Snowmobile accidents are lower this year but this is still a dangerous time of the season

By DAVID BROOKS

Monitor staff

Published: 03-21-2023 7:57 PM

Snowmobilers will be heading out in droves to take advantage of the big mid-March snowfall while it lasts but they need to be careful – this is a dangerous time of year for the sport.

So far, despite a fatal accident in Groton last Thursday, this winter has been safer than recent ones for snowmobiles. The previous two winters had 69 and 61 reportable accidents, respectively, but as of Friday only 21 had been reported, said Capt. Michael Eastman of New Hampshire Fish and Game.

That’s no reason to be overconfident, Eastman said: “It can be treacherous this time of year.”

The problem is that the sun rises higher in the sky and daytime temperatures are generally warmer in March than earlier in the season, which can quickly change the condition of the snow.

“Trails are great in the morning, but into the afternoon it gets like mashed potato consistency, and you have that freezing over … it gets icy,” he said. “Corners get blown out – with icy corners, icy trail, it’s treacherous.”

The March 16 death of a 60-year-old woman, described as an experienced snowmobile driver, is an example. “The snowmobiler had left the trail while attempting to navigate a curve after traveling down a long straightaway.  Handling would not have been at its best with daytime temperatures in the low 40s causing the trail to be soft and mushy,” the official press release stated.

The driver, who was riding the machine by herself, drove off the trail into trees and was pronounced dead at the scene.

This winter’s relative shortage of reportable accidents – those causing injury to a person or at least $1,000 worth of damage – may partly be a reflection of the weather. Much of the early winter until the past month has been snow-starved, especially in the northern section that is a haven for snowmobiles, so the opportunities to ride have been relatively limited. 

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Last week’s Nor’easter put plenty of snow on trails in the state’s western section but other areas are shutting down. Only 2 of 16 official trails were open in the Lakes Region as of last Friday, for example.

The state has about 7,000 miles of maintained snowmobile trails, one of the most extensive networks in the East.

Most years, between one and three people are killed in snowmobile accidents in New Hampshire.

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