Northwest Glacier Cruisers November 2010 Meeting Minutes Snow Show update:Raffle = $1335.00,Memberships = 520.00,Clothing = 294.00,BRP Dealer sign ups = 220.00. Thanks to everyone that came to the show and stopped by to see us. Thank you to all who volunteered in the booth. The Annual Road Clean up is November 13, we will be camping at the Puget Sound Energy Kulshan campground. Puget Sound Energy will have a large dumpster for us to put all the garbage in next to the campground. Be sure to keep track of mileage and time for matching funds for the grant, just in case. We will meet at the bathrooms there at 9:00 am and meet back there for a potluck so bring your favorite dish to share. The Christmas Party is quickly approaching, it is scheduled for December 11 at the Farmhouse Inn. Social hour will start at 6:00 with dinner at 7:00. Prices will be $26.00 per adult, children will be the price of their age up to age 12. We would like as many as possible to pre-pay by sending a check to the Northwest Glacier Cruisers, P.O. Box 80, Burlington, WA 98233 or bring your check to the meeting on December 2nd. We must have a headcount by December 3rd. We will be charged for everyone that signs up, so please make sure to attend if you RSVP. Rodney Lavine and James Wise have volunteered to help with the warming hut planning and Mike will be checking on the permit process. We have heard that Whatcom County received a permit to put one up there, so we are going to actively pursue one in our area. There was some discussion on location and construction requirements, we need more information. We will be discussing progress on December 2nd at the next meeting. The grant committee hasn’t heard about the grant yet, hopefully have some news by the December meeting. The bylaws were read again and will be voted on at the December meeting. We are required to read them twice and vote on them the third time. Wes Armey and Tom Shields were named our Safety Officers at the last meeting. Wes has been working on getting an avalanche class for the club. It was discussed about having one in the snow. This will be discussed at the next meeting. (Congratulations to Wes Armey who received an award for helping a hurt biker on the North Cascade Highway - Way to go Wes!) Skagit Polaris will be offering a avalanche class at their store on November 20th, if anyone is interested, give them a call. SOS has sent Mike a flyer for Club prices on Beacons, probes, shovels, etc. Email or give Mike a call if you wish to receive more information. Mike was approached at the snow show by someone with a vacation rental in Cle Elem, sleeps 16, close to the snow park, check it out www.vrbo.com.250705. Upcoming Rides North Cascade Highway - February 5 - meet at the snow or at the gate at 9:00 am Snojammers Poker Run (www.snojammers.org) - Blewett Pass - February 12 Blewett Pass - February 26 & 27 - a fun weekend ride Fish Lake - Date to be determined. There are a lot of exciting things going on this year. We are planning some club rides and a lot of other exciting activities. Aaron Jensen has totally overhauled the website and it looks great. Get on and check it out. Let us know what you think feel free to email us at northwestglaciercruisers@gmail.com or check out our Facebook page, join our group for live chat sessions and daily updates. See you at the next meeting! Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

January 6th, 2011 meeting is next Thursday. Meetings are held at Round Table Pizza, College Way, Mount Vernon, at 7:00 p.m. Dues remain at $20.00/household. There are currently 74 paid memberships. An avalanche training class is scheduled for January 15th at Anderson riding area. Meet at the parking area at 8:00 a.m. Training will be provided by certified instructors Theron and Travis Huisman. Come prepared for the day. More information will be provided at Thursday’s meeting. The grant application was ranked along with 62 others….ours being the highest ranked for motorized, and missing the cut by only one point. We were not awarded a grant, but the Grant Team feels they learned valuable lessons from this years’ process, and will try again next year. Huge thanks to John, Kim, Terry, Mike, Gaylord, Randy and Steve for their efforts. A second grant application will be submitted for multiple use to include an element to develop a cross country ski trail at Shadow of the Sentinels. The annual Fall Roadside Cleanup went well and Mike thanks all those volunteers that showed up to help. The Club Christmas Dinner at the Farmhouse Inn was well attended again this year. Gifts were given to all the children in attendance, and winners were drawn for early registration and 50/50 raffle. Thanks go to Lisa Skillman for organizing the dinner and obtaining raffle prizes. Lisa said she is passing the torch to another member for next years’ dinner. Anyone?? Plans must be started early to obtain a location. The rescue sled has been housed at Doug Ploegs’ shop for a number of years. This year the sled will be housed at Nick Cecottis’ Turf Farm. Thank you, Doug for taking care of the unit for the past dozen or so years, and thank you Nick, for stepping up to take over. There are currently about 600 raffle tickets available for the sled deck. Tickets are $5/ea or 5/$20. The deck was displayed at Lifestyles Ski Doo’s Open House and tickets were sold there, as well. The winning ticket will be drawn and the winner announced as soon as the last ticket is sold. Tickets need not be sold to snowmobilers!….think windfall/ebay/craigslist! The veteran’s ride is scheduled for April 16th – 19th. The club will supply a meal to the group prior to the ascent, possibly at the PSE lodge at Baker Dam. Additional information will be provided at club meetings over the next couple of months. Please consider signing up to assist with the dinner, or on the hill. More information will become available as time draws near. Thank you for your patience regarding mail/email delivery of the monthly newsletter! We are working on improving our delivery method…..and Holly will be available (no more 5 wk vaca’s for a while) to assist with the process! Let us know either way…when we get it right, or wrong! It all helps!

NORTHWEST GLACIER CRUISERS A SNOWMOBILE CLUB SINCE 1967 JANUARY, 2011 DATES TO REMEMBER 1/28-29 Club Ride-Fish Lake 2/3 Club meeting/7:00 pm (held at MV Round Table Pizza) 2/26&27 Club Ride-Blewett Pass 3/3 Club meeting/7:00 pm 3/5&6 Club Ride-Yakima 3/12 Club Ride-PlayDay/Schreibers Meadow 4/9 Baker Shootout Please Thank the Following Dealers for their Continued Support Skagit Powersports Burlington (360) 757-7999 Lifestyles Ski-Doo Mt Vernon (360) 416-3960 Skagit Valley Polaris Mt Vernon (360) 848-6384 Mt Baker Moto-Sports Bellingham (360) 676-4096 OTHER CONTACTS NW Avalanche Center NWAC@nwac.us or Message (206) 526-4666 Hotline (206) 526-6677 Grooming Coordinator Jim Hedblom (360) 424-9200 The January meeting saw a full house at Round Table Pizza in Mt Vernon with about 50 members in attendance. Steve read the minutes from the December meeting; they were approved unanimously as submitted. A Treasurers’ report was given and approved as submitted. The Veteran’s Ride for Wounded Warriors has been canceled. However the ride sponsors are still coming to Mt Baker to scout the area and firm up plans to put together a ride for next year. Plans include reserving the PSE Lodge for a dinner. Club Rides (Non-members welcome on all rides) 1/28-29 Gaylord Smith will lead two days of family friendly rides at Fish Lake. Meet in the parking lot at 8:30 a.m. Bring a lunch. Contact Gaylord at 425-330-1004 2/12Snojammers poker run at Greenwater Snow Park/10:00 a.m. $10.00/ hand, last hand sold at 1:00 p.m. Call 253-333-8621 for more information 2/26-27 Jim Hedblom will lead two day rides at Blewett Pass. A block of rooms has been reserved at Cascade Mountain Inn, Cle Elum, 509-674-7099. Mention NW We’ll leave the motel at 8:30 a.m. both days. The ride will include mostly off- trail riding through meadows and woods.The terrain is not difficult, however riders shou Bring a lunch.Call Jim at 360-708-0826 for more details. w ill be times when there i 3/5-6AJ & Shelly Jensen will be host for a weekend of family friendly rides at the Ahtanum Guard Station Snopark also known as Tampico on Saturday & Sunday, Ma & 6th. It is located about 20-30 minutes west of Yakima/ Union Gap Exit # 36. http://www.parks.wa.gov/winter/trails/?TrailType=motorized&Region=4&Park=70 Directions: 31 miles west of Yakima: I-82 Exit 36; Valley Mall Blvd west to Third Ave south. At Ahtanum Road, go west 25 miles to Tampico Food Store Y- intersection. Take right fork for 9.5 miles. You can camp at the snow park, elevation: 3,240 ft, 100 spaces but our plan is to stay at the Holiday Inn, 802 E Yakima Ave in Union Gap on Friday and Saturday night 509-494-7000. Bring a lunch. There are sanitary facilities along trail and numerous shelters w/ wood stoves. The ride is on one big 25 mile loop that starts and ends at the snow park and everyone can ride it. Great for kids and folks that want to stay on the main road with plenty of play areas for others to venture off to. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Costco 2 mi west of exit 36 on West Valley Mall Blvd: 2310 LONGFIBRE Road Union Gap, WA 98903 (509) 454-5240. 3/12PlayDay at Schreiber’s Meadow! Bring the kids! There will be fun for all ages; play games, enter the poker run, and enjoy lunch provided by the club. Volunteer opportunities available - contact Mike at 360-708-1400 for more information. 4/9 Baker Shootout – NWGC provides lunch- chili, dogs, burgers, cocoa and coffee. More details to follow in next months’ newsletter. Sled Deck raffle tickets are still available - $5 each or 5 for $20.00. Call Mike at 360-708-1400 to purchase. Erin Wilson will coordinate the Christmas Dinner at Angel of the Winds Casino this year. Date and details to be determined. Tentively set for Decemer 17th. Nominations for officers will be held at the March meeting. Please attend and consider involvement. All offices are open as well as positions as Trustees. Elections will be held at the April meeting. Anyone interested in being included on the emergency call out list should contact Mike Couch at 360-708-1400. He’ll be sending that list to the Sheriff’s office by months’ end. The Border Patrol is continually watching for illegal drug activity and stolen vehicles. They are asking for help from the snowmobile community. If small planes or helicopters are seen in areas where they seem out of place, call 911. A guest speaker from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s office will attend the February meeting at Round Table Pizza. He’ll talk about the Search and Rescue call out process among other topics. NWGC PO Box 80 Burlington WA 98233

The February meeting saw a full house at Round Table Pizza in Mt Vernon with 40+ members in attendance. Steve read the minutes from the January meeting; they were approved unanimously as submitted. A Treasurers’ report was given and approved as submitted. George Ratayczak who has been with the Whatcom County SAR unit for 10 years provided a slide show and great information about the rescue process. We were told there were 670 SAR events in 2009, 35 in Skagit County and 33 in Whatcom. He covered a number of subjects from the importance of obtaining a Registered Emergency Worker card (covers damage to equipment or injury during event) to being prepared for mountain travel by carrying a whistle, cell phone, chemical light, and proper cold weather gear. George also stated the importance of letting family/friends know where you plan to ride, and ensuring they know vital information such as the make of your vehicle, the brand/color of your snowmobile, the color of your riding gear, and whether you are on or in need of medications of any kind. Members were made aware that once a 911 call has been made it could take 2-3 hours for the SAR unit to arrive; organization and mobilization to occur after that. We were informed that Navy helicopters are available as a last resort and are equipped with a full medical team, however they fly only to save life, limb, or eyesight. We were reminded that helo’s can trigger avalanches, and that if one is requested on a rescue, once the missing/injured party is found they might circle once then leave to organize and determine the next bext course of action. George also reminded the group that if we have coordinates and elevation of specific refernce points, they can be submitted to him for inclusion in the map available online. All in all, George’s presentation was informative and well received. We appreciate his time and service. Thanks George! 1/28-29 Gaylord Smith led two rides at Fish Lake. About 15 members stayed at the RV park near the snow park and enjoyed riding outside our local area. The group rode about 75 miles on Saturday and 50 miles on Sunday. Thanks Gaylord! 2/5 Glen Wilkinson’s ride over North Cross Hwy was canceled due to lack of snow beyond the gate. 2/26-27 Jim Hedblom will lead two day-rides on Table Mtn north of Ellensburg starting both rides from the Reecer Creek Snow Park southeast of Cle Elum. We will have new snow which will make the weekend even better! The rides include mostly off-trail riding through meadows and woods, a new experience for many of our members. 3/5-6 AJ & Shelly Jensen will be host for a weekend of family friendly rides at the Ahtanum Guard Station Snopark also known as Tampico on Saturday & Sunday, March 5th & 6th. It is located about 20-30 minutes west of Yakima/ Union Gap Exit # 36. http://www.parks.wa.gov/winter/trails/?TrailType=motorized&Region=4&Park=70 Directions: 31 miles west of Yakima: From I-82 take exit 36; Valley Mall Blvd west to Third Ave south. At Ahtanum Road, go west 25 miles to Tampico Food Store Y-intersection. Take right fork for 9.5 miles. They will camp at the snow park, elevation: 3,240 ft, w/100 spaces, and leave the parking lot at 9:30 each day. Bring a lunch. There are sanitary facilities along trail and numerous shelters w/ wood stoves. The ride is on one big 25 mile loop that starts and ends at the snow park and everyone can ride it. Great for kids and folks that want to stay on the main road with plenty of play areas for others to venture off to. 3/12 PlayDay at Schreiber’s Meadow! Bring the kids! There will be fun for all ages; play games, enter the poker run from 8:30 – 10:00a.m., and enjoy lunch provided by the club starting at 11:30. Volunteer opportunities available - contact Mike at 360-708-1400 for more information. Sled deck tickets will be available. 4/9 Baker Shootout – NWGC provides lunch- chili, dogs, burgers, cocoa and coffee. More details to follow in next months’ newsletter. Nominations for officers will be held at the March meeting Thursday March 3rd. Please attend and consider involvement. All offices are open as well as positions as Trustees. Elections will be held at the April meeting.  Sled Deck raffle tickets are still available - $5 each or 5 for $20.00. Call Mike at 360-708-1400 to purchase.  Erin Wilson booked the NWGC Christmas Dinner for December 17th at Angel of the Winds Casino. We’ll have a choice of chicken or steak and salmon w/salad and dessert included. Cost is $25 each and $10 for kids menu. Erin stated there is RV parking available for those that wish to park and spend the night. More details will become available later in the year.  Club members were reminded once again to STAY OUT OF WILDERNESS AREAS!  Did you get this newsletter in the mail when you expected it by email? Did you get both? Some of the email addresses I have from members are not valid. When that happens, I will mail a hard copy. If you got both, please call and leave a message, or email back to me which format you prefer. NWGC PO Box 80 Burlington WA 98233

Although attendance was down from the last couple of months due to it being Nominations of Officers night, there were still about 25 members at the March meeting. We do however expect we’ll see a full house on April 14th, the final meeting of the 2010/11 season, for free pizza night and elections. Holly suggested that AJ put together a slide show of this year’s club events that will play during the April meeting and again at the first meeting of the 2011/12 season in September. Thank you, AJ for agreeing to the task!  Steve read the minutes from the January meeting; they were approved unanimously after minor revisions. A Treasurers’ report was given and approved as submitted. Holly reported that only 43 newsletters are being printed and mailed, down from nearly one hundred at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season. All others are sent electronically.  A motion was made and seconded to move club monies from the grooming sub-account for additional snow removal at Mt Baker Sno Park. Motion passed unanimously.  A motion was made, seconded and passed unanimously to spend up to $50 for Play Day prizes. Poker Run hands are $5.00 each. The club will provide chili, hotdogs, burgers, coffee and cocoa to the membership. Donations are welcome.  Jim Hedblom provided a grooming report, stating there was enough money left for 9 days of grooming. Upper Finney will be groomed once; Segelson once (after road closure is lifted); Anderson-Watson once or twice depending on access due to work on the dam; with the remaining days dedicated to Baker.  John Smistad and the rest of the Grant Team are once again compiling information for this years’ grant application, with the draft due by March 15th. This years’ grant will be submitted under the multi-use category as the Mt Baker Trail Grooming and Maintenance Grant.  WSSA Rep Liz Baker reported that approximately 80 members attended the Spokane Rendezvous (formerly known as Convention). She told the Glacier Cruisers that it is important to join and support WSSA as they support snowmobiling and there is power in numbers. There are currently only about 35,000 sleds registered in Washington and only 2,000 riders affiliated with clubs.  A suggestion was made that the Safety Team be in attendance at the Baker Shootout. A good turnout is expected for the event, which could provide an excellent opportunity to remind snowmobilers of safe riding habits. 2/26 Jim Hedblom led a day-ride on Table Mtn north of Ellensburg from the Reecer Creek Snow Park southeast of Cle Elum. There were 25 riders between the ages of 5 and 72. Most had never been to the east side and were pleasantly surprised by all the meadows of untracked snow to play in. Thanks, Jim….great weekend! 3/5-6 AJ & Shelly Jensen’s rides at the Ahtanum Guard Station Snopark were canceled. Instead, 22 members met at the Concrete Red Apple to go enjoy new snow at Upper Finney.  3/12 PlayDay at Schreiber’s Meadow! Yes, we played in the rain. Rain set in about 6:00 Friday evening, and continued through the weekend. Still, 25 – 30 members showed up for the event. There were heated trailers and awnings to converge in and under, and a nice fire to stay warm by, as well. The club received about $100 in donations.  4/9 Baker Barbeque/Shootout – A planning meeting will be held at Jim & Holly Hedblom’s on Thursday March 31st @ 6:30. Holly will provide the main course, attendees please bring sides. Also, please call 424-9200 to leave a message, or 708-0826 to let Jim & Holly know if you are attending. The following nominations for officers were submitted at the March meeting: President Gaylord Smith V President Aaron Jensen Secretary Steve Parfomchuk Treasurer Lisa Skillman Current Trustee positions end as follows: Nick Cecotti 2011 Erin Wilson 2012 Terry Johnson 2013 Jim Hedblom 2013 John Smistad Past President One Trustee nomination was approved unanimously for Pat McSorley. All terms are 3 years. Elections will be held at the April meeting.  Sled Deck raffle tickets are still available - $5 each or 5 for $20.00. Call Mike at 360-708-1400 to purchase.  Erin Wilson booked the NWGC Christmas Dinner for December 17th at Angel of the Winds Casino. We’ll have a choice of chicken or steak and salmon w/salad and dessert included. Cost is $25 each and $10 for kids menu. Erin stated there is RV parking available for those that wish to park and spend the night. More details will become available later in the year.  Club members were reminded once again to STAY OUT OF WILDERNESS AREAS!  Did you get this newsletter in the mail when you expected it by email? Did you get both? Some of the email addresses I have from members are not valid. When that happens, I will mail a hard copy. If you got both, please call and leave a message, or email back to me which format you prefer. Thank you to all that receive an electronic mailing! Our mailing costs have been reduced by $20+ a month as a direct result of your choice. NWGC PO Box 80 Burlington WA 98233

NWGC has lost one of its own. John Bertino-past president passed away this last weekend. Services will be held at the Immaculate Conception Church in Arlington on Saturday, August 6 @ 11 am. If you would like to send the family a card, please send a private message and we will send you Sherry Bertino's address. Please keep John's family is in our thoughts and prayers.

We’ve got SNOW! Let’s hope the weather guru’s are right and it’s a very snowy winter! Our next meeting is Thursday, Dec 1st. Meetings are the first Thursday of the month at Round Table Pizza, College Way Mount Vernon at 7:00 p.m. Dues remain at $20.00/household. November Meeting Notes John Smistad read an amendment to the bylaws as follows: If the Secretary is not in attendance at a Club meeting or Board of Directors meeting, the President shall appoint a member to record minutes of such meeting and transmit to the Secretary for inclusion in Club records, and distribution to membership as applicable. The Board appointed Glen Wilkinson to fill the vacated Vice President position. Thank you, Glen! New member Alisoun McCloughen volunteered to be our Secretary for the rest of the year. Thank you Alisoun! And welcome to her husband Bryson too! John Smistad reported to the club that if the State follows the Grant Committee’s recommendations, NWGC will receive $12,153 over the next two years for trail maintenance. In turn, the Club will have to provide around $9600 of in-kind services such as equipment and labor. Congratulations and a huge thank you to John for all his efforts on behalf of the club. NWGC’s application was the only motorized project to be funded! Please remember that Officer Nominations will take place at the December meeting, with elections to be held in January. This gives an incoming officer a chance to ask questions, observe the process, and be more prepared when they take over duties in August. Please consider which position you would like to run for! Volunteers have been working hard to get the warming hut ready for transport up to Blue Lake Rd at Mt Baker - it’s a thing of beauty! Thanks to all that have put so much time and talent into it! The warming hut was taken to the mountain near the end of November and put in position. It’s the responsibility of Club members to maintain an adequate supply of wood and to remove garbage. There are a number of Club items available for purchase: $15 Short sleeve Tee $17 Long sleeve Tee $25 Crew neck Sweat Shirt $ 30 Hoody $35 ¼ zip sweatshirt All XXXL add $2 $ 20 Hat $ 25 Flex Hat $16 Beanie $3 Decals The #1 parking lot was measured for the SWHS drafting class teacher. He was provided with dimension and elevation information. It will be interesting to see the parking designs his students come up with. The location for the 2011 Christmas party is Angel of the Winds Casino on Saturday, Dec 17th. Cost is $33.15 each (includes tax/tip) and $10 for kids chicken strips & fries. Dinner includes a choice of chicken or steak, and salmon, w/salad and dessert included. Cocktails at 6:00; dinner at 7:00 p.m. Dinner must be prepaid by Dec 1st. Specify the number of meals: _____Steak _____Chicken _____Kids Mail checks to: Erin Wilson, 905 Marie Pl, Sedro-Woolley WA 98284. Camping is available/$15 – contact Angel of the Winds directly at 360-770-8332 for reservations. There are lots of opportunities to get involved with Club projects. We’re always looking for ride leaders, we need organizers and volunteers for the Christmas Party, Play Day, the Shoot Out, Clean Up Days, and now, to help maintain the Warming Hut. This will involve keeping a good supply of wood, kindling, and paper in stock, and ensuring there is no garbage/refuse at the site. What other ideas are out there? We want to hear about them! Get involved and have more fun! Some members have received the electronic version of this newsletter, and a hard copy in the mail. Those members that have an email on file will only receive the electronic newsletter beginning next month, unless I am told otherwise. Contact Holly at 424-9200, or email snostrm@fidalgo.net. Be sure to look for updates and happenings on the NWGC website and Facebook, too!