Snow Way Snowmobiling
SNOWMOBILE PUBLICATIONS AND LOCAL NEWS
If you have great snowmobile information, product, travel or safety web sites please E-mail me and I will add them to this page. I am always looking for more information about snowmobiling and all the articles surrounding this great sport.
Snowmobile
Lessons & Safety Instruction
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are being given.
Snowmobile
Laws & Requirements
Check the legal requirements and New York State Laws.
Snowmobile Clubs & Associations
Join a snowmobile club today. Clubs abd associations keep this sport alive and enjoyable.
Past
Seasons
This is a few places we have traveled with friends and enjoyed this sport. Also some other
events we have taken part in.
Riding & Vacation Locations
Where to ride and where to stay. Couples, groups or families can find the right
accommodations.
Rent
a Snowmobile
If you do not own a snowmobile you can rent one at theses locations.
Local
Lodging
When in the southern Catskills, stay for a little while. The area is absolutely
incredible.
Weather and Trail Info.
Know before you go. The weather can change in a very short time. Learn weather
terminology.
Gear
and Accessories
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makes the entire day on and off the snowmobile.
Manufacturers
and Dealers
Who makes snowmobiles and where you can buy them. Also advise on how to buy used
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Contact Information
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we have. Our goal is to make your ride the safest possible.
Snowmobile
Publications and Local News Articles
Snowmobile Publications and past newspaper articles from local papers regarding snowmobile activities and
accidents.
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*LOCAL NEWS*
ATVs may get more access to public land
By Ariel Zangla, Freeman staff 03/20/2005
THE STATE Department of Environmental Conservation is seeking comments on proposed guidelines for allowing all-terrain vehicles on public land.
"What the policy is intended to do is set up a series of criteria and requirements that DEC will use when assessing the appropriateness of ATV access on DEC lands," Michael Fraser, a spokesman for the state agency, said on Friday. He said there currently is limited access for the vehicles on state land.
The final policy will set criteria for land managers to use in determining where the vehicles would be appropriate, Fraser said.
Fraser said there are some specific roads available for access by people with disabilities in the state's forest preserves, but generally, no roads are open to all-terrain vehicles.
According to a news release from the Department of Environmental Conservation, the proposed policy would ensure all-terrain vehicle access to state land conforms with the state Vehicle and Traffic Law, the Environmental Conservation Law, agency rules and regulations and the Adirondack and Catskill state land master plans; would not facilitate trespassing on private land; and would not cause environmental degradation.
State Assemblyman Daniel Hooker said he had not seen the proposed policy as of Friday but was pleased the state agency is seeking comments from the public. He said he has sent several letters to the state environmental conservation commissioner regarding access to public land and always has favored increased access by all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and bicycles.
"Personally, I support the use of ATVs on public lands and would like to see access increased," said Hooker, R-Saugerties. He added, however, that the final policy probably will be more restrictive than he would like because there seems to be a trend at the Department of Environmental Conservation to restrict access to anyone but pedestrians.
Duncan Davie, chief of staff for state Sen. James Seward, said the senator had not finished reviewing the proposed policy as of Friday afternoon.
"At first blush, it appears to be a fairly restrictive proposal," Davie said. "However, we've just received a copy of it and the senator is reviewing it in more detail."
Davie said Seward, R-Milford, believes there should be trails established in the state for all-terrain vehicle use just as there are for snowmobiles. Seward is one of the sponsors of a bill to establish a trail fund from all-terrain vehicle registration fees, which, in turn, would be used to create trail space for recreational vehicles across the state.
State Sen. John Bonacic said that while the state has scheduled public meetings on the proposed policy in nine parts of the state, the Catskills region was excluded. He said the policy will affect residents of the Catskills region and they should be given a chance to comment at a local hearing.
"I will work to ensure that the residents of our region are given the opportunity to comment on and help shape the state's ATV policy, as it will have a tremendous impact on this area," Bonacic, R-Mount Hope, said in a prepared statement.
Written comments on the proposed policy will be accepted until May 27. Copies of the proposal are available on the Department of Environmental Conservation's Web site, www.dec.state.ny.us, or by writing to Robert Davies, director of the Department of Environmental Conservation's Division of Lands and Forests, 625 Broadway, Albany, N.Y. 12233.
Columbia man dies in snowmobile crash
The Daily Freeman
March 02, 2003LIVINGSTON - A 49-year-old Hudson man was pronounced dead at the scene of a snowmobile accident in Livingston Friday night, according to Columbia County Sheriff Walter Shook.
Floyd Hodges had been traveling northwest on a trail between U.S. Route 9 and county Route 21 at about 9:08 p.m. when he went over a knoll to go across a trail that connects two fields between two irrigation ponds, Shook said. As Hodges came over the knoll, he apparently slipped off the ice-packed trail and crashed head-on into a large tree, Shook said.
Deputy Donald Krapf had been on patrol in Livingston when he was flagged down by snowmobiler Perry Snyder of Livingston, according to Shook. He said Snyder told Krapf that his friend had crashed his snowmobile into a tree off Sparrowbush Road. The deputy followed Snyder along Sparrowbush Road as far as he could and was then taken to the scene on Snyder's snowmobile, Shook said.
Shook said paramedics of the Southern Columbia Ambulance Squad pronounced Hodges dead at the scene. He had been wearing a helmet, Shook added. The investigation is continuing and an autopsy will be scheduled, he said.
Snowmobiling
Showdown
By Paul
Brooks Times Herald Record pbrooks@th-record.com February
15, 2003
Gardiner –
Almost two years ago, Mary Ann and Bob Jagger built their log home in Gardiner for the
spectacular view of the Shawangunk Ridge. Then the snow started falling
this winter, and, unlike past winters, there was lots of it. The white stuff blanketed
things like the nearby orchards and woods, and laid bare others – like how close
their four acres are to the alluring path atop the New York City Aqueduct just across
Route 208, and that their private driveway is a public speedway to some snowmobilers. When
roaring snowmobiles began to churn past their door at high speeds, the retired Newburgh
elementary school teacher and her 63-year-old husband fought back. The couple posted
"No Trespassing" signs. They strung yellow tape with the word
"caution" in big letters. In return, snowmobilers flung obscene gestures and
taunts at them and sped off, the Jaggers said.
The couple didn't quit. They mounted a panel of bright orange plastic snow fence across
their road on weekends, when the snow warriors come out in force, and hoped for quiet.
About 4:30 p.m. Feb. 9, Bob Jagger heard a snowmobile come down the road and get stuck in
the woods across the driveway. Jagger went outside and told the snowmobiler he was on
private property. As Jagger stood there, three more snowmobilers rode up. One, Pat
Moroney, 44, said that he had been riding that trail with his snowmobile for years, Jagger
said.
Moroney, who works at his family business, Moroney's Cycle Shop in New Windsor, got off
his machine, Bob Jagger told police. Moroney picked up the snow fence and let the two with
him drive through, Jagger told police. Then, Mary Ann Jagger said, "he threw
the fence at me. He was swearing and threatening the two of us out there." Moroney
went to help the snowmobiler stuck in the woods. When he did, Bob Jagger grabbed the key
from the snowmobile, and they ran into the house and locked the door. His wife called the
State Police. "He didn't figure on two foxy old fools," Mary Ann Jagger
said. Moroney got angry, the Jaggers said; he yelled and pounded on the door and
windows demanding his snowmobile key back. No deal. Instead, the couple waited for the
State Police. State Trooper Eric Niclaus arrived about 25 minutes later, handcuffed
Moroney and arrested him on two misdemeanor charges, including trespass, the Jaggers said.
Moroney did not return calls for comment.
Snowmobiling
has seen explosive growth in popularity in recent years. While many ride safely and
legally, there have been accidents. Two Hudson Valley residents have been killed in
snowmobile accidents already this year.
The Jaggers are not the only private landowners dealing with errant snowmobilers. Police
have been busy with more complaints. Mike Boylan of Wright Farms said he has similar
problems on the property, which borders Jaggers. "I hear all kinds of excuses. 'I am
not riding on your land. I am riding on the snow.' ... There are no such things as
trails," Boylan said. "It's called private property." The frustrating thing
is many of these snowmobilers are not teen-agers. "These machines cost $6,000 to
$10,000 a machine. These are adults. They are arrogant and disrespectful. They just blow
you off," Boylan said.
People like that are the "outcasts" of the snowmobiler community, according to Frank Faluotico. He is Ulster and Greene countys' snowmobile safety coordinator at the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He also teaches snowmobile safety privately. "It's unfortunate. Some people do violate the law and make the rest of us look bad," Faluotico said. "One thing we preach is ... asking the property owner 'Can we ride here?' " The Jaggers said they don't want confrontations. "Can we stop them? Probably not," Mrs. Jagger said. "But we have to do what is right with catching them and turning them in. We have to try to stop it."
Patrolling MORE than roads
OUTDOORS: The Marine and Off-Road Enforcement team assists DEC sector officers and local police departments in keeping the off-road peace throughout the region.
By Keith Goldberg Times Herald-Record kgoldberg@th-record.com February 04, 2003
Bill Nelson and Dave DeGroat have just brought their snowmobiles to a halt outside the entrance to Stewart State Forest when they see two state Department of Environmental Conservation police officers, themselves perched on gray snowmobiles. The officers walk over to the two men, asking to see their registration and insurance papers. Nelson, of Coldenham, checks out fine. But DeGroat, a Warwick resident who just purchased his ride the previous day, doesn't have his insurance card on him. He said his temporary card hadn't arrived. Still, officer N.J. Watt writes DeGroat a ticket. "We're very strict," Watt said afterward. "This is a zero-tolerance area. It's got to be that way, and snowmobilers appreciate that." Go to any waterway or off-road trail in the Hudson Valley, and chances are you'll run into Watt and his partner, John Helmeyer, at some point. The two officers make up the Region 3 - Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Rockland and Westchester counties - branch of the DEC's Marine and Off-Road Enforcement (MORE) team. They're specialists, assisting DEC sector officers and local police departments in keeping the off-road peace throughout the region. Much of their work is done on state-owned and other public lands, but Watt and Helmeyer also do a fair amount with private landowners, such as responding to nuisance and trespassing calls. The DEC initiated the program in 1999. Watt said a big reason was the state couldn't afford to outfit all the sector officers with the equipment - for example, snowmobiles - to patrol off-road areas. Both men petitioned heavily for the post. After all, who wouldn't want to have a job that requires them to be on a snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle or boat? "This is the kind of stuff I like to do on my own time," said Helmeyer, an officer since 1996. "And when you get off the beaten track, you can run into some crazy stuff." The rise of off-road vehicle use in the state makes a specialized patrol necessary. For example, there are about 150,000 snowmobiles registered in New York, almost three times as many as in 1990. There are MORE teams in every region of the state except New York City and Long Island. Since Watt and Helmeyer are closest to those areas, they address any issues down there. For example, Watt and Helmeyer were part of the marine security detail when President Bush visited New York City just after the Sept. 11 attacks. "It's a great opportunity, it always keeps things interesting," said Watt, a 15-year DEC veteran. "You don't just work one county, and it beats driving around in a cruiser." Much of the team's duties consist of checking registrations and insurance. But Watt and Helmeyer also are equipped to give field-sobriety tests and can issue tickets for reckless operation of a boat or off-road vehicle. Helmeyer and Watt said people have gotten used to seeing them, even pulling out their paperwork before the officers reach them. "We've gone to a lot of places where we've issued a lot of tickets, then when we go back, pretty much everyone is legal," Helmeyer said. Nelson makes sure he is legal when he goes out on his snowmobile, especially in Stewart, basically his backyard. The future of snowmobiling in the forest is up in the air, and Nelson knows his fellow snowmobilers need to be on their best behavior if they want it to remain open. "It's good that they're out checking," Nelson said. "When people know they're here, they slow down. You haven't got people blasting down" all over the place.
Saugerties man dies in upstate snowmobile crash
By Ariel Zangla- The Daily Freeman Jan 19, 2003
MAYFIELD - A Saugerties man died early Saturday after the snowmobile he was driving crashed on the frozen Sacandaga Reservoir in Fulton County, according to state police.Keith W. Richards Jr., 24, was riding on the reservoir with friends about 400 feet off the shore in Mayfield, state police said. Mayfield is about 38 miles northwest of Albany.
Police said Richards struck an ice ledge about 2:30 a.m., causing the snowmobile to overturn and eject him. He was taken by ambulance to Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville, where he was pronounced dead at 3:04 a.m., police said. They withheld declaring a cause until an autopsy could be performed.
Richards, who had gone upstate with friends for the weekend, was alone on the snowmobile and wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, police said.
Storm claims life of local man
Reprinted from the Daily Freeman 12-27-2002
By Hallie Arnold and Fred Johnsen, Freeman staff
PLOWS cleared local roads, utility crews restored power to thousands of blacked-out residents and police reported a snowmobiling fatality on Thursday in the wake of the Christmas Day Nor'easter that dumped nearly 2 feet of snow on parts of the Hudson Valley. Killed Wednesday night was Matthew John Kothe, 29, of state Route 28A, West Hurley, when his snowmobile struck a fallen tree on Hurley Mountain Road in Marbletown, according to state police at the town of Ulster barracks. Troopers said Kothe was southbound about 8:30 p.m. when his 1998 Arctic Cat struck the tree, which was lying across both lanes of the road. Kothe, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from the snowmobile and landed on the road, police said. He was found by another snowmobiler and was taken by the Marbletown Rescue Squad to Kingston Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death had not been determined late Thursday, police said.
S'no dice, snowmobilers told
Reprinted from the Times Herald Record February 14,2003
It seems the
Oswego County Sheriff's Department foiled Chester resident and snowmobile guru Michale
Lacatena's attempt to break the world record for the continuous line of snowmobiles.
Lacatena, who runs www.absolutesnowmobile.com, hoped that more than 1,000
snowmobiles would converge on an upstate reservoir tomorrow to make snowmobile history.
The previous record - held by a Canadian group – was 286.
Despite the fanfare, the local sheriff's department balked when it came
to issuing a permit, fearing its resources would be overwhelmed. In the meantime, the
event has been postponed. "I'm already working on the new location March
1," Lacatena said. "It's going to happen this season."
Cops ID man killed in snowmobile crash
Reprinted from the Times Herald Record February 11, 2003
Greenwood Lake- A
man killed in a snowmobile accident on frozen Greenwood Lake Saturday was identified by
police as Roger Gillis, 41, of Oakland, N.J. Police said Gillis was snowmobiling on the
frozen lake with a group of friends when he hit an ice heave – an area of cracked,
buckled ice on the lake's surface. Gillis lost control of his snowmobile and was ejected,
police said.
Results of an autopsy and toxicology tests are pending. Police said
Gillis was wearing a helmet and other safety equipment at the time of the accident.
SNOWMOBILE CLUBS MEETING and Joining Forces to Establish a New Trail System in Ulster, Greene and Delaware Counties.
The Tawaeri Taqui Trailblazers and the former of a new club, the Catskill Mountain Snowmobile Club, held a meeting on 04-08-2002 at Zachary's in Rosendale. The meeting was attended by law enforcement, the safety coordinator and members of the clubs to discuss a new joint effort to bring snowmobiling to the Catskills. Environmental concern issues and potential trail locations were discussed. A lot of work lies ahead to make this a reality though. Getting a network of property owners to allow snowmobilers to access their property can be a major stumble because land owners believe they can not afford the liability. The clubs want to educate land owners that the liability issue is minimal at best because of provisions in law for this type of organized transportation. Liability lies more with the snowmobiler then anyone else. Insurance is required by law for all operators of snowmobile on any open trail system.
A GPS coordinated map will be developed and submitted to New York State for their approval and consideration. The proposed trails will avoid the forever wild forest zones and will use stateland where allowed. There are already restaurants, gas stations, motels and ongoing safety training in the area of the proposed trails.Anyone looking to assist in the efforts can contact Tony Eisenbeil at (845)-688-5557
New Safety Coordinator for Columbia & Dutchess Counties
New Safety Coordinator for Dutchess and Columbia Counties is now Charles Locke. It is nice to have Chuck onboard. I have worked with him and he is truly an asset to the safety program and the sport of snowmobiling. Chuck is a Detective with Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and shares his law enforcement and snowmobiling experience with his students to make snowmobiling a safer sport.
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