White is Green in
Snowmobile Country
Lorna Colquhoun, Union Leader Correspondent
Union Leader
February 28, 2009
More Snow, More Business
There are about 7,500 miles of snowmobile trails throughout the state.
JEFFERSON — Mid-morning yesterday, Marie Cameron had to hang up the phone and tend to a fresh round of customers coming through the door.
They were snowmobilers, pulling off the trail and heading to her Hometown Market and Grill in Jefferson village, hungry for breakfast. Since about the time snow began falling, that can now be measured in feet, business at the market has been brisk.
"It's been awesome," Cameron said. "Every Saturday since it started snowing has been awesome - lots of snowmobilers."
Even with the uncertain economy, business there has been enough to keep four people employed this winter, she said.
Snowmobiling is big business in the North Country, although this year, with snow falling in all corners of the state, some of the pressure has been taken off this part of the state.
Signs point the way to food and services all along New Hampshire's network of snowmobile trails.
"People will ride in the south and vacation in the north," said Larry Gomes, Assistant Director of the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association in Coos County. "A lot of people will trailer to Plymouth and head north on day trips".
On Wednesday, representatives from a number of state agencies and organizations took part in Executive Councilor Ray Burton's annual snowmobile tour around his district, taking a look at plans and projects that are made possible through partnerships between local snowmobile clubs, the Bureau of Trails and the White Mountain National Forest.
You mean an awful lot to us," Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner George Bald told members of the Waumbek Methna club in Jefferson, which helped coordinate Burton's trip.
"We are fortunate in New Hampshire. Other states look at us as a model for being the best in the country. Clubs are passionate about snowmobiling and the state is the beneficiary".
There are about 7,500 miles of snowmobile trails throughout the state, a network that is roughly double the miles of state-maintained roads, said Chris Gamache, chief of the Bureau of Trails, which has 15 employees.
The partnership his agency has with more than 100 snowmobile clubs throughout the state, who work with local landowners to provide access to the public, is invaluable. "This is a billion-dollar industry in New Hampshire run by volunteer labor," he said.
A 2004 study conducted by the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association and Plymouth State University found that snowmobiling translates into $1.2 billion annually. NHSA president Terry Callum of Newport said the association is looking at updating that impact study.
So far this year, snowmobile registrations have been on par with last year, which was also a banner winter in terms of snowfall, although the economy had not taken a precipitous dip.
Fish and Game Major Tim Acerno said he expects registrations to come in at about 61,000.
Snow is the biggest factor in whether the snowmobile season is going to be successful. Gomes said economic factors rarely keep people who have investing in the sport from enjoying it. "It's a commitment people make," he said. "If they buy a vehicle and trailer to pull the sleds, they've spent about $25,000. If there is no snow in their backyard, they're going to spend $200 to get somewhere that does. They've made the investment, they're going to use it."