ST. AGATHA, Maine — Going out for a six-hour ride on local snowmobile trails is common for many outdoor enthusiasts. But, for trail groomers such as Andy Marquis of St. Agatha, those hours go by at a much slower pace.
“We only go about six or eight miles per hour,” Marquis said Monday night, Jan. 4, as he was sitting in the warm cab of the Red Arrow Snowmobile Club’s trail groomer. With the temperatures well below zero and a stiff breeze blowing, the groomer’s warm interior provides welcome shelter.
This night, Marquis groomed about 40 miles of trails from St. Agatha to St. Peter’s Store near Cross Lake, then out toward Sullivan Road, which passes south of Long Lake, then back to the groomer garage.
Marquis is one of several people who help maintain local trails for the St. Agatha-based snowmobile club. Grooming is done mainly at night because it is safer to see trail traffic well ahead of time when headlights are in use.
That means Marquis and others are often losing sleep and working well into the night and early morning hours to get trails ready for snowmobilers. With high-end sleds capable of speeds in excess of 100 mph, rough ungroomed trails can be hazardous.
Before heading out, Marquis packs a cooler with drinks and snacks. With trucking as another side job, he is used to quick visits with his two young boys prior to heading out on the road or trails.
“At least with [grooming], I am back home at night,” he said.
With more than 40 miles of trail, the Red Arrow club’s 6-year-old groomer is put to good use each season.
There are 10 snowmobile clubs from Allagash to Van Buren, and many more throughout Aroostook County.
Each local snowmobile club has its own groomer and its own group of people who put in the hours to get the job done. This network of local and regional trails allows for a thriving snowmobile business.
But only when there is snow.
“We barely have any snow right now,” Marquis said in early January when there was a snow depth of about 12 inches in northern Aroostook County, according to the National Weather Service Caribou office. The lack of snow makes grooming difficult.
The machine that is dragged behind the Sno-Cat that does the actual grooming has a set of blades that cut into the snow and piles up behind the groomer. A heavy metal plate then presses the snow down, creating a smooth, hard surface.
With little snow on the ground, the drag can pick up dirt and rocks instead of snow. Just the week before, other club members were having to pile up snow at trailside to have it deep enough to place the sign stakes.
Consisting of more than 14,000 miles, including 3,500 miles of primary routes that make up the Interconnected Trail System, Maine’s snowmobile trails connect nearly all parts of the state.
That network also makes possible the more than $200 million economic impact that snowmobiling has. The latest figures cited by the Maine Snowmobile Association, from a study of the 1997-98 season, show that snowmobilers spent $176.3 million on snowmobiling-related expenses with a total economic impact of $261 million.
According to the American Council of Snowmobiling Associations, snowmobilers in the U.S. and Canada spend more than $9 billion each year on things such as equipment, clothing, accessories and lodging.
But the financial boost requires snow and this season started off slow, according to Gerry Beaulieu.
Beaulieu and his wife, Jennie, own Martin’s General Store in Sinclair. The store is located right alongside a snowmobile trail.
Beaulieu himself is on the board of directors for the snowmobile club and is one of the groomer operators.
“This bad weather has been the worst,” Beaulieu said via telephone Jan. 6 referring to the lack of snow in December.
The lack of riders and the revenue they bring is felt from places like his store to local restaurants and even furniture stores, Beaulieu said.
Beaulieu said he was happy to finally see some cold and snow coming before the latest storm dropped 8-12 inches on The County.
The state collects snowmobile registration fees, much of which is made available to local clubs by way of grants. That money is used to help cover the cost of trail maintenance. Groomer operators are required to take a course on how to safely operate the machine and how to groom trails properly.
The Fort Kent SnoRiders club maintains nearly 40 miles of trails in the Interconnected Trail System and between 20 and 30 miles of local trails each year, according to Jim Rioux, the club’s president.
Those trails are kept in shape by some of the club’s more than 120 members, he said.
The task has gotten a bit harder in recent years, with state reimbursement levels falling from 70 percent of the trail maintenance costs to about 50 percent, Rioux said.
Like elsewhere, the trails in the Fort Kent area were in rough shape during the first full week of January due to lack of snow and warmer than normal temperatures. “There are a lot of water holes out there,” Rioux said. “Riders need to use caution.”
Once winter sets in for good though, the trails become corridors for sledders both from within Maine and from away. Known for its predictably cold weather and heavy snowfall, northern Maine is often the go-to place for snowmobilers, as well as cross country skiers, biathlon organizers and ice fishermen.
The miles of trails pass through a mix of dense forests, hillsides and lakes, open fields and through some towns.
Seeing the scenery at night is one of Marquis’ favorite parts of spending time in the groomer, he said.
Keeping those trails in good condition means keeping up with new snowstorms and changing temperatures. It sometimes means having to go over the same sections a couple times or using the Sno-Cat and groomer to fill holes or fix corners.
For Marquis, who owns a tree care and removal business, the most satisfying part of the job is looking back and seeing the smooth trail.
“I take pride in my work,” Marquis said. “I can see the results right away.”
“Besides, I’m a busybody, too,” he said with a chuckle. “I need stuff to do.”