聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 The 41st annual Easter Seals Snowarama fundraising snowmobile ride generated more than $120,000 on February 10.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Barry Bradshaw of Good Spirit Acres, Snowarama committee chairman, said 175 riders took part in the event, which was a good number considering the cold weather and challenging riding conditions in some areas.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The full ride covered the usual distance of about 280 km for those riders who started in Yorkton and made the trip up north to Rawhides in Stenen, looped to the east through Norquay, and then drove home. Bradshaw said a number of riders shortened their trips by starting at Good Spirit or Canora.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 He said Canora Trakkers Club members were very helpful as riders negotiated their way through Canora and across the railroad tracks.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The hard snowbanks in some areas would have made for difficult riding, but thanks to the efforts of trail groomers from the Canora Trakkers, the Norquay SnoRiders, the Rhein Sno Cruzers, the Kamsack Sno-Drifters, and Bradshaw鈥檚 home club, the Yorkton Sno-Riders, driving conditions on the trails were quite good for the trip. Bradshaw said those riders who strayed off the trails generally found the going much more difficult.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The first Snowarama was held in 1977, and Robertson remembers it well. He said 60 riders took part, and raised close to $10,000 in 1977 dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e rode to Roblin, Man. and back, driving along the ditches, without any groomed trails. At the time we never even thought about the event going on for this long.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bradshaw said he and other committee members will be meeting soon to begin the process of deciding if there will be another Snowarama in 2019.
