Winter 2018 | 19 The club wanted to highlight two of their groomers, Dan Stowell and Dan Tiernan, for this article. Yup, both groomers are “Dans” and when referring to the club’s groomers, a last name must be used. Dan Stowell comes from a family of snowmobile riders. He started riding at age 7 in his backyard. He and his friends would tie wood pallets to the back of their snowmobiles and drag them around the yard and local trails. He had the vision of being a groomer then, but formally became a groomer in the late 1990s. When I asked Dan Stowell what the best part of grooming is, he replied, “Laying them flat!” Dan Stowell shared a story about one of his grooming nights which was not a normal grooming evening. A brand new Honda CRV followed their GPS onto Corridor 12 near Colby Pond. When they realized it wasn’t a road, they tried to turn around and went off the trail and into a ditch. Joe Marini, Tom Smith and Dan used the groomer to get the car out of the ditch and towed them back to the main road. For other riders interested in grooming, Dan’s advice is, “It is a slow process and patience is required.” Dan Tiernan shares his love of snowmobiling and grooming with his wife, Deb. It is a way for them to enjoy the outdoors together. They purchased a 1994 Polaris Indy 440 two-up and still have it and it runs like a champ. Like many other groomers, he was asked to take a ride in a groomer and just see what it is like. Thanks to Steve Turco and Leon “Woody” Woods, the next thing he knew, he was in the groomer rotation! Dan enjoys the quiet and solitude of being in the woods and making freshly groomed trails. One night, while Dan and his wife were out grooming in heavy snow, somehow the drag slipped off the trail and got stuck. I’m sure almost every groomer has had this experience. At 2 a.m., Woody and Steve came and helped them out. Once resolved, they went on to finish the route that evening. Grooming isn’t easy and it can be tough out there. Sleds don’t always stay to the right, snowstorms and icestorms can be challenging and groomers break down. Even with all of that, Dan still enjoys grooming. If you are interested in grooming, Dan suggests reaching out to a club president and going on a ride along with a groomer. Dan is very appreciative of his wife’s support of his grooming activities. She has gone out and groomed with him, leaving the house at 7 p.m. and getting home around 3 a.m. too many times to count. Cavendish Green Mountain Snow Fleas Dan Stowell & Dan Tiernan By Patty Companik Who’s In The Groomer? Dan Stowell and Dan Tiernan (Patty Companik photo)