New guidelines for Sudbury snowmobile trail permit holders in 2021

Trail permit sales are up this year and there are new guidelines in place to keep riders safe.

Joel Brosseau,president of the Sudbury Trail Plan Association,says the increase was expected; so far sales are up 13 percentcompared to last year.

"Wesort of anticipated this with the possibility that snowbirds wouldn't be traveling south. And, you know, people need things to do in the wintertime, and there aren't a whole lot of things to do at this point with the current situation we're in."

He says thepandemic is, of course, being factored into the upcoming season and there will be additional health information provided to permit-holders. Riders are encouraged to stay within their districts and can access information on where it is safe to travel on the Sudbury Trail Plan's Facebook page.

"So what we're going to do is encourage riders to stay where there are fewer cases of COVID," said Brosseau. "And try to make sure there are regional trails to ride everywhere that we can." He says the group is also adding information about local public health units to their maps.

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With winter coming up fast, outdoor sports outfitters are doing record business as more people are looking for more outdoor activities to avoid being cooped up indoors because of COVID-19 restrictions.

He says riders also need to be prepared in case there are fewer amenities available.

"Plan ahead. Bring extra fuel and food and things of that nature just in case there are fewergas stations and restaurants available."

He says Sudbury Trail Plan also prepared their volunteers to be safe while grooming the trails. "We're encouraging volunteers to clean their tools often and not to share them. Obviously, masks, gloves, that sort of thing. We really hope that everyone is safe in preparing for their travels this winter."

Brosseau says itappears all segments of the powersports industry are seeing growth this year, as people tryto find things to do outside. "And we're very thankful for that."

The snowmobile season typically begins in January in the Sudbury area.