(Barrie, ON, February 11, 2008):

After several off-trail drowning tragedies last weekend, the

The OFSC is committed to proactive leadership in promoting safe, responsible riding, on and off

Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) questions what else can possibly be

said or done to prevent more such incidents from occurring. Since the first snow in

November, the OFSC has continually issued strong cautions that ice conditions are poor

and unpredictable this winter. The federation has also issued many warnings for

everyone to stay off Ontario’s waterways, unless and until a trail is open and staked by

the local snowmobile club.

“We have been especially diligent in making continuously updated information available

on our website and working locally through our clubs and volunteers, with police

agencies, and with the media, to get the ice safety message out,” said OFSC Manager

of Safety and Public Education, Bill Harrison. “Unfortunately some people still persist in

making the personal choice to put their lives at risk by riding off of open and staked

OFSC trails.“

Ice safety at the OFSC starts with operating land-based trails to avoid water crossings

wherever possible. OFSC clubs have built thousands of bridges to make water crossings

safer. Where a land trail or bridge is not possible, clubs choose the best possible

crossing route; water trails are not opened until sufficient ice has formed and the proper

thickness confirmed.

In many areas, mild weather plus heavy snow have combined with the absence of deep

freeze temperatures to prevent good ice from forming this winter. Thus, many traditional

water crossings remain closed as of last week. OFSC clubs report trail conditions a

minimum of twice a week, including ice crossings, and these updates are always

available to the public at www.ofsc.on.ca. Recent statements on the website about ice

include: “Ice is never safe! Stay off All Bodies of water until the local clubs have staked

the water crossings!” and “Unstaked Lake Trails Remain Closed And Are Unsafe!”

“The bottom line is that no ice is 100% safe,” says Harrison, “but your crossing risk can

be greatly reduced by using only open and staked OFSC trails, by riding in good visibility

conditions, and by avoiding excessive speed and alcohol consumption.”

For many years, the OFSC has recommended that anyone traveling on ice should wear

a buoyant suit and carry self-rescue ice picks. By following these few simple

precautions, most ice tragedies are preventable. So once again, the OFSC urges

snowmobilers to STAY OFF ICE AND WATERWAYS unless riding on an open and

staked OFSC trail.