Snowmobiling is declining in Utah...article.

Mort2112 · Dec 24, 2017

http://www.sltrib.com/news/business/2017/12/24/snowmobiles-are-losing-popularity-in-utah/

Interesting read. I still think the majority of this decline is that sleds and gear are so expensive you have to be dedicated to acquiring them.

Further, there is a mention of snow bikes but I wonder if that counts as a registered snowmobile or not. As I don't snowbike I'm not sure what the rules actually are.

I also thought it was interesting that more people than ever are taking trips in to the mountains even with the decline in registrations.

kiliki · Dec 24, 2017

read the comments

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46221385&n...some-idaho-wyoming-snowmobile-maps-after-suit

AZ800 · Dec 24, 2017

Sleds and gear CAN be very expensive, but so can cars. A 10 year old Nissan Sentra will get you to work the same as a new Corvette, but that doesn’t mean autos are all too expensive.
It’s moreso the instant gratification attitude. Someone wants to try the sport and they go look at $10,000 machines, another couple grand in gear. A $10k trailer and a Duramax to pull it, just like the U tube videos, and say it’s too expensive. When, if they had a little ingenuity and common sense, they could get a great sled for $2500, pull out the car Hart’s and buy a helmet and a $600 open trailer and be shredding all day for less than 2’months house payments.

tuneman · Dec 24, 2017

Yeah, but then they see Chris Burandt do a hop over on a cliff as easy as breathing and they get it in their head that just regular riding is lame and their gear isn't good enough. So, they think what's the point? I've seen the same decline in wakeboarding, partly due to the cost, but also partly due to a backroll isn't "cool" enough anymore.

Mort2112 · Dec 24, 2017

One other point I was going to make, and they make it in the article:

Sled registrations are down, but mountain excursions are at an all time high. I went to the Uintas last year where I grew up riding on a saturday and there were more rigs than I've ever seen before.

It go me thinking that growing up we had four sleds in our family, whereas most people probably now have two for the family. So the sport isn't necessarily on the way out as much as the habits of riders are.

thefullmonte · Jan 11, 2018

Without a doubt the sport is in decline. Many states are struggling to maintain trails due to the lack of registered sleds. And this isn't just limited to snowmobiling. Many outdoor activities that require state funding are going through similar struggles due to lack of participation.

And it doesn't seem like there is just one magical thing causing the problem, but more of a multitude of things working together. Keep in mind that not all things happen out west.
*Much of the country no longer sees consistent snow.
*Without consistent snow it becomes harder (impossible) to justify a $15,000 sled sitting in the garage. Let alone 4 of them.
*What used to be an affordable sport for family, friends and neighbors is now a boys weekend to the mountains.
*Where people used to buy motorcycles and snowmobiles they are now buying a UTV with a heated cab.
*Unfortunately, much like the motorcycle industry. The heart of the sport is aging. More people are getting out of the sport than are coming in.
*People can no longer ride out their back door. We have to trailer everywhere. A) because we aren't allowed to ride where we once did. And B) because there simply is no snow.

It doesn't surprise me that just about any place out west would see an increase in out of state riders. I've met people as far east as Milwaukee that consider themselves western riders.

longtrack156 · Jan 11, 2018

I don't think the cost argument holds. Actually taxes are much higher. I remember my first new sled, 1971 Motoski Zephyr 24hp 399cc, cost $1100, or 460 hours of work, union job, forest industry. For similar hours today, $30hr, you get much more sled.

DRIVEBYE · Jan 11, 2018

kiliki said:
read the comments

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46221385&n...some-idaho-wyoming-snowmobile-maps-after-suit

I have never seen a deer or an elk when I have been snowmobiling.

Jaynelson · Jan 11, 2018

Part of the problem is the cost....it's undeniable that sleds have gotten more expensive, and that used resale hasn't really kept up. Plus all the paraphernalia has gone up as well...from gear, to avy equipment, to everything else.

Another component is that people are just busier in their lives than they used to be. My generation has more activities than my parents, with no more holidays or time off.

I think another barrier to entry is the sleds themselves. This is both a "good" and a "bad" thing....in the quest of keep up with the newer riding styles, the sleds have become very dedicated/specialized machines. They are not good for riding 2-up, or at slower speeds. They aren't user friendly for new riders, or young riders, etc. So the activity has moved away from being family friendly, to being a more hardcore "for the boys" type activity. To use a modern 800 to tow your kid around on a tobaggan...just doesn't work all that well. And to have a 2nd sled for trail riding, 2up riding, etc, is tough....because we run in to the cost factor again.

Jaynelson · Jan 11, 2018

longtrack156 said:
I don't think the cost argument holds. Actually taxes are much higher. I remember my first new sled, 1971 Motoski Zephyr 24hp 399cc, cost $1100, or 460 hours of work, union job, forest industry. For similar hours today, $30hr, you get much more sled.

That's an interesting figure/comparison!

I think if you did the math....you may have had more disposable income at the time. If you compared cost of housing, food, and other essentials....I would guess you had "more" of your cheque left for fun stuff then, than now. But that would take a fair amount of math to nail down.

longtrack156 · Jan 11, 2018

Jaynelson said:
That's an interesting figure/comparison!

I think if you did the math....you may have had more disposable income at the time. If you compared cost of housing, food, and other essentials....I would guess you had "more" of your cheque left for fun stuff then, than now. But that would take a fair amount of math to nail down.

I think that today we have more to eat up our dollars.
If you looked at the lifestyle we had when I bought my first sled, 1967, really we did have more disposable income.
We didn't have cell phones.
we didn't have internet.
We didn't have dishwashers.
We didn't have cable, (antenna).
We didn't have the modern laundry, (wringer washer).

But these are the choices we make. Although we could do without some of these. I remember that we had to build our own house as the only mortgage you could get was from the bank and you had to have that much collateral to get a mortgage.
The essentials gas, food and housing, did eat up more of our income then than now.

Dogmeat · Jan 11, 2018

I think its primarily a function of cost and lack of snow as many others have stated.

The cost prohibits younger riders (who would typically have less income than older riders) from getting into or staying in the sport, and the lack of snow only furthers that cost in the grand scheme of things. Makes no sense to have $15,000+ (if not more) sitting in the garage not getting used if you live in an area with sporadic snow coverage .... and traveling 8,12,16+ hours to ride someplace with snow is very difficult logistically for a lot of people.

I think the access issues would be less severe than they are right now if the costs weren't so great and there were subsequently more and more folks getting into the sport.

IDK .... Pray for major regular snow storms or pray for really big wage hikes, its gonna take one or the other to fix this :face-icon-small-con

icr · Jan 11, 2018

It’s lack of snow for me personally. Alaska hasn’t had a good winter in five years. Both my wife and I ride, it’s easily $10-15k in costs and sled depreciation per year if nothing major breaks. I could own a plane for about the same money.

joshkoltes · Jan 12, 2018

kiliki said:
read the comments

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46221385&n...some-idaho-wyoming-snowmobile-maps-after-suit

someone better tell that Idaho ground squirrel to stay in his designated area on the map!

HCRRider · Jan 12, 2018

Yeah not just Utah. In Maine and same thing here. Im guessing if we had consistent snow like we used to that would make a huge difference. Guys would find ways to go snowmobiling. Hasn't stopped me. Ive been buying new sleds every year. Maybe im the stupid one!!!!!!

CATSLEDMAN1 · Jan 12, 2018

times they are a change'n

Lots of great observations here about the sport changing.

I see one of the big differences from our old motoski's and skiroules to today:

the sport has gone from casual to epic

6" of snow in 1970 everyone was out in a field riding around on snowmobiles in the jackets they already owned and a new set of snowmobile boot from K-Mart that cost $6

6 ' of snow in 2018 is required to load up the 4 place and 174" track 850's and head out to all day intense riding

$1000 activity to $40,000 activity and wages haven't keep up, nor have buyers minds ever fully adjusted to price increases.

Skiing, motocross, snowmobiling, dirt bike riding, camping, water skiing, all have suffered that same loss of numbers for all the same reasons.

2009-2015 WOW ! WOW, the lake was empty, the sledding back country was deserted, resort towns around Montana empty on big week ends. MONEY DRIVEN

89sandman · Jan 12, 2018

No doubt it is a fraction of what it used to be 15 years ago where I live. Back then where we went sledding you had to get there early on Friday night to get a spot on any weekend. Now even on Xmas and New Years you can pull in anytime plenty of room.

longtrack156 · Jan 12, 2018

I don't think this is a new thing, I think there was a resurgence in the 90's with the advent of the mountain sleds. But I remember the the early 70's when there seemed to be a tremendous interest in sledding.

Hairdryr · Jan 22, 2018

I'm glad its leveled off or declined. More good riding for the rest of us. Ya sledding sucks.

Snowmobiling is declining in Utah...article.

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