The frigid temperatures and snowfall of the past few days has snowmobilers in Bruce and Grey counties itching to ride.
Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs District 9 Manager Karen Buratynski says volunteers clubs spent the weekend staking, signing and removing debris from trails. She says some grooming work has started as well.
Buratynski says while it’s exciting to feel the cold and see the snowfall, riders need to remain patient as clubs work to get trails safely opened.
“Although we would like to think that as soon as this great white blanket falls that we can make trails available, it’s a little bit more difficult than that,” she says. “The club volunteers all have to go out, they have to go over those trails, make sure everything is as it should be.”
So far, the lone trail with limited availability in the area is B110 — a long stretch between Owen Sound and Shelburne that runs along a former rail line almost parallel to Highway 10. Buratynski says it is always an early opening trail because it requires minimal snow cover.
“That is available right now for riders,” Buratynski says. “And I know a lot of our clubs in the area, which includes Bruce, Grey and the northern parts of Perth, Huron and Wellington are hoping they’re able to make some additional trails available in the days ahead this week.”
Buratynski says the hope is within the next three to five days there will be more trail availability for riders in District 9. She says the best place to check trails status is on the OFSC’s interactive trail guide.
And while it may feel like it’s been a longer wait for conditions to start to turn for better snowmobiling after a milder January, Buratynski says it’s typical in the Grey Bruce region for the best riding to be in February and early March.
“Often times we do not get rolling in this area until the end of January. And sometimes when we have early January riding then we have a mid-month thaw,” she says. “I would say we’re about a week off where we were last year. But it is really working towards being a great season. We’ve had some great cold after all of the rain we received, that froze the ground. And now we’re getting snow on top of that.”
When more trails do start to open in the next few days, Buratynski reminds riders there are several regulations to keep in mind. To operate a snowmobile in Ontario you need to have either a valid driver’s licence or motorized snow vehicle operator’s licence.
Snowmobiles must be registered, and drivers/passengers must wear an approved helmet. A permit is also required to ride on OFSC trails.
