b'Whos In The Groomer?WHOS IN THE GROOMER? l yndons no -C RuiseRsBy Mike MutascioAmongst the winter trails in the NEK of Vermont is a snowmobile club that continues to rack up impressive VAST awards over the years. Riders will find those famous mounted signs Club of the Year, Best Signed Trails and Most Improved Trails proudly displayed along the Lyndon Sno-Cruisers trail system. With more than five decades of experience, this clubs success is also the result of a dedicated grooming team. A passing groomer caught his eye,posted it on Facebook, and the dog was Dave Kaufman oversees this skilled trioand he soon found himself in the seat.reunited with the owner after missing which includes Ken Thorpe and clubRegarding moving to Vermont andfor a week. Feel-good moments veteran Francis Pilsbury. The groupgrooming for the Sno-Cruisers I washappen when you are grooming.balances conditions with personal workliving the dream, exclaimed Dave. IYet, other trail chores can be a hefty schedules and meticulously grooms 61cant get enough of it.workload for a club even when not miles in Burke, Lyndonville, Wheelock,Today they use a BR-180, a PistenBullygrooming. The club must coordinate a Sheffield and Sutton. 100, and pull two Mogul Master drags.comfortable co-existence with Kingdom As a now-retired lifetime Vermonter,They have access to a comfy, heatedTrails fat-biking and ATV traffic with Francis reminisces on the creation ofgarage at a members home as needed.VASA during the off-season. From the club in the late 60s. Years later,Other supplies are stored in a usedKen, The ATV traffic does erode some members began grooming with antractor trailer. The club makes the besttrails. Installing gates does help. old Yamaha VK-670, the BR 160, andof every opportunity to safeguard theirThe toughest challenge is trying to keep Tucker power units. He flashes backequipment. snowmobilers on the trail. It is deflating to storing and repairing equipmentKen and Francis usually smooth outto work so hard on a trail only to see at the Goulds shop. His earlier worktrails to the north and west. I like theriders venture off. Francis regrettably experience at the Brighton Garage intrails to nowhere, especially the nightnotes, Seeing off-trail snowmobilers is Island Pond certainly paid off.run, says Ken with a grin. I guessdiscouraging. One rider can shut down Ken was consumed by snowmobilingmy favorite is the 513. Francis prefersa trail. Ken and Dave nod their heads at the age of twelve. He saw apacking the route towards Sutton onin firm agreement.neighbors 1969 Olympic while livingCorridor 53. I like grooming by theRegardless of any misgivings the team in Connecticut and never looked back.airport. The views are really, reallycan face, attracting new grooming His snowmobiling passion landedneat.operators offers a breath of fresh air him in Vermont and was immediatelyDave enjoys grooming the busyand focus. It requires a wicked sense intrigued by a ride on the Pipeline trail.routes to East Burke. He recognizesof commitment, plus the patience to Decades later he purchased property,the importance of trailside servicemaintain the equipment. Its more relocated, and earned a positionaccess, both for riders and the localthan just driving and keeping trails as a fiber-optic Project Managerwinter tourism economy. He advocatessmooth. Theres a lot of maintenance, for Comcast. The Sno-Cruisersdetailed assessments of the equipmentsays Dave. Yep, adds Francis in camaraderie and trails captivatedand, if needed, lasting repairs. I like toagreement. Theres more work when him so did their big Tucker groomerdo it right the first time, says Dave. your run is finished.in 2015. I have to drive that thing,The Sno-Cruiser grooming operatorsFor over five decades the Lyndon-said Ken. And so he did. not only exemplify commitment, butSno-Cruisers has kept Vermont For Dave, he too hails fromreadiness for the unexpected. Ken andsnowmobiling and riders on the move. Connecticut. The Woodford SnoBusterFrancis recall teaming up for a late- They are another VAST club that trail system was his riding mainstaynight run, only to discover a surpriseexemplifies steadfastness in their duty in 1993. He later discovered the Burkewhile clearing a fallen tree. We heardto provide an incredible snowmobiling area and became very involved withthe whining of a dog, then spotted itexperience. Follow the lead of Dave, the Lyndon club. After relocating tobehind the groomer, says Francis.Ken, and Fran because Who Is In the Vermont, he anchored a position as aNext thing we knew it was ridingGroomer might someday be you.Road Foreman for the Town of Burke.home on my lap (chuckle). Then we Winter 2022 | 15'