Our lodge suppers will commence this week on Wednesday at 7 PM.
 The first supper will be a pork roast dinner with all the fixens and is sponsored by Elhatton's Funeral Home. All suppers have a dessert and sponsored prizes. All monies raised at these suppers go right back into the trail system. See our calender of events for our supper dates. At this time I want to thank all our sponsors in advance for their support of our club year after year. Without these fund raisers, we will not be able to supply the grooming service at the level that is expected. You can show your support by attending at least a couple of these great evenings.

    We were out today on some major signing on the 23. The #1 groomer left Roger Lake tonight at 6.30 to Governor's on trail 23 then will do the TV Tower Road 503 to Trail 19, then return to Roger lake in the morning.
    Well the intention was good. No grooming tonight. The operator said that only one headlight was working. We'll check it out in the morning and I'm sure the fix will be easy.

     -6 in Bathurst this AM. It looks like a decent week shaping up for snowmobiling in Bathurst with great temps and just a few flurries in the forecast. There is the possibility of a major coming Sunday or Monday. It was late March type weather here yesterday with good to excellent conditions.
      We were out with the #1 groomer from 3.30 PM yesterday until this morning. We left Roger Lake on 23 to Red Pine Shelter, up the 507, up the 22 to Island Lake Shelter and back at 4 AM. The purpose was to widen and repair all holes. Talked to the operator and said the trail is now in excellent cond. We will be on the trails above Roger Lake to hone those trails to perfection. We will be doing night-time grooming mostly with the exception of a run to Mt Carleton on the 503, which we will try and tackle on Tuesday morning.
     Here is an update on the peninsula grooming. They have a lot of water problems getting across rivers on the 48 as well as the Caraquet groomer coming to Bass River on 19 through the power line. They have been grooming but only where possible so from what I understand is there is still no connect to there from Bathurst on the 19 or the 48.

     Some trails would probably have taken a beating yesterday but most should have held up reasonably well. Both groomers were out on short runs. #1 groomer did the Roger Lake loop on 23 from there to Nine Mile Shelter and the #2 groomer was out most of the day 13 hours mainly on trail repairs (see last nights report), but managed to get the 19 & 23 done from the lodge to the Host. We will probably run the 22 from Rogers Lake to Island Lake shelter tonight. There are reports of drifting and one big washout on the south side of highway 180. Should be a decent week coming up for snowmobiling in the Bathurst area with very moderate temperatures in the forecast
     We have some major concerns starting Monday. The Christmas break is over and the wood haul will be back on through the Nine Mile East Road (trail 23 for 11.5 Km) from highway 430 to the Nine Mile Shelter, (from that point on the 22 is also plowed to the 22/507 intersection and that section is deemed closed). This is the only link to the trails above. These are your only options: You can run the 11.5 Km from the highway to the 22/23 intersection and look at the possibility of encountering a 22 wheeler on a road which is about 25 feet wide or you can turn left up highway 430 (30 feet wide) for 5.8 Km to the Nine Mile West Road which is groomed and catch the trail 23 one kilometer in from the road. Refer to the map on our website and zoom in on this option. (you need acrobat reader to look at it) Both offer decent lube and extreme caution should be exercised. The other issue is the short section of trail on 52 from the Taylor brook rd. into the head pond. It’s a dog’s breakfast right now and we don’t pass the groomer across the pond until we’re absolutely certain that it is safe enough to carry a groomer. We usually depend on our sister club from the Miramichi to groom to the pond, but they have there own sets of problems. The trail is bumpy but passable and you can cross the headpond.

    Just got back from Nepisiguit. Ran the #2 groomer from Bathurst this AM. We repaired every hole  from Bathurst to Nepisiguit and today we did the ones above the Lodge to Nine Mile East Rd. Many thumbs up from sledders. So the Host to the beginninng of Nine Mile east should be good to excellent running. Spoke with sledders (Don and crew from NS) back from Serpentine and they said conditions were great. Parked the groomer in the lodge area until morning. There were plenty of people on the trails and many of whom I recognized from the South (Paul from Moncton, Cleave PEI and others where my name recall is blank). The Bathurst Hotels plus the lodges at Serpentine and Governors are jam packed with sledders from all over the Maritimes.
     Will tackle East Bathurst tomorrow, but this trail is very passable according to people that were through.

       -13 and very windy in Bathurst this morning. The wind could cause dome drifting in places, but the little rain we had last Sunday helped form a crust, so lets hope that this will prevent the above. Looking forward, the weather does not show much snow other than flurries so our trail maintenance should be at a minimum.

Here are the pics of you fixing the washouts in big river. (look in Media Gallery)

Sally and I couldn't believe the great job ya did. We were on the look out for the wash outs on the way back but they were totally gone.

      -14 in Bathurst and a Happy New Year to all. The #2 groomer will be leaving Bathurst at 7AM to Nepisiguit Lodge. After repairing two washes about 6 km out of Bathurst yesterday, we will take care of some issues on the rail bed line today on the way to the lodge. Conditions from Bathurst to Serpentine will then be good to excellent. I spoke to Brad and his crew from Halifax and they sledded right from Serpentine and they confirmed the above. Read yesterday’s 6 AM report for more info. If anyone has any info to report on conditions of the 52 from the Miramichi to the head pond we would appreciate hearing from you. I know they have water problems there but I also heard it was passable.
      Just a few facts on our website. Last years hit total: 2.4 million up .45 mil from 07      Avg. for last month 14,000 with last 5 days over 23,000. It usually averages over 25,000 in the winter months. If you need any info just drop us an email and we will do our best to accommodate you.

    -9 here in Bathurst this morning. I was out posting signs yesterday and just browsing. It is shaping up for a busy weekend here in Bathurst and with no doubt, throughout the north. All trails would be near perfection if it hadn’t been for the minor melt down last Sunday. There are stretches of perfect trail and some, where lube may be an issue. There is still evidence of water in areas as well and these can be hazardous if speed is involved so make this a happy new year and drive with caution. There will be a lot of sleds on the snow from today through Sunday so drive on the right.
    The Trail Police are on the trails and I did hear stories of pull overs and fines. Have all your documentation: Registration $174 fine, Insurance $604, Trail permit $174. Trail permits stickers and reg. plates have to be visible and they’ll ask you to make them visible on your sled. A few might argue that they are going to ruin the sport, but I think it will really enhance the sport as they are making sure everyone is in compliance, and hasn’t that been our argument for years. They are just upholding the Off Road Vehicle Act, which has been on the books for years. Just my opinion. Quebec & Ontario have had Police long before us here in NB. 
    read former post

      The #1 groomer has been basically running non-stop since Sunday night.
 Trails done since Sunday:
Trail 23 Roger Lake to Governor’s, 4 passes good to excellent, some ice
Trail 23 Governor’s to Serpentine 2 passes first grooming, good

Trail 503 TV Tower to 19, 2 Passes, good to excellent, no reported water problems.

Trail 507 Red Pine Shelter to Trail 22 / 507 intersection 4 passes , excellent

Trail 22,  22/507  to 19/22 Shelter on Trail 19 2 passes, one wash, good

Trail 23 Roger Lake to Nine Mile Shelter 3 passes good to excellent narrow some water
Trail 22 from Nine Mile to 22/507 closed  plowing

Trail 23 from Nine Mile Shelter to Highway 430 plowed use caution

Trail 23 from Nep Lodge to Highway fair to good bumpy some water
          could use more snow

Trail 19 & 23 from Bathurst to Nep Lodge fair to good, some washes, more snow would help. Some contractor using vehicles on 23 before the lodge on a short section of trail??

      I just got off the phone with operator from yesterdays run from Roger Lake to Governors and over the TV Tower. There were so many windfalls on the 503 that he used a full tank of gas on his chain saw. He crossed on the ice at the Upsalquitch River so there is no need to run the auto bridge from now on. He spent 20 hours in the groomer. We now have two connections from the 23 to 19, the 503 to Simpson fields and the 507/22 Red Pine Shelter to the Island Lake shelter. When he left for home he met the other operator who was leaving Roger Lake Trail 23 to Serpentine at 6AM. He should be back at Roger Lake sometime after midnight.
    There are a few washes from Bathurst to the lodge, but very passable. We may try to rectify those tomorrow.

  -15 deg in Bathurst today with sunny skies forecasted. Although significant snow-cover was lost all over NB, the snow triangle held its own because of its former depth. Out of Bathurst towards Nepisiguit should be still decent except for some ice formation. There are water pockets everywhere so be careful when riding and keep a safe distance from the front running sled.

     No report on groomer # 1 as it groomed Piston Alley again yesterday to Governor’s and up over TV Tower 503 to Trail 19, so we now have both links covered to Trail 19, the other being Trail 22. The short section of Trail 22 from Nine Mile Shelter to intersection 507/22 is closed due to part of it being plowed. The #1 groomer is scheduled to leave Roger Lake this morning at 7 AM on Trail 23 to Serpentine Lodge where it will immediately turn back to Roger Lake. Be careful of possible ice on Piston Alley.

    #1 groomer got back from grooming the Trail 22 last night from Island Lake Shelter with no hickups and back to Roger Lake. It is now back on the trail 23 to Governor's and up over TV Tower(503) to tail 19. It will return this evening and will leave for Serpentine in the morning. This is absolutely fabulous news.
     We found the electrical problem with the #2 groomer and it will be ready to go by days end. So by tomorrow, all trails would have seen a groomer. Watch for water cuts and drive with caution.

     O deg and raining at post time

     We expect 5 to 10 mm of rain today with temps up to 5 deg. This will probably cause icy conditions tomorrow when it dips below freezing. This will cause a problem for lube. We hope to get the second groomer up to Roger Lake so we can get the remainder of the trails groomed by Wednesday.

-13 in Bathurst. According to Environment Canada we had 30 cm fall in Bathurst, but it does seem more like 40. 
      Nepisiguit will have some trails groomed for you for Christmas. We had one groomer up to the Host for fuel and back to the shop last night. Both groomers will be on the trail at 6 PM in this morning. They will run tandem from Bathurst to Nine Mile East and part ways. Groomer #2 will return to Bathurst. Groomer #1 will continue to Roger Lake and will get a relief operator and continue on Trail 23 Governors on Piston Alley. I will have to talk to the operator first to see how many hours is he up to doing. The possibilities are Trail 22 and trail 503, depending how tire he gets. That will be it for Christmas, and we will be back on the trail 7 AM Friday morning. We have a scheduled run to East Bathurst, but will need someone familiar with the trail to accompany the operator when he leaves the shop. Call operator Wayne Hachey 546-1066, or myself. 548-8241

  -5 in Bathurst, -9 in Campbellton, - 12 in Edmundston.
       About 20 cm of snow down with blizzard conditions here in Bathurst with 20 cm more forecasted. We have white-out conditions with gusts to 80kph. Fredericton had more than 30 cm at 4 AM this morning. As soon as the dust clears, we have operators lined up to run. Both groomers are in Bathurst and both will leave between 6 and 7 AM Tuesday. The #2 groomer will run from Bathurst to Nine Mile shelter and return to Bathurst. The #1 groomer will leave Bathurst and some how try to get to Roger Lake. It will have a relief waiting there and he will continue through to Wednesday on Piston Alley and possibly trail 503 TV Tower and Trail 22 towards Island Lake. This is all tentative. We are still waiting on confirmation of some trail changes on Trail 19 to East Bathurst. We anticipate some minor water problems here and there and these will only be repaired after we find out where they are and what is needed to fix them. (Pallets). When riding the trails at this time of year, caution is needed. Only the trails that are groomed are deemed offiially open. Until then they are considered closed.
      There is another storm forecasted for Sunday and 10 cm for this Wednesday. Snowmobiling is now a go in Bathurst.