Its been a warm winter in New York, with disappointing amounts of snow for snowmobilers. West Wind Power Sports in Turin is part of the Tug Hill Plateau, an area that infamously sees a lot of snow during the winter season but this year, its not been ideal conditions for snowmobiling. 

What You Need To Know

  •  A warm and less snowy winter season meant fewer chances for snowmobilers to get out on the trails

  • According to a 2021 study, snowmobiling in the Tug Hill region attracts more than 35,254 riders with 52% being tourists

  • There’s a state bill in committee that would raise snowmobile license fees from $45 to $65

West Wind Owner Tim Sadowski walks into a closet where rental snowmobiling jackets, helmets, and pants are stored.

“It's not fully finished again because of the tornado, so it's a little messy,” said Sadowski.

A tornado swept through his motel and powersports shop over the summer. He’s currently renovating and getting the West Wind Motel and Townhouses ready for next season. But they’re still renting snowmobiles and winter gear from the power sports shop next door.

“When there's been snow on the ground, it's been great. But that's been the whole thing is that hasn't been snow on the ground that often,” said Sadowski.

It's been a warmer winter, with any snow that does fall not sticking around for long. During the snowmobiling season, other businesses like bars and restaurants have an increase in customers.

“I've stepped into a few businesses, and they said 'yeah, we'd love to be able to accommodate more people in the dining areas; we don't have the staff to do it because we can't give them regular work,' ” said Sadowski.

The lack of snow is impacting snowmobiling tourism. Sadowski says passionate snowmobile owners will travel any time during the season. But renters are less willing to adjust travel plans to when the snow is ready. If snow falls in March, he says the casual snowmobiler is more likely to be focused on spring plans.

“It's a planned vacation, per se," Sadowski said. "So, if there's no snow on the ground, they're not really necessarily planning it and most of the times, that was their window. It's over, and maybe next year."

“When snow is lost, people don't come to the area and aren't spending the money on the lodging and the fuel,” said Chris Rinck, president of Southern Tug Hill Sno-Riders.

According to a 2021 study, snowmobiling in the Tug Hill region attracts more than 35,254 riders with 52% being tourists. Sales totals of $81,575,341 are attributed to snowmobiling.

“The more there is to offer here in the area, the more people will want to come to this area. So, I don't want to see this discourage people. I want to see businesses stay I want to see businesses grow it's good for the area,” said Sadowski.

There’s a state bill in committee that would raise snowmobile license fees from $45 to $65.

“Those fixed costs that we have, they've increased drastically over 20 years, but the funding mechanism hasn't really caught up. So, this is a really good step,” said Rinck.

Money from licenses goes to snowmobile clubs like Southern Tug Hill Sno-Riders. Snowmobile clubs of volunteers make the trails ridable each season and use the funds for things like signage, building bridges and grooming the trails.

Sadowski also says he hopes next winter season will be much snowier not only for the visitors to the region, but also the business owners.