On the trails with Rural Cass Snowmobile Club

More than 100 riders and 14 vintage sleds took part in SnowJam 2011 yesterday (Jan 22).  With temps below zero, riders braved the cold to head out to about 19 trail stops along the Rural Cass Snowmobile Club trail.

Buf Hovelson of Lake Park, MN, took home the Best of Show trophy in the vintage snowmobile display with his 1970 skidoo 640 TNT.  Winner of the People’s Choice trophy was Jerry Perkins of Valley City with his 1976 Arctic Cat Z440 racing sled.

Les Heuer rode his 1981 Arctic Cat Pantera to SnowJam from his home in Leonard, ND. He was also one of several riders in the Ryan Mayer Vintage Snowmobile Ride.

Club members wish to thank all the riders in the event, which is one of the key fundraising events of the year, allowing more grooming to take place on the trails. In addition, thank you to the local businesses who sponsored the event. A special thanks to Titan Machinery of Casselton and Arthur for helping out by providing a quad track to use for grooming when the club’s groomer needed repair.

Some pictures from SnowJam have been posted on the SnowJam Facebook page. Some will be posted on the SnowJam website soon.

Hope to see everyone next year at SnowJam 2012!

SnowJam 2011 kicks off Friday night with a  bonfire at 7:30 PM at the club’s warming house. The warming house is located on the north loop of the trail, about seven miles east of Arthur. Plan to arrive on your snowmobile, since there is no vehicle access or parking.

Saturday’s activities are really two-fold as it related to snowmobiling. 

If you have a newer snowmobile, plan to take part in the area’s premier snowmobile trail ride. Start by registering for the ride at Hagge’s Bar and Grill in Mapleton anytime after 9 AM. Then grab your friends and head out on the trails. Just plan to be back at Hagge’s sometime before 6 PM. We’ll give you a map and encourage you to stop in at the local trail stops, which are also sponsors for SnowJam. They’ll give you a ticket and the more tickets you bring back to Mapleton, the more chances you’ll have at the prizes Saturday night.

If you’re sled is vintage (older than 1985), then bring that sled out to Hagge’s too. We’re hosting a vintage snowmobile display all morning on Saturday and will then lead a vintage trail ride about 1 PM.  We’ll take all the vintage sleds we can, and are hoping you will bring yours. 

If you like vintage snowmobiles, but don’t own one, this is a great chance to see a bunch all in one place. Come over to Hagge’s and help vote for the People’s Choice award.

North Dakota Parks and Rec will be bringing their snowmobile safety simulator to SnowJam Saturday. This is a fun chance for new riders (of any age) to check out how it feels to balance on a snowmobile.

We’ll kick off some games late in the afternoon, and these games are always a hit at SnowJam. Think games like those on “Minute to Win It” or a snowmobile belt toss, or a game of rock/paper/scissors between 50 snowmobilers. Each game includes some great prizes and about half of the games are no charge. (Hey, this is a fund raiser to help keep those snowmobile trails in shape, so we do charge for some of the games.)

Finally, the evening ends with social time, the drawings for the $200 in cash prizes and then a dance, with live music provided by Hagge’s. Hope to see you there!