Honest Trail Conditions Canada

Snowmobiling, being in the tourist industry, is a very competitive business sector in Canada. Packages for vacationers are offered of all sorts, from the basic "here is a room and the kitchen is open over there at noon" arrangements to the all-inclusive, fully-guided, fully-equipped, chilled champagne on arrival, chocolates on the pillows, private ice fishing huts and on-site security.

The winter tourism dollar is reward enough for adventure providers like us, to carefully craft a marketing strategy. One that is friendly, open, honest and interesting. We are fortunate being this far north as snow fall and cold are not at shortages here in the James Bay Frontier. It is always cold and snowing in the winter. Snow, in fact, becomes our region's greatest winter tourism resource and manage it well. Our world class trail systems simply outclass the rest.

Canada's snowmobiling industry has gone through its share of ups and downs over the years. In the bright times, most of the tourist operators celebrate in a moving display of camaraderie. In the darker years though, the industry tends to take on a meaner marketing dimension. Desperate tour operators can resort to unsavoury means in order to get additional business. When threatened or hurt, they easily announce false accusations on forums about specific competitors or even entire regions and provinces. Sadly, some may even blatantly lie about the actual weather or trail conditions on the ground in order to rent a room or jsut to keep the deposit. This type of business practice can hang a dark cloud on an entire region's industry when it is left unchallenged.

That is why sled paths reporting, the actual happenings on the ground need to be delivered to potential vacationers in a completely honest way. Not only is it a reflection of good ethics for the winter destination but it is also a testimony to the industry as a whole within a region, an entire province or even the whole snowmobiling industry in Canada.

If it hadn't snowed for three weeks and the temperatures have been consistently hovering in the low teens, then it is unethical to report that a snow storm just passed through. To continue in the charade and to suggest that the groomers are warming up is an unspeakable act of distrust. To take the whole play to the point when you declare that they have just headed out to make a way for you ... is a downright, low-down, terrible, terrible thing.