Northern Ontario snowmobile season starts early

Christmas has come early for snowmobile trail riders in northern Ontario. The Timmins Snowmobile Club reports there are several trails open, albeit in a limited capacity.

“It’s actually the first time in 16 years that we have them available before Christmas,” said Gilbert Fortin, the club’s communications coordinator.

Fortin said it meant a little bit more work for the club’s volunteers to get trails ready for snowmobilers.

“But at the end of the day, without the volunteers and especially without the permissions of the landowners – giving us permission to go on their land, we wouldn’t have these trails,” said Fortin.

He also advises that it’s important for people to always check the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs’ online interactive trail guide for trail conditions.

A few weeks ago, it was anticipated that thousands of kilometres of snowmobile trails would close in Ontario until the province came through with $3.9 million in new funding.

Officials with the federation (OFSC) had indicated that trail permit revenues were not covering the costs of trail maintenance.

“The only thing that we struggle with is obviously expenses – the fuel cost and the equipment is much more than it used to be,” said Fortin.

“We struggle, but at the same time, also we strive.”

Fortin told CTV News that the early arrival of snow this fall has helped boost trail permit sales province-wide.

According to the OFSC website, more than 41,000 trail permits were sold before Nov. 1, making it the largest early-season sales total in the federation’s history.