OSWEGO COUNTY – New York State boasts over 8,000 miles of snowmobile trails, stretching across the varying landscape from the Niagara Frontier to the Catskills and across the snowy North Country.
Of those, 360 miles of groomed trail lie within the boundaries of Oswego County, criss crossing the territory from Granby and Hannibal, climbing to to the highest elevations of Redfield. Every fall, enthusiasts tune up their machines and dig out the warm layers of gear, waiting for the snow to fall and the trails to officially open.
The sound of revving engines echoing through the forest and across open snowfields is not being heard much of late, but members of one of the North Country’s busiest snowmobile clubs are keeping an eye on the sky and a careful watch over the forecasts. Here in the land of lake effect, we are a little behind on our snow totals for 2020-21, but as any snow machine enthusiast will tell you, there is a lot of winter left.
Known as the “Gateway to Tug Hill,” the Pulaski-Boylston Snowmobile club is ready for another great season.
“We are off to a little bit of a slow start,” said Club Board of Directors Member Paul Holliday, referring to the recent lack of heavy snowfall. “But we are seeing a lot of growth of membership in the club and a resurgence of interest in the sport.”
Outdoor sports in general have seen an increase of interest during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the number of snowmobile accidents occurring each year in New York State has been falling, the number of fatalities has been fairly steady.
“We are asking riders to use their best judgement in the early season, and if a trail looks to be closed, please stay off of it,” Holliday said.
Trail work is a large contributor to safety, and a never ending project.
“We have done a tremendous amount of maintenance on our trail system this year, including the filling in of wet spots and cutting off brush,” Holliday said. “This is a twelve month a year operation, working with different entities, to improve and maintain these trails.”
In New York, 106,678 snowmobiles were registered for the 2018-2019 season, and with that many machines on the trails, accidents are bound to happen. Safety is a high priority for the associated clubs in Oswego County, and education plays a large part in keeping riders on the trail and out of trouble.
“We are still running our youth snowmobile safety courses, despite the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Holliday said. “We are able to do this within the requirements of the NYS Department of Parks and Recreation, utilizing limited capacity and social distancing in the classroom, but still trying to encourage the youth involvement in the sport.”
This training could not happen without the dedication of volunteers like Margaret Cummings and Edward Mueller.
“They take time out of their busy schedules and the goodness of their hearts to help educate tomorrow’s riders today,” Holliday said.
As with any volunteer driven organization, members wear many hats. Mueller also instructs the groomer operators and sits on the Board of Directors.
Snowmobile clubs must constantly maintain and upgrade the equipment used to keep the trails open and safe.
“We received a grant from the Greater Pulaski Endowment Fund, and we used these funds to purchase a trailer that will allow us to move groomers around as needed, or to bring them to our shop for maintenance,” Holliday said.
Recent long-term forecasts indicate a return to a more typical winter pattern, and when the big snowfalls arrive and the white gold piles up, the Pulaski-Boylston Snowmobile club will be ready to groom the trails and enjoy one of winter’s most exciting activities.
All of the trail work and education will contribute to the safety and comfort of the many riders heading “up east” to enjoy the best that winter has to offer.
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