{"id":244,"date":"2013-10-15T17:04:13","date_gmt":"2013-10-15T17:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minneapolisdesigner.com\/snowmobilend.org\/?page_id=244"},"modified":"2013-10-15T17:04:13","modified_gmt":"2013-10-15T17:04:13","slug":"grooming-faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.snowmobilend.org\/grooming-faq\/","title":{"rendered":"Grooming FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"

Attention Groomers!<\/strong>\u00a0Click on the\u00a0GUIDELINES link<\/a>\u00a0 to read about this season’s Trail Grooming Guidelines.<\/em><\/p>\n

Facts about ND\u2019s state snowmobile trails.<\/strong>
\nThe ND Parks and Recreation Department contracts Snowmobile North Dakota to manage the state snowmobile trail program.\u00a0 The state snowmobile trail program works with 14 trail associations in ND.\u00a0 As the program has evolved since the late 80\u2019s, the main goal was to absorb the larger annual expenses for the trails such as equipment, insurance and trail signs.\u00a0 Assuming the larger expenses leaves minimal funding leftover to maintain the trails (costs of grooming, grubbing, install and removal of trail signs).\u00a0 The trail program is extremely fortunate to work with a group of dedicated volunteers that donate time to grub and sign the trail systems annually.\u00a0 39 snowmobile clubs exist in ND and it\u2019s estimated each club donates over 740 hours annually to the state snowmobile trail system.\u00a0 Each trail association receives an annual budget to help maintain the local trail system but it pales in comparison to the actual costs of grooming.\u00a0 So the next time you see someone maintaining the trail, thank them for their time helping to provide a place to snowmobile in ND.<\/p>\n

How is the state snowmobile trail funded?<\/strong>
\nSnowmobile North Dakota receives contract dollars from the ND Parks and Recreation Department.\u00a0 These contract dollars are pulled from the state snowmobile fund which is generated by snowmobile registrations and a portion of gas tax.\u00a0 The state snowmobile trail program assumes 70{64ba88878b2e04e9a3727ef51f224f8a7f7bff4e6ee9e04d7a87a7b2faab02f6} of the trail grooming equipment, 100{64ba88878b2e04e9a3727ef51f224f8a7f7bff4e6ee9e04d7a87a7b2faab02f6} of the trail insurance and 90{64ba88878b2e04e9a3727ef51f224f8a7f7bff4e6ee9e04d7a87a7b2faab02f6} of the trail sign expenses.\u00a0 The remaining funds are used to assist trail associations with grooming operation costs.\u00a0 A good portion of grooming operation costs are funded locally through club events and community grants.<\/p>\n

On average it costs over $114,000 to maintain just one of the 14 trail systems in the state.\u00a0\u00a0 The state snowmobile trail program has leveraged trail expenses with grant funding making it possible to maintain over 2,800 miles of trail, even if there is no snow to groom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Annual Expenses Associated w\/Snowmobile Trails<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Description<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nPer<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nCost<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nCost Based on 100 Miles<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Annual Trail Liability Insurance Policy<\/td>\nTrail Association<\/td>\n$1,010.72<\/td>\nCovers entire Association<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Trails Signs (Approximately 20 signs)<\/td>\n1 Mile<\/td>\n$100.00<\/td>\n$10,000.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Estimated Annual 5{64ba88878b2e04e9a3727ef51f224f8a7f7bff4e6ee9e04d7a87a7b2faab02f6} Trail Sign Replacement Cost<\/td>\n1 Mile<\/td>\n$5.00<\/td>\n$500.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Trail Maintenance\/Grooming<\/td>\n1 Mile<\/td>\n$9.36<\/td>\n$936.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Average Annual Land Lease Cost<\/td>\nTrail Association<\/td>\n$73.00<\/td>\nCovers entire Association<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
State Grooming Equipment<\/td>\nTrail Association<\/td>\n$112,071.43<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Average Fuel Costs<\/td>\nTrail Association<\/td>\n$2,871.48<\/td>\nCovers entire Association<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Average Groomer Operator Payroll Costs<\/td>\nTrail Association<\/td>\n$914.56<\/td>\nCovers entire Association<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total Fixed Annual Trail Expenses<\/strong><\/td>\nTrail Association<\/strong><\/td>\n$114,069.71<\/strong><\/td>\nplus grooming & signs<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

I paid my club dues, why aren’t the trails groomed for my ride?\u00a0<\/strong>
\nSnowmobile trail maintenance is becoming more expensive every year with the price of fuel and maintenance costs increasing.\u00a0 To ensure every snowmobiler gets the best bang for their buck, the trail associations monitor grooming very closely.\u00a0 Every trail coordinator in the state watches club event schedules and the weather very closely.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This insures grooming will take place during \u00a0favorable conditions in order to provide a better trail to the user.\u00a0 Just what are favorable conditions:\u00a0 clear visibility, minimal winds and recent snowfall.<\/p>\n

Just think, every weekend and sometimes evenings, the ski-slopes are packed with skiers enjoying their recreation of choice often paying $25 to $45 for four hours of facility use. Snowmobile club dues average $30 for the season and\u00a0can be\u00a0utilized to maintain trails for up to 4 months annually depending on snow conditions. It costs over $9 to groom one mile of trail!\u00a0 ND offers over 2,800 miles of state snowmobile trail, so each trail system manages approximately 200 miles of trail. At 200 miles of trail, one grooming will cost approximately $1,800.\u00a0 This cost couldn\u2019t be provided if it wasn\u2019t for the 100\u2019s of hours donated by all the volunteers in the state.\u00a0 In summary, with the many resources utilized compared to the inexpensive fees it costs to ride any snowmobile trail, we should all feel it’s a privilege, not a right, to have groomed snowmobile trails.<\/p>\n

I have free time, can I operate a groomer?<\/strong>
\nThe ND Parks and Recreation Department owns a fleet of 14 groomers and drags.\u00a0 The use and management of this equipment is contracted to Snowmobile North Dakota.\u00a0 We require all groomer operators to have taken a state Groomer Certification Class in order to operate the equipment.\u00a0 Thisclass is held at Snowmobile North Dakota\u2019s annual convention.\u00a0 Classes outside of the convention are considered Remote Groomer Certification Classes and are scheduled as requested by the state trail associations.\u00a0 After completing the class, new operators are required to spend 4 hours grooming with an experienced groomer operator (someone that has groomed for the state snowmobile trail program in previous years.)\u00a0 During the 4 hours, the new operator is required to observe the experienced groomer operate the equipment for 2 hours.\u00a0 The remaining 2 hours, the experienced groomer operator must observe and monitor the new groomer operate the equipment.\u00a0 Groomer operators are paid employees of the state snowmobile trail system.\u00a0 However, to help reduce costs for the program, many groomer operators donate their time.<\/p>\n

Why don’t the groomers run more often during poor trail conditions?\u00a0<\/strong>There are a couple reasons why groomers aren’t on the trail as much as some believe they should. First, keep in mind that groomers do their best work alone, free from traffic. Our trails are a minimum of eight feet wide.\u00a0 The largest drags in the fleet are ten feet wide and there may not be room for traffic to pass.\u00a0 Second, many of our groomer operators are volunteers who have regular jobs and\/or commitments that cause some delays in grooming.<\/p>\n

Trails were rough today, why didn\u2019t I see any groomers out?<\/strong>
\nOur groomers typically operate at night. The purpose of a groomer is to remove moguls, not to break new trails after a light or heavy snow. The cold snow conditions after dark allows groomers to bust-up moguls moving snow thru the drag which causes friction, creating heat and resulting in a new smooth foundation, similar to paved roads. Grooming at night provides ample time for the trail to set up hard and withstand heavy traffic. Groomers are well lighted and very visible at night too, providing for safe travel. Grooming equipment may run during daylight hours in cold conditions and to repair heavy traveled portions of trails. \u00a0These trails are quickly moguled because they don\u2019t receive ample time for the trail to set up before it\u2019s used by snowmobilers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attention Groomers!\u00a0Click on the\u00a0GUIDELINES link\u00a0 to read about this season’s Trail Grooming Guidelines. Facts about ND\u2019s state snowmobile trails. The ND Parks and Recreation Department contracts Snowmobile North Dakota to manage the state snowmobile trail program.\u00a0 The state snowmobile trail program works with 14 trail associations in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"page-PageTemplate5.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowmobilend.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/244"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowmobilend.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowmobilend.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowmobilend.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowmobilend.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowmobilend.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":246,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowmobilend.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/244\/revisions\/246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowmobilend.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}