10/27/2026
Club/Association Involvement
With another snowmobile season just around the corner, I want to revisit something I’ve brought up before that needs a hell of a lot more attention. A conversation, in our booth, at the snow show over the weekend only reinforced that.
During that conversation, I invited a gentleman to join the Upper Yellowstone Snowmobile Club (UYSC) and/or the Montana Snowmobile Association (MSA). He was adamant that he didn’t want to get involved with our club or even his own local club. I tried explaining that even being a member helps. You don’t have to attend meetings, volunteer for every project, or sit on a board. Hell, even if all you contribute is your annual dues and your name on the membership list, you’re helping. There’s strength in numbers, and those numbers matter when we’re fighting for access and the future of our sport.
I’ve thrown this request out before, I’ve even called it a challenge. A slim few have stepped up, and I honestly appreciate those who have. But nowhere near enough, especially from some of the more recognizable names in the winter recreation industry.
So I’m throwing that challenge out again to the ambassadors, team riders, manufacturer reps, event promoters, influencers, and everyday sledders. At a minimum, while you’re making your influencing videos, promoting sponsors, showing off the latest parts, posting riding adventures, or teaching those seminars, mention your state association or local club once in a while. Encourage your followers to join. Show up at a meeting or event. Your popularity and influence can help these organizations grow. Don’t misunderstand me, we’re not putting this all on your shoulders. We still need our local volunteers, club members, and businesses that have supported this sport for years. Without them, much of what gets accomplished wouldn’t happen. We just can’t keep expecting the same handful of people and businesses to carry the load. We’re not asking you to do it all. We’re asking you to help us help ALL of us.
Snowmobilers are a small group of outdoor enthusiasts, and with the rising cost of this sport, that group isn’t getting any easier to grow. A $30–$40 annual membership is a pretty small price to pay for what these organizations do for you.
Snowmobile associations and local clubs are your boots on the ground when it comes to fighting for access. Access to the backcountry to make those killer videos, jump those jumps, and make those big drops that sell your name and promote your sponsors. Let’s not forget the trail riders putting on hundreds of miles exploring some of the most beautiful and pristine country a snowmobile can take you into. Whether you’re chasing powder, climbing mountains, riding with family, or enjoying a groomed trail across a meadow, those opportunities don’t just happen. Someone is working to keep them available.
Sure, locally we groom trails that help you access those steep and deep areas. But do you know where the money comes from to operate a snowcat or groomer? Do you know who pays for that snowcat and groomer? Do you know how much time, work and money goes into keeping those trails open? Volunteers make this community go around.
We work with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Montana DNRC, and other state and federal land agencies on contracts, access, land use, and numerous other projects. We work with locals, local landowners, cut firewood, clear and repair trails, and sit down with the government suits who help determine what we can do on public lands.
Here’s the part that rarely gets talked about. Most of this work happens behind the scenes, year after year, with little attention or recognition. Mostly, done by volunteers with full time jobs. Nobody seems too concerned until there’s a trail closure, proposed restriction, or an access issue affecting where they ride. Then suddenly everyone wants to know who’s fighting for them.
Well, those clubs and associations have been there all along, often working to prevent those problems before they happen. We attend state, national, and international snowmobile events, meet with lawmakers and land managers, write letters, work with other outdoor organizations and yes, even environmental groups. We meet with commissioners, governors, senators, and the government suits making decisions that affect our sport.
We also help fund economic impact studies to show what snowmobilers contribute to local economies. A recent Economic Impact Study cost the Montana Snowmobile Association $30,000, with another $5,000 contributed by Citizens for Balanced Use (CBU). That’s $35,000 spent on work that benefits motorized recreation.
It doesn’t stop at local clubs or state associations. There are national, American Council of Snowmobile Associations (ACSA) and international snowmobile organizations, including the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association(ISMA), all working in different ways to support this sport.
It sure seems like a lot of riders buy a new sled, hopefully buy a trail pass, fill it with fuel, load it up, and head for the mountains or trails without giving much thought to the organizations and volunteers helping make it possible.
I’m not asking everyone to become a board member or volunteer every weekend, but is it really asking too much to become a member?
To those ambassadors, sponsored riders, influencers, and industry representatives, people watch what you do. They follow your adventures, buy the products you promote, and value your opinions. Use a little of that influence to support the organizations working to keep you riding. We’re ALL ambassadors for this sport, sponsored or not. What we do on the mountain, on the trails, in our communities, at events, and on social media reflects on the rest of us.
You don’t have to agree with every decision a club or association makes. Hell, if you don’t agree, get involved and help make it better. But sitting on the sidelines, enjoying everything these organizations work to protect, and refusing to support them even with a membership? I have a hard time understanding that.
Join your local club. Join your state association. Help when you can. Promote what they do even if its just a share/like on social media.
We can’t expect someone else to keep fighting for our riding opportunities forever.
In my own words,
Rowdy Yates,
MSA Vice President
