Fire Destroys Home of NH Executive Director

The home of Gail and Pete Hanson in Belmont, NH was recently broke into and torched. Gail is the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association. A suspect was arrested and remains a person of interest until more evidence is gathered. The house is a total loss and an insurance mess. They will be getting a trailer of some kind while their house is rebuilt. See the video from WMUR-TV.

An account to assist them has been created at the Laconia Savings Bank, please send donations to: Laconia Savings Bank, Gail and Peter Hanson Fire Fund, 62 Pleasant St, Laconia NH 03246. Please make donations payable the Gail and Peter Hanson fund NOT NHSA.

Prince Edward Island ISC Photos

A few photos from Prince Edward Island during the International Snowmobile Congress 2009.

Mass to Host 2012 ISC

The 2012 International Snowmobile Congress will be held in Sturbridge Massachusetts. This will be the first time that the Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts has hosted the prestigious event. The facility of choice is the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center, located at the edge of a lake on Rt 20, a stones throw from the Mass Pike (I-90) and Rt 84.

Prime Minister Harper at ISC

Dennis Burns, CCSO Executive Director, and Kevin Sweetland,  CCSO President, give Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper “The President’s Award” for funding an expansion of the national trail network. The ceremony took place at the International Snowmobile Congress at Summerside PEI. CBCnews reports. 

IASA Zero Tolerance Program

The IASA introduced a new, in depth, Zero Tolerance program today at the International Snowmobile Congress at Prince Edward Island. The multimedia campaign of video, radio spots, web ads and traditional print will be available to snowmobile organizations around the world. These tools deliver a clear, cohesive message for snowmobile associations to use within their community. This is especially welcome as states look for educational resources during a down economy. Although many could not attend this two hour introduction, it will be repeated in a brief summary during this weeks ACSA meeting.

License To Operate a Sled?

The Vancouver Sun reports that a non- partisan group of rural MLAs, and a grassroots coalition of snowmobilers have been pushing the government to license snowmobiles.

House Bill Requires Insurance Disclosure

Reuters reports on a House Bill that many of us have lobbied for in Washington D.C.
“Many consumers or employers shopping for health care coverage are led to believe that care for a broken arm, for example, is the same regardless of how the injury happened but that is not the case,” said Republican Representative Michael Burgess, a physician who sponsored the legislation.

He said people who ride motorcycles, horses or snowmobiles or participate in other sports can find that an injury suffered while engaging in those activities is not covered by their health insurance policy.

NY Man Challenges State

It’s been six years since Jim McCulley deliberately got a ticket for riding his snowmobile on a historic Adirondack road; he was hoping to prove that the state didn’t pass legal muster when it closed the road two decades ago. McCulley is forcing the NY Department of Environmental Conservation to revisit the fate of hundreds of backwoods roads closed by the state over the years in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park, and inflame the ongoing debate over motorized access in the wilderness, reports the TimesUnion

Jim McCulley, the 43-year-old owner of a vending company and president of the Lake Placid Snowmobile Club. “The state is waiting for me to die or give up. Well, I ain’t dying and I ain’t giving up. My father is 80 and he snowshoes every day.”

GPS Trumps Common Sense?

From USA Today. The Vermont State Police report several instances of automobiles traveling on snowmobile trails this year due to GPS navigation. They get stuck and trash the groomed surface.

“I ask them why and they say, ‘That’s what my GPS told me to do,’ ” says Vermont State Trooper Christopher Buckley, who late last month issued a news release pleading with drivers to trust their common sense over their navigation devices.

NYSSA Online Magazine

The New York State Snowmobile Association has switched from a print version of their monthly magazine to an online PDF version. Click HERE to check out the latest issue!