Winter started late this year in Northern Wisconsin, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at snowmobile sales. Like other outdoor equipment, snowmobiles
The International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association attributes a 20% sales increase to the global pandemic.
The winter ride makes for a masked, socially distant and outdoor activity for people stuck at home. The big misconception about snowmobiling is you always have to travel, Rod s Ride On Powersports sales manager Weston Meyers said. It s parts of the country you typically don t see.
Meyers said new sleds are selling fast but used sleds sell faster. We ve got a couple used ones in and they only lasted here on the floor about a week, Meyers said. The biggest risks with snowmobiling are alcohol, speed and inexperience, Wisconsin DNR recreation warden Jake Holsclaw said. I can tell you unfortunately we have had some fatalities this year already.
Snowmobiles enjoy boom
A truck carries snowmobiles, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, in Rangeley, Maine. Americans desire to get outdoors during the pandemic despite the winter cold is creating a season unlike any in more than two decades for the snowmobiling industry. From Maine to Montana, it’s becoming difficult to find a new snowmobile for sale AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Snowmobile riders arrive in town, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, in Rangeley, Maine. The desire to get outside during the pandemic is creating the biggest boom in more than a decade for the snowmobiling industry. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A snowmobile rider checks for traffic before crossing a road on a trail near Rangeley Lake, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, in Rangeley, Maine. Warmer-than-usual temperatures and scant snowfall led to a slow start to the riding season in Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this June 26, 2020, file photo taken from video, provided by the Yes on Measure 110 Campaign, volunteers deliver boxes containing signed petitions in favor of the measure to the Oregon Secretary of State s office in Salem, Ore. The measure said the U.S., possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine, LSD and other hard drugs would be decriminalized in Oregon. Police in Oregon can no longer arrest someone for possession of small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine and other hard drugs as the ballot measure that decriminalized them took effect on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. (Yes on Measure 110 Campaign via AP, File)