AbsoluteSnowmobile introduction to snowmobile trail grooming equipment and guide

         GUIDELINES FOR SNOWMOBILE TRAIL
           GROOMER OPERATOR TRAINING

A Resource Guide for Trail Grooming Managers and Equipment Operators:

Chapter 3 - Managing Grooming Operations
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Establishing Grooming Priorities:
Snowmobilers would like to see every trail groomed tabletop smooth every day of the week. However grooming resources, in terms of available equipment and existing budget, are usually limited, so choices have to be made as to what the grooming priorities are.

Grooming schedules should be developed that divide trail systems into manageable sections based upon what the budget and volunteer or labor resources will allow. Once priorities that consider traffic patterns have been determined for each trail section, a weekly schedule can be created by assigning grooming equipment and operators should Keep in mind that, while schedules are great for planning how to use resources, weather and changes in traffic patterns can upset the best laid plans.

The Grooming Manager must stay engaged and flexible to ensure grooming is directed toward the highest priorities if conditions change.

Factors to Consider:
A number of factors should be considered when determining priorities and schedules:

• Where is the “base of operations” for the grooming
program located? Is it central to the trail system or is
it located at one end of it? How many
miles/kilometers of trail must be groomed?

• What is the normal use pattern on the trail system?
Is the snowmobile traffic normally heavy only on
weekends or is traffic heavy every day of the week?
Is there typically heavy night riding or are
snowmobilers generally off the trail by dark? How
early in the morning do riders normally get on the
trail?

• Are there lodges, motels, hotels, or other businesses
located on the trail that contribute large numbers of
riders on a daily or regular basis? Are there
attractions on the trail system that draw more traffic
than other parts of the trail system? Are there
trailheads or parking areas that regularly draw more
use than others on the trail system?

• How many groomers are available for the trail
system? If there are two or more available in the
area, can they be staged in different locations or
must they all operate from the same base? How
many miles/kilometers of trail can each unit
effectively groom each day/night when considering
the set up time required to avoid heavy snowmobile
traffic, average grooming speed, and normal weather
patterns and temperatures?

• How many weeks will there be enough snow and
traffic to justify the expense of grooming operations in
the area? Should the trails receive more grooming
during some weeks (middle of the season or around
holidays, for instance) than others?

• What is the cost to groom a mile/kilometer of trail
one time (fuel, maintenance, repairs, equipment
depreciation, and labor as applicable)? How many
dollars are available to fund these costs for the
season? Will all labor be “paid” labor or will there be
volunteer labor to supplement operating costs? If
there is volunteer labor, how many hours per week
will be dependably and consistently available? How
many total miles/kilometers of grooming effort will
this fund each week?

The answers to these questions all contribute to establishing priorities and setting grooming schedules that will be as effective as possible to address grooming needs.

If areas have traffic levels that are generally low, with little night riding and low weekday traffic, there is typically much flexibility as to when grooming efforts can be effective and few grooming repetitions per week will generally be required to have good trails.

If traffic levels are high everyday of the week, areas must look closely at scheduling factors to be as effective as possible with grooming expenditures. It is likely that 3 to 5 or even 7 repetitions per week may be needed to have good trails. And multiple groomers, staged at multiple locations, may be required since 40 to 60 miles (65 to 95 kilometers) is about the maximum a single unit can effectively groom per night without getting into times/traffic/temperatures that may not be productive for grooming.

While some high traffic areas choose to groom mid-day to keep moguls from getting too deep, such efforts should be secondary to regular grooming at night (also), or when there is less traffic, to provide proper time for trail set up since it will generally not occur mid-day with traffic.

Next Section - Operator Selection and Training

Glossary of Terms

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