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Winter 2016 53 Northwest Riders Happy New Year and greetings from us all at Northwest Riders With the unfortunate lack of snow so far we have teamed up with the other clubs in the county to open a new trail utilizing a section of the LVRT from Sheldon to Jeffersonville. Members from Northwest Riders Fletcher Rough Riders and Smugglers Notch Snowmobile club have been instrumental in making this huge trail happen. There have been many obstacles in the form of washouts bridge decking and debrushing. It has been amazing to witness all the clubs pulling together to accomplish this and truly inspiring Currently we have completed the 10 mile section from Sheldon to East Fairfield Trail 36 that has been opened up to connect with the LVRT. We are still working on connecting the south end of the LVRT with LE34. The Smugglers Notch Club is working hard to make this connection. This trail will be a major asset in connecting Franklin and Lamoille counties. I would like to personally thank all that have been involved in this project Without the help of volunteers and the generosity of our landowners none of this would be possible. Everything else here in our neck of the woods is good and all of our trails are ready for a deep coating of the coveted White Stuff. If any of you have thoughts or ideas on how we can connect the LVRT at the Lost Nation road with LE34 easily please feel free to contact one of us. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on the trails Please join us for a club meeting on the second Tuesday of every month at the Abbey Restaurant in Sheldon at 7 p.m. Follow us on Facebook for updates and trail conditions. We also offer TMAs for sale on our website. Bruce King President www. Northwestriders.org Like us on Facebook Mark Bushey Steven King Hunter Hebert Steve and Dan Favreau stand proudly on one of four rail bridges that Franklin county clubs converted for snowmobile use. This bridge in Fairfield is 96 feet long. Club News Franklin County Snow Raiders The monthly meeting of the Franklin County Snow Raiders was held on Jan. 5th. In comparison to many meetings in the past this month we had a great turnout of 20 or more members. Up to this point we were lucky to get eight or so people to attend. It is hoped that many new people will come to meetings and take an active interest in the club as many of those currently holding office are thinking of moving on to other things. Without new people stepping up to take the reins there is a possibility that the club could dissolve. With all the work that has transpired over the years to make this club what it is this is the last thing that needs to happen. It is nearly the middle of January and today temperatures are in the lower 50s. There was a small covering of snow but with the warm weather and rain that snow is nearly gone. Needless to say the trail system still remains closed due to the lack of sufficient snow cover. No appreciable amount of snow is in the immediate forecast. If there is good snowfall later in January unless some cold weather comes along the trail system will still be hard to ride as parts of the trail system that that go through wet areas will not be frozen. Our trail system is ready. However there is still a curfew on a small section of the trail in North Fairfax. It is on the same spot there was a curfew as last year. The landowner has again requested that snowmobilers honor a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. Our groomer is ready to go. The new drag is waiting to cut its first path in the fresh snow and hopefully that will be soon. Safe riding Ken Stockwell Treasurer Like us on Facebook GRAND ISLE COUNTY Alburg Sno Springers Getting the trails ready for this season provided some interesting adventures and stories that are funny to look back at at least while under the influence of Ibuprophen. Six 2500 lb. concrete blocks that are used to keep trucks off the Alburg Recreational Rail Trail have to be removed and replaced at trail opening and closing. We planned on a backhoe but with time bearing down on us and no contact from the operator Trailmaster Dave McFadden suggested we do it by hand with a 2-ton come-along hi-lifter jack and assorted pry bars straps and cables. My visions of being crushed under