Though it has been anything but a white Christmas season, area snowmobilers are certainly hoping for the New Year to herald in a snowstorm or two.
With the fall hunting campaign in the rearview mirror, snowmobiling season is next up on the agenda for many outdoors enthusiasts.
There’s just one thing missing — snow.
While the crucial ingredient may be late to the party this year, area clubs have been busy getting trails ready for the enjoyment of riders when the snow finally does arrive.
The trails maintained by the Almond-based Southern Tier Snow Riders have been cleared of brush, and the final signing was performed Thursday in anticipation of the start of the season. The efforts capped off a flurry of preparatory activity for the Club’s dedicated members.
“We struggle to get the trails ready because we’re not allowed to use ATV’s, and we try not to get out onto the land during deer season because a lot of the trails are on private land,” said Club Vice President Troy Phillips. “We try not to bother our landowners by doing work out there. We do a little bit in the summertime, but once the leaves start to fall that’s when everybody starts thinking about it. Unfortunately we have to scramble for a few weeks just before deer season and get a lot of stuff done, and we’re finishing up right now.”
The Southern Tier Snow Riders are one of 11 snowmobile clubs in Allegany County, all of whom are members of the New York State Snowmobile Association (NYSSA). The organization is the largest such association in the country, boasting over 240 clubs that help serve some 135,000 registered New York state snowmobilers.
The NYSSA released a statement this week “urging all snowmobilers to check with their local clubs before hitting the trails since the snow has been slow to fall this year.” The snow’s late arrival, coming on the heels of last winter’s hefty snowfall, has impacted more than just the clubs.
“If we get the snow early people start thinking early, so it does affect the sales a little bit, I think especially the Christmas sales,” said Arkport Cycles General Manager Jenny Swarts. “Generally being snowmobile oriented, we sell the stuff when there’s snow on the ground. It’s just the nature of the business.
“This year has been a weird year,” Swarts added. “It actually even helps our motorcycle end of the business to have snow because people end up wanting spring a little quicker and they get cabin fever. Definitely last year was a better year for us than this year has been on the snowmobile end of it.”
Riders who belong to clubs like the Southern Tier Snow Riders receive a substantial break in their registration fees paid to the state. Whereas non-members pay $100 to register their machine, club members pay only $45. Either way, a healthy portion of the registration fees go back into maintaining the trails.
“That helped with a lot of membership right there,” Phillips said of the monetary savings. “They’re all state-funded trails. The state provides money from registration monies. Out of the registration money, the state takes $10 and the rest gets turned into a trail fund that is divided up into the different counties based on mileage of trails that need to be maintained.”
The spider web of NYSSA trails crisscrosses much of the state, covering over 10,000 miles. The Allegany County Federation of Snowmobilers alone offers 380 miles of trails.
All of that riding inevitably leads to pit stops at local businesses, such as gas stations and restaurants. Snowmobilers provide a significant boost to the economies of rural towns in particular, while the NYSSA states that the snowmobiling industry has a $1 billion collective impact on New York state.
“I can’t speak for other clubs, but I know our businesses always comment on how much business we send them,” Phillips said. “We send it to them because we groom the trails so (riders) can get there. It’s been proven over the years that it’s a huge economic boost.”
Swarts, herself a snowmobiler, has also noted that the hobbyists have a far greater economic impact than simply purchasing the machines from businesses like Arkport Cycles.
“I think it’s grown to a more important scale than it was even five years ago, because New York state has some pretty active snowmobile clubs,” Swarts said. “The clubs are able to put money back into the trail system and it definitely helps. Those areas are impacted positively if there’s snow on the ground. (Snowmobilers) buy gas, food and that kind of stuff. It definitely helps.”
For more information, visit the NYSSA at www.nysnowmobiler.com or the Allegany County Federation of Snowmobilers at www.acfsnow.org
