A snowmobile accident Wednesday sent a father and son to the hospital. While riding, they hit a low hanging tree on a trail in Verona. The accident highlights the need to keep trails safe and the dedicated volunteers that spend hours grooming the paths.
Gerald Arzie Jr. spends a lot of time behind the wheel of this groomer. "This new snow fell on it and it is the perfect condition for snowmobiling right now," he said. But it takes a lot of work to make all that snow into a perfect path.
The Pulaski - Boylston Snowmobile Club maintains 100 miles of trails and when the lake effect snow piles up, so does the work. "We got a lot of snow in the last 24 hours and we're just trying to make the trials safe for riders. They have a tendency to ride at a very narrow path if we don't get out there and get the snow packed down and groomed out for them," said Arzie.
Thursday, Arzie widened the trail, pushing some snow aside and packing it down to leave a smooth trail behind. He's also making enough room for two snowmobiles to safely pass each other. "We try to groom so we are at least one and one half the width of our machine so there is plenty of room for the sleds."
Some of the grooming routes take 12 hours to complete. And with heavy snow weighing down trees and branches, the brush that hangs in the trail also needs to be cleared. Some volunteers inspect the trails, and cut back the brush with chainsaws and clippers to eliminate the hazard.
Maintaining the trails is a team effort between the volunteers that do the work and the landowners who lend their property. The combined cooperation creates hundreds of trails through Central New York for riders to enjoy.
"It's freedom," said rider Vince Bonanno. "There are rules and laws but you are just out there and enjoying yourself."
"It's monotonous work, its back breaking work but we do it because we love it and we enjoy it," said Arzie.
