunteers, we want to thank all of the landowners who have generously allowed the use of their property for an OFSC snowmobile trail this winter. We also appreciate the support of the many snowmobilers who bought trail permits to help pay their share of the cost of trail operations for the past season.

    A very special thanks is also extended to all of the club volunteers who donated their services to assist local clubs in providing a successful season of snowmobiling. Although the winter is over, snowmobiling has become a year round business, so many volunteers will start immediately to plan and prepare for next winter.

    Planning for Next Year

    WCSTA is actively looking to fill a number of roles within the West Carleton club. We are looking for people to work with the Board of Directors to assist with the delivery of our required programs and to develop Club initiatives. We are increasing our efforts to identify and coordinate our volunteers, one of our most valuable resources.

    If you would like to volunteer to keep your Club strong, and our trails first rate please fill in the Volunteer Contact form on our Volunteering web page. We will put together groups of people to help repair and maintain trails this spring and summer, as well as prepare for the 2020-2021 season. In order to remain strong, your Club needs more involvement from its members. In return, we are also focusing on member engagement in a fun way and hope to have a number of activities and get togethers next season for everyone.

    So, if you can help us, and this will help you, please let us know.

    The Board of Directors thanks you for a fun and accident free season.  See you on the trails next winter. Remember to buy your permit in WCSTA.

    Congratulations to Doug Fisher! Winner of the 2020 Anniversary Indy 850 Patriot Adventure

    Congratulations to Doug Fisher! Winner of the 2020 Anniversary Indy 850 Patriot Adventure

    Congratulations to Doug Fisher!

    Winner of the 2020 Anniversary Indy 850 Patriot Adventure.

    Congratulations to Polaris for 40 years of Indy! And thank you for your incredible support of West Carleton Snowmobile Trails; including the World’s Longest Snowmobile Bridge (set to open next season if someone fixes the insurance)

    Thanks to Blacks Corners Motorsports for their continuous generous support of snowmobiling in our area. Thank you Brad and Steve (pictured beside Doug Fisher).

    What an incredible snowmobile. The computer gauge & Integral GPS looks amazing…..like a rocket ship. Love the retro graphics (just like your first Indy?)

    And luckily Doug has a nice big trailer, so there will be no problem getting to all of the amazing trails that are open. Next year we will raffle off a Blacks Corners Trailer.

    Volunteers with your District and Clubs are working hard to get more trails open. Personally, I’m killing time doing a snow dance. We are expecting good thing happening very soon! In the meantime, show support for our sponsors like Blacks Corners, pick up a new trail guide, and throw those sleds in the truck/trailer for some sledding. Check your ITG.

    Thanks to all the people who supported West Carleton Trails with our big fundraising raffle. Thanks to Doug Fisher. And thank you again, Polaris Industries Canada, and Blacks Corners Motorsports (Home of Polaris Indy) in Carleton Place.

    Important message from the District 1 of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs about trails status

    Message from

    DISTRICT 1  ONTARIO FEDERATION OF SNOWMOBILE CLUBS
     

    January 17 2020

    MEDIA RELEASE:


    MORRISBURG, Ontario – The sixteen (16) snowmobile clubs in District 1, Upper Canada Snowmobile Region of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs have been working very hard to prepare trails and are on the verge of opening pending the snow storm that is forecast.  We regret that circumstances beyond our control will prevent the whole system from opening at this time.  Approximately 25% of   our most popular trails will have to remain closed due to issues with our land use permission.  We want to warn snowmobilers that routes using abandoned rail lines are particularly affected and there will be closed gates along many of these corridors. 

    DO NOT TRESPASS on closed trails and go to to the Interactive Trail Guide (ITG) www.ofsc.on.ca  to check which trails are available. 

    We want to assure our permit holders that we are continuing to seek solutions and if trails become available it will be reflected on the ITG.  Please have patience with our clubs because the volunteers are doing their best to provide trails for the enjoyment of the thousands of snowmobilers who have purchased permits.

    ABOUT OFSC DISTRICT ONE:
    Our district office is located in Morrisburg, and looks after administration and fieldwork inquiries for the 16 clubs. We have over 3000 km of marked groomed trails. The clubs in District One sells over 10,000 trail permits annually to families in Eastern Ontario.  The O.F.S.C. mission is dedicated to providing strong leadership and support to its member clubs. It is the members who establish and maintain the quality of our snowmobile trails, which are used in a safe and environmentally responsible manner, for the enjoyment of organized snowmobilers.


    Sincerely,
    John Boals

    District Manager

    New Trail Into Carp Ready To Go

    New Trail Into Carp Ready To Go

    On Sunday two new volunteers Ryan Grassie and Jake Sinclair worked with me and Steve Munro and helped open the new trail from W20 into Carp. Steve Munro worked with land owners to put the trail in place and brought out his backhoe to clear the trail and put in a pipe.

    Thank you all.

    This trail has been built to keep snowmobiles off the ACTIVE RAIL LINE into Carp. We have posted the railway as a NO SNOWMOBILE ROUTE. If snowmobilers use the railway we may loose all our railway crossings west of Highway 417. This in effect would shut down many of our trails and access out of West Carleton.

    Please STAY OFF THE RAILWAY.

    If you have time for a beer you have time to take the trail. There are a number of restaurants and businesses near to the snowmobile parking area that is being provided by Ridge Rock Brewing an the Karson Group.

    Enjoy your trip to Carp when we get snow.

    WCSTAI awarded the District 1 – Club of the Year award!

    WCSTAI awarded the District 1 - Club of the Year award!
    District 1 – Club of the Year award

    The West Carleton Snowmobile Trails Association Inc. was awarded the District 1 – Club of the Year award, in large part due to our great volunteer efforts, specifically recognizing all of the work we all have done on both the OVRT and the new Capital Rail Trail. Also noted was our fundraising, including our charitable contribution to the Dunrobin Tornado rebuilding effort.

    Way to go West Carleton Sledders!