60 Years of Snow Goer
AN INVITATION TO SNOWMOBILING
BY MARISA MCINTURFF
In the mid-1990s, Snow Goer wasn’ t content simply preaching to the converted. At a time when snowmobiling was experiencing a resurgence, the magazine took a different approach to growing the sport. Through an effort called Invitation to Snowmobiling, Snow Goer sought out people who weren’ t snowmobilers( yet) but lived in places where the sport was already part of the community.
The idea was remarkably simple: Find neighborhoods with a high concentration of snowmobilers, identify the households that weren’ t participating, and introduce those potential riders to the sport.
Snow Goer would send specially produced mini-publications to those non-riding households, essentially extending an invitation to discover what their neighbors already knew. Instead of waiting for someone to wander into a dealership or pick up a copy of Snow Goer, the campaign brought information about snowmobiling directly to their mailbox.
It was a distinctly pre-internet approach to growing a recreational activity, but the thinking behind it remains relevant. Snowmobiling has always depended on bringing new people into the sport. A person doesn’ t necessarily wake up one morning and decide they want to ride a snowmobile. More often, there’ s a neighbor with a sled in the garage, a friend who keeps talking about last weekend’ s ride, or someone spots a group of snowmobiles heading down the road and wonders what it’ s all about. Curiosity comes first, followed by an opportunity to discover what the sport really is. Invitation to Snowmobiling tried to capitalize on that natural curiosity.
The campaign also reflected something important about Snow Goer at the time. The magazine wasn’ t merely covering snowmobiling; it saw itself as having a stake in the future of the sport. That meant encouraging participation and helping introduce new people to an activity that depended on a large, healthy community of riders.
More importantly, it captured an attitude that has always been valuable to the sport: Don’ t assume everyone already knows why snowmobiling is worth the effort. Invite them in.
The approach may seem quaint today, when a person can watch a snowmobile video, research a new sled, join a Facebook group, and find a trail map without leaving the couch. But there was something wonderfully direct about putting a publication in someone’ s hands and saying, in effect,“ here’ s something your neighbors are enjoying; maybe you’ d like it, too?” That was Snow Goer’ s invitation.
Anyone else remember the blizzard of’ 93?
48 NOVEMBER 2026 | SNOWGOER. COM