ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 3, 1997 TAG: 9703040003
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
The winter of 1996-97 has not been kind to the people who have a couple of $5,000-plus snowmobiles parked in their garage. Rare this season in Virginia has been the steady fall of wispy snowflakes, and when it has occurred it has been of brief duration.
Even the high country of Pocahontas County, W.Va., a favorite riding spot of Virginia Snowmobile Association members, has been dry or balmy - either way, a disappointment.
But snowmobilers are tough and hardy, and they don't let the weather spoil their fun. They hitch their machines behind a four-wheel drive and find snow.
``The most riding that is getting done is being done either at Tug Hill or Old Forge in New York,'' said Mac Grisso of Roanoke County, the president of the 65-member Virginia association. These are commercial riding facilities that get well over 100 inches of snow annually.
Snowmobile owners in Virginia willing to trailer their machines aren't at a huge disadvantage, said Christine Jourdain, executive director of the American Council of Snowmobile Associations.
``The average rider rides 1,000 miles a year,'' said Jourdain, who works out of Michigan. ``If you go two or three weekends, you can chalk up that 1,000 miles. That probably is not a whole lot less than for people who ride right out their back door.''
The Virginia association is one of 27 across the country, and the southernmost, said Jourdain, who is scheduled to meet with state members near Appomattox on Monday. The Virginia group is composed of clubs from Roanoke and Richmond.
Snowmobiling is enjoying a resurgence in Virginia, as well as across North America. Sales of snowmobiles are rebounding after plunging from 342,000 new units in 1971 to 49,000 in 1983. They climbed to 168,509 last year, which represented $900 million in sales, according to industry figures.
The lean years were attributed to the high cost of machines and noise complaints, which often turned other outdoorsmen against snowmobilers.
``The old machines were noisy and rattly,'' Grisso said. ``Now, if you were sitting in your den watching TV and one went by, you would hardly know it.''
Club members in Virginia have worked hard to shed the renegade image by stressing safety, by riding sensibly and by participating in a variety of community service efforts that include search and rescue, Grisso said. The result has been opportunities to ride terrain that once was off limits.
``We are authorized to ride a 17-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway from the top of Bent Mountain to [U.S.] 220 near Hunting Hills. That is a super, super ride when when have snow. It took about seven years to get'' permission.
More recently, club members fought for - and won - the right to ride on the U.S. Forest Service Highland Scenic Highway in Pocahontas County, W.Va.
``We are getting known a little bit,'' Grisso said.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 linesby CNB