Mandatory "Back Country Access Pass Port"

[hardcore2]

I personally can't think of a subject that has more meaning to me than this one . I ALSO can't express {without swearing } how tired I am of discussing it . WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH SNOWMOBILERS ??? Until WE ALL join clubs and stick together these idiotic discussions will continue . KEEP fighting boys it really helps ./

 

[prambold]

I have just started snowmobiling this year and have been trying to do alot of reading regarding user fees and trail passes so that I can be educated.

I have an issue (huge actually) with having to pay anyone for the privilege of going onto crown land and riding my sled or dirt bike or mountain bike or going for a hike or anything else that I want to do.

We pay enough taxes in BC that if the money were ever to be properly managed there would be no shortfall.

If people wish to ride on groomed trails and partake group/club activities then all the power to them, let them pay for the groomers and upkeep.

I don't feel that anyone should have to pay for something such as a back country pass.

 

[S2S_sledder]

This is a tough topic to tackle. I get where the OP is coming from with this idea but I have to agree with not being in support of any additional fee collections, because quite frankly you cannot trust the BC gov't for chit. The freedom of the backcountry is what makes BC great, and personally I am against any further restrictions of any kind in the back country. The ridiculous thing is our province is freakin huge and we have so many mountains and basins that user conflicts should never be an issue. The problems, to the best of my knowledge, are laregely restricted to the sea to sky corridor as the provincial gov't has done a wonderful job of turning much of the accessible backcountry into provincial parks, there by concentrating the areas available to motorized users, which has been the root cause of most of the user conflicts. I'm a pretty liberal person, I do alot of hiking, biking and even cross country skiing, but I gotta say that the Lower mainland is chalk full of totally unreasonable extreme-green losers who have a complete no-compromise attitude, and no matter how many ways they carve of the back country in the Sea to sky they will never be happy as long as we can sled anywhere south of Lillooet.

So thats my rambling 2 cents... no solution because the other side is totally unwilling to comprimise with sledders in anything that resembles reasonable.

 

[m_beeson]

We have that in Utah. They find a place where people like to go, then they declare it a state park, and charge a parking fee.

You can even buy a seasons pass.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

May not like it but the govt is serious about this 1

Linc you are speaking like a prophet on this topic. This post is not my personal views only those of some of the people running govt hearings right now!
This is ongoing right now in BC so get used to it! The government is and has been consulting various outdoor stake holders in regards to back country access. The extreme greenies are better organized and more vocal than sledders. Unfortunate fact. The govt is also being lobbied for a pay for help SAR billing scheme. Lucky for us the SAR folks are fighting this nonsense. The days of unfettered access to the back country may be a fading reality soon. User fees in the parks in regards to parking in prov parks are a new thing and the govt is trying to convince taxpayers that all users are paying their share. When the pay parking thing first came in we were told that the money collected would go into park facilities only. Yeah right, the govt will divert these funds to pay office stooges to print shiny brochures etc. Friends of mine who work in parks say the budget is tighter than ever now. As a group we should look for proactive ways to have a voice in what happens in the woods/ mountains. Just some food for thought. Not my Idea! Some of the news reporter club are the ones who have lit the fires of the public. A few avy deaths and these scribes are danger experts. We are looosing in the court of public opinion. Wish we could ignore this but........ If we choose not to be heard, we can't expect to get much area to ride.
BTW Thanks for hookin my buds up with a couple of sleds from your friend Rick I think, in Jan Linc. I was the guy broken down at Birkenhead with the faxed hip. THANK YOU I'll bring a case by next time I'm up there. No I've never met Linc, good egg tho!

 

[blackrx1]

I have just started snowmobiling this year and have been trying to do alot of reading regarding user fees and trail passes so that I can be educated.

I have an issue (huge actually) with having to pay anyone for the privilege of going onto crown land and riding my sled or dirt bike or mountain bike or going for a hike or anything else that I want to do.

We pay enough taxes in BC that if the money were ever to be properly managed there would be no shortfall.



If people wish to ride on groomed trails and partake group/club activities then all the power to them, let them pay for the groomers and upkeep.




I don't feel that anyone should have to pay for something such as a back country pass.

i agee 100%

 

[Duddin]

How about this charge everyone but take the money and use it to fight the greenies to get our land back opened. They would be funding a fight against themselves sweet. Just make them believe its for some endangered weed or something ha ha ha ha

 

[moyiesledhead]

Never mind my opinion about paying yet another fee to recreate.......the biggest problem with this idea is that the only body that can make a fee mandatory is the Provincial Government. Once they get their hands on the money...no matter how you write it up on paper...you no longer have any control over where it goes or how it's spent. I've been through enough land use processes to see that it'll all get used up on administration, implimentation (if that actually ever happens), and enforcement (again, if that actually ever happens).

Here's another dandy for you...British Columbia residents don't own the public land in BC, or have a "right" to access! It's all actually owned by the Queen of England, and our access is a "privilege"! Chew on that one for a while. This fact came out recently in one of our many land use meetings, and I got so mad I could'a chewed nails!

Rant over (temporarily)!

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Just interested how many of you actually went to the land use meetings? Sad about the ownership issue and Moyie is right, I asked a similar question of a RCMP {my nephew} and he said it is the crowns right to deny access when ever they deem it to be in the greater public interest or for safety concerns. Will they ban us when avy risk is high? As a multi mode user I wish the govt would stay out of my kitchen. Liability is also a huge concern as in regards to mtn bikers and the trail rails and jumps etc. Big brother is alive and well in BC. Write John VanDongen and express your concerns in regards to govt meddling in the back country. These land use hearings will be used to form new govt regs that we all have to fear. Can some sled dealer please take the govt ministers on a sled ride and show them what we do and how much fun our sport is. How much tax revenue gets paid by us and out of province visitors? We are paying too many hidden taxes and the govt will add more every chance they get. Maybe they want to grow up and at least take the taxes off safety equip. and the like. Seems to me this would result in less accidents and fewer searches??? Oh and why do i have to wait 9 months for hip surgery? I've paid enough tax to buy my own hospital! Suppose it's more important to cut welfare cheques! Sorry rant over.

 

[Greg B.]

I would have to say no on that one... I should not have to pay to go out in the woods and do what I want. Now for a managed park like yellowstone I would not have a problem. Plus it leaves more money for our elected officials to play with.

 

[ArticDoo]

Linc, I don't like what your saying and I really don't want to pay a extra fee just to go out my back door and head up the mountain...BUT... I'm not in the dark as to how close our B.C. gov. and the greenies are to shutting the entire back country down! I am aware of the recent legislation (on hold for now) that would screw every person going into the back country, Sledders, hikers, mountain bikers, cross country skiers, bird watchers. etc. This is my view on the issue. It's like a choice of two evils, one being worse than the first.
First we can look at what Linc is suggesting, charge a little fee to everyone and hopefully it will give us as sledders a stronger voice. I would rather be lumped in with skiers, back country hikers etc. than to give up our riding areas and have no say because right now you might as well admit we are such a small group, we have next to now say! The B.C.snowmobile Association needs more backing, more money, a stronger voice. Maybe this is the way. In-fighting and unproductive arguing amongst us sledders will only lead to a weaker voice... I really don't like the thought of being restricted to riding a kitty cat around in my front yard. just my 2$

 

[skidpowder]

I think that is a stupid f***ing idea, half the time you don't even use trails. Who pays for the time it would take people to manage everything, keep funds organized. It should be optional to pay, & if you regularly use trails & do not pay you are the problem, but to have to pay a f***ing fee every place I go is ridiculous. I know this an old post, but that is my opinion.

 

[Blk88GT]

7 years later.... where did this go?

 

[KMMAC]

I think there should be an OFF ROAD TRAVEL permit I don't care if you are on a machine or on foot. The reason why? The folks on foot only pay for a parking permit, have you ever gone to a hike only area and seen the worn paths? They say they do no damage..
I want to see bicycles on and off road with plates on them and yes with the off road travel crowd, summer and winter, have mandatory safety training. The list goes on, I think a round table meeting with all sides is the only way to come an equal agreement and a lot of time because there are sooo many overlapping fees and taxes with most controlled by governmental
agencies that, first there has to be an unwinding or audit of ALL of that mess just to determine where all of the money is going
which would be hard because of the greed in government it would be hard to get accountability. That's enough.....