After last year’s mild winter and shortened snowmobiling season, sledders appear to be a lot more optimistic about the forthcoming season.
The sale of snowmobile trail permits in Timmins has already exceeded last year’s numbers by almost 200.
"If everything goes right, we should have a real nice season," said club president Gilbert Fortin.
At the club’s annual general meeting Monday night, execu-tives were optimistic about the upcoming season.
"They’re calling for a normal winter this year, snow-wise. Last year, we only had seven weeks of good snowmobiling weather, which was actually good compared to some places down south who only had two."
Club officials say this year marks the implementation of new technology for sledders. Along with an Ontario Federa-tion of Snowmobile Clubs iPhone application, global positioning system modules will be installed in all three trail groomers.
"It will definitely help with trail maintenance," said Fortin.
One big attraction of Tim-mins’ snowmobile trails, he explained, is that sledders have direct access to the downtown core, with the trail leading over the old Ontario Northland Railway bridge next to Spruce St. S.
