THUNDER BAY — The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted sales of snowmobile trail permits as well as snowmobiles in the Thunder Bay area.
Adrian Tessier, a director of Thunder Bay Adventure Trails, says "we've got a lot more riders this year, and that's shown through our permit sales."
Over the past several years, at this point in the season the average number of local permit sales ranged between 100 and 120.
This year, however, more than 200 permits have already been sold, at a cost of $270 apiece.
Tessier described the increase as "dramatic."
He said that with international travel restrictions in place, many people who would normally go south for the winter "are staying home and looking for some sort of recreation."
The same heightened interest in snowmobiling has shown up all across the region.
Tessier also serves as president of the Northwestern Ontario Snowmobile Trails Association, which represents nine snowmobile clubs between Thunder Bay and Red Lake.
"Basically, go to any snowmobile dealer in the whole northwest, and you'll be lucky to find a couple of sleds sitting on the showroom floor. Everybody's virtually sold out," he said.
Intercity Power Sports' owner Bruce Miault verified that, saying "We're definitely selling them. We only have one left. So yes, it's a good year for snowmobile sales."
Miault said it's unusual to have just one machine in stock.
He agrees with Tessier that more people are participating in outdoor activities because of COVID-19 restrictions.
"It was the same with quad sales this summer. People are doing more things outside. They're not travelling, so they're buying toys."
Tessier said Thunder Bay Adventure Trails anticipated the increased interest in trail-riding, and started preparing in the summer.
"We geared up. We spent a lot of time on all our trails through the late summer and fall, doing some brushing, trail work and signing. Our trails are going to be in excellent condition."
TBAT oversees a network of about 400 kilometres of trails, from Kakabeka Falls to as far south as Gunflint Lake on the U.S. border and as far west as the Kashabowie area, where there's a connection to the network operated by the Atikokan Sno-Ho Club.
Tessier said last week's snowfall has created a good foundation, so TBAT's five grooming machine operators will be dispatched Wednesday to prepare its trails for snowmobilers.
However, where there are unfrozen creeks or swampy areas, grooming may have to be done later.
In some western portions of Northwestern Ontario, conditions are not as good as they are near Thunder Bay because there's been less snow, although some trails are open in the Atikokan, Dryden and Sioux Lookout areas.
Users can download an interactive trail guide showing which trails are accessible, on the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs website.
In Northwestern Ontario, there are about 3,000 kilometres of regularly-groomed snowmobile trails.
Tessier said the network features "great trails, low traffic volumes, scenery that you're not going to find anywhere else, and friendly vendors at restaurants and motels anywhere on the trail system."
