Time for another famous ilsnow.com drive-by Route 30 report. My snow surveys revealed 18-26 inches of snow pack this afternoon along the Route 30 corridor between Indian Lake and Speculator. 2 Miles from Hell was in very rough and bumpy condition late Sunday afternoon. I saw dozens of snowmobiles bouncing up and down on that trail in the short time I wad down there.
Around Indian Lake, I heard that C8/Cedar River Headquarters and S84/Blue Mountain trail were horrible this weekend. There were simply too many snowmobiles and not enough other places with snow to ride them, so everybody is coming up here to ride and that beats up the trails really badly.
By now, many of you have heard about the fatal snowmobile crash on Indian Lake Saturday night that involved a rider with a blood alcohol content of 0.13. Drunken snowmobiling has become a blight, especially with the powerful machines we ride today. The margin for error has become so much smaller with the speed. If you consume alcohol of any amount during your ride, you need to stop that practice immediately. This isn’t a guilt trip. I want you to make it back to your family and loved ones safely and live to make your next ride. The snowmobiling community can petition the authorities to set up trail checkpoints and crack down harshly on drunken riders, but the ultimate responsibility is YOURS!
Midweek Snowmobiling Outlook
I don’t know what to tell you. Late February/Early March seems to be the time of year that groomers break down due to cumulative trauma and the sugary snow on the trails is not conducive to effective grooming. No devastating thaws are expected this week, but it won’t be particularly cold or snowy either. We have the snow if you want to come up and ride, but I can’t promise long stretches of good riding.
Keep up with rider reports on the ilsnow.com bulletin board.
