COCHRANE - Next month, snowmobilers will feel the chill on the trails but the warmth of giving as they raise cash to help the families of fallen firefighters.
The Great Northern Expedition Charity Poker Run, an annual snowmobile event in Cochrane, is on Feb. 22. The event has been running for seven years to raise money for the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
The event was established by Renée Vezeau Beaulieu, Tourism Cochrane executive director and the Best Western owner in Cochrane, in partnership with Ryan Hawkins, a fulltime firefighter and owner of Canucks Powersports.
Since its inception, the event has raised over $10,000 for the foundation.
For the run, snowmobilers visit five checkpoints to collect cards for a chance to win cash prizes and sponsorship gifts. The welcome banquet, which also serves as the mandatory riders’ meeting, is on Feb. 21 at the Cochrane Pavilion from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Vezeau Beaulieu said the event continues to draw participants from across Ontario and beyond, many of who are attracted to the extensive snowmobile trails.
The Polar Bear Riders Snowmobile Club operates around 350 kilometres of groomed trails in the Cochrane area.
Club president Kenny Johnston said about three-quarters of their trails are open. Their area runs from roughly 30 kilometres south of Cochrane to 40 kilometres northwest of the town.
This season, the club has implemented a reroute for a section of trail between Cochrane and Timmins due to landowner changes. Johnston said dealing with landownership changes is a routine aspect of maintaining the trail network, as clubs adjust to new agreements and property access.
Weather has also impacted the snowmobile season in recent years.
“Last year was a really thin year for snow, especially in the Cochrane area,” he said. “This season, we had mild conditions in December, which took away about a foot of our snow.”
These shifts in weather patterns have led to some delays in trail preparation, though the club is still on track to open the trails by mid-January, as is typical for the season, Johnston said.
The Great Northern Expedition Charity Poker Run has seen fluctuating attendance due to changing snow conditions, Vezeau Beaulieu said.
“Last year we had close to 100 participants, but we’ve had some challenges with trail conditions and cancellations over the past couple of winters,” she said.
Vezeau Beaulieu said that snow conditions have become less predictable, affecting the region’s snowmobile tourism.
“We are the hub for the snowmobile industry and unfortunately, we haven't seen the same traffic for the last, definitely, two winters,” she said.
“The level of the snow has been different, so it has been a bit challenging, where we open trails, and then they’re closed, and then we see a lot of cancellations, unfortunately … So it's been giving us a bit of a challenge since COVID. So we’ve had to learn how to work around that and be more cautious about opening and closing trails.”
Cochrane’s snowmobile club, which maintains 350 kilometres of groomed trails, relies on volunteers to keep operations running smoothly. However, in addition to the weather-related challenges, Johnston acknowledged the ongoing challenge of recruiting volunteers, which also sometimes causes delays in getting trails open.
“Finding volunteers for anything these days is very challenging. It takes us a bit longer to do some of the things, but if we had more volunteers, we’d be able to get more trails open or available quicker,” he said.
Snowmobile safety remains a priority. On the trails, Johnston said snowmobilers should watch for other riders, park off to the side and avoid impaired driving.
“The trails are probably the safer place to ride because the clubs do a great job in grooming them and removing obstacles. But anytime you venture off trail, you can hit rocks, stumps, trees, etcetera,” he said.
Find out more about the event here.
The Polar Bear Riders Snowmobile Club’s Facebook page can be found here.
