MARATHON -- Saturday was a snowy day on the trails for the Marathon Sno-Kickers ‘Snocial’ Ride and Outdoor Lunch, the club’s first organized group ride since 2020. About 50 folks from the Marathon, Manitouwadge and White River area met at the newly revamped Manitouwadge rest stop at the corner of Highway 17 and 614 for an all-you-can-eat barbecue lunch of burgers, jumbo hot dogs, smoked mac and cheese, chili and doughnuts before heading out on another ride. Later they’d return to rest up, sip on a hot beverage and chat about their favourite winter activity. Snowmobiling.
Local businesses and industries donated more than 30 prizes for the attendance draws, which included a TV/DVD player, as well as tools, toys and various clothing and promotional items. Thanks go out to Cars Concrete, Napa, Robins, Orica, Christian Mechanical, Major Machine Works, Marathon Mercury, CFNO Radio, Cheryl Lees and SNnewswatch.com.
The Sno-Kickers Snowmobile Club, established in 1990, has been operated by the Marathon chapter, under the umbrella of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) since 2019. A seasonal or daily trail permit, available online from the OFSC, is required to ride the more than 300 kilometers of meticulously groomed trails that wind their way between Marathon, Manitouwadge and White River.
Sustaining the snowmobile trails is no small feat. It takes an army of hard-working volunteers to operate the grooming machine, maintain the bridges and culverts, and clear bush and other debris from the trails. There’s been an extraordinary amount of snow this year, so the grooming machine, which travels at an average speed of only eight kilometers an hour, has to be constantly running to keep the trail clear. Thankfully, for the snowmobile community within this area of Northern Ontario, there is no shortage of folks ready, willing and able, to pitch in and help.
When asked why snowmobiling is so popular, Craig Colbourne, the Sno-Kickers club president, explains: “It gives you the chance to get outdoors. You get to see places you can’t experience in other seasons. There are bogs and marshes and other areas that, even with an ATV, you just can’t get to in the summer.
And it can be so quiet. If you don’t make a lot of noise, you can expect to see a lot of wildlife. It’s amazing. I see moose, lynx and wolves every time I go on a ride.”
As peaceful and tempting as a solitary ride may be, Craig advises that you don’t ride alone. “There are days where you can ride for hours without seeing someone. For safety’s sake, it’s best to ride in a group.”
Thanks to the volunteers and members of the Sno-Kickers Club, you can be assured of a safe, friendly, comfortable ride. For more information about the club, go to their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MarathonSnoKickers or their website at http://www.sno-kickers.com/