Closed trails have snowmobilers anxious

APPLETON - The sign says it all. Snowmobile trails in Outagamie County are closed.

Steve Melchert of the Isaar Trail Riders Club has been forced to travel north to get his snowmobile fix.

"Our snow cover is quite thin right now so we're patiently waiting for more to get us back out there," said Melchert.

Melchert says he is one of the lucky ones. Many other snowmobilers from his club have hardly put 100 miles on their sleds. Even with the expected snowfall this week, it still might not be enough to open up the trails.

"It would take a lot of snow to get them reopened,” said Melchert. “We had quite a thaw so we're going to need a good six inches and hopefully without wind so it stays put. That would be the ideal situation."

Business was buzzing at Appleton Motorsports in December. The store is now hoping for a big storm to get people exciting about riding again.

“As far as sales, it’s kind of turned off a little bit, but there's always a little something going on,” said Jon Matz of Appleton Powersports.
“Service kind of caught up. We're ready for the next influx.”

After seeing the thick trails of December melt away throughout January, many snowmobilers are still optimistic.

"February is usually my favorite month,” said Melchert. “The days are longer. The days are warmer. Last year we had some awesome rides in February. We're not done yet this season by no means."

"On record, March is the highest accumulation so people are still banking on that a little bit," said Matz.