WYld at Heart - Cody Country Snowmobile Association (CCSA)

Written By: Sarah Reish

Earlier this month we were invited to join our readers and friends for the monthly Cody Country Snowmobile Association meeting, which is a part of the Wyoming State Snowmobile Association. There are 17 locations across the state.

Meet Bert & Brenda Miller

Bert and Brenda are President and Secretary of the Cody Country Snowmobile Association and they agreed to meet me for lunch so I could learn more about the club and what they do so I could share it with you, our readers.

Making a difference

More than a club for hanging out and finding friends to snowmobile with, the Cody Country Snowmobile Association strives to do more. When I asked Bert and Brenda to share more about their causes, I learned the club is very family focused. They are committed to civic work, highway cleanup, and scholarships. Furthering their outward focus is their conservation efforts.

Conservation

Cody Country Snowmobile Association and the Wyoming State Snowmobile Association work extremely hard to keep public lands open. They also do an exorbitant amount to care for the lands. They have lost a lot of land access since 2015.

Along northern Wyoming is 100 miles of land near Cooke City. This land is where we can see two states coming and working together. Currently the clubs are working to expand access to state lands.

Maintenance

The club works closely with the US Forest Service to maintain trails used not only for snowmobiling, but also for hiking, mountain biking, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. This club truly cares for the land.

Local Resources

In the winter, near Island Lake Campground in the Beartooths, you will find a safety shelter. This trailer offers outdoor adventurers a wood burning stove, solar power, emergency cell phone booster, and a generator. The club owns this shelter and sets it up each winter and brings it down off the mountain every summer. On average this shelter saves three lives annually.

A second resource is a third Beacon Check recently installed by the club. It was donated by the Park Country Sheriff’s Department and Park Country Search and Rescue. The check point works as a signal letting you know if you batteries are fresh, if you device is turned on and so on. Merely being distracted while gearing up for snowmobiling one can forget to switch their avalanche beacon on.

Avalanche Training

CCSA just hosted the state avalanche training class. When I asked why it was important to attend these training Brenda shared that it comes down to a matter of knowing how to use your equipment. Even if you aren’t the one to get caught in an avalanche you may be the first person on the scene and need to search a person out and find them, within 15 minutes. You have fifteen minutes to find a person before it may be too late. These annual trainings are important especially for winter sports enthusiasts.

Top Three Locations To Snowmobile

Bert and Brenda’s top three snowmobiling locations are the Beartooth Mountain Range, Cooke City, Montana and the Big Horn Mountains. They also shared they had recently been up to the safety shelter at Island Lake Campground and went snowmobiling with their kids and grandchildren. Snowmobilers as young as 3 years old were out enjoying the beautiful outdoors.

Tips for new snowmobilers

If you are interested in learning to snowmobile and getting into winter motor sports, here are some tips from these to experts:

• Find a machine that fits your riding level - the machine will grow with your ability

• Proper clothing

• Safety gear

• Contact someone at the club level who can take you out for your first time to a safe riding location. You can find club locations here.

Upcoming Event

CCSA is hosting the state convention in Cody, Wyoming the first weekend in March. This is a fundraising event for scholarships, land conservation and maintenance, along with access funds. Scholarship winners will be determined at the event. This is a great opportunity to spend time with other winter motor sports enthusiasts and have some fun!

The event will feature live and silent auctions! If you want to support this cause and donate toward the auctions contact CCSA here!