For every Barrie resident wishing the snow would disappear there’s an eager snowmobiler wishing it would stay.
After last year’s extremely mild winter, avid snowmobilers hope the white stuff sticks around so they can hit the trails.
"If you think back to last year, we got a ton of snow at first, and then nothing after Christmas," said Josh Grills, marketing manager for the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs’ (OFSC) Barrie area district. "This year, we’ve had cold weather and snow before Dec. 1 and it’s got people excited and ready to get out there."
The OFSC saw most of its trail permit sales happen before Dec. 1, and Grills said winter weather in mid-December allowed for some early trail openings.
Hopefully, the warmer temperatures over the last several days won’t throw too much of a wrench in conditions, he added.
"If we had a full week of mild weather, it might not be good, but we got enough snow so we should be OK," he said. "It might be a good thing. We usually get cold weather after a warm spell. The water seeps into the ground and then firms up."
Despite heavy snowfall earlier this month in some areas, not all the trails are open.
"It depends on where you’re going. Trails are open or limited in a triangle from Barrie, west to Wasaga Beach, and over to Coldwater/Orillia," Grills said. "They are limited over to Collingwood and beyond to Owen Sound. Areas near Georgian Bay are open or limited."
