Molly Miller: 2015 Junior Snowmobiler of the Year
This young leader is heavily involved with SAM and the Bernardston Gill Leyden Snowmobile Club. Often spotted volunteering at SAM events, Molly Miller typically spends dozens of hours annually setting up and tearing down everything that goes into the Sled ...Read more
Published on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 in Awards, News & Updates
Tags: family, people, volunteers
Hadley Snowmobile Club: 2015 Club of the Year
This club is on the move! They have done an astonishing amount of work and networking to make snowmobiling grow as a whole in their community and our state. Ending last season with a measly 33 members and only 2-4 ...Read more
Published on Wednesday, April 8, 2015 in Awards, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, people, volunteers
Jon Tobin: Snowmobiler of the Year
As a volunteer, Jon Tobin takes a leadership role in every aspect of club activities: trail clearing, grooming, equipment maintenance, membership, running meetings, record keeping, newsletters and club events. His professionalism, combined with a love and appreciation for snowmobiling, has ...Read more
Published on Friday, April 3, 2015 in Awards, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, people, volunteers
Matthew A. Beaton, Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Snowmobiles
Matthew A. Beaton, the Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEA), snowmobiles with key members of the Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts and the Harvard Snowmobile Club. Tony Shaw, a SAM Board of Director and President of the Harvard Snowmobile ...Read more
Published on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 in Legislative Affairs, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, environment, legislative, people
SAM Annual Award Nominations
Snowmobiling is great and we have only the volunteers (and the snow) to thank. Do it by nominating a volunteer for the SAM Annual Awards. Volunteers are the heart and soul of snowmobiling. Without them there wouldn’t be anywhere to ...Read more
Published on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 in Awards, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, people, volunteers
SAM I Am: Brad Rand
Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts member profile: Brad Rand is a member of the Snowbirds Snowmobile Club in Spencer. He’s been riding snowmobiles for 30-years, his current sled is a 2003 Arctic Cat T660 Turbo, 4-stroke. Sled mods: No modifications needed ...Read more
Published on Thursday, January 15, 2015 in Guest Columns, News & Updates
Tags: opinion, people, volunteers
Snowmobilers Rescue Moose
Three snowmobilers rescue a moose on December 28 after an avalanche on an Alaska mountain buried it alive. The Alaska Dispatch News reports that three Matanuska-Susitna Borough residents spotted the animal’s snout sticking out of the snow and used shovels ...Read more
Published on Saturday, January 3, 2015 in In The News, News & Updates
Tags: environment, in the news, people
Top 10 Snowmobile Stories of 2014
These are the Top 10 Snowmobile Stories of 2014 at sledmass.com. Your clicks pile up, your Facebook “Likes” and Twitter “retweets” share the words. We are unique at sledmass.com, as the majority of our snowmobile stories are created by fellow ...Read more
Published on Tuesday, December 30, 2014 in In The News, News & Updates
Tags: opinion, people, tech, trail-riding, vintage, volunteers
Farouche a Wild Snowmobile Design Concept
A wild snowmobile design concept, The Farouche, posted at charlesbombardier.com lights the imagination of snowmobile enthusiast all over the world and makes a statement about the direction that snowmobile recreation could go in the future. Charles Bombardier tells us, “The ...Read more
Published on Wednesday, December 17, 2014 in In The News, News & Updates
Tags: in the news, people, sleds, tech
Job Opening – Great Benefits Package (Brad Stafford)
When I first accepted the position as president of the Bernardston-Gill-Leyden (BGL) snowmobile club I knew there would be responsibilities. One is doing the best I can to help with all kinds of requests that come from the landowners, state ...Read more
Published on Friday, November 21, 2014 in Guest Columns, News & Updates
Tags: opinion, people, volunteers
Snowmobile Season Full of Optimism! (Ed Klim)
Snowmobile season begins with early snow and crowds full of optimism! Early snowfall throughout the Snowbelt greeted winter enthusiasts at Halloween time this year. The early blast was a welcome taste of things to come in much of North America. ...Read more
Published on Monday, November 10, 2014 in Guest Columns, News & Updates
Tags: ISMA, people
Surcharge on Massachusetts Snowmobile Registrations
A new 10% surcharge on recreational vehicle registrations in Massachusetts was added to the state budget, costing snowmobilers, ATV riders and boaters an additional $4. The increase went into effect September 1. The sledmass crew first got a whiff of ...Read more
Published on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 in In The News, News & Updates
Tags: in the news, legislative, opinion, people
Lavallee Retires From Snocross Racing
Levi LaVallee officially announced his retirement from racing snocross September 6, 2014, at the 48th Annual Sno Barons’ Snowmobile Club Hay Days, in North Branch, Minnesota. LaVallee, who started racing at age 12 worked his way through the ranks and ...Read more
Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 in In The News, News & Updates
Tags: competition, in the news, people, press release
Northern Light Snowmobile Movie Debuts
Set against the backdrop of a town’s annual snowmobile race, Northern Light interweaves captivating stories of recession-era America. The lives of three families change profoundly in the north woods of Michigan, where winters are unforgiving, jobs are hard to come ...Read more
Published on Monday, June 16, 2014 in In The News, News & Updates
Tags: in the news, opinion, people, press release
Jeffrey Gamelli, Snowmobiler of the Year
It’s an honor to recognize someone who has been involved in the Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts for a good part of his adult life, someone who has made a difference. Jeffrey Gamelli is a jack-of-all trades guy, as far as ...Read more
Published on Friday, May 16, 2014 in Awards, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, people, sam, volunteers
Jim LaFrance, SAM Groomer Operator of the Year
This year’s winner is a familiar face to everyone who attends the Sled Expo, he’s there just about every year, especially if the club’s groomers are on display. Like so many award recipients, he’s a volunteer supreme. His arms are ...Read more
Published on Sunday, April 27, 2014 in Awards, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, family, people, sam, volunteers
Joe Gibbons, SAM Trail Worker of the Year
It’s been said that trail work is done by ghosts or the supernatural, maybe even by elves. No one ever sees them but the evidence is clear. The trails are trimmed, the signs are hung, bridges are in perfect condition, ...Read more
Published on Thursday, April 17, 2014 in Awards, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, people, sam, volunteers
Paul Trova Honored at SAM Annual Meeting (Dan Gould)
When Paul Trova took the “oath of office” in 2004, I doubt he thought he would stay on as the vice president of the Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts for ten long years, but he did. Paul has always been one ...Read more
Published on Friday, April 11, 2014 in Awards, News & Updates
Tags: people, sam
History of the Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts: Part II (Brad Stafford)
The Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts: Created by snowmobilers in the past, for the snowmobilers of the future. In part one, I wrote how back in the late 1960’s a group of snowmobilers had the foresight to see that with the ...Read more
Published on Monday, March 17, 2014 in Education, Guest Columns, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, people, sam, volunteers
Gearheads Build Snowmobile Racer (Jeff Miller)
American ingenuity, two words that have lost some meaning in the last decade or so. For years Americans came up with ideas for things, you could sit back and marvel at what they thought up in their heads. But with ...Read more
Published on Sunday, March 9, 2014 in Guest Columns, News & Updates, Vintage
Tags: family, people, sleds, tech, vintage
Snowmobile Volunteers Do The Work
Recorder.com reporter Kathleen McKiernan’s detailed story about grooming snowmobile trails centers around the volunteer efforts of the Conway Snowmobile Club and 2013 Trail Worker of the Year recipient Paul Sokoloski and his son Adam. “Typically, the two South Deerfield men ...Read more
Published on Sunday, March 9, 2014 in In The News, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, Grooming, people, volunteers
Ice Hockey in Russia by Snowmobile (Evgeny Borodin)
Ice hockey in Russia is more than ice hockey, this phrase is known to everybody in Russia. Russia feels this sport on the genetic level. Back in the USSR there used to be ice hockey rinks in every neighborhood, the ...Read more
Published on Monday, March 3, 2014 in Guest Columns, News & Updates
Tags: people
SAM I AM: Chris Marcinczyk (Terry Holland)
Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts member profile: Chris Marcinczyk is a member of the Berkshire Snow Seekers, Savoy Kanary Kats and the Woodford Snow Busters. He’s been riding snowmobiles for 10-years, his current sled is a 2011 Ski-Doo XRS E-TEC 800 ...Read more
Published on Wednesday, February 26, 2014 in Guest Columns, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, opinion, people, volunteers
Russia Update: Christmas Snowmobile Procession 2014
Dear snowmobilers of the United States, I am happy to greet you this winter season. We hear a lot about the extreme cold weather gripping some North American states. We hope that nothing – even the polar vortex making Niagara ...Read more
Published on Friday, February 7, 2014 in News & Updates, Snowmobile Travel
Tags: people, travel
SAM I Am: Ed Morrin (Terry Holland)
Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts member profile: Ed Morrin is the Second Vice President of the Mill Valley Snowmobile Club. Ed has been riding for 10 years, his first sled was a 1973 Arctic Cat Panther, his current ride is a ...Read more
Published on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 in Guest Columns, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, family, opinion, people, volunteers
Stan Kopala: The Godfather of Greylock (Robert Dodge)
A true story. At one time or another, most of us have gone riding on beautiful Mt. Greylock. Located in the western part of Massachusetts with its peak reaching 3,491 feet, one can view four states from the top. If ...Read more
Published on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 in Guest Columns, News & Updates, Vintage
Tags: clubs, family, people, sam, vintage, volunteers
Conway Snowmobile Club Featured in Recorder
The Recorder posted a detailed story about the Conway Snowmobile Club, in particular the volunteer efforts of Paul Sokoloski and club president, Ron Sweet. “Though he wouldn’t take credit himself, club members credited Sokoloski for building much of the equipment ...Read more
Published on Saturday, January 4, 2014 in In The News, News & Updates
Tags: clubs, in the news, people, volunteers
Top 10 Snowmobile Stories of 2013
Here are the top 10 snowmobile stories of 2013 at sledmass.com. Some are technical, others are funny and a few may even make you scream “What the heck!” Remember, these great pieces are written for your enjoyment by the rabid ...Read more
Published on Monday, December 30, 2013 in Guest Columns, News & Updates
Tags: opinion, people, volunteers
Snowmobile Memories (Gerry Balchuinas)
I open up the closet and reach in. Lurking in the back of the closet, there it is. I slowly reach past the jeans that have long since been too small for me – but I leave them on the ...Read more
Published on Saturday, December 21, 2013 in Guest Columns, News & Updates, Vintage
Tags: family, people, vintage
