It was Christmas morning , 2011 . As my parents woke me up , the smell of pancakes , syrup and candles filled the air as excitement raced in my heart . Four-year-old me ran down the stairs to see all the neatly laid-out gifts under the nicely decorated tree that stood next to the fireplace .

One gift stood out from the rest . It was large – so large , in fact , that it was wrapped oddly . It looked like a blanket of three different wrapping paper variants was thrown over it . I was told I had to wait to open that one last .

As I was tearing open all my other gifts , speculation over what it was invaded my mind . Eventually , the anticipation came to an end when I unwrapped it . Under the weird packaging sat a ZR120 Arctic Cat . I was so excited ! Over the following winters , little me had as much fun as a kid could have riding that wonderful youth sled .

Six years later , on the Christmas of 2017 , I woke up to similar smells and excitement . Yet another oddly wrapped present was under that same tree , and I purposefully saved that one until last .

This time , it was the tiniest present . Eventually , I tore off that wrapping and unveiled a single key . Then my father told me to look in the garage where I saw a 1983 Yamaha Enticer 300 twin just for me – all original in its dark blue and silver glory .

Fortunately , there was snow on the ground that day , so I was able to take it on a maiden voyage across the yard .

It was at about the same time that I started to get involved with the local snowmobile club by helping put in the signs for our local trails during the fall for the upcoming winter seasons . Then , not too long later , I started riding the local trails , which consist mostly of corn fields and some private property that was leased to the club .

Fast forward to early March of 2023 , when I did my first sled trip with my father . We were staying in Paradise , Michigan . As we trailered up there , I very much remember my father hounding me to stay to the right of sign of the trail ( don ’ t worry , I did ) and stressing other rules . We finally came to the Mackinac Bridge , which definitely got me even more stoked for riding while I gazed upon all the blue ice that formed on the massive structure in the prior weeks .

The next morning , we embarked from Paradise on our sleds to head to Pine Stump Junction north of Newberry . This time , I was riding my father ’ s 2007 Polaris IQ Dragon , a sled he won in a Polaris contest 16 years earlier .

The trails were in good condition , even though it was a little above freezing and sunny . I was absolutely loving the experience and taking in every single second that passed while riding the hard-packed trails that featured hills , bends and straits all through a mostly wooded landscape of cedar and pine .

We then came to an unmaintained trail , which of course featured huge moguls the entire way . It led to Crisp Point Lighthouse , an area that offered a beautiful view of Lake Superior . The big lake seemed so endless and was filled with gigantic ice caps as big as houses .

We then went back down the trail and rode to our lunch stop at Pine Stump . It was such a cool place . I enjoyed watching all of the sleds come and go for gas and food . There was even a Sherp outside , which is a monstrous , amphibious , tank-like , rugged vehicle built in Ukraine .

After lunch , we hopped back onto our machines and headed to the cabin . Afterward , I had the opportunity to ride in a trail groomer going from Paradise out to Tahquamenon Falls . It was a very different experience , yet a very fun one at that !

I remember one moment when we came up a hill in the groomer and two snowmobiles flew around the corner . In shock , the riders turned the machines onto the run-off to let us by . At that moment , not only did my heart drop , but it reinforced all of the safety knowledge that had been passed down and ingrained into me . It gave

IT ' S YOUR TURN

BY COLLIN PAWLOSKI

me a different perspective of the trails and trail safety .

After my trail groomer ride , we headed back to the cabin for a good night ’ s rest , which concluded the trip .

So why did I write all of this ? Well , I vividly remember looking around , talking to so many wonderful people , and thinking to myself : “ This could all be gone one day .”

While new snowmobile sales have been relatively steady since 2011 , they are way down from the 1990s . However , the demographic of the sport is aging . Trespassing and lack of people in clubs threaten this sport . We also cannot forget the communities that survive and thrive off this form of winter tourism for their economies . Losing all of this could potentially become a very unfortunate reality and is especially upsetting to people like me , who are young and passionate about snowmobiles and who want to ride forever .

Unless we , as a community , can stand up and do something , this might one day all be gone . So go join a club , become active , get your kids involved ( if you have any ) and ride to the ends of the earth twice over . Let ’ s keep this amazing sport that we all love alive !

Author Collin Pawloski , 16 , is a high school student and avid snowmobiler from Angola , Indiana .

NOVEMBER 2024 / SNOWGOER . COM / 11