By Tracy Calabrese

To the serious snowmobile rider, there really is no substitute for the sport when the weather is not cooperating. Temperatures, which have been hovering closer to 50 than 30 for much of early winter, might leave some snowmobilers in Central New York with little to do in the upcoming weeks if the trend continues.

Members of the Deerfield Snow Trails club chuckled at the idea of what they do when the weather does not permit snowmobiling, suggesting that there really is no alternative that compares.

“We’re sitting on the sleds waiting for the first flake to hit the ground,” said Bill Hajdasz, who is 33 and the president of the Deerfield Snow Trails Club, in an interview last month.

“We stand outside and do the snow dances and wait for it to show up,” Hajdasz joked.

Hajdasz, who has been snowmobiling for more than 25 years, points out that the season for snowmobiling is relatively short anyway, lasting only about 10 weeks after the trails open.

However short the season might be, this does not get Hajdasz down.
“We do have a lot of fun.” Hajdasz said. “We have a lot of camaraderie.”
“Snowmobiling is actually a year-round sport. We’re thinking about it in June and July,” he said.

Ron and Charlene Crawford, who are both 52 and also members of the Deerfield Snow Trails club, spend most of their time preparing for the sport while they are waiting for the snow to fall. (Three inches of snow are necessary for one to snowmobile.)

“We make sure all the sleds are ready,” said Ron Crawford, who owns three Arctic Cat snowmobiles and has been snowmobiling for more than 35 years.

Charlene Crawford, who is the secretary of Deerfield Snow Trails, passes the snow-less time making sure everyone’s clothes fit them, including their boots, mittens and helmets, especially her children’s when they were younger.

The Crawfords and Hajdasz seem to agree that the biggest tep in preparing for the sport is grooming the trails. To groom the entire 30 miles of the Deerfield Snow Trails system can take up to 12 hours, often four to five times per week.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” Charlene Crawford said. “It’s very frustrating to see people ruin the trails.”

The Crawfords remind people that the snowmobile trails are only for snowmobiles, and other vehicles, like four-wheelers, which ruin the trails, are not allowed.

In addition to physically preparing for the sport when there is no snow, Charlene Crawford emphasizes the importance of ongoing efforts throughout the year.

“(You are) always working to better your sport and maintain your relationship with landowners,” Charlene Crawford said. “Without their permission, you wouldn’t have a trail.”

The Deerfield Snow Trails club meets once a month and will be hosting an antique snowmobile ride on Jan. 20.