That's a lot even for the belt in a few days. Sled freaks around here have been heading up that way due to lack of s!&w here.
I'm 30 miles south of Redfield and I can vouch for the sled freaks coming in. One out of every 3 vehicles is a truck pulling a sled trailer. Many from out of state.
This weekend is "free snowmobile" weekend in ny. Where a NY registration is not required, just a valid out of state registration and insurance.... Lots of idiots out. Jersey and massholes are the worst. Even Friday morning was busy, I got my weeks ride in done before noon when the lazy(can't get ours bed early) dangerous people start showing up.
IMO NYS and the DEC really shot themselves in the foot on the club membership and registration deal. There are 7 trails that intersect my place at a major swamp crossing that get the sleds in and out of NY/PA. 10-12 years ago it was nothing to see 3-5000 sleds go by here on a weekend ,,sometimes in groups up to 50 . Now your lucky to see a few hundred all weekend. Imagine all the sales fuel and bed tax lost from that many people invading a couple counties for up to 10-12 weekends a year. My cousin was a county legislature years ago and fought the registration increase legislation as a moneymaker on the grounds of all the fuel tax $ they made and the sleds used zero of our road infrastructure . It's sad how NY stoops to pick up a dime and pass a dollar.
I saw this about the snow on the local news last night. I'm very glad we are not having to move all that snow. Winter is late again this year. I wonder if spring will be late again as well.
Sometimes other states also do dumb things. It used to be okay to ride sleds on the shoulders of roads but then back in the 70's the state decided that was not a good thing. Well, it was in the northern counties. I remember when the city fathers of Gaylord fooled the state though. The state said no riding on streets or highways unless there was a winter carnival. So, Gaylord officially made their winter carnival to last from November 15 until April 15.
State cops and DEC will set up DWI/Registration checks right at that bridge crossing many weekends all day long . It's bullchit if ya ask me. They know it's a bottle neck 1/2 mile from the state line with a dozen waterholes within 10 miles.
I think several things are to be considered when talking sled volume, but regulations are never a good thing, upstate ny shouldn't have to rely on any sort of tourism. It's a falacy that out of staters support small local business anyway only 10-15 percent of sleds registered in ny are from out of state. Now there is the money making machine! They aren't stoping anyone from riding drunk unregistered etc. They are tax collectors.
