Sno’ Trails Article

As another snowmobiling season falls upon us, I am writing this today with some early snow on the ground. This gives us hope that we will have a good season this year. The Driftclimbers have been busy getting back into the routine of things. Our members have been busy working away this summer replacing bridges and clearing trails. A couple of trail additions that were added to the Driftclimbers growing trail system include the trail from Kennetcook to Urbania. This trail allows enthusiasts another destination to head for. That destination is the Shubenacadie Tidal Bore Rafting Resort. We encourage all enthusiasts to head over that way to explore a bit more of our beautiful province. Meanwhile, other members worked on the new connector trail to the Walton pub. This small connector comes from Trail 945, to the Back Rd. and cuts across to the Walton Pub. This allows another route to the famous local pub, and keeps the carbides fresh by reducing road driving. We thank all the land owners in that area for their permission to use their land. This trail is a winter only trail and is gated in the summer.

Our three groomers will be running strong this year thanks to the countless hours of prep work done by our members. The Driftclimbers look forward to seeing Merlin behind the wheel of our groomer, Lady Alma, very soon we hope. We have recently done some updates to our website, there will constantly be new content uploaded over the winter season. If you have not liked our Facebook page yet, go over and check it out. There are lots of like-minded enthusiasts who discuss everything snowmobiling, and when we can’t ride in snow, there is lots of talks about 4 wheel riding too. Come check out our trail system, it’s easier than ever before now with the new SANS interactive map and groomer tracking on snowmobilersns.com, or with their new app called “GoSnowmobiling SANS 2019-2020”. You’ll be able to track our groomers and you’d be surprised how good our trails are. As I close this up, I am preparing for our annual auction. We hope for a good turn out to keep our local trails open and freshly groomed. Until next year, keep the rubber side down and we will see you on the trail

At the annual auction that took place on the evening of November 9, 2019, the highest bidder of the beautiful home-made quilt, made by member Cindy Patriquin, was Kenny Dunphy at $1300. It was later presented on stage that some members of Driftclimbers had offered to pitch in and Kenny presented this quilt as a gift to our very dedicated member Merlin White. It was a token of appreciation for all Merlin does and a hope that Merlin can use this as strength in his battle with cancer. If you see Merlin out grooming stop by and have a chat, he would love to hear from you.

Kevin MacDonald

Well here we are, once again, preparing for another season with the Driftclimbers Snowmobile Club. This is the club’s 50^th year anniversary! It has been a great summer and fall, but if you’re like me, you are ready to see the snow fly. DCSC has been hard at work this past year maintaining trails, installing bridges and performing general maintenance on the groomers. We are proud to announce the purchase of our “new to us” 2005 New Holland TS115A groomer. Our members have been hard at work painting and freshening up the groomers to get them ready for the new season ahead. The Driftclimbers now have four groomers for our area. With four groomers to cover DCSC’s 400 km of designated trails in HRM and Hants, they will be top notch this year, so be sure to take some time to head to Beaverbank, Rawdon, and Kennetcook to check them out. Driftclimbers membership is only $25 and allows you to use the parking lot on Beaverbank Road and be a member of the only snowmobile club in HRM. With trails only 30 minutes from Halifax, it’s worth checking us out and contributing to keep the club around for a long time to come.

Our members put together a memorial sign for Anthony Miller, who passed away after his courageous battle with cancer in 2016. If you are passing by the Kennetcook Firehall, stop and have a look at the sign.

2017 was a sad year being that we lost two long time members. Mike Conrad and Alma Russell were two very long time and active DCSC members who have performed many roles with DCSC and SANS. Both of their passions for snowmobiling will continue to shine through the DCSC and the members who knew them best. We will continue to think of them as we ride and groom with “Lady Alma.”

Our annual auction held back in the spring was a big hit again. Thanks to all the participants and everyone who donated an item. The highlight of the night was Alma’s loaf of bread.  She had a passion for baking and donated a loaf of bread to the auction. She was glowing when the loaf of bread sold for a whopping $1000! This is a great memory we can all keep in mind of Alma as we go into our 50^th year.

Some great events are coming up for the DCSC to display what the club is all about. Saturday, December 9^th from 10 am – 2 pm will be the annual Show and Shine. This will take place at the Enfield Tim Hortons by the Big Stop. Come out and check out all the sleds and members of the Driftclimbers. Then on Sunday December 10^th from 4 pm – 6 pm, the annual Christmas supper will take place at the Noel Road Community Hall. Tickets are $10 for an adult and $5 for a child. This is a great way to donate to DCSC and have a great meal as well. We hope to see you there!

DCSC has branded clothing now. You can buy hoodies, touques, ball caps, t-shirts and sweaters all with the DCSC logos on them. For pricing and sizes, see our homepade

We are all looking forward to another great season of safe and sober riding, and hope that we get blessed with lots of snow this year. Look out for groomers in your travels. Give them a wave when you go by as they are volunteering a lot of their own time into this sport to make it that much more enjoyable for everyone. We wish everyone a happy and joyous holiday season and hope to see you around some of the DCSC events and on the trails!

Kevin MacDonald