Snowmobiling season off to strong start

Kathy Reedy, who has been riding every weekend this month in the mountains around Sumpter, called it a “great start.”

At higher elevations, including the Cable Cove area north of Sumpter where ridges rise above 7,000 feet, the snow is four to five feet deep, Reedy said.

And even at lower elevations, such as the Sawmill Gulch area just south of Sumpter, riding conditions have been good, Reedy said. Mike Bogart, president of the Sumpter Valley Snowmobilers, said the club hasn’t started grooming trails, but he anticipates that will start in early January.

Sumpter is the hub for a network of about 350 miles of groomed trails.

And that’s only one area.

Across Northeastern Oregon, several volunteer clubs, ranging from Grant County to Wallowa County, maintain well over 1,500 miles of trails, many of which access off-trail riding areas.

Ryan Hensley, president of the La Grande Sno-Drifters, said he’s been grooming trails regularly since early December.

The club handles almost 500 miles of trails, including the Anthony Lakes, Catherine Creek/Eagle Creek, Mount Emily and Spring Creek areas.

Hensley said snow depths are a bit low in some places, an exception being in the West Eagle area east of Catherine Creek Summit, where the snow was about 4 feet deep in mid-December.

Ric Schoorl is president of the Burnt River Snowmobile Club in southern Baker County.

Schoorl said the club is waiting for another couple of storms before starting widespread grooming.

“We don’t have quite the snowpack we need,” he said.

The Burnt River club’s groomer is based at Blue Mountain Summit, along Highway 26 between Unity and Austin Junction. The club grooms about 300 miles of trails fanning out from that base. Schoorl said the prime snowmobiling season typically starts in January, as people finish up the holidays and look to spend time outdoors.

The early snow whetted riders’ appetites, and subsequent storms in December have brought an influx of sledders to parts of Wallowa County, said Dustin James, president of the Wallowa County Gamblers snowmobile club.

“We’ve had a great headstart on the snowpack,” James said on Thursday morning, Dec. 22. “Usually people aren’t out until Christmas break. The season’s in full swing.”

James said the Gamblers club, which is responsible for grooming about 175 miles of designated trails, has been focusing recently on about 60 miles of main trails branching out from Wallowa County’s winter sports hub at Salt Creek Summit snow park southeast of Joseph.

James said groomers likely will get to other trails, including in the Hells Canyon area, during the final week of the year.

Grooming some of the prime routes has been a bit of a challenge this month due to snowslides that blocked some trails, James said.

He said riding conditions have also been good in the southern Wallowas, the area overseen by the Panhandle snowmobile club in Halfway.

The Wallowa County Gamblers, in addition to grooming trails, also maintains four warming huts stocked with firewood — one at Salt Creek Summit, the Salt Creek cabin about a mile away, the Coverdale Guard Station on the upper Imnaha, which is open to club members, and the Clear Creek cabin on the Halfway side of the divide.

State association

Local clubs are among the 25 members of the Oregon State Snowmobile Association (OSSA), based in Bend.

The association’s website — oregonsnow.org — has a variety of information about clubs and events, as well as tips for buying snowmobiles.

There are multiple types of sleds, including models powered by 2- and 4-stroke engines, as well as a range of track length that help determine whether a machine is better suited for deep powder in off trail situations or for gliding along groomed trails on more moderate terrain.

Riders who have a valid driver’s license can operate a snowmobile. But if you don’t have a license — children too young to drive a car, for instance — you’ll need a snowmobile operators permit, which requires taking a class sponsored by a local club or the OSSA.

State convention coming to La Grande

The OSSA has scheduled its annual state convention for Feb. 7-11 in La Grande.

The event will include guided rides, for beginning and advanced sledders, in several places around Northeastern Oregon.

Registration and other information is available at https://www.oregonsnow.org/2023-ossa-convention-la-grande-oregon/

The OSSA website also has links to clubs around the region, several of which have special events such as poker runs.