The Crookston Driftbusters Snowmobile Club will hold their annual Snowmobile Safety Training Field Day on Saturday, January 4 beginning at 8:00 a.m. at the Crookston Sports Center. In order to participate in the field day, youth ages 12-15 need to complete the online course available at www.snowmobilecourse.com. The cost of the online course is $24.95.
Students who complete the online course will need to print the voucher available at the end of the course and bring that to the field day said, Mike Boucher. “There’s the online classroom portion of the training,” said Boucher. “Each student needs to complete that beforehand. In the end there is a voucher you print out proving you finished it. You bring that along with a helmet, and warm clothes to the class on Saturday, January 4. We do have a riding test at the end, so it’s important you dress properly.”
The field day will include additional classroom work, a written test, a DNR Officer talking about snowmobile laws, maintenance and a riding test said, Boucher. “We kind of review what each student learned on the computer part of the class,” said Boucher. “We have a DNR Officer come in to talk about the laws in Minnesota pertaining to snowmobiling. And answer any questions the kids might have – the dos and don’ts. We show them a movie. There is a written test and we finish with the riding test. There are some practical hands-on maintenance items. We show them to change a drive belt, spark plugs, some more items to look for and then they get some hands-on driving the snowmobiles while performing the hand signals we teach them in class. It’s a good deal because it’s a pretty important privilege for a 12-year-old to drive a motor vehicle in Minnesota. It’s basically equivalent to having a driver’s license, just for a snowmobile and to do it at that young an age is a big deal so it’s important they are certified to do so.”
Anyone born after December 31, 1976, is required to take a class and test to get a snowmobile endorsement for their driver’s license to ride on public trails in Minnesota. Students who are 16 and older don’t need to attend the field day but are encouraged to attend. For more information contact Mike Boucher at 218-891-3419 or 218-280-3385.
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