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We have plenty of snow, and snowmobile trail conditions are very good around the Adirondacks. Trails will be busy this weekend, and some areas will be a little icy, especially on turns, so it’s a good time to review basic snowmobile safety.
Everyone operating a snowmobile should be familiar with safe riding practices and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. The best way to learn is by taking a snowmobile safety course. To find a course, go to the State Parks Snowmobile Education webpage. A safety certificate is required for youth between ages 10 and 18.
Check your snowmobile. Make sure it is in good working order and carry emergency supplies.
Always wear a helmet and make sure you wear the proper snowmobile gear, including bibs, jackets, boots and gloves.
Always ride with friends or at least one other person.
Ride responsibly. Ride within your ability, ride to the right, and operate at a safe and prudent speed. Respect landowners, obey posted signs, and stay on the marked trail.
Frozen bodies of water are not designated trails. If you plan to ride on ice, proceed with caution and be aware of potential hazards under the snow.
Never drink alcohol or use drugs and ride.
Riding snowmobiles in the Forest Preserve is restricted to marked trails. For more information on snowmobiling on DEC lands, visit DEC’s website.
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) oversees the development, maintenance and oversight of a statewide snowmobile program, which features more than 10,000 miles of state-designated snowmobile trails. For more information on snowmobiling in New York.
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Snowmobiles are noisy and smelly.
So am i.
So are close minded liberals that destroy hicking trails due to overuse. Oh wait, your savior Killery, and the crooked machine she’s head of will regulate to abandon.
How about the fact that snowmobilers contribute cash flow to the local economies in the winter? How much money is coming from the granola crunchers? Mic dropped.
I like snowmobilers not snowmobiles. They smell and are noisy . Pick up the mic, because Adirondackjoes comment really kicked butt.
So ‘open-minded’ conservatives don’t hike? Too bad for them – perhaps they should.
Skiing & snowshoeing don’t count as winter activities? We may eat a lot of granola – but where do you think we buy it? Same places snowmobilers do. Same with restaurants, lodging, gasoline, etc. But we probably don’t buy as much gasoline – sorry EXXON. Our gasoline when skiing is granola.
Odd, but the manufacturers must meet current EPA standards. The machine of fifty years ago perhaps.
“Odd, but the manufacturers must meet current EPA standards. The machine of fifty years ago perhaps.”
Tom Payne,
So do motorcycles. Ever hear a loud one? Point is, they may meet standards, but how restrictive are the standards? The newer ones may pollute less than those from the 60s, but you can still hear them a long way off on a cold night, and smell them after they drive by. It doesn’t look like this EPA will be tightening regulations any time soon…
Some old cars are still on the road and they smell worse too.
Thanks Jim.
I hate snowmobiles too but not the people who ride them.
Anyone who goes outside in the winter for fun obviously has a few loose screws, and that makes them ok in my book. Snowmobilers I have encountered have always been extemely careful not to endanger anyone hiking or skiing , but they’re noisy and smelly.