The Muskoka Sno-Bombers, a not-for-profit group dedicated to overseeing local snowmobile trails, are well on their way for the season, doing maintenance work and waiting for more snow to help them determine when they can open the trails.
Steve Brooks, a director with the Muskoka Sno-Bombers, said the group has been working to assess local trails and identify issues like erosion, fallen trees and more. They prioritize prepping and opening the main trunk trails in Muskoka with plans to open feeder trails as conditions allow. The Sno-Bombers haven’t had any significant projects this year, Brooks said, so most of their work has been maintenance related, such as replacing deck boards on a bridge or cleaning up deadfall.
“Field markers have been placed, road signage is largely in,” he said. “We’re just waiting on Mother Nature to give us something to work with.”
Brooks said they’re fortunate to have a good group of volunteers who have been out working on the trails. Their groomer operators go out for eight to 14 hours at a time. Volunteers have cleared most of the trails that are accessible year round and they’ll work on the other trails locked in by ponds and streams once a new layer of snowfall allows for it.
Preparations are going well and the Sno-Bombers are excited with the cold weather in the forecast. Though there has been less snowfall compared to this time last year, the conditions are better for the trails overall.
“We never really got a good frost last year, which makes it incredibly hard to open trails,” Brooks said. “Based on the inspections that we’ve done on the trails, the ponds and swamps that we have to cross, they’re all frozen, so hopefully we’ll need much less snow to open the trails… We’re certainly much more excited about the weather that we’ve gotten so far than we were at this time last year.”
With the bulk of the work being done by volunteers, it does take time to get Ontario’s trails ready, but the Sno-Bombers are hopeful that it won’t be long for the local trails once the area gets more snow. Snowmobilers can use the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs’ interactive trail guide to check for the status of trails locally and across the province.
Brooks wants to remind locals that once conditions allow for snowmobiling, off-trail riding should be reserved for Crown land. Every snowmobiler would like trails to open as soon as possible, the Sno-Bombers included, he said, but their preparations play an important role in keeping the activity safe and sustainable in Muskoka.
“We’re all in the same boat. We all want to get out and ride,” Brooks said. “Please check the interactive trail guide to make sure that the trails you’re going to ride are open and safe to do so, but patience is key.”
To learn more about the Muskoka Sno-Bombers, visit their website. To join their list of volunteers, contact the group through their Facebook page.