When shoulder season seems to stretch on indefinitely, and the typical New Hampshire snowy winter arrives with a whimper, skiers and riders can make do with artificially-made snow to get in their winter recreation. Snowmobilers, on the other hand, must make do with patience.

Unlike ski areas, “we depend on natural snowfall over a large area,” said Dan Gould, executive director of the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association, based in Tilton. 

There are more than 100 snowmobiling clubs across the state, including more than a dozen in the Lakes Region, each charged with maintaining their portion of the state’s 7,000-mile trail network. The camaraderie of these growing groups and their four-season programming help them to weather the lack of storms.

Snowmobile clubs are about so much more than riding, said Don Stoppe of the Squam Trail Busters and Sandwich Sidehillers. Joining a club, he continued, is a great way to spend time in nature, work on trails, get some exercise, learn how to use new tools like groomers or chainsaws and, above all, contribute your time and energy to a tight-knit group.

“It’s a year-round thing with clubs,” said Jeff Tomas, president of the Trail Busters, “whether there’s snow or not.” Clubs need about a foot of coverage, he said, to be able to groom and ride without damaging the ground underneath. 

December’s unseasonal warmth, he continued, has been more of a blow, because it means the lake isn’t frozen, let alone rideable. 

The Trail Busters’ more than 200 members have an array of activities that help keep them busy when trails aren’t passable. 

Throughout the fall, the club was hard at work maintaining and building trails in their network and keeping great relationships with the landowners who allow trails. 

With the start of winter, clubs will take road trips to the northern part of the state, elsewhere in New England and even Canada to get their miles in. They’ll also work on trail signs, kiosks that feature their sponsors and building relationships with new landowners, Stoppe said.

Lack of snow cover may force some events and annual traditions to adapt. The Trail Busters’ Poker Run last year took place on automobiles instead. The event typically sees club members ride to different participating businesses and sponsors. At each stop they receive a card, and whoever has the best poker hand by the end of the day wins prizes. Last year, club members drove between businesses using standard road travel. That potentially could happen this year as well.

“It was just as successful as if there were three feet of snow on the ground,” Tomas said. 

While Tomas of course wishes there was more snow, he’s confident it’ll arrive soon. If anything, he’s worried about how the downtime will affect industry businesses. 

But a delay to the start of winter hasn’t blunted the boom of growth that hit the sport during and after the pandemic, according to Gould. 

The NHSA’s October grass drag and watercross event has seen its highest-ever attendance in recent years. This fall, 47,000 enthusiasts from across the country and Canada came to New Hampshire, according to Gould.

Unaffected by slow starts to this winter and last, snowmobile sales remain booming at HK Powersports in Laconia, according to General Manager Lisa Miles. Though supply has been able to catch up with demand, still about 80% of their snowmobile sales, Miles said, is done through orders.

“People are eager no matter what,” Miles said, and they get inquiries as early as October about when snowmobiles will be ready. 

Snow is “on the late side this year, but in New England, people know,” Miles said.

“Winter can start in December, or January, or later. We could have the best winter going from here.”

If anything, Gould said, the warm, late start to the riding season could be a new normal. 

“This winter to date is almost a carbon copy of last winter,” Gould said: a big storm in early December was quickly melted away. Last year, the next big storm wasn’t until early February. 

“In the last 20 years, December snow has come and gone,” Gould said. “The trend has been that winter comes about a month later, but then lasts longer, into mid or late March.”

“We typically don’t really get going until after New Year's anyway, because December snow isn’t consistent,” Tomas echoed. “We’re not worried quite yet, but it’s getting close.”

“People are patiently waiting,” Gould said, “and cursing the sky a bit.”

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org. 

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