GUIDELINES FOR SNOWMOBILE TRAIL
           GROOMER OPERATOR TRAINING


A Resource Guide for Trail Grooming Managers and Equipment Operators:


Chapter 1 - Introduction To Trail Grooming
      .
Trail Grooming Objective:

The overall objective of snowmobile trail grooming is to provide smooth trails that are suitable for all levels of rider experience.

This can mean many things:
Establishing a trail base at the beginning of the season, having to reestablish a trail after heavy snowfall and/or winds have obliterated it, or having to work a heavily moguled trail back into a smooth surface (also called “restoring” the trail).

Throughout the season, the key to successful trail grooming is for the groomer to build a solid base of snow “pavement” for snowmobiles and grooming equipment to operate upon.

The groomed trail base will be packed solid from the ground up while the snow off to the side of the trail will generally be soft and may be several feet deep. This means that both snowmobiles and the grooming equipment can become stuck should they venture off
the packed trail base in deep snow areas.

As a groomer operator, the trail is your friend – know where it is and stay on it! It is important to understand the minimum level “grooming frequency” or “grooming
standard” that is established for trails in an area. It is always driven by the available budget and results in priorities needing to be set.

As a result, it is likely that all trails in an area may not receive the same minimum level of weekly grooming repetitions.

Some areas categorize their trails as Level 1, 2, or 3. In this example,

  Level 1 or “Minimum” trails have no commitments for
             grooming.

  Level 2 or “Preferred” trails are fully “restored” at least
             once every 5 days.

  Level 3 or “Comprehensive” trails are fully restored at
             least once every 3 days. If categories like     
             these are used, it is important that,
 
     1) Equipment operators and snowmobilers in the 
         area understand the expectations.
     2) The grooming program and operators follow
         through with the expected commitment.


     
Photo 1.1 Trail grooming builds a solid, compacted base
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      Next Section - The Physics of Snow & Snow
                             Surface Preparation

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