County’s snowmobiling clubs find adventure in the snow

By: 
Ross Bielema
Leader Columnist

When the forecast calls for snow, some of us get disgusted, discouraged and even angry at the prospect of slipping, sliding and shoveling.

Members of Shawano County’s 19 snowmobiling clubs get as revved up as their high-powered, brightly colored machines in anticipation of the next winter adventure.

There are about 600 miles of snowmobile trails that wind through the woods, abandoned railways and frozen lakes of the county and around every bend, a frosty adventure’s waiting.

Seasoned snowmobilers like Tom Zastrow, vice president of the Shawano Lake Sno* Blasters, have seen many changes in the sleds themselves since he bought his first one in 1969. Although he’s got a modern Arctic Cat Pantera “with all the bells and whistles,” he’s also still got a 1974 Massey-Ferguson snowmobile that he occasionally dusts off and even rides.

“It’s amazing when you sit on something like that versus now,” he said. “It’s just night-and-day difference.”

Although two-cycle engines are still common on many snowmobiles, they are all oil-injection versions in the 600- to 800-cc range. Four-cycle engines that eliminate the need for an oil-gas mixture are becoming more popular and some of those in the 1000-cc range generate 80 horsepower or more. Electric start and a reverse gear are now the norms, Zastrow said. So are heated handlebars, plug-ins for boot heaters and GPS.

While snowmobile technology has changed over the years, sleds continue to be fairly noisy, giving them a tarnished reputation among the wilderness elite. The noise level has dipped somewhat, and by law, they must remain under 87 decibels to be trail legal, Zastrow said. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources game wardens regularly monitor the trails to make sure snowmobilers have trail stickers, proper registration and don’t exceed the noise limit.

One of the most amazing things about Wisconsin snowmobiling and the trail system is that no taxpayer dollars are involved, according to Don Aanonsen, president of the Wittenberg Trailblazers Snowmobile Club. Club volunteers trim trees, install thousands of trail signs and groom the snow, and are reimbursed through the money collected from the trail passes.

Virtually every club has a trail grooming machine and drag. The Wittenberg Trailblazers try to buy a new groomer every four years, and the TerraCat-Tucker made in Medford, Oregon, cost them $202,000. They sold their old machine to a neighboring club. The drag costs another $18,000.

Clubs apply for state grants of trail fees, reimbursed for grooming trails at a rate of $300 per mile for snowmobile sections and $100 per mile additional for those sections open to ATVs under certain winter conditions.

The state encourages snowmobilers to join a club by offering a reduced fee on trail passes purchased as a club member. Without a club membership, the annual trail passes are $30 for residents, $50 for non-residents. Club members get them for $10, although the club membership fee is typically $20 or more per family.

State records show there were 63,024 $10 trail passes, 62,988 $30 non-member trail passes and 21,634 out-of-state passes sold in the 2017-18 season. There were about 100,000 registered snowmobiles in Wisconsin in 2017.

Clubs need to raise money to pay for their grooming machines and other expenses. Many clubs used to have more grass drag racing and radar runs to boost club coffers, but the Sno* Blasters now rely mostly on their fundraiser at the Shawano City-County Airport, where they offer premium parking for the annual fireworks show at $5 per car.

That event is also the time for the club to thank more than 30 private landowners — mostly farmers who make the trail system possible, both in Shawano County and in the other 22 other counties with trails. The club provides food, drinks and a door prize for the landowners, and also gives them gift cards in the fall when they again ask permission to cross their land.

A base of at least 8 inches of snow is needed on trails to ensure that the snowmobiles don’t damage ag lands, particularly hay fields. Club members monitor portions of trails and call in to a coordinator who in turn creates that county’s hotline, where snowmobilers can call to determine which portions of the trail are open. Shawano County’s hotline is 715-524-4339.

The amount of snow also has a great deal to do with the ebbing and flowing interest in the sport and in club memberships, Zastrow said. At one time, the Sno* Blasters had more than 60 families, and after a steep dip in membership, the club is starting to grow again with 34 families at present.

Camaraderie and a shared love of exploring the winter wonderland on a snowmobile keep members coming back for more.

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