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Tens of thousands of club volunteers have built 30,000 kilometres of recreational snowmobile trails metre by metre since founding the not-for-profit Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) in 1967.
A just-released OFSC Volunteer Contribution Survey indicated that OFSC volunteers contributed nearly 479,779 total volunteer hours to snowmobiling in Ontario in 2022/23. The monetary equivalent of these total volunteer hours is an estimated $16.4 million.
A 2022/23 economic impact study commissioned by the OFSC indicates that the OFSC Prescribed Trail System operated by these extraordinary volunteers is the mainstay of winter tourism in Ontario, generating up to $6 billion in annual economic impact.
“Every minute of volunteer time deserves our recognition and appreciation,” said Ryan Eickmeier, OFSC CEO. “Without volunteers, Ontario’s premier winter tourism activity simply wouldn’t exist.”
"Every year, the OFSC’s army of over 6,000 volunteers makes every minute count. Individuals volunteer for a range of snowmobiling-related functions, including governance (from OFSC board to clubs), directors of operations, field and districts, running clubs and club functions, administrative work, communication, fundraising, marketing, maintenance and repair, groomer operations and many other activities," says a news release.
Throughout every fall, these volunteers prepare 30,000 kms of snowmobile trails, then operate them all winter, and finally shut the entire system down in the early spring – only to repeat the annual cycle again the next year. It’s a massive undertaking that requires special skills, acquired expertise, stamina, patience, and countless moments of volunteer time, every one of which matters. Their efforts benefit tens of thousands of Ontarians, from snowmobilers to snowmobile businesses, and from mom ‘n’ pop services to hospitality providers, as well as more than 18,000 landowners and hundreds of snowbelt communities connected by OFSC snowmobile trails.
On two different occasions this winter, OFSC club volunteers succeeded in making a little of something out of a lot of nothing. Following a rare blast of snow in mid-January, our volunteers rose to the challenge, making over 15,000 km of OFSC trails available to ride within a week – an astounding 23,000% trail availability increase in record time.
Then as the Family Day Weekend approached in mid-February more snow fell, so our volunteers put their personal lives on hold yet again by committing tens of thousands of moments to provide over 10,000 km of trails for Ontario families to enjoy for the holiday.
