2015 CLSS Ladies Ride

By Rachael Wiley-Steffen

DSG brand ambassador and owner of Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Services (CLSS Bemus Point, NY)

Because Ladies ROCK!

When my alarm went off at 5 a.m. on Sunday, February 22, I woke immediately, with a big ol' grin, and didn’t even think about hitting that snooze button! Today we bring 36 fearless females together for our first-ever CLSS Ladies Ride in Chautauqua County.

Excited and energetic to hit the trails with so many other women who share (or will when we’re done with the ride) the same love and passion for snowmobiling, I just can’t contain my enthusiasm. For those who know me, I tend to be smiling more often than not, especially when I’m on my sled! The morning kicked off with some coffee and a light breakfast, as well as a meet-and-greet with fellow riders and guides. During the registration process, there was plenty of time for everyone to get their sleds unloaded, and for those renting snowmobiles with Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Services, this allowed ample time for each renter to complete the necessary paperwork, have their helmet fitting and receive instruction to become familiar with their sled, as well as obtain a safety overview and trail etiquette orientation.

We have riders of all ages and skill levels, ranging from 18 to 63 years in age. There are beginners who have never straddled a snowmobile, a few who haven’t been near a sled in 15+ years, and experts who are out ripping every chance they get!

Eager to get outside and start their engines, we first rallied together inside for a safety meeting, guide/sweeper introduction, ride overview and shout-out to all the strong, amazing women who came out for the ride! With six experienced guides/sweepers the plan is to break the ladies into three groups [A-C] based on rider skill level. The entire group will start collectively as one very long train (think pilot/head-end and caboose). We will ride as a train for about five miles together to a stopping point where we will dramatically line our sleds up ‘just-so’ for a photographer to take a captivating photo, showcasing the dynamic power and strength of ‘women on sleds’! #empowerwomen. From this point, we will then break out into three smaller groups [A-C], which will offer a more optimal pace and distance for each rider based on their skill level.

The time has come, LET’S RIDE LADIES!! Get your gear on and meet outside in 10 minutes. With the group stoked and ready to hit the trails, the group of more experienced riders know what’s in store
….FIRST TRACKS!  Each of us are giggling like school girls, craving the chance to enjoy first tracks on our early morning snowmobile ride. The weather couldn’t be more perfect, a beautiful crisp morning with the sun shining down on us, and the high temperature for the day supposed to hit a whopping 18 degrees. Ahhhh, nothing short of perfect!

And we’re off! With 36 of us chugging down the trail, it was a bit of a slow-go to get started, but no one seemed to mind. About 12 minutes later, we reached our ‘group photo’ destination. The guides/sweepers worked together to line up each sled strategically to allow for a great shot! Each lady straddled their sled and threw their hands up in the air, hooting and hollering, offering our photographer the opportunity to capture this inspiring moment. 

And we’re off again! This time in groups [A-C]. As the leader of the A group and last group to depart, I jumped off my sled, running up and down the trail waiving, shouting and high-fiving each sledder in excitement as both groups C and B passed by. And now it’s group A’s turn, let’s ride!!

Fast forward 3-1/2-hours later…

We, group A, arrive back at our starting point. Keeping in mind that Group A was the beginner (never been on a sled before) group! This group was small, yet fearless. It was so exhilarating to be able to showcase this sport and the adventure and beauty that is behind it. Mission accomplished!

Here comes Group B! As they're zipping in, all I hear are screams of excitement and the sound of clapping with gloves on. One lady shouts, “Woohoo, this was the best ride ever!” I hunch over, holding my stomach, belly laughing out loud,"this is just awesome!"  While standing on the porch I look out to see the ladies taking their helmets off and can’t see anything but pearly white teeth and huge smiles on each of their beautiful faces. And, again, mission accomplished!

We’re still waiting on Group C…. at this point, everyone has built up a good appetite. We all convene inside and enjoy some lunch. At this moment I hear my phone ding - I promptly picked it up and noticed I had a text message from the guide from the now smaller ‘original’ Group C: Our guide had blown a belt less than three miles away! No problem, we deploy a couple people to assist her on the trail while the rest of the riders in Group C make their way back to our starting location. When these ladies arrived back, they were stoked! They had been hard-core rippin’ for the last four hours and were on nothing short of a pure adrenaline rush! You guessed it, mission accomplished!

As a DSG Brand Ambassador, my goal for this event and for the entire season is to promote women riders and help in the effort to make an impact in a male dominated segment. Snowmobiling is a growing sport among women around the globe. It is challenging, physically exerting and adventurous, and it brings me nothing but complete happiness to have ridden alongside these 36 women for our first inaugural Ladies Ride in Bemus Point, NY on February 22! This was a perfect opportunity to bring women of all ages and skill levels together for a fun-filled day on the trails. The experience was so humbling. It gave me a great feeling of accomplishment to introduce new riders to this sport, and a true feeling of pride to ride with the amazing ladies already so dedicated to the sport we love! LIVE.LOVE.RIDE.

A big thanks to our amazing guides/sweepers, photographer, the registration and set-up committee and to all our sponsors – Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Services, DSG Outerwear, Jenn’s Lake Service, Loud Performance Products and TheRiderScope.com for helping to make this event so successful.

Shortly after our arrival, we see a group off in the distance shredding down the trail! I notice it is a smaller portion of Group C, being led by one of our guides/sweepers. Uh oh, I thought to myself, I hope everything is alright?! Yep, everything was great! The group had a fantastic ride, but chose to break off from the larger group C to slow their pace down a bit, offering a more enjoyable ride. Perfect! This group had a “stuck” while on the ride, as one of the ladies overshot a corner… (hey, it happens to the best of us!). Everybody joined in the effort to dig out (it was a good stuck!). Our guide rode it out while literally hanging off one side…, she said she refused to let off the throttle or they would have been stuck again…! Once back up on the trail, she threw her hands up in excitement and yelled, “Girl power!!"  Mission accomplished!

I will leave you with a few quotes from our riders:

“Great day! Divas are AWESOME!”

“Had a great ride! It was an adventure.”

“Very nicely organized event! Beautiful day – wonderful friends! Fun, Fun, Fun!”

“My very first ride! Such a beautiful day. Thank you for all the personal attention. What a blast!”

“I loved it! Great way to get us girls out and have fun! Can’t wait until next year. Thank you.”

“It was my second time riding and it was awesome! The pace was perfect, the day was perfect and the ladies were outstanding!”

“Great time. Love the Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Services sleds and the company.”

“Amazing, thanks for a great time.”

“It was awesome!”

Thanks to our sponsors: DSG Outerwear; Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Services;TheRiderScope.com; Loud Performance Products; Jenn’s Lake Service; and Univera Healthcare.