Snowmobilers flock to snow-asis in west Interlake as warm weather closes southern Manitoba trails
Clubhouses in Ashern area were often buzzing as influx of riders took RM by surprise
The final day of winter is a blustery one east of Lake Manitoba.
Clayton Gibson's black Ski-Doo Renegade kicks up a mist of snow on March 19 as he rips through the woods toward an Ashern Snowmobile Club cabin just north of the community. His friend and club president Jay Ruchotzke trails close behind.
"Everything about snowmobiling: the camaraderie, the friendship, meeting new people," says Gisbon. "You can really drift away ... have the rush."
That rush wasn't so accessible for riders in southern Manitoba this winter due to low snow, warm temperatures and poor riding conditions. Quite a few sleds sat idle in garages because many trails couldn't stay open long, if they opened at all.
But those in the know eventually learned of a couple snowy havens — in parts of the west Interlake and Westman — where the white gold was plentiful.
"This winter Mother Nature was being difficult in some places and fruitful in others with the snow," said Gibson, economic development officer for the rural municipality of West Interlake. The municipality — which sits against the northeastern shore of Lake Manitoba, about 130 km northwest of Winnipeg — includes the communities of Eriksdale and Ashern, among others.
"This influx of people took us by surprise ... our trails were the busiest they've ever been."
WATCH | West Interlake snowmobile trails 'busiest they've ever been':
The influx in snowmobile-related tourism was good for local business. Gibson said hotels were often booked solid. Grocery stores and restaurants were busier than usual.
The clubhouses, where riders can stop to warm up along trails, were often buzzing.
"Every cabin that you stop at there's 20 sleds there, sometimes more," Ruchotzke says from his yellow Ski-Doo Expedition. "There were people running into ... 60 sleds at one cabin, which is almost unheard of in our area."
Rossburn and surrounding areas of western Manitoba also had an uptick in snowmobile activity.
El Niño warmed winter
Both became riding hotspots during an El Niño season that brought warmer-than-normal temperatures across most of the Prairies this winter, said Natalie Hasell, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Hasell says El Niño pushes jets streams further north. Those streams bring colder air and higher amounts of precipitation, including snow. That's compared to parts of the south of the province, which got more warmer air and for longer periods.
The Interlake also experienced warmer temperatures than usual but it wasn't so frequently above 0 C, like what happened in the Red River Valley and other parts of the south, she said.
"Whatever snow we did get melted in a lot of places, Red River Valley included," she said. "Just a little north of us in the Interlake, they've managed to keep some of their snow and it sounds like they've managed to keep enough for snowmobiling to become popular."
Trail pass sales dropped
Though there were a few hotspots that reaped the benefits of snowmobile-related tourism, other rural communities lost out, said Yvonne Rideout, executive director of Snomobilers of Manitoba, or Snoman Inc.
On a good year, Manitoba may have around 13,000 kilometres of groomed trails, but many of the four dozen or so snowmobile clubs in the province that maintain those trails were hampered by conditions.
That was also reflected in the "drastic" drop in sales of trail passes, said Rideout. She said revenue was down about $100,000 this season.
"This was a winter of extremes ... it was all over the map," said Rideout, who hasn't experienced a winter like this in 10 years at the helm of Snoman.
"We were watching areas, you know, 'What's going to open? What's going to close? Oh my another trail system is closed.' So, it was a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat type winter.... We were victims of Mother Nature in a lot of areas."
Snoman had to cancel a ride with its corporate partners planned in Beausejour.
The same happened for the annual "Making Tracks" ride in February, where Snowman staff take provincial ministers out to showcase the trail systems and discuss priorities. Attorney General Matt Wiebe, Tourism Minister Glen Simard and Tracy Schmidt, minister of the environment and climate change, were all expected to attend, said Rideout.
She hoped to pitch a snow groomer replacement or update program to ministers. She said some of the aging machinery operated by Manitoba clubs should be replaced by more environmentally-friendly models. They go for around $350,000, she said.
Snoman now hopes to meet with Finance Minister Adrian Sala to discuss that idea, as well as convey how the drop in snowmobile activity hurt rural economies.
Ruchotzke said the snowmobile boom in Ashern meant more time spent grooming local trails and cabin upkeep. With just 20 or so volunteers in the Ashern club, it wasn't always easy.
"It's a struggle trying to find ... volunteers and people with the time to go out and help," he said. "It's a lot of evenings, lot of weekend work."
Despite the hard work, he and Gibson are already brainstorming ways to leverage the rush this year by pushing the trail system — and Ashern's amenities — more online in hopes of drawing riders back in droves again next winter.
"We can just start to market ourselves and put ourselves in the right place for the space," said Gibson.
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