How Snowmobilers Will Deal With Coronavirus This Winter

This upcoming winter season, we are under attack. Usually, the only threat we have to wrangle with during winter is mother nature ruining our trip. In addition to mother nature, this upcoming winter, we have a no faced enemy with little we can do but hope for it to disappear or find a cure. We also have governors looking to ban fun in every possible way. Winter 20-21 will be an interesting one, and us snowmobilers need to strategize how we will still get on the trail.

We are snowmobilers, one of the grittiest hobbies on the planet, and we are not going to let a virus and overzealous governors think they are god’s gift to earth kill our fun! The shutdowns have shown us how we may have to navigate the next season, and it’s time to prepare.

Trade shows

Snowmobiling is not just about riding a hunk of metal with 160hp+ and a track. It’s about enjoying the sport and the camaraderie around it. One of the ways many sled heads get revved up for winter is snowmobile shows in the fall. These are likely to be canceled or extremely scaled-down, so how do we conquer that.

While the large events may get shut down, chances are small local events will still occur and provide to scratch that itch we have to talk about winter. Here at Fast-Trac, we plan to do a virtual trade show of the weekends they were scheduled for if canceled. You would get our full attention and advice you can typically come to expect at the trade show.

Hotels shutdown for unessential activities

Snowmobiling may be an unessential activity in the government’s eyes but not ours. They may try and take our lodging away from us via hotels. The good news is hotels are not the only game in town, and rental cabins are widely available. It’d be smart to book your trips to cabins early on as last-minute trips to hotels may not be an option this season. Excellent resources to start are AirBNB and VRBO. Less organized places like craigslist and Facebook marketplace could provide under the radar cabin options in a pinch. If you own a cabin or go to a friend’s, rest easy as this threat has little effect on you.

Restaurants ordered to shut down or limited capacity

This is one that is tougher to navigate. Restaurants not only serve as a place to get food on the trail but a place to warm up and rest. This will make dressing for the conditions even more critical if they eliminate our warm-up spots. Packing snacks on the trail will be essential, as it may be the only way to eat while on the trail. It’s not ideal, but we can overcome it!

Open states vs. closed states

With the federal government letting states dictate how they handle the virus, we may experience ridding spots in states shut down and have to travel to open states. Never thought we’d see this in America, but it is reality. To ride in this situation, you’ll have to chase more than snow but open states! The good news is most already own a truck and trailer, and a longer ride to the trail solves the problem.  

Us snowmobilers aren’t used to it being easy; if we were, we’d stick to Netflix. The COVID19 pandemic does pose a severe threat to our sport and how we enjoy it. Many governors in states we ride have shown their true colors and take malicious actions against outdoor recreation. We can overcome this adversity with a little bit of extra effort. It may not be our typical ridding, but we’d still get to put miles on, and that’s all that matters!