b'WHOS IN THE GROOMER?R onM eRRill- C ountRyR ideRsBy Michael SwartzOn Dec. 3, 1975, Country Riders Snowmobile Club was formed after splitting off from another club when Interstate 91 was built. The clubs first groomer was a 1970 Lely, which was used to groom twice a week on thirty miles of two-lane trails. In 1979, the club purchased their second groomer, a 1969 Tucker Snow Cat. In 1986, the club had about seventy miles of trails from Lake Memphremagog to Newport Center, Coventry, Troy, Westfield and Jay, necessitating an addition to the fleet, a Ski-dozer 300. To this point, all drags being used were built by club members.In 1986, the club added a Tucker Sno-Cat using a member-built drag that mimicked a drag from Rock Island, Quebec. It was ten feet wide and utilized for more than ten years. The clubs fifth groomer was a 1996 Tucker Snow Cat purchased in 1999, a huge step for the club at the time. This unit had less than one thousand hours on it, priced far more than units previously. However, it became increasinglysecuring landowner permissions, andRoger Gosselin, and since then, we essential to have a reliable, up-to-datesubmitting grant-in-aide applications.have ridden many miles together in all groomer to maximize up-time.I recently caught up with Ron to askkinds of conditions, rain, freezing rain, As the sport of snowmobiling hashim a few questions about his groomerthirty-inch snow-storms, you name it. become increasingly more popularexperience. We have explored many areas in New over the years, the club has addedEngland, Quebec, Ontario, Michigan more members and miles. Today, theand New Brunswick. This year we are Country Riders have one hundredWhat is your favorite part aboutdiscussing plans to go to Yellowstone eight miles of trail and three Tuckergrooming, and why do you groomin 2023.Sno-Cat grooming units.VAST trails? Ron Merrill started as an activeThe best part about grooming isHow many miles of trails do you volunteer working on the clubslooking back at night and seeing thegroom each season? trail projects and started groomingperfect, flat, white ribbon of trail that I for Country Riders in 1996 as ajust laid down. Seeing no humps, holes,When I used to keep track, it wasnt spare operator. He was working theor tracks from riders and thinking,Iuncommon to groom three to four overnight shift into the wee hours ofmade that! hundred hours each season which was the morning. His training came at theusually over a thousand miles.hands of one of the current opera-tors,Do you also ride the trails? Bill Cook, who owned what used toTell us about your clubs equipment.be known as Cooks Equipment, nowOver the years, my wife Sara and I known as TRACK Inc. in Newport.have owned many sleds. When ourCurrently, we have three Tucker Sno-Ron has been the clubs trailmastertwo sons were young, they wouldCat groomers; a 2018 Tucker Sno-Cat, since 2009 when the current trailride on the Country Rider trail system2016 Tucker Terra, and a 2011 Tucker master decided to step down, and hewith us. They had a Z120 they wouldTerra rubber track unit for the valley, was the lucky one chosen to take hisride for hours around the house asalong with four Mogul Master drags place. As trailmaster, he has manykids. Dad would make them a track byand one Merrill Limb Masher. They are duties in addition to overseeing trailrunning the groomer around the house.kept in Troy, Jay and Newport Center grooming, including corridor signage,In 2016, I met my current riding buddyin the winter.maintenance, inspection and re-routes, 10 | Snowmobile VERMONT'