Winter trail maintenance used to be a simpler task. It was fun to ride along the long, white, uniform ribbons, delicately stretched across the snow-covered landscape. Tyres squealed on the crystallised snow, carefully packed the night before. But these surfaces were fragile: the layers of compacted snow were thin, and the grooming machines, who were not very powerful, struggled to work deep enough to solidify the whole thing. But over the last quarter of a century, the world of quad riding has undergone major changes, considerably complicating the management and maintenance of winter trails for ATV clubs.
Fundamental changes in the quad environment
We have already mentioned the problems that quad clubs face in managing their trails. There’s the eternal issue of funding and government subsidies, the ever-increasing weight of ATV vehicles on the trails and, of course, climate change.
We won’t go into too much detail about the funding issue. We know that the Fédération québécoise des clubs quad (FQCQ) is making representations to the various levels of government to improve the funding, which has not been increased for 20 years. There are some nice letters of intent, but government action to increase subsidies is slow in coming.
As for the arrival of side-by-sides in the fleet of off-road vehicles, they now represent 50% of the vehicles that hold FQCQ access permits. They’re here to stay, and the clubs are making do with them. But the weight and dimensions of these vehicles still bring constraints that need to be considered in the equation. The permitted width of 66 inches means that the surface has to be wider to allow two of these vehicles to meet. If the path is too narrow, one of the vehicles runs the risk of falling out of the groomed surface and getting stuck. So, in the case of compaction surfacing, you need to use the widest possible drag, i.e. the 3.75 metres allowed by law. This requires a lot of engine power. The other option is to make two passes with the machinery.
As for weight, the latest version of the Act respecting off-highway vehicles increased the maximum trail weight from 750 kg to 950 kg for off-highway UTV. Even with this substantial increase, many of the heavier models on the market exceed the limit and can still technically be driven with a trail sticker. In short, the reality of heavy OHVs is more present than ever.
What about climate change?
In 2025, no one will deny that climate change is having an impact on winter sports in Quebec. Whether we’re talking about skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, outdoor rinks or quad riding, the world of winter sports is undergoing profound changes.
The length of the season is greatly altered. The start and end dates of the season are highly uncertain. If the trend of the last few years continues, federated snowmobiling will probably see its membership melt like snow in a thaw because the supply will be too uncertain in terms of duration and available on the basis of user fees. These fees include the price of the trail permit, of course, but also the purchase and maintenance of a snowmobile, which can cost more than $20,000 and be used for a few weeks each winter. So think again. Can we apply the same logic to winter-only quad clubs? Yes and no. It’s true that opening a winter club is similar to opening a snowmobile club, but members will be able to use their quad to ride anywhere in Quebec, all year round. Quads have one advantage over snowmobiles: they have wheels, so snow is not essential.
Future changes in the reality of four-season clubs.
Clubs have been doing their trail maintenance the same way for ages, but the reality on the ground is slowly but inevitably changing. Here are a few facts that may change things:
The length of the seasons is changing
With winter taking longer and longer to set in, the winter trail season is getting shorter, while the summer season is getting longer. It’s not unusual to be able to ride summer trails late into December. This change in climate means that the annual permit expiration date no longer coincides with the actual end of the season. Anyone who takes out a summer pass can no longer ride from November 1st.
What’s more, as the winter season shortens and summer lengthens, the four-season club may wonder whether it’s still relevant to invest so much money in winter and neglect the summer trails.
What type of groomer should be used?
Following on from the next paragraph, the four-season club is keen to spread its resources to provide effective cover all year round. The Piston-Bully skidozer may be very attractive, but is it reasonable to make an investment of this magnitude that will be used for one or two months during the winter? The same question can be asked of a converted farm tractor like a Gilbert, which means it can only be used in winter.
That’s why it generally makes sense to opt for a modified farm tractor with a set of snow tracks. The modification is reversible, so the machinery can be used all year round. If the club removes the snow with a scraper or blower, then it will keep its wheels and can be fitted with chains to increase traction.
The eternal dilemma: remove the snow or compact it?
The method you choose depends on a number of factors: the surfacing equipment available, the location of the pathway, and so on.
First of all, many trails cross agricultural fields, and the method of surfacing by compacting the snow is still widely used. No farmer will allow snow to be removed from his fields, at the risk of seeing the ground freeze at twice the depth protected by a layer of snow. So, as long as trails cross fields, this technique is unlikely to disappear any time soon. However, the increase in the size and power of quad has forced clubs to adapt to new requirements by equipping themselves with more powerful and efficient groomers in order to guarantee the durability of the trails. This method is also essential in fields and open areas. The trenches formed by snow removal are particularly vulnerable to the slightest gust of wind. The wind can quickly shift the snow and block the trail in less than 30 minutes, which is very annoying when you get caught in transit with your ATV.
Clearing snow using scrapers or snow blowers is the ideal solution for roads and forest tracks sheltered from high winds. Where possible, it is increasingly used because the path is more durable and more resistant to the passage of tyres. They keep a thin layer of hard-packed snow at the bottom of the path and clear away the excess using a snow blower or a scraper pulled by a powerful machine. Ruts are less deep because the wheels are on solid ground. The other advantage is that the machinery can also be used in summer. On the other hand, snow removal creates tensions with snowmobile clubs when trails are shared. Snowmobilers rightly resent it when a ATV club removes snow from a shared trail.
In short, we can see that the most reliable and logical technical solution, snow removal, depends on where the trail passes.
Should we rethink trail location?
As mentioned earlier, the physical location of the trails has a major influence on the surfacing method, but the changing climate is also part of the equation. Frequent winter thaws are also a significant factor in terms of safety and consistency of trail service. 10 years ago, there was one major thaw per winter. In recent years, we’ve seen two a month, sometimes more. The clubs have to close the trails to protect the running surface, and it sometimes takes a few days before the trails reopen. It’s exhausting for everyone.
Frequent thawing also poses a safety problem, particularly on the ice of frozen lakes, which is fragile and which clubs must ensure is safe before allowing people to ride on it. There are also peat bogs which, once their surface has thawed, can no longer withstand the frequent passage of ATVs, let alone machinery. I’ve seen a machine stuck over its tracks in the black earth of a peat bog, and it’s quite a headache to get it out of there.
As for snow-covered farmland, clubs will have to wait for sufficient snowfall, in addition to the return of frost, before starting quad biking again. Otherwise, the club could lose its right of way from the landowner. This is a major headache for the teams of volunteers who operate the trail networks.
In short, depending on the location of the trail and the type of surfacing used, clubs put themselves at risk to ensure that the trail network is always available.
Changes are inevitable
Without fanfare, the new realities of the terrain and climate will lead clubs to re-evaluate their ways of doing things and, if possible, adopt maintenance methods that will make them less vulnerable to the winter thaw.
Easy to say, but nothing is simple in the wonderful world of quad riding. Ideally, trails should be located on a solid road, away from farmland and peat bogs and sheltered from the wind. It’s utopian to think that you can have only this type of trail, especially in urban areas or in cultivated countryside. Clubs don’t go through a peat bog because it’s nice, or through an agricultural field if there’s a path next to it. They do it because they have no choice, and they continue to compact the snow there because they have to, and because the climate still allows them to do so, for the time being.
What will happen if the snow no longer allows you to drive in the fields, or if a peat bog doesn’t freeze enough during the winter to allow you to drive on it safely? Trail relocations? Have problematic sections been reluctantly removed from the network, creating breaks in continuity between communities and regions? Will the technique of snow compaction disappear with the abundance of snow? These are all possibilities that are difficult to see precisely without a crystal ball, but only time will tell. And what do you think?
