President's Message
Member Clubs and Snowmobilers:
I would like to welcome you to the new Snoman website. The new web site has been in the works for the past two months and we are now glad to have it online. The new site will have many new features over the previous site and we encourage all to explore it. We are especially pleased to offer a section dedicated to the clubs. Club members will be required to sign in and will be able to view Snoman meeting minutes, Snoman operations manual and other information important to the clubs. Clubs will be able to access the operations manual and know that they have the latest edition. Please check out the new trail condition reports and maps. What you will now see is phase one; once the Solara units are all working correctly we will move into phase two which will show different colors of trails based on when they were last groomed. If when exploring the new web site you see errors or have suggestions please do not hesitate to contact the office, it is through your suggestions that we can further improve the site.
The lack of snow has been a bit of a downer for the clubs in the south, but I’m sure the snow will come and we will have a great season. This season there was a change to the kiosk policy, these changes were necessary to reassure the advertisers that the clubs would install the kiosk on the trails. If you are not aware of the change please read the policy or contact your Snoman Director. There have been no other significant changes in the trail signing requirements. Trails audits will be conducted again this season and clubs will soon be getting notification if they are on the audit schedule.
I would encourage clubs to carry out a self-audit of your club’s trail system, it is best to have a club member other than the one that signed the trail to carry out the audited. The self-audits will help ensure your trail is signed as per the guidelines thus ensuring there will be little or no issues when the Snoman audit is conducted.
This year with financial assistance from the New Horizons Program and the Mentorship program Snoman has been able to develop a series of on line training programs. These training programs will be available to all club members and you will be able to access them through the web site. The programs should be available by mid-January.
I am pleased to announce that the dates and location for the 2nd Annual Snowmobile Congress has been set. The date is November 9 & 10th , 2012 at the Club Regent Casino. Please ensure you mark your calendars. We will be working to address some of the concerns from the 1st congress and will keep you posted as the program is developed.
I am sorry to report that Carol has left Snoman; Carol was with us for 3 years and during that time contributed significantly to the organization. Carol’s club experience will be missed in the office and we wish Carol all the best in her future endeavours.
We are currently seeking a new employee to fill the vacancy created with Carol’s departure and hope to have the position filled by mid-January. In the meantime Crystal or Christy will be able to handle your inquiries. Tom Schindel recently resigned as Snoman Director for the Central Region. Tom has been with the Snoman board for a number of years, his contribution to the board was significant and he will be greatly missed. We wish Tom all the best.
Monthly Snopass sales have been slightly higher than what MPI were predicting, however with the lack of snow we should not be surprized if December number are down somewhat.
As you are aware there have been a few issues with the new Solara units, however the company is working closely with Snoman and the clubs to ensure all issues are resolved. In the mean time we would ask for your patience and understanding until we get all the issues resolved. If you experice a problem with your unit please contact the Snoman office immediately.
If you have any concerns or require information please contact the Snoman office. Remember good communications is the first step in resolving any issue. If I can be of any help please feel free to call me, I can be reached at 1-204-821-5288
Have a fun season and safe sledding. I hope to meet you on the trail.
Alan Butler
President
Snoman Inc.
