THE BATTLEFORDS — Battlefords Trail Breakers is a non-profit volunteer group that maintains and organizes the snowmobile trail system in the North Battleford area. It is funded by snowmobile registration fees collected by SGI, which go into the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Fund. These funds are administered by the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association (SSA).
Battlefords Trail Breakers also has a large support group of local area businesses, landowners and individuals within its network. Without the support from these parties, what we are able to accomplish would not be possible.
Battlefords Trail Breakers currently maintains a trail system from Denholm in the south to Turtle Lake in the north, with North Battleford as the home base. The trail system also has ties to other surrounding communities such as Meota, Vawn, Edam, Glaslyn and Cochin. The trail system consists of 485 kilometres of groomed trail and, currently, 13 unique warm-up shelters, all of which are maintained under the Battlefords Trail Breakers umbrella.
Funds have been invested over the years to improve the trail system. A new groomer was purchased in 2019 and there has been investment into new shelters and current shelter upgrades, ongoing trail maintenance, signage, groomer maintenance and other upkeep costs. All are essential to create a safe trail to ride while being able to enjoy the many landscapes along the way, attracting many riders to our area from across the province.
This season was another busy one for the Trail Breakers. One of the major projects scheduled for this year was a shelter build. Due to a longer gap between shelters and having no rest spots particularly close to North Battleford, it was time to bridge that gap. With a location picked near the North Battleford airport, we reached out to business and individuals to form a partnership and build an airport-themed shelter. We expected to have the funds raised through the year, but with outstanding support from all parties we were able to fast track the build and even get some use this past season. A cheque presentation for our diamond sponsors took place just as the snow was melting. Talk about cutting it close. The snow conditions aside, it was a grand opening to the season closing.
Battlefords Trail Breakers commend the following sponsors for their contributions toward the new Sky-Tech Terminal Shelter build:
- Diamond Plus Sponsor ($10,000 +): Sky-Tech Equipment;
- Diamond Sponsor ($5,000 - $9,999): Northland Power;
- Platinum Sponsors ($3,000 - $4,999): Wilde Card Enterprises, Friend of the club;
- Gold Sponsors ($1,000 - $2,999): ADL Insulation and Construction, Twin River Concrete, Eternal Memories Funeral Service, Spence Equipment Rental, Silvester Glass, Cockburn Construction, Raptor Enterprises Inc., B&C Trenching, KR Electric, Battleford Furniture, Freedom RV and Marine;
- Silver Sponsors ($500- $999): Trevor and Jessica Hagen, Brian and Johanne Hagen, Anderson Pumphouse, Legacy Trucks, Tyler Rose, City Courier and Moving;
- Bronze Sponsors ($250 - $300): Red Iron Farms, Bachman Drywall, Haleboh Paints, Meridian Energy Services.
With the help of the funding we saw our club come together yet again, from design to finish on the Sky-Tech Terminal. With the tireless efforts of our volunteers the project was a success. The club members juggled the regular trail maintenance, trail grooming, groomer repairs, trail reroutes and shelter maintenance, yet somehow they were still able to pull off a new shelter build. Another big thanks to everyone who came out to help or offered their services. This not only applies to this shelter build; 485 kilometres of marked trail takes a team.
This season was also trail audit year for the Trail Breakers. We had members of the SSA come out and evaluate the trail system. The evaluation consists of checking over the signage to ensure it is positioned correctly and to make sure we are following the guidelines set out by the SSA. The audit score helps determine the amount of funds distributed to the clubs. This is only one portion of a 19-point matrix score system.
Along with the audit, grooming passes and length of season play apart in the overall score, this year was a record grooming season with approximately 4,800 kilometres between our two groomers. Also the early snowfall started things off with a great base, keeping snow conditions on the trail optimal through the entire season.
Now that the snow has gone and the weather is starting to warm up, you may see some of our members in the fields removing trail stakes in the next couple weeks. Once the stakes are removed and stored for the year the shelters will be boarded up for the summer and fall months, leaving the grass to be trimmed in the fall before the snow flies.
A club windup was held at the Willow Heights Hall April 23. A steak supper was prepared and a dessert auction followed, proceeds were raised primarily for groomer maintenance and repair. After two years of not being able to hold this event it was great to see everyone together for a close to the year. With more exciting projects and events to come, the Trail Breakers thank everyone again for yet another successful season.
