ABOVE: Instructor Cade Lehr briefs a student before they take their safety and performance snowmobile test outside of Fairmont Elementary School in 2022. Submitted photo.

FAIRMONT – Blizzard Snowmobile Club (BSC) wishes the weather would match its namesake.

For the second straight year, the weather has not provided enough snow for the Blizzard Snowmobile Club to maintain and groom the 141 miles of trails it oversees. Club Treasurer Isaac Wallace said several steps go into grooming snowmobile trails.

“Going out and putting in all the signposts,” he said. “Little orange diamonds and stop signs, and all those signs along the trail to market so we know where they can and cannot ride. We have some bridges that we maintain, our waterways. We go out through trees and stuff to open up that area.”

This is not only a bummer for the 40 families involved in club activities but also causes struggles for the club itself. While the $40 a month membership fees help, the club’s main sources of funding rely on good winters.

“A lot of our funding comes from snowmobile registrations, which is a big issue we’re facing right now because last year it was brown and nobody registered their snowmobiles,” Wallace said. “There’s less money in the account to be distributed to fund all the clubs across the state.”

The weather has not stopped BSC from offering kids a snowmobile safety course through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Wallace said temporary modifications can be made if there’s not enough snow on the ground.

“We bought wheel kits,” he said. “We strapped some wheels on the skis, set up the course, and then we can still have the riding course whether we have snow or not.”

Around 15-30 kids take the training class every year to obtain their safety certificate, which you need to ride a snowmobile if you were born after Dec. 31, 1976.

Introducing youth to snowmobiling is a critical focus for the group, also offering snowmobile rides to the less fortunate every year through Kinship of Martin County. Like many clubs across the state and nation, BSC is dealing with members aging out and a lack of youthful infusion.

“A lot of our members are getting into their 60s now,” Wallace said. “They’re approaching retirement age. We need some young blood, fresh ideas. Otherwise, our local club will not exist. That’s the big thing right now, we need the younger generation to step up and become involved in the clubs locally.”

This year the snowmobile safety course is being offered Jan. 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration closes Jan. 1. To sign up or get more information, visit https://www.fairmont.k12.mn.us/o/cer or call 507-235-3141. An online course must be completed before attending the safety course, which Wallace said takes six to eight hours.