Expert Offers Snowmobile Safety Tips Now That There is Enough Snow to Ride On

(KNSI) – With snow finally on the ground, sled heads are chomping at the bit to get out on area trails.

But with dangerously cold temperatures in place until Friday, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Mitch Lawler hopes riders carefully consider their clothing before firing up the snowmobile.

“You don’t want to have any exposed skin, especially around your wrists, your neck, and your face. Frostbite is a very real thing. We come across snowmobilers all the time at stop signs or at gas stations that have little spots of frostbite starting on their face when we talk to them, and they don’t even know it.”

Lawler tells KNSI Radio that with temps as low as they are, the right clothing is as necessary for a 20-minute ride out to a nearby lake as it is for an all-day outing. He recommends dressing in layers and adjusting when too warm.

Lawler acknowledges that it is tempting to go full throttle after such a late start to the season, but he warns the decision could hit riders in the pocketbook. “Statewide speed limit on a snowmobile is 50. That’s five, zero. That’s about half of what some of these new machines will go no problem. So, you really have to watch your speed. We work speed enforcement on trails and lakes, and unfortunately, we have to address it with enforcement action a lot because people just can’t help themselves and open it up.”

Lawler also recommends telling a friend or family member about where you intend to ride and when you expect to be back. That way, rescue teams know where to begin their search if you are stranded or injured.

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