No firm dates yet, but the countdown is on until the start of snowmobile season.

A typical year sees the trails open in early January.

North Bay Snowmobile Club spokersperson Shawn Flindall tells BayToday that snow on the ground in December is a welcome sight.

“Sometimes we have years when we have green Christmases and those are sad Christmases for sledders, but other years we get snow early and those are pretty exciting times, not just for sledders, but for dealerships as well,” he says.

Flindall says all clubs locally are active, getting equipment and groomers ready to roll for when things freeze up, with trails being cleared and signed.

He says they’re hoping for a repeat of last year’s successful 13 week season.

“When a typical season is around 10 weeks, when we get 30 percent more riding with 13 weeks like we did last year, it’s a real, real boost for northern Ontario economies,” he tells BayToday.

Flindall says snowmobiling is a $3.5 billion industry in Ontario with the bulk of the impact in the north.

 

Photo by Lawrence Chadbourn

Filed under: North Bay Snowmobile Club