Businesses that benefit from snowmobile traffic could take in less money this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the winter season should go off without a hitch, say those involved with the sport.
“We are just about where we are every year” for early-access trail passes, said Cindy Locke, executive director of the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers.
The state-supported nonprofit is responsible for maintaining about 5,000 miles of snowmobile trails. VAST sold early passes to about 16,000 people for this year’s season, which began Wednesday, Locke said. “So that’s a good sign for us.”
But Locke and others worry that local stores and restaurants in common snowmobiler destinations may be hurt this year because the sizable portion of riders who come from out of state will be asked not to patronize their usual stops.
“It’s very hard for us to tell people not to go, but we have to do what’s best,” Locke said. “Because if we don’t and (the pandemic) gets worse … that’s when it’s really going to affect snowmobiling.”
Every year, about half of the snowmobiler association’s members come from other states. So far, the group hasn’t seen a significant dip in out-of-staters, Locke said. But the organization is cautioning them about quarantine rules and telling them to stick to themselves in their travels.
Data from the state Department of Motor Vehicles shows only a small decrease from this point last year in the number of registered snowmobiles, too.
At the beginning of December 2019, 4,322 machines had been registered by out-of-staters for that year’s season, according to the data. This year, that figure had only dropped by 86, as of Dec. 1.
Though the numbers might not be grim, concern about lost revenue from out-of-staters looms on Mike Strait’s mind. Strait chairs the Brighton Selectboard, which governs the village of Island Pond — known to some as the snowmobile capital of Vermont.
“I’m hopeful but cautious,” Strait said.
The town’s economy relies on the yearly influx of riders.
“For our restaurants and businesses — the inns, the hotel — it’s extremely important because fall and spring are both slow seasons for both of those markets,” he said. “They’re kind of dependent on the snowmobile season to carry them through the winter.”
He said town officials are considering ways to stimulate the economy come springtime if the worst-case scenario pans out. The town might look to participate in an incentive program, like those enacted by the state, to help impacted businesses.
“We’re kind of sitting here watching the news like everybody else is,” Strait said. “None of us have an answer.”
Hot dog roasts in the woods
Locke said her organization has been promoting this season to out-of-staters as almost a return to the early days of snowmobiling.
“That’s how we started — you used to go out and do hot dog roasts in the woods,” she said, explaining that the sport was not always so tied to tourist economies.
And “everybody seems fine with that,” she said.
The Department of Motor Vehicles data shows another trend: About 530 more snowmobiles had been registered for this season than at the same point last year.
Jessica Savage, recreation program manager for the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, attributes that increase to a Covid-induced rise in interest in outdoor recreation.
“People realize, ‘Man, we’re home, we can’t go do the normal things we do and we need to be outdoors. So let’s get some gear to do it,’” she said.
Savage said she has heard about more Vermonters trying out or returning to outdoor activities.
And that trend presents another challenge.
“It is something that a lot of partner groups … are all wrestling with right now,” she said. “How do we have a season with essentially a primary focus on Vermonters?”
Snowmobiling is a naturally isolated sport compared to other activities — with participants helmeted and riding separate vehicles — so pandemic-related risks are low, Savage said.
The state does want to make sure people aren’t sharing rides with people outside their households and aren’t congregating in parking lots before or after trips, she said.
“But it’s a tough sell, for sure,” she said. “And we know that.”
VAST’s season is officially open, but its trails were closed initially because of lack of snow. Locke expects some of its trails to be available this weekend.
