Mild weather stalls snowmobiling season in Saskatchewan

Travis Moore knows what its like to face a dry spell as a farmer.

However, he isn’t pleased to see the “snow drought” conditions cutting into his snowmobiling season.

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“We’re kind of we’re hoping maybe it was going to be better,” Moore said. “But as of yet, it doesn’t appear so.”

Moore helps groom the trails with the Last Mountain Lake Drifters snowmobiling club near Lumsden, but his time shaping the paths has been sparse so far this year.

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Moore said the trails north of Regina Beach had enough snow to be groomed, but it was still thin. (Travis Moore/Submitted)

Milder conditions and harsh winds are causing snow drifts to crust into icy patches.

Not enough snow has fallen to replace what the warmer temperatures have melted away.

“We’re starting from square one now,” Moore said.

It can take days for Moore to groom the 220 kilometres of trails, but the club hasn’t been able to open any of its trails south of Regina Beach so far this year.

Moore said he has groomed the trails on the north side of the beach, but there isn’t the eight to 10 inches of fluffy powder he’s hoping to work with.

Some of the snowmobile trails at Last Mountain Lake are becoming gravelly in the warmth. (Travis Moore/Submitted)

When the weather won’t co-operate, Moore said it’s discouraging for everyone who volunteers to maintain the trails.

“You don’t even want to go out,” he said. “It’s just ice and hard, rough snow, and it’s not really that fun when it’s when it’s really poor conditions.”

Moore said thinner snow and icy patches can cause damage or the skis of the machine or cause it to overheat.

Moore said it feels like the been in a “snow drought” this year. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)

He’s been able to take his kids out for a snowmobile ride around his farmyard in the meantime.

“You can still go out and have a little bit of fun with the snow we have, but it’s still not the same,” Moore said.

Freezing rain and milder temperatures both play a factor in creating crunchy trails.

Environment Canada said Regina and Saskatoon and its surrounding areas have recorded average precipitation levels in the winter months so far.

Meteorologist Danielle Desjardins said that includes snow and freezing rain events so far.

“It doesn’t stand out as a like a particularly dry winter,” she said. “I think the bigger thing here has been the temperature swings and the melt.”

Desjardins said the freezing rain is uncommon, but not unprecedented.

She said strong wind has also played a factor in polishing down snow drifts.

“The snow that we have gotten has blown around quite a bit, that’s left some areas pretty barren.”

Leah Switzer, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association, said other sledding clubs have had a challenging season based on their location.

“It’s honestly been hit and miss, just based on what the weather has done,” she said. “We did get the good snow right off the hop, but we didn’t get cold temperatures at the beginning.”

Switzer said clubs across the province saw issues with slushy lakes due to on-and-off winter warm ups.

Other areas, particularly in southern Saskatchewan, were hit with freezing rain that crusted over trails.

“We have other clubs that, in those high winds, they have large drifts they have to now work on knocking down,” Switzer said. “That understanding there’s always reasons why some of those trails are closed and the clubs are always working hard to get them open.”