Snowmobile Maine 2019-2020 Season Snowmobile Maine 3
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Kim Kelly photo Mike Crane photo Mike Crane photo 2 Snowmobile Maine 2019-2020 Season Snowmobile Maine 3 i, my name is Mike Grass Jr., president of the Maine Snowmobile Association and I'd like Hto welcome you to snowmobiling in Maine, “the way life should be”, where you can enjoy more than 14,000 miles of trail, maintained by volunteers in over 280 Maine Snowmobile Association clubs across the state. Maine snowmobile trails cover a vast range of different terrain, from the coastal plain to the cen- tral highlands, from the western mountains to the northern farm land, Maine has a style of trail that every type of rider can enjoy. Maine's trail system is dotted with many fuel stops, restaurants and overnight options for your stay here. Maine snowmobile club volunteers work relentlessly throughout the fall/winter to make sure the Maine's trail system is well signed and freshly groomed. We urge you to show your support by joining the MSA and one or more of these MSA clubs where you live or ride. A membership application and list of clubs will appear elsewhere in this guide. Most of the land our trail system crosses is privately owned and access is generously permitted by the landowner. Please respect this privilege by staying on marked trails and never littering. Our trails are maintained through a grant program, funded only by snowmobile registration fees and a very small portion of the state gas tax. No General Fund money supports these trails; instead we operate on a user pay system. Please keep this in mind when you see a trail fund donation jar at a gas station, restaurant or clubhouse during your ride and “Support Your Sport”. Enjoy the trails and your Maine snowmobiling experience, and remember to be safe, carry in carry out and intro- duce someone to snowmobiling this season. Think snow, and see you on the trails - Mike Vol. 24 • An annual publication of the Maine Snowmobile Association, PO Box 80, Augusta ME 04332 ©2019 The Maine Snowmobile Association • www.mesnow.com • [email protected] Editor: Peg Meyers • Advertising Sales: Bob Meyers • Cover Photos by: Mike Crane & Kim Kelly Photos by: Alan Swett, Scott Riccio, Bob Meyers, Mike Crane, Kim Kelly, Judy Brackett, Henry Livingston POLARIS® SWITCHBACK®R Pro-S Smoothest Riding & Handling The SwitchbackR PRO-S is for riders who want the smoothest ride and handling plus a sled that virtually eliminates stutter bumps. Available with the 600 CleanfireR, 800 CleanfireR H.O., and 850 PatriotT Engines. CHANDLER FARMS,INC 1089 State Road, Mapleton, Maine Off ITS 88 207-764-5228 M-F 7AM-6PM • SAT 7AM-2PM • SUN 10AM-12PM Our coffee pot is always on, so stop by and see the newest models! 4 Snowmobile Maine A winter celebration in Monson. Photo by Mike Crane Snowmobile Maine from nearly any point on the ITS, and ride to any other A Maine vacation. For many people it’s filled with lob- location in Maine that is reached by the system. sters and lighthouses, summer sun and sandy beaches, Snowmobilers can plan extended trips, sledding from campsites and hiking boots, sailboats and seaside pic- region to region, staying in a different location each nics. night - or set up base in one location and use the ITS That’s fine, for some. to day trip to other areas. But for thousands and thousands of visitors and stay- The ITS is numbered, marked and regularly main- cationers, a real Maine vacation needs snow. Lots of tained. The system is inspected annually by the mem- snow - rolled, packed and groomed to fill 14,000+ bers of the MSA Trails Committee under contract with miles of winter trail leading from town to town, deep the Snowmobile Program of the Maine Department of into the north woods, downeast, around western lakes, Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry (DACF). over frozen fields, meandering through the wintry An updated map of the ITS system is produced joint- countryside across the state. ly by the MSA and DACF, and is available in the fall Over 80,000 people toured those Maine snowtrails for the upcoming snowmobile season. Use the ITS last winter, exploring every corner of the state, by map to make your long distance riding plans. Trail snowmobile. junctions are printed on the map - the distance As soon as the snow thickly blankets the ground and between the trail junctions is noted by numbers print- MSA clubs begin grooming the white ribbon, the ed along the path of the trail. Adding up total mileage snowmobilers head out. Some ride to spend quality between junctions along a route will result in an time outdoors with family and friends - some ride to approximation of trip length. discover the beautiful, frozen locations found along the 10,000+ miles of local trails can provide a slower trail - and to be honest, some sledheads just enjoy pil- paced style of riding and allow sledders to really ing up the miles. As they ride, they’ll discover busi- explore a snowmobiling region. Many of these trails nesses and welcoming communities waiting to serve also connect with the ITS. Some local trails were snowmobilers, MSA clubs maintaining the trails, and a established decades ago, as snowmobile club mem- schedule of festivals, public suppers, races, and club bers began to design a way for riders in their area to events to entertain snowmobilers all winter long. visit their neighbors, or access the gas station or the What snowy corner of Maine would you like to village store. As these local systems developed and explore? interest in recreational snowmobiling grew, more Snowmobile Maine. Ride Right. Enjoy. trails were added to provide ‘loop’ rides or access to scenic destinations. Maine’s trail system Snowmobile clubs, Chambers of Commerce and The Maine snowmobile trail system consists of over tourism groups produce maps of much of the 10,000+ 14,000 miles of mapped trails, including several thou- miles of trail not included on the ITS map. These maps sand miles designated as the Interconnected Trail of regional or local systems are more detailed than the System (ITS). The ITS trails interconnect to form a ITS map, due to scale. See pages 12-13 of this publi- snow covered ‘highway’ which traverses the state. cation for a listing of local and regional maps. Given statewide snow cover, a rider could head out Instructions for obtaining copies of these maps are Snowmobile Maine 5 also listed on the back of the ITS map and posted on the MSA web site, www.mesnow.com. PLEASE Safety first STAY ON Observing a few simple safety rules can help to keep MARKED you and the members of your riding party safe on the TRAIL trails. 1. Keep to the right hand side of the trail, especially on a curve or rise. 2. Never operate a snowmobile while under the influ- ence of drugs or alcohol. 3. Travel at a reasonable rate of speed for the condi- tions. 4. Ride defensively. 5. Learn and use snowmobiling hand signals. 6. Be absolutely certain of ice thickness if you choose to ride on a frozen body of water. 7. Yield to all grooming equipment. Groomers may be out on the trails at any time of the day or night and may take up to the full width of the trail. 8. Wear a good helmet and appropriate clothing, and carry maps and maintenance, survival and first aid supplies. Many people have a cell phone with them - a good idea. Just be aware that there are many sec- tions of trail with no cell reception; riders should be prepared to handle any situation that may arise. 9. Leave an itinerary of your ride with a responsible Blue sky, groomed trail, thumbs up. What more is there to say? person and notify them of any changes or delays. Photo by Scott Riccio Although the search and rescue skills of the Maine Snowmobile registration Warden Service are invaluable in a true emergency, Maine’s trail system is partially funded through a sled there is no need to call the professionals out on a cold registration system. All riders, resident and non-resi- night to hunt for missing riders who aren’t missing at dent, need to register their sleds in Maine to ride on the all - just in a different location than originally trails. Residents of Maine register at an annual fee of planned. You can print a simple itinerary form at $45 per season. Non-resident registration is $99 for a www.mesnow.com. Find it in the forms dropdown full season, $75 for 10 consecutive days or $49 for 3 menu on the ‘For MSA Members’ page. consecutive days. (Plus a small agent fee). There is no The MSA encourages all snowmobilers to take a trail pass or club membership requirement. The MSA snowmobile safety course. Contact the Recreational strongly encourages all who ride in Maine to support Safety Office at the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries & an MSA club through their membership. Wildlife for information (207-287-5220) or check the A portion of the registration fee is used by the schedule of courses that IF&W posts online at Snowmobile Program of the Maine Dept. of maine.gov/ifw/. Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to administer and fulfill grants that reimburse snowmobile clubs for jSnowmobile Registration Maine resident registration renewals and non-resident registrations are available for purchase online at the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife web site, www.maine.gov/ifw/. Registrations are also available through dozens of registration agents. A list of agents can be found on the IF&W web site.