MONTPELIER, Vt. — Martin Beattie, the owner of Marty's 1st Stop on U.S.
Route 2 in Danville, was planning to register his snowmobile on Wednesday
and place the applications to join the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers
next to the cash register of his store.
On winter weekends Marty's parking lot is a meeting place for snowmobilers
and a crossroad of snowmobile trails.
And for the first time in years there's reason for optimism. There's at
least a foot of snow on the ground in much of Vermont, New Hampshire and
Maine and light snow is in the forecast over the next few days. Most
importantly, there's no warm weather in the forecast.
"I'm looking forward to the season to come," Beattie said Wednesday.
The trails across the three states are being prepared. In Vermont, the signs
are up and trail grooming is set to begin.
Now snowmobilers are awaiting the official opening of the season.
Bryant Watson, the executive director of the Vermont Association of Snow
Travelers, which oversees snowmobiling in the state, said as it stood
Wednesday, the group was planning to open the state's entire 6,200 mile
trail network on Dec. 16.
"I don't think I can remember a date when we had 100 percent on opening day.
This would be a first if it does happen," Watson said. "Just keep the
fingers crossed and hopefully the weather stays consistent and cold."
Watson, Beattie and others across the region who depend on snowmobiling as a
source of income or recreation are hoping this season will be a good one
after three winters of tough sledding.
In New Hampshire, the Bureau of Trails and snowmobile club volunteers have
been working to get more than 7,000 miles of trails ready for the Dec. 15
opening.
"We're absolutely thrilled," said Gail Hanson, executive Director of the New
Hampshire Snowmobile Association. "It couldn't have come better or sooner."
In Maine, snowmobilers are riding and clubs are actively grooming trails in
the northern part of the state, said Bob Meyers, executive director of the
Maine Snowmobile Association.
"Things are going full screech," Meyers said. Maine has 13,500 miles of
snowmobile trails, and had 90,000 snowmobiles registered last year.
In Vermont, the snowmobile industry contributes about $550 million a year to
the state's economy. Tens of thousands of snowmobilers spend money at
convenience stores along the trails, restaurants, hotels and motels and for
the equipment itself.
The region's ski resorts are reveling in the early snow as well.
"This winter season is off to a fantastic start," said Erica Houskeeper, a
spokeswoman for the Vermont Department of Travel and Tourism.
She said there's snow in New York, Boston and even the Washington area, all
of which prompts people to think about traveling to Vermont.
Last year much of the snowmobile trail system in Vermont didn't even open
until after the Valentine's Day blizzard dumped several feet of snow across
the state. The season ended up being the third consecutive poor season,
Watson said.
The blizzard managed to salvage something. "It was about the same as
it was the year before," Watson said. "It was still bad, but not as bad as
it could have been."
The state of the snowmobiling in Vermont is designed to fall after the end
of the muzzle loading deer hunting season. Every seventh year, muzzle
loading ends on Dec. 15 so it always starts on Dec. 16, Watson said.