Last winter saw the beginning of a law requiring snowmobilers to have a trail pass to ride the trails. Club Snow director Ken Penman reflects on how the mandatory law has fared since its inception.

snowmobile licence plate
Highly visible snowmobile licence plate"Good," says Penman. "I think provincially, people are more understanding that you need to have a trail pass. If you get caught on the trail -- and it's RCMP controlled, not the club's -- it's like getting caught without a license plate on the quad or some other thing... or without a license plate on your vehicle when you're driving it."

Penman explains if you're caught on the trails without a trail pass you will be fined about $487, which is significantly higher than the $150 cost for a pass.

He adds some have been discovered using the trail's warm-up shelters without a pass and claimed they weren't riding the trails. Penman notes you cannot get to a shelter unless you use the trail.

He explains there's also private land involved, and the club has to annually go to the landowners due to a provincial insurance policy for the trail. He says the private landowners must be covered in case of an accident. Penman says this raises another issue we need to realize. The insurance only covers incidents that take place on the actual trail itself, which is only 22 feet wide. For those who are off the trail and in a farmer's field due to the desire to ride over fresh and unused snow, and there is an accident, the landowners can sue these people.

Penman says the same problem arises with quad users who don't understand why they can't ride over private land in the summer and fall. He notes, first of all, the gates are closed due to the presence of cattle, and secondly insurance must be paid. Penman explains if you own land and allow your friends on that land with or without you, and something happens, you are taking the chance of those individuals suing you. For that reason, Penman says, Snoman Inc. (Snowmobilers Of Manitoba) has a liability policy that covers between four or seven-million dollars on the 22 feet of the trail throughout the province. And the local club pays $150 toward it. This covers all who are riding the trail. Penman says about every snowmobile accident that takes place is off the trail. Such off-trail accidents are not covered by the liability insurance. Without a plate, he says, you have no standard insurance offered by Autopac. You only require basic insurance on your actual snowmobile if that's all you want. But if you have an accident, you can be sued for a million dollars, which is not uncommon.

Penman adds, for someone to ride the trail without the trail pass is an indication that something is extremely wrong.