Ed Klim Retires, Snowmobile Assoc. Gets A New Leader In Smith

                        January 5, 2024  By John Prusak

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For more than a quarter-century, Ed Klim has been the face of the snowmobile world to lawmakers, administrators, rules-makers, dealers, grassroots leaders and more. But on January 15 a new (yet familiar to many) face will take the helm.

     It was announced this morning (January 5) that Klim is retiring as the leader of the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA). Yamaha veteran Jaret Smith is taking his place.

     Klim may not have necessarily been a known face to Joe or Jane common snowmobiler. But he’s been a vitally important leader of the sport since taking the lead spot at ISMA in 1995.

     In that position, he has dealt with issues big and small, in North America and beyond, related to snowmobiling at the behest of the major snowmobile manufacturers. Whether it was emissions, land access, safety programs, international manufacturing standards, working with grassroots organizations, the Clean Snowmobile Challenge, industry sales data, joint photo shoots or more, Klim has been a steady hand at the wheel.

     Behind the scenes, keeping the four snowmobile manufacturers working together through the ISMA organization has been a major accomplishment in itself. Previous attempts at industry associations before ISMA fell apart when one manufacturer or another would leave for various reasons.

     That said, among insiders there has been speculation how long Klim would want to continue in the job. He has has reached his middle 70s.

And, for the record, he has absolutely no tie to the Klim snowmobile outerwear brand. That question’s been asked by many over the years. It was just an odd coincidence that Ed Klim (pronounced “Klim” with a soft “I”) joined the industry a few years before apparel brand Klim (pronounced “Climb” with a hard “I”) came to the market.

      When Klim was hired to run the newly formed ISMA in 1995, the sled manufacturers grabbed him from the Recreational Vehicles Industry Association due to his experience running that sort of organization.

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Snowmobile Association To Be Led By Jaret Smith

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     This time, then went with somebody from inside the snowmobiling industry.

     Jaret Smith has in many ways been the outside face of Yamaha’s snowmobile division in recent years. After earning a degree in engineering and experience working at a dealership, he started with Yamaha in 2016. He was a snowmobile product and accessory planner and moved up to snowmobile product manager in 2018.

     In March of 2022, he added the title of Manager, Yamaha Motor Canada and North America Snowmobile Operations. In his various Yamaha roles, he has also served on many ISMA boards/committees. So, he knows some of ISMA’s inner workings, and the folks from the other manufacturers know him.

     Many consumers may recognize Smith from videos on Yamaha’s social media pages. There, he’s given updates from the brand, given tech tips and shared various news.

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