With the rain this weekend melting a lot of the snow that fell earlier within the month, it has additionally melted the momentum of a robust begin to this yr’s snowmobiling season.
In keeping with the Ontario Federation of Snowmobiling Golf equipment (OFSC), not a single path within the province was accessible as of Monday.
“We don’t have any frost in the ground, and we have running water and standing water in many places,” mentioned Arthur Christakos, president of Baxter Snow Riders in Port Severn. “It’s just not safe.”
Christakos says Baxter Snow Riders trails haven’t been capable of open but even with all of the December snow.
Georgian Bay Snowriders (GBSR) president Patrick Murray mentioned that they had opened a few of their trails for seven days previous to this previous weekend’s rainfall, equating to just about half the times their trails had been open for all of final season.
“[It] was really, really awesome because normally we don’t get trails open before Christmas,” mentioned Murray. “The tourism spinoff for snowmobiling is incredible. It’s a real boost to the economy.”
Orillia District Snowmobile Membership (ODSC) posted a photograph on social media Saturday afternoon exhibiting a snowmobile that acquired caught in a ditch on a path close to Orillia.
In an announcement to Ontario Chronicle, ODSC’s president Rob Love mentioned partly: “Although the club volunteers work hard to provide great trail experiences, we unfortunately have to deal with changing weather conditions… Trails are closed for a reason, so please do not ride on closed trails.”
Snowmobilers might face fines of $110 for using on closed trails.
“Snowmobilers need to remind themselves that, until the trails are actually open and the OFSC does show that the trails are open, they have to stay off them,” added OPP Const. Dave Hobson.
The excellent news is the forecast.
With colder temperatures on the horizon, native golf equipment are hopeful that it could enable their trails to get a really perfect base of snow and ice for protected operation.
“We need a foot of snow to get rolling again and then I think that’ll be it for the mild trend,” mentioned Murray.
“It’s a year-round effort on the volunteers part to get [the trails] to the point where you can open [them],” added Christakos.
GBSR members mentioned they hope to get a few of their trails reopened by someday subsequent week, whereas Baxter Snow Riders members hope to open theirs later in January.
Snowmobilers can examine on the standing of trails by way of the interactive path guides on the OFSC web site.
