The Mica Mountain Riders Association is hoping for more snow.
Club member Greg Rector said last week they got almost a foot and while he did not probe the snow this weekend, the weekend before they had 125 centimetres or just over four feet. As the new snow falls and the old snow settles he estimates there is now close to 135 centimeters out there.
“It’s getting better. You’re not as worried anymore with stumps and rocks,” Rector said. “There are still some visible. I didn’t hear of anybody bringing a broken sled off this weekend. Previous weekends people have been breaking stuff.”
The group he rides with is in the double digits for the number of times they have gone out this year. “They haven’t been hard rides for sure, just been logging miles on new machines,” he said with a laugh.
Mica Mountain has terrain for everybody, said Rector. “You can be a new rider and stick to the groomed trails and the big meadows. Then there’s some tree riding, there’s some steep stuff, there’s some steep trees. There’s kind of a little bit of everything.”
Rector said their terrain has big open alpine areas plus a lot of sub-alpine areas as well.
“It’s kind of been our little hidden gem now - well, I’ve been riding there for 20 some odd years,” he said. “It’s kind of been a hidden gem.”
He said that there is significantly more traffic on the weekends today than two decades ago. Where once they might see five people on a weekend, now there is closer to 40 at times.
Club membership is sitting at just over 100 this year, consistent with the last couple of years. Rector said they have also been doing well for day passes so far. Over the holidays, they were one of the few places that had snow.
On one day between Christmas and New Year’s, he collected 38-day passes throughout the day. “That’s like $20 per person, almost an $800 day.”
Fees collected, including the $200 membership fee go to BC Snowmobile Federation, keeping the road and parking areas open and grooming the approximately 25 kilometres of groomed trails. With the increase in fuel costs, what it cost to run the groomer 20 years ago is not even close to what it is today, said Rector.
Most riders are safety conscious and have become fairly well-educated regarding avalanches. There will always be a few people who do not follow the rules and accidents will happen. It’s the nature of sledding, Rector remarked.
Rector added there’s a beacon checker located where people go out onto the trail at Mica Mountain. As they drive by, it changes from a red X to a green circle to let them know their avalanche beacon is working. Both Rector and most of the group he rides with are members of South Cariboo Search and Rescue and they have a tendency to watch those people leave the parking lot.
He estimates over 90 per cent of people have all their equipment: avalanche bags, probes, shovels, and transceivers, as well as the knowledge to use them.
“You know, because having the gear I think, as a search and rescue member, I know I can save them if they have their transceiver, but I want to know if they know how to use it if I get in trouble,” Rector laughed. “I know I can find them if they get caught in an avalanche. But can they find me - that’s what my wife wants to know.”
The association is currently holding a raffle with a 2024 Can-Am Outlander XT 700 as the grand prize. Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased at Performance All Terrain & Rentals Ltd and South Cariboo Motor Sports.
The raffle draw will take place on Feb. 17 at the annual association dinner and auction being held at the 100 Mile Community Hall.