Endless Riding: Snowmobilers revel in winter of great snow
It's difficult to say enough is enough of a good thing, and snowmobiling has, indeed, been good this season.
The snow didn't come as early as in the 2004-05 season, but it made its usual appearance around Thanksgiving. Since then the storms have been frequent and usually without great depths but with more than enough snow to cover what needs to be covered for good riding.
And, as a result, said Dee Eggett, manager of the snowmobile program at Daniels Summit Lodge southeast of Heber, "the riding opportunities are endless this winter.
"The snow is excellent, and there are miles of trails and play areas open . . . From the lodge you can follow groomed trails all the way up into Wyoming or over to Soldier Summit and find hundreds of play areas along the way."
Despite the great snow year, however, the second in as many years, snowmobile registrations took a dip this year, down from around 35,000 last year to just over 28,000 this year.
In considering some of the Eastern states, however, Utah's numbers pale in comparison. Minnesota, for example, registered 272,600 machines in 2004-05, New York 158,538 and Maine 100,401.
No one can really explain the drop in registered snowmobiles. Suggestions range from busy schedules to the frequency of storms to the fact that more people are choosing to rent rather than own.
Last year, the snowstorms came infrequently but dropped a lot of snow when they did arrive, which made for long periods of riding opportunities. This year, snowstorms have hit Utah much more frequently, which has limited riding opportunities.
Snowmobiling does, however, remain a popular winter activity here in Utah, especially with families.
Ken Rossum, president of the Utah Snowmobile Association, said he has lived in snowmobile country in Washington and Minnesota, "and, definitely, snowmobiling is more of a family activity here in Utah. And it seems that more families than ever are riding these days."
Even though Utah is not known as a big snowmobiling state, some suggest it's a good thing because this leaves more riding areas open to fewer people.
Still, Utah is not without strong support for the riding community by the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation. The state runs 12 groomers routinely over roughly 1,200 miles of designated trails in Utah.
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