Benton County Snowmobile Club Trying to Make the Best of Consecutive Snowless Winters

(KNSI) – There is little joy among sledheads after two consecutive winters of little to no snow.

And, perhaps surprisingly, there is almost no financial benefit from the limited schedule. While the equipment that grooms and keeps up the 100-plus miles of trails handled by the Benton County Snowmobile Club has gotten a reprieve, most of the maintenance costs are fixed.

Club president Delroy Rothstein explains. “There are certain things we have to do each year, whether we’re going to use them or not. And that is, put up the trail signs, clear the trails, make sure they’re free of brush and all that good stuff. We need to have the equipment maintained and ready to go in case it does snow.”

In a typical year, the groomers are crisscrossing the network of trails across the county up to twice a week throughout the winter. Instead, the club’s attention has turned to road tripping.

Rothstein notes some members are vacationing near Little Falls this week to ride along the Rainy River. Other members have found success a little over an hour to the north.

“A couple of us have gone to Motley and ridden on the Crow Wing River. Just a week, week and a half ago, that was good to go. If you put in some effort and are willing to travel, there is no closer than having to go out west or Michigan where everybody else seems to want to go.”

The Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association will have its annual winter rendezvous next weekend in Bemidji, which will provide another opportunity for club members to get a ride in.

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