The Klamath Basin Snowdrifters is a non-profit snowmobile club (501c7) that was founded in 1967 and incorporated in 1970. Our Club membership in 2024-25 was 125 family memberships, representing more than 250 members.  We are active year-round in many different activities, but November through April are our most active months with a monthly general club meeting and monthly scheduled club rides.

Some of our activities include the annual Christmas party, chili feed, Club rides, wood cutting parties to stock the snow shelters, work parties to do trail maintenance, the Annual Steak Feed, and the Annual Banquet/Awards ceremony. Club rides are a great way to meet new people and to explore new areas to ride! Club rides always cater to the least experienced rider that attends, so you will never feel left behind, regardless of your experience level.

Safety and fun are top priorities of the club.  We have a wide range of rider skill levels, so you can always find a group you feel comfortable riding with.  We work to educate our members regarding changes in laws, trail conditions, and weather conditions through our website, club meetings, and our monthly newsletter, “The Drifter”. The club schedules FREE training for beginning riders from age 10 to 16 to assist them in obtaining their ODOT Snowmobile Trail permit. We also schedule avalanche awareness training to learn of the dangers of avalanches and how to avoid riding in areas that may slide.

The Klamath Basin Snowdrifters is a grooming club, which means that volunteers from the club run the OSSA-owned 2023 Pisten Bully 100 and 2015 Pisten Bully 400 snowcats during the snow season to keep the 260 miles of designated trails groomed for smooth, clear, and safe for riding.  In a good snow year, these volunteers groom over 2,000 miles, with more than 600 volunteer hours logged. When purchased, the PB 400 was wider than ones we have had in the past, which created some concerns with trail width.  Removal of trees in narrow sections of the trail system has been necessary to allow the cat access for safe grooming. Those issues are being resolved with the Forest Service to insure a safe travel corridor for snowmobiles as well as the cat.

All of our club members are also members of the Oregon State Snowmobile Association (OSSA).  OSSA is in contract with the State of Oregon to maintain and groom the snowmobile trails throughout the state. The money that is provided to OSSA pays for our two snow cats, as well as fuel and maintenance on the machines. OSSA is also our voice in State and Federal government, fighting to keep our snowmobile trails and rights as snowmobilers from being taken away from us.

During the summer months, we have volunteers that help out with trail maintenance.  This includes putting up trail markers and removing brush and downed trees from the trails.  We work closely with the Fremont-Winema National Forest, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, and Lakeview and Medford Districts of the Bureau of Land Management in maintaining the snowmobile trails to keep them open and safe for riders.  We also have three winter warming huts that we maintain. Brown Mountain, Four Mile, and Big Meadow shelters are stocked yearly with firewood for use by snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, hikers, and snowshoers. The shelters are open winter months to use to warm-up or in case of an emergency. 

So please become a member to help support this wonderful sport, and keep it alive and preserved for future generations to enjoy. 

Sincerely

Wes (Pappy) French

Club President