While snowmobile season is well underway, the President of the Haliburton County Snowmobile Association says the current weather has made the trails in the area unsafe.
John Enright says grooming operations have been suspended because of the rain and warm weather forecasted. “Any kind of traffic in these conditions will damage the trail surface and create ruts when the refreeze occurs,” he says.
He says it will take “several hours” for the association to assess the trails and deem them good enough for sledding. “It’s a virtual certainty,” Enright says when asked if he expects there to be damage done on the trails. “All the open areas are going to have some bare spots. There’s going to be snow bridges washed out.”
Meanwhile, Nunzio Iacobellis, President of the Gravenhurst Snowcrest Riders, says most of Muskoka’s trails are now closed as well because of the weather. He isn’t sure when his club’s volunteers will be able to get back on the trails, let alone when they will be opened up again for the common sledders.
“First and foremost, you’re trespassing,” he says to sledders who go on closed trails. “It’s illegal to be on the trails [when they’re closed].”
Enright suggests keeping an eye on the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs’ interactive guide for more details.