Groomers work hard at packing down Thunder Bay trails

After recent winters with little snow, too much snow has created challenges for Thunder Bay Adventure Trails this season.

But the group says 100 per cent of its trail system is now open for snowmobiling.

Club spokesperson Adrian Tessier said that despite the conditions they persevered with grooming, and made it work.

"We just slugged away and went out. There is a lot of snow, and it is very deep as you go west. [It’s] well past your knees,” he said.

“We packed some areas four or five times.  And we've got a pretty good base out there now."

Tessier noted that this year every snow fall has been dry, “and if you go walk in the bush, you sink right to the very bottom. There is no support in the snow at all."

Groomers have been out for the last two weeks, packing trails, putting signage in place, and getting rid of some hazard trees, he said.

“You still have to be a little careful. There is still some tree branches and low hanging branches,” Tessier pointed out.

“We had a real serious problem with packing this year. [The snow] was so sugary and there was no base to it. So there are some places where there may be some bumps and dips that have not been addressed yet, but all our trails are open."

The trails may be open, but paid-up trail riders are in short supply. As of this week, just 60 trail permits have been sold in Thunder Bay.

Tessier said the cold weather shouldn’t stop people from touring the trails.

“The nice thing about the majority of our trails is they are on enclosed areas like  bush roads and trails, so the wind isn't going to effect you like you were out on an open lake,” he said.

“I guess you can say we have nice warm trails.”