4 | Snowmobile VERMONT 4 | Snowmobile VERMONT A message from VAST President Tim Mills At this point, the riding season is well underway. I don’t think we could have asked for a better start for the 2017/18 winter. The snow gods have blessed us with early snowfall that continued to repeat itself every few days until we had what we needed to groom and establish a decent trail system statewide. If the beginning of the season has been any kind of example as to how the rest of the winter is going to be, then we are in for a true Vermont winter. That said, if you have lived in New England for any amount of time, you will know that we always receive a January thaw of some sort. They can range anywhere from a few days in the 50s to severe rainstorms, giving us a total loss of snow pack. This past week, we ended up receiving a rainstorm in the form of a half inch to over one inch of rain followed by a decent snow fall, depending on where you live. As I sit here drinking my morning coffee browsing social media and getting ready for the day, my timeline keeps coming up with posts from either snowmobile clubs asking the riders to allow them time to check out their trail system or photos of riders who have ignored the warnings and have gone riding anyway. Most of our trails endured the inclement weather just fine, but I have seen pictures of all forms. Some photos were of trails that survived nicely, and others of snowmobiles sunken in the trail clear to the handlebars. I realize that being able to ride our snowmobiles is the goal of all our hard work as volunteers but, and this is a big but… when you do go out riding after being warned of potential dangers out on the trail system, there is a lot more to be taken into consideration. Not all water that has crossed the trail can be seen from just looking down the trail. The amount of water hidden underneath the snow is not measurable, nor do you know how long or wide of an area it has affected and how deep the water could be. What if you do happen to ride over an area that is saturated with water underneath the surface? Can you make it all the way across? How do you get out of the water if you sink? What about hypothermia? And lastly, you have now signed up the people you were riding with to help you and put their own safety at risk. You see, the clubs know their own trail systems. They know where to go look for the hidden water overflows and other niches about their own system. The clubs need to be given time to go out and check the trails and mark the hazards. When they are done, they will post messages appropriate to the conditions. They are only trying to preserve the trail base for future use as soon as conditions allow. Speaking of conditions, the forecast calls for three days of scattered snow storms coming our way! Remember, the clubs are looking out for all of us. Please don’t make this winter snowmobile season memorable for the wrong reasons. We love seeing you all out on the trails! Ride safely and smooth trails. – Tim Mills, VAST President VAST News By Roger Gosselin On the evening of Dec. 18, the Newport City Council voted unanimously to allow a secondary trail into the City of Newport to be maintained by the North Country Mountaineers. It will run south from VAST Trail 14A near Prouty Beach into the downtown district. Since the streets are residential properties, the city council also imposed the following restrictions on the trail: • A curfew of 10 p.m.–8 a.m. and a speed limit of 10 mph will be enforced on Broadview Ave. • A curfew of 11 p.m.–8 a.m. and a speed limit of 10 mph will be enforced on Landing St. These restrictions will allow the trail to function without affecting residents during the night hours and also avoid snowmobile traffic on the street during peak traffic hours in the morning while students are traveling to North Country High School. The overall goal of the new secondary trail is to allow a safe, legal way for snowmobilers to access the many services the City of Newport has to offer. Any off-trail riding, other than into a parking lot, or violation of the speed limit or curfew will result in closure of the trail. In an effort to peacefully coexist with the citizens and patrons of Newport, it is important for snowmobilers to respect and yield the rights of way to vehicles and pedestrians traveling in parking lots and roadways. NEWPORT FEEDER TRAIL IS APPROVED