It's exactly the kind of conditions snowmobilers dream of – lots of snow early in the season.
And after years of less than ideal snowmobiling conditions, sledders aren't wasting any time hitting the trails. Snowmobilers were squeezing the throttle on the trails in northern Simcoe County today. Ian Mossman and his friends heard the trails were open and made the trip north from Newmarket to spend the day riding.
“We are going to Midland, we are almost there, have some lunch maybe do this Number 8 loop and maybe head back to Orillia at that point as along as we are back by dark,” says Mossman.
According to the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, the trails are open on a limited basis from Orillia west to Midland and Penetanguishene then south to Elmvale. Some trails are also open in the Parry Sound and Muskoka regions.
Trails have opened thanks to the lake-effect squalls that have been hitting the eastern shores of Georgian Bay over the past week. Further south there isn’t quite as much snow on the ground but more trails are expected to open in time for the weekend.
Kevin Hagen is the manager of the Mid-Ontario Snowmobile Trails. He says grooming operations are underway to connect trails around southern Georgian Bay.
“Wasaga Beach and by tomorrow over to Collingwood and down to Feversham all interconnected and possibly Stayner and Creemore will all be linked in by tomorrow,” he says.
If everything goes as planned this will the earliest start to the snowmobiling season here in more than a decade and police are reminding snowmobilers to stay off of frozen lakes for now.
Cheryl Fry works at the Boathouse Eatery restaurant that's on the trail in Midland. She says snowmobilers mean big business here and an early start is good news.
“It's good for business all the way around its really good for the town,” she says.
Local clubs are continuing to groom trails even as they open more. The OFSC recommends checking their interactive trails map for continuous updates before heading out.
