Read the September SnowTech article and they claim in the 10 years up to 50% of snowmobilers will be of the younger crowd and have no idea how the current snowmobile trail system was created and maintained by older volunteers. YIKES! What kind of sleds will these newbies want surely not 200hp ICE machines? Very concerning to me that a newbie would throw a leg over a 200 hp sled. Also how will they react to rough trails and subzero days all the things the oldsters know well? I’m a boomer so I have found myself measuring my continued participation and have selected to keep on keeping on. But I must admit I can’t see beyond 5-10 years of participation and it does seem logical there are big changes coming. What are your thoughts??
SnowTech Editorial Scary Snowmobiling Future
- Thread starter whitedust
- Start date
I guess I have a different take on it. I am 42 and looking to retire at or before 50. Once I retire I want to pursue all the things that I don't have time for today. One of those is becoming very involved in a snowmobile club. Since I have been a club member it has almost always been retired guys who have done the heavy lifting of the club. I think (hope anyway) that the next generation of retired guys will do the same. I think they will...I will be one of them anyway.
I have been active in many clubs for the past 35+ yrs now, and to be honest, IMIO< folks that DON"T join a club, when there actually using the trails, typically continue to NOT join a club when they retire! and just use things for free, letting others do the work !
and honestly, I don't know why you don;'t join a club NOW< if your using the trails.
your using the benefits, but not contributing to things!~
and this mind set of using things for free is a big problem with today's generations of folks that feel entitled to things for nothing! and IMO is leading to the end of a lot of things!
As just joining a club, shows support, adds SOME income to things, shows the state and government that there is a population of people wanting trails, to give them reasons to keep them open!
the small cost of a membership is trivial to the cost of owning a sled
even if you DON"T have the time to physically help out, just being a member means something in many ways!
every one using trails should be a member of a snowmobile club or even a few if you ride many places!!
and yes the future of this sport is very much in trouble, with so few willing to do physical labor anymore!
too much free stuff being giving to folks, its lost a work ethic in so many IMO!
just My 2 cents
pclark
Well-known member
Great way to look at it. I'm sure your club will welcome that kind of help at 50 years old and you'll probably enjoy it.
Snowmobiling has been evolving since the beginning, some 55 years ago. Machines, trail systems, and gear have been advancing to a point that our grandfathers may not recognize the sport in it's current state. Four stroke engines? Groomed trails? Sleds that sell for 20K?
I believe things will continue to advance, some good and some not. In our area, the snow line is moving north and urban sprawl is making it difficult to keep trails open and functional. Gear and machines will continue to improve, maybe electric sleds one day if they can perform like the ICE's.
One bright spot, locally our club offers a Snowmobile Safety Course for the young people and enrollment sells out every year. So, yes there is interest there but the challenges will continue. Think Snow!
I believe things will continue to advance, some good and some not. In our area, the snow line is moving north and urban sprawl is making it difficult to keep trails open and functional. Gear and machines will continue to improve, maybe electric sleds one day if they can perform like the ICE's.
One bright spot, locally our club offers a Snowmobile Safety Course for the young people and enrollment sells out every year. So, yes there is interest there but the challenges will continue. Think Snow!
G
G
Guest
I have not read the article yet. But they are probably correct. Nevermind the club participation. Last season I witnessed an awful lot of newbies out on the trails. They all had the latest greatest equipment. And none of them had much of a clue how to ride. Not that riding a snowmobile is rocket science. But no clue on etiquette. Riding on the wrong side. Riding off trail where it is prohibited. Stopping and taking up the whole trail with multiple sleds. Stuff like that. And there was a lot of it last year. So I don't see it possible that these same people that don't have a clue about some really basic principles could ever be expected to join a club or pick sticks or sign or do anything to maintain the trails. Just don't see it happening. It is sad. We have never had it so good. And it is us old geezers that have done so much of the work.
Just a sign of the times I think.
Just a sign of the times I think.
mezz
Well-known member
I realize that all clubs lack volunteers & I suspect that will continue to be an issue & perhaps become more of an issue down the road. I will also say that just because someone does not belong to a club doesn't mean they are using the trails for free. Afterall, all (hopefully) purchase registrations & trail permits that contribute to the trail system maintainence & also hopefully make donations periodically for the trails. Many of todays up & coming youth want everything yesterday & aren't willing to do a thing about it except hold their hand out, hopefully that segment stays home and not on a sled. Mean while, it will take the select few that care about the sport enough to keep it alive & pass that on to those that care enough & are willing to learn what it takes & preserve this activity as long as it can be feesibly sustained.
pclark
Well-known member
Our club in Waukesha County was small and we managed to have a good mix of older, middle aged and some young bucks to do the stake pounding (Really appreciated that!) but it was always the same guys doing the work.
Now that I have moved to Vilas County, I have noticed that it's a mixture as well, first meeting is October 4th.
Imo with the evolution to EVs the short refueling stop equipment tow from the South to the Northwoods seems like a dream. I also don’t think many will be able to afford 4 $20k sleds of any form for their families. 100 Hp will probably settle in at about the norm with heated seats and smart shocks. Trail permits will cost $100 and riding areas will be limited due to grooming costs. Sled rental agents will be a booming business very easy to rent on Saturday return Friday and walk away until next time. Ownership costs won’t make sense anymore. If reliable snow moves south again the trail system could survive but if it is limited to only the Northwoods it doesn’t make sense to maintain a state wide trail system that never gets used. I think the snowmobile prime time passed 10-15 years ago during the weight wars. Hopefully snowmobiling is here forever but difficult to accept with rising out of control costs of everything involved.
I think these newbies will fall by the wayside as life continues to return to normal. You still have to have some mechanical knowledge and ability to withstand rough conditions to enjoy this.
Or - the WEF 2030 predictions will come true and none of this will matter. We'll all be urban-based zombies relying on guidance and planning of the elites for our happy lifestyle. It's depressing to extrapolate what has gone on the past two years into the future. Sure feels like a different world.
Or - the WEF 2030 predictions will come true and none of this will matter. We'll all be urban-based zombies relying on guidance and planning of the elites for our happy lifestyle. It's depressing to extrapolate what has gone on the past two years into the future. Sure feels like a different world.
I would sure love to know how you know those people on the wrong side of the trail are new riders. Its this mentality that it was all the new riders or young riders causing the problem that run people off from the clubs. I see more older riders riding 2-ups thinking they are going slow so its ok to ride down the middle. Then I come at them/you riding fast on my side of the trail and they freak out / go on message boards talking about all the weekend warriors flying down the trails ruining the sport for everyone.
Great point. I have a good pulse on where I ride as to which businesses help out the most with the trail systems. I assure you my crew supports those places significantly more then those businesses that don't help. That support is likely far better then my $25 club membership.
Most clubs in the UP and Northern Wisconsin are still run like they did 20 years ago (short of maybe using facebook). That to me is part of the problem with the inability of attracting new members. I also rarely see clubs promoting themselves on the weekends when everyone is up riding and encouraging people to join. Most snowmobilers wouldn't hesitate to spend $20 to join a club if a little effort was put in on those weekends.
I gather the issue's with some clubs not modernizing as so many younger folks seem to need them too
but it doesn;'t change the fact, if your using the trails, and come on, YOU know there are clubs that do so much work on the trails every yr
in today's modern age of information, I cannot see how ANY honest snowmobiler, can say they DON"T know a club works trails where they ride!
a club shouldn't have top chase down members
if you ride there JOIN, your using them and not giving anything back
spending $$ at local business;'s is great, but that doesn't help the clubs! nor the sport
as again, clubs are what stand up for our rights to keep trails open , there MEMBERS do work that others DON"T do, or maybe even know about due to NOT being a club member!
and to be honest, I honestly DON"T know of any club these days that is NOT on Face book!
so, excuses about them not being on line, is sort of BS , if you ask me!
and also, JOINING a club, normally gets you on the clubs email list, to get notices of work weekends, and club events,
so when your NOT a club member, your the one NOT helping the sport!, old member's or not
the problem simply is, few join clubs , and even fewer actually do anything in or with the club!
they just have excuses why they DON"T belong, which show how little so many actually care about the sport! IMO!
talk is cheap as they say!
and by the way, many clubs, offer members discounted state registration fee's, which can SAVE a person some $$ !!
its almost like joining the club for free
but on PAPER it shows how many people are involved in the sport, so when times come to stand up for trail systems, there is DATA showing there is a large population of members that support the trails!
pclark
Well-known member
You bring up a great point. What is needed is for younger, tech savvy people to join the clubs and bring them up to speed. I've heard some riders complain that there are trail reports here on John Dee and why are we not putting them on the clubs facebook site? Most of the guys that are in these clubs have full time jobs but still take it upon themselves go out make the trails nice and smooth for the next days riders as volunteers.
I also choose not to belong to Facebook, I know, I am not the norm but that does not bother me, I won't be joining FB anytime soon. If you have any suggestions as how to reach out to these younger people I'm sure the clubs would appreciate them.
I have seen a lot of the clubs promoting themselves on weekends up here in Vilas and Oneida Counties, just log onto to their websites and look at their calendars for events. Again, these are volunteers giving up their weekends to run these events. I speak from experience when we ask them to join they say they already belong to a club or we pick up a few new ones occasionally.
In the end it will take everyone and their ideas to keep this sport alive, not just the clubs.
could you imagine what younger folks today would do without the internet??
or maybe I should say, can you imagine how NOTHING would get done without apparently!!
its got to be amazing to them, that all these clubs and trails and what not's all happened just fine before the world wide web came about!
it just took people willing to WORK at something to create it and maintain it
WORK
something I gather so few want to do anymore
seems if you cannot push a button or look on a screen,. nothing can be done anymore!! HAHA!~
or maybe I should say, can you imagine how NOTHING would get done without apparently!!
its got to be amazing to them, that all these clubs and trails and what not's all happened just fine before the world wide web came about!
it just took people willing to WORK at something to create it and maintain it
WORK
something I gather so few want to do anymore
seems if you cannot push a button or look on a screen,. nothing can be done anymore!! HAHA!~
Lots of phone calls were made and you showed up and worked at agreed time. Today it’s the power of the text which I’m ok with.