For the second year in a row, snowmobilers are facing a rather miserable start to the season after having had to give up nearly a month of activity.
The winter season in the Restigouche region is struggling to get started, like almost everywhere else in New Brunswick. Due to lack of snow, the first outings are delayed and the machines are relegated to the garage. Officially, the snowmobile season in New Brunswick took off in mid-December. But apart from a few more mountainous areas, enthusiasts are left with very few options to enjoy in order to practice their favorite pastime.
“If I could do a snow dance, I would do it every November 30.”
Outgoing president of Snowmobile NB, Brad Mann is today at the head of the Restigouche Snowmobile Club. In the courtyard of the Glencoe clubhouse on Friday, a thin layer of snow covered the ground, courtesy of a rare precipitation since the start of winter. But it’s still far from enough to allow snowmobilers to get on the mounts.
“There is still a little snow left in the forest. With around twenty centimeters, we could do something, groom the slopes,” maintains Mr. Mann.
What hurts even more is that this is the second year in a row where the snow has been slow to arrive. Last year, his club began grooming the slopes from January 15. The prospect of reliving this scenario hardly enchants him, but clearly it is in the process of repeating itself. Also in the (snowmobile) rental sector, he claims to have seen his clientele halve last year. Here too, the situation is cause for concern.
“In 2023-24, we lost a month of season because there wasn’t enough snow. This year, unless an unexpected storm arrives, it could be more of the same, if not even worse. We could only open our trails at the end of January, therefore losing a month and a half of activity. “It’s a lot when your season only lasts three or four months,” he says, noting his concerns about the effects of this situation on the local economy.
The effects of this snow shortage are not limited to snowmobile clubs, the impact is felt throughout the community.
“It’s not just the snowmobile business, but the entire local sector that is suffering. Motels, restaurants, equipment stores and even service providers are affected. In a region like ours where there is an entire economy that revolves around winter, when there is no snow, we feel it, it affects everyone,” he laments.
Switching to quads
One of the unexpected consequences of the recent setbacks in the snowmobile industry is the transition of certain enthusiasts to other types of activities, including quad riding. Whether snow or not, quad riders walk around with their machine during the winter, a significant advantage.
“The absence of snow does not disturb our activities at all, we operate in all four seasons. There are 85 km of trails that can be groomed in winter. And it increases from year to year,” explains Denise Roy, president of the VTT 2000 Club.
Proof of the popularity of this leisure activity, more than fifty quad riders gathered for a festive “rally” on New Year’s Eve in the Baie-des-Hérons/Bois-Joli sector.
According to Ms. Roy, around fifty of the province’s 57 quad clubs are equipped to operate in winter. And with the little snow currently on the ground, these machines can still have fun in the forest, off the official trails, without fear of getting stuck.
Ms. Roy also confirms having noticed that several snowmobilers have made the transition to quads.
“There are more and more of them who have done the switch as they say. We see new faces almost at each of our activities. What we hear as comments is that the snowmobile season is short, that they prefer to invest in a side by side that they can enjoy all year round instead of a snowmobile for only three months. , she said.
The latter, however, is not happy about the misfortune of the snowmobile industry. Like Mr. Mann, she believes that it is the region’s businesses that bear the brunt.
“It’s disastrous what’s happening to snowmobilers right now and it’s certain that it has an impact on the economy. We could compensate a little for this loss for the tourism industry, but unfortunately we do not always have access to the trails that lead to these services, such as restaurants and hotels,” underlines Ms. Roy, wishing snowmobilers a better season, but also more shared trails for its members.
