Elkford Snowmobile Association

In Memory of Michael Bobak 1951-2021. Longtime friend, member, President and Cabin Boss of The Elkford Snowmobile Association. Thanks for your years of support and dedication.

Well Elkford and visitors as you can see the bottom 3kms or so of the trail is pretty skinny. The more it melts the harder it is on the groomer tracks. We would love to continue to groom because the snow up top is amazing still!! Even a bit of powder. The good news is that the trail was groomed early this morning by Matt and Trystn Down and they left you a super highway again. This will likely be the last time we groom this season due to the tiller and the track getting ex...cessive rock wear and tear. Thank you for the great season it was our best so far. We groomed over 20 times since mid December. We look forward to seeing some of you in the summer for trail maintenance (and there is a lot as you can see in the pictures she's narrow) and the rest of you we will see next season! Thank you again for all the support this season you made it awesome!

Just wanted to thank Elk Valley Custom Creations (Cam Rempel and Chelsea Bauer) for the fire starters for the Koko cabin.Just wanted to thank Elk Valley Custom Creations (Cam Rempel and Chelsea Bauer) for the fire starters for the Koko cabin.

Update: The top logo is the new modernized logo. The bottom logo is our old logo. We are extremely excited to unveil our new modernized logo!! In keeping with the old one @spiralusdesign nailed the modernization of our original but keeping it similar!! Now that it's in a usable digital format we can use it for many things that a jPeg couldn't be. What do you think! We absolutely love it! Thank you Marc!

REMINDER!!!! Sled club meeting tonight at 7:30pm near the old dump, bring lawn chairs etc. As we will have a fire after. Covid rules still in effect.REMINDER!!!! Sled club meeting tonight at 7:30pm near the old dump, bring lawn chairs etc. As we will have a fire after. Covid rules still in effect.

Hey everyone we have a local member that lost his tunnel bag on the Koko Claims trail today. If you picked it up please message us. Thank you in advance.Hey everyone we have a local member that lost his tunnel bag on the Koko Claims trail today. If you picked it up please message us. Thank you in advance.

Dave MacArthur and Matt Down completed the first trip all the way over to the Bull River. Thank you to Greg Etches, Rhonda Down, Randy Zimmer, Josh B, and Jordan Baird for helping to clear trail in front of them so they could fit...slightly! The trail is in amazing shape except for the sand hill/dogleg hill it's a mess, snow was sugar and groomer to big for the trail there. She had troubles. Will fix it next time over. Be careful everyone. Thank you to Tim Hansen and Tr...evor Chuchmuch for shoveling some of the mess to help the groomer up! Please help us keep fuel and fluids in the groomer by purchasing your day pass or season pass. Available at the Esso and Fast Gas as well as many days on the trail. The bottom needs snow.... pray for snow or do you snow dances!!!

Tonight's meeting has been postponed a few days due to this lovely taking a bit more time to put together tonight!! Stay tuned for meeting date and details and the Membership Raffle winners!!

When dreams become reality!! She is on the way home to Elkford!! Thank you to Allan Graves at Prinoth in Calgary for your expertise! Come by after 4 today to see our newest addition! Thank you to everyone who helped over the last 4 years make this dream come true! *The Elkford Project Society *The District of Elkford *Flaman Sales, Rentals and Fitness Lethbridge ... *The Elk Valley Thrift Shop *Teck Coal *RDEK *Richardson Oil Seed Ltd *Thunderstruck Films *Elkford Lions *Community Foundation of the East Kootenays *and many other supporters over those years! See more

Do you follow Avalanche Canada South Rockies on Facebook or Instagram? They’re a great resource for what’s going on around here, and exactly what the snow conditions are. Before you play, always check Avalanche conditions! Meet the dude and dudettes that so generously share their knowledge. If you see them out there, introduce yourself, and thank them for all they do! https://m.facebook.com/avcansouthrockies/ https://m.facebook.com/avcansouthrockies/

Thank you to Joe Wilson and Tonda Wilson for grooming and clearing the town trails, trail 7 and the bottom of Koko! We appreciate it immensely!! Please support the club by purchasing your trail pass! Thank you.

Thank you to Tomas Cole for the $200.00 donation!! Thank you to Dave MacArthur for going out tonight to groom!!! This week's groomed trails brought to you by Tomas and Dave!! Let's all give a thumbs up to these 2 great guys!!

Fresh and untouched... Great day to play gals and guys!! #rideelkford #elkford #wildatheart

No filters... just an amazing day riding in Elkford. Man do we love our Valley!! @tondawilson Avalanche Canada South Rockies #sundogs #rideelkford #lovetheelkvaley #wildatheart #elkford

Trail passes available at ticket booth today. Cash and etransfer will be accepted. Season passes available as well, $60/Season.

Great info from the team at Avalanche Canada South Rockies

What’s the most fashionable accessory for your sled this season? An old pass with a Mickey head stamped in it, of course! The new (to us) groomer that we’ve been dreaming about is so close we can taste it, so we’re saving every penny we can! Day and Season Pases are available at ESSO and FasGas. ... And I’ve started delivering the Season Passes to our valued ESA members.

It’s shaping up to be a good snow year, be prepared and show off your pass! Are you an ESA Member? I’ll be delivering passes this weekend to locals, and I’ll find a way to get them to out of towners! See ya soon. Tonda Wilson

Great job Avalanche Canada South Rockies we are very thankful for your awesome reports!!

Thank you to Matt Down and Randy Zimmer for pulling an all nighter! They are currently on their way back down the mountain. They removed several trees and groomed!!! Hopefully your all on your way to the Esso to buy your Trail passes in the morning!! Cheers all and good night.

Merry Christmas everyone!!! Play safe this holiday season. Thank you to Avalanche Canada South Rockies for giving us all the necessary educated information to help us make smart choices!

Heads up people. Play safe over the holiday! Live to come home to your loved ones even if you can't see them due to COVID.

Club meeting via messenger video chat tomorrow evening Monday December 21st at 7:30pm. If you would like to be added to this meeting respond here or private message. Thank you. See you or hear you soon!!!Club meeting via messenger video chat tomorrow evening Monday December 21st at 7:30pm. If you would like to be added to this meeting respond here or private message. Thank you. See you or hear you soon!!!

UPDATE: For those wondering how the snow condition are... they are shaping up... roughly 90-100 cm up top and what you see in town is how the trail starts....more coming on Monday. Also grooming will happen once we have enough to cover the big rocks in the canyon as those rocks will damage the groomer. Usually grooming starts just into the new year. #rideelkford #groomerlife ... #winterwillcome #wildatheart #snowmobilelife Avalanche Canada South Rockies Avalanche Canada See more

With all the snow in the forecast and the snow recently fallen, now is the time to do some avalanche education. If there are no classes due to COVID there are ...online courses to get you started. Contact any avalanche educator for advice. You will NEVER know everything you will ALWAYS learn something. Avalanche education is never over its forever evolving so keep learning and stay alive! If you don't know the trail ride with caution. This is where I came to a stop after speeding around a corner mid day on a trail I know very well!! This photo is from a spring ride. Thunderstruck Films Banner Recreation & Marine Spiralus Design Ski-Doo Elkford Snowmobile Association Avalanche Canada South Rockies Avalanche Canada Zac's Tracs Avalanche and Snowmobile Training Hangfire Avalanche Training Soul Rides Elk Valley Snow Shepherds #avalanchecanada #southrockies #bannerrec #bannerathlete #skidoogirl Frozen Pirate Snow Services See more

With your membership you will be entered to win 1 of 3 early bird raffles. All current season members will be added to the raffles!! Thank you for your support! The date for the raffle is January 15th, 2021 sorry for the typo.

Great information from our neighbors down the road. We too have very high Avalanche activity on our trail...more than 5 active large slide paths between the staging area and the cabin.

Buy your membership early for multiple chances at multiple prizes

For those that venture to the pass..Rhonda

Great days like this are coming fast, remember to buy your annual membership and trail passes to help fund the seasons grooming and maintenance on the warm hut. - Callan Senyk - @Throttleops Rider @aaronbauman @rideelkford #elkfordsnowmobileclub ... #elkfordlife #elkfordwildatheart #elkfordsnow #mountainriding #livingthedream See more

Thank you for our freedom

This is free.... support neighboring clubs. You NEVER have enough avalanche information or training. I hope to see many of you there.... with your masks on!!! Cheers Rhonda

Well deserved!! ESA truly appreciates the work Chris ( Precision Arc Industries ) has done for the club. Complete with our late night SOS with a broken blade on the groomer right in the middle of sled season! Congratulations..Rhonda

Follow up to the previous post. If you own a Pieps Becon please read. R.

Food for thought....

We know the weather is not going to be great but hey we all play in the snow so if we want good trails we need to work in the snow. Please comment if you can help for a bit tomorrow. Thank you in advance. We need saws and gas or battery hedge trimmers.

Thanks so much to Levitt Safety for your donation of 2 fire extinguishers! We really appreciate it! Robert Montaruli, can’t wait to take you out on a run and introduce you to our great riding! Remember, this month’s meeting is Saturday at Teck Conference Centre. See you there!

Did you ever have a locker at the Bleasdell cabin? We emptied out the lockers that didn’t have names attached, and will have those contents at this months meeting for you to claim. When is this months meeting, you ask? Saturday, Oct 17th at Teck Conference Centre. See you there! Last chance to collect those items, as we emptied the lockers 2 years ago.

Thank you to all the members and none members but soon to be new members that braved 6 hours of rain to fill the wood shed and drop some danger trees from over the trail. What a great day!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone from The Elkford Snowmobile Association! PS yes that is 10week old baby Madeline!! Matt Down, Rhonda Down, Randy Zimmer, Greg Etches (Tamara), Aaron Bauman, Amanda Cornielson, Josh Batstone and Shania (Madeline). And Riggz!!

Looking for a few good men, or women to help at the Bleasdell cabin on Monday. We need a couple people to help us cut some carpet that was donated to us. We don’t big muscles, just need a few bodies to get it done before the snow flies. Great time to see the Bleasdell cabin if you’ve never been out there! ... Reach out to Sandra Rinehart Lafontaine or Louis Bourgeois for details

Members and non-members this weekend (Oct 10-11th) we will be working on trail clearing the main Koko trail and gathering fire wood for the warm up cabin meet at the trail head at 10am, bring saws and other tools, quads, etc. to help with the tasks, Matt D #rideelkford #elkfordsnowmobileclub #winterscoming

I want to thank your 2020/2021 Elkford Snowmobile Association Executive. They are as follows: President Rhonda Down Vice President David McArthur Treasurer Sandy LaFontaine ... Secretary/Membership Tonda Wilson Groomer/Trail Safety Matt Down/Carl Sundstrom Cabin Lead Louis Bourgeois If your interested in knowing more about the road closures and/or Membership please contact any of the Executive Team.

Why do we need you to join our club? This is why!!! We need a vice of the majority! The first round of road "Restoration" deactivation ( closures) from the EV- CEMF in the Elkford area have been completed and two targeted roads are now closed. Both of those roads and side roads are on the west side of the Elk Valley. The first road that has been deactivated is at km 112 and the second road is just a bit past km 113. Our club with the help of BCSF and 2 other area Snowmobil...e Clubs did manage to get a Skype call with Forest Lands and Natural Resources who are in charge of CEMF. But our talking we felt did little as we felt the decision was made to close these roads long before our meeting. The whole process is stacked against recreational users. At their decision making table are major industries, environmental groups, first nations and guides and outfitters. There was no representation from recreational users like ours. User groups like our club were given 3 days to make comments and the public was never told or given the opportunity to respond to these road restorations (closures) This is what we feel is just the beginning of closing all side roads on the west side of our valley and stopping access to the backcountry and to the Elk River. Once these roads are closed they will never be open again. We all can agree that there are too many roads in our valley but there should be proper notification to everyone affected by these closures, and the opportunity for residents of Elkford and the Elk Valley to be able to ask questions and make comments on CEMF. At the top end of the valley there are the new CEMF signs in place were roads have been deactivated. The new signs are now in place at both roads that have been deactivated at km 112 and km 113 on the west side of the valley. The roads are deactivated this season to be restored to natual next season (trees and such planted on them) as the second stage to this stage. If outdoor enthusiasts are not happy with the current procedure you should contact our Mayor and Council and our MLA Tom Shypitka at [email protected] you should send email to the Minister for Lands and Forests Honourable Doug Donaldson Email: [email protected] and to the Minister of the Environment Honourable Goerge Heyman [email protected] Information on the CEMF can be found at the link at the bottom of this page. Elk Valley Cumulative Effects Management Framework (CEMF) https://www2.gov.bc.ca///kootenay-boundary/elk-valley-cemf Elkford ATV Club #rideelkford

There is a 5 year plan to restore (to natural) up to 1000 km of motorized use trials in the Elk Valley. This is a prime example of why you should join a snowmobile club. It is not just about groomed trails. The BCSF and the Elkford Snowmobile Association are dedicated to safety, the growth of the sport, protection of the environment, and securing access to public lands for all.

Reminder that our AGM is tomorrow at 7:30, Teck Conference Centre. See you there! And here’s a few photos of the work done to clear the creek behind the Bleasdell cabin last weekend.

Today we got our first snow flakes, you know what that means? AGM is just around the corner! Friday, Sept 25th, 7:30 at the Teck Conference Centre. See you there!

Anyone out there that could help a fellow club?

Check this out ladies! Stephanie LaRoy Schwartz the very best lady rider and instructor that I know! Maybe I'll take a clinic this year! If you have questions shoot me or Steph a message! Cheers Rhonda

Great work and thank you to all the Fernie Snowmobile Association!!! R

Our Cabins, out houses and ticket booth have these signs on them. Please respect the order. We hope you all stay healthy and are enjoying the personal time that our normally busy lives never give us. We also hope this is over sooner than later and we can get back to our once busy lives!!!

In case you need some throttle therapy and social distancing.... thank you Dave Baines for grooming the trail! To the cabin, over to the dog leg/sand hill and into Mear Lake! Will make it a great weekend! Cheers and stay healthy everyone!

Our March 19th meeting has been postponed for the time being. Use the time to wash your hands

Its true AND your trail is freshly groomed! Stay healthy friends and go sledding!!! Next meeting....Thursday March 19th at 7:45pm in the board room at the Community Conference Center. See you there!

Thank you to the local residents that support the Elkford Snowmobile Association by purchasing your trail passes. You know who you are For this reason we were able to finally groom the local trails. Please if you want the trail to continue to be maintained spread the word and help others make the right choice to support. Thank you again to all our volunteers and to our local support!! Keep up the snow dancing!! @ Elkford, BC

Our groomer operator Dave Baines and his son are currently trying to get the groomer started then back together to finally groom today! Fingers crossed that it starts!!! Great big thank you to Chris Duthie of Precision Arch Industry Ltd. for putting our groomer blade back together when she fell apart!! The old girl is struggling but with great guys like this we will help her to survive!

Surprise Surprise! Snow came earlier than expected North of Elkford today. As we started walking up hill around 11:30 it started to snow. As we approached the... ridge it was really coming down. During the time it took for us to dig a profile it had snowed 5cm in 1.5 hours. It was nice to see again! The top 20cm of snow was soft, and made for some great turns. With low visibility of the ridge to assess cornices, we skied a sweet line in the trees. We will be dialling back this weekend with the incoming snow. Get the Forecast at Avalanche.ca See more

Update: Sorry folks. Looks like it won’t happen today. The beautiful snow is coming down, which hampers our trip up the road. Stay tuned for our next shovel party! ********************************... Got a shovel? Got spare time on Saturday? We’re looking for a few volunteers to help shovel the snow off the Bleasdell cabin. Never been there? This is your chance to get to know all about this perk members enjoy! There’s a few members headed up on Saturday about noon, hoping you can join us. Reach out to Sandy and Louis for details. 250-425-5598

Such a good read but sadly so true.

Reasons why people fall in love with elkford... @c_hell #rideelkford #wildernesscapital #mountainlife ... #freedom #ridebc #sledelkford #sledbc #freshsnow See more

Local information, thanks again South rockies avalanche team M

Join us at the Lamplighter for our monthly Snowmobile meeting, and maybe a few wings while we’re there! 7:30 tomorrow night (Wed)

****UPDATE! Meeting is on Wed, at the Lamplighter, table booked for 7:30***** We hate to do it, but due to executive unavailability, illness and actually some being busy grooming, we have to postpone tonight’s meeting. We’ll keep you posted.

Will you be joining us at the banquet tonight? So many great door prizes! And many more that we haven’t had a chance to take photos of yet. C&F Restaurant. 6-8pm Thanks to all our sponsors!

GHOST HANDS AVAILABLE!! CAN'T MAKE IT..NO PROBLEM. E-transfer [email protected] or come down to Round Prairie and buy your hand(s). We will have someone carry/play your hand for you!! Or you can pick all 5 cards at Round Prairie! Only a few days away, February 15th!! Come on out and help us build our New to Us Groomer account!! Free hotdog lunch for all participants! Cash prize for best hand! Over $2000 in door prizes! Great time, great people, great support!

Trail to the dog leg (bull river side) has been groomed. Past the dog leg has not been groomed due to ice on the hill and sugar underneath, please support the club . On a side note..... the dog leg needs sleds to pack the whole width of the trail, not just go up the center of the path. This will help the groomer with a pre-packed trail. M #rideelkford ... #snowgrooming #elkfordsnowmobileclub #pistonbully #kokoclaims See more

Good morning all! Just a caution as you head out this day up Koko Claims. Dave and Matt are on their way up and over in the groomer into the Bull River. They are likely going to be out all day. Take extra care near the last slide this morning as they will be there for sometime clearing the debris. Be patient, they will move out of your way to allow you by when it is safe for the groomer to do so. Feel free to stop and tell them what a great job they are doing and how much you appreciate all of our operators hard, long hours of work to maintain those trails! Carl, Dave, Matt, Joe, Greg and others!

Just a little bit of information for those that see search and rescue flying above them or might actually need help from above. Spread the word.

Hey guys and girls. Although it rained down low we had good snow above 5000 feet. What this means though is with the warm temperatures, wind and the added snow layer things piled up. Then bring on that awesome blue bird day following all this. We get massive amounts of snow that needs to come down, some did and as you see some did not. There was wumfing, settling happening everywhere. Please keep reading. All these slides were between class 2 and 3 sizes, with full runs an...d 350 to over 500 foot wide run outs, easily 10 to 20 or more feet deep at their run out zones, what this means...could or would cause death! The cold hard facts. The last big slide came down across the main trail and went down into the gully... size 2-2.5 for sure. We will be going up likely Saturday to push through it and any others that come down before Saturday and cross the trail. Tundra entrance slide came down but not quite to the road. Class 2 for sure or bigger. We saw one large one down the Bull River road that we could see ran the full chute from top of mountain into the trees along the road. Smith Basin had the most activity, 2 of the main slides down, one crossed the trail and up the other side, 4 in various areas around the top upper play area. Some only partially fell, see the 6 foot crown above the one, lots left to fall. In the one picture you see the very back play area extremely wind loaded and NOT down! Let it fall naturally please don't help it!! Stay off like we did. @RhondaDown @MattDown Avalanche Canada Avalanche Canada South Rockies

Do you stop? Do you pause? Elkford Snowmobile Club offers you the service of checking your beacon! Have a drive by, check for the green circle and then pull ahead 20 feet so your riding partners can check theirs. Have a great day of sledding and be safe!

Why its important to wear proper gear and know how to use it, even if your not playing on the steep stuff your friends, family or a stranger might one day need your help.... Matt

After dozens of hours fixing the groomer... Carl was able to get out last night to groom. Due to poor snow conditions over the back side the groomer had some issues getting up the hill above the sand hill dog leg corner. They did not get all the way over to the Valley bottom. PLEASE be careful when going over the top to the Bull River there is a rather large hole where the groomer was temporarily putting up a fuss and refusing to make her way home!!! Good work Carl, keeping your wits and getting her and you out and safely home. Cheers Rhonda

Well after working all afternoon and into the evening, the boys got the packer bar back on the groomer. Carl and Curtis are on their way up to the cabin to make your next ride a smooth one!! Thank you guys!

Hello everyone!! As the snow is finally accumulating, we apologize for not being able to groom. As you are all aware we are trying to raise funds for a new groomer as our current old girl is slowly falling apart. That leads me to encouraging all to purchase your trail passes to help our amazing team, Carl Sundstrom, Dave Baines and Chris Duthie out. Great big thank you too these guys as they have pulled off the packer bar and are currently rebuilding it after it for lack of better words, fell apart! Bear with them guys they are almost done she is almost back together and they will be going out soon!! Thank you for your patience and thank you for your support of the club. And again thank you to Carl Dave and Chris for all your hard work. Cheers Rhonda

A HUGE shout out to Carl Sundstrom and Matt Down, despite the mechanical issues on the trail with the groomer last night they perservered and got the job done! Your trail up Koko Claims/Crossing Creek has been groomed AND the Avalanche Signs posted! Also a big thank you to club members Leland Slobodian and Natasha Brandt for helping us put the signs up and clear brush and rocks off the trail. We all were out until 2am!!! Yes 2 am! Please please be careful the bottom 3 km still is low on snow and there are rocks and stuff on the trail. Here are a few pictures of our night groom/ride for your viewing pleasure!

If you have any reservations on paying Trail Fees, joining the club or just simply wondering what the money that you reluctantly want to give up to your local club goes too. Please read this awesome article written by Nicole M of the Elkvalley Snow Shepherds. Cheers Rhonda. Great article Nicole. Sums up everything for all clubs.

Thank you very much Dave Baines for running the groomer today. You did great for your maiden and solo trip. The trail is great again. She was a rough ride out yesterday. Thank you Aaron Bauman for providing the new signing/guest book!

Trail Passes will be available on the trail and at the cabin today. Please be prepared.

First roof shoveling off of the season also this week!!! Thank you to @AaronBauman for helping out the club!!!