By Motorhead Mark Lester

By the end of the 2009 snowmobile season, the worldwide economic meltdown had pretty much played havoc with the economies of both the US and Canada. To say the motorcycle, ATV and marine businesses had a tough start this year is just not true. These recreational products had a terrible start.

So what’s the good news? This past April the snowmobile business finished off the 2009 sales season with impressive results. While sales were not up, they were down only incrementally. In comparison to other segments in the Powersports business, the snowmobile business looked heroic.

This is doubly interesting when you realize the sno-mo-biz was the darling of the powersport business up until the late 1990s. By the turn of this decade, ATVs had overtaken snowmobiles lofty position and had continued to enjoy incredible success and growth. Here we are a decade later and the big wheel’s gone around full circle.

However, let’s be careful before we dislocate our shoulders patting ourselves on the back. The entire retail marketplace has been under serious stress for over a year now and we need to recognize the problems dealers face with unsold motorcycles, ATVs and marine products. Stacked inventories of motorcycles, ATVs and boats are a huge burden at the dealer level.

Some are stretched financially and can’t afford to order more product because of limited credit. Other dealers are so cautious about the market they’re ordering light. We still need to recognize, even though sales of new sleds last year were remarkably strong in the poorest economy in over 30 years, the health of OEM dealer networks is foundational to a good snow sales season.

Last season’s strong sales of new snowmobiles graphically underscores the secret to this industry’s health. It’s our demographics. The motorcycle and ATV business are dominated by a younger age group and our research shows readers of our sister publication, All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine tend to be younger than readers of Supertrax.

Simply put, younger people were hit harder by the recession than readers in their forties and up. A higher percentage of snowmobilers have not lost their jobs, suffered from the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US or lost their ability to borrow. This year there are more snowmobile customers with the ability to buy a new sled than there are motorcycle or ATV customers.

As magazine publishers, we’ve been around long enough to know the industry’s strengths and clearly, as we emerge from this current economic downturn, history appears to be repeating itself proving again the snowmobile marketplace is a solid place to do business.

The critical piece to this puzzle is weather. Again, we’ve seen this reality before – and we will see it again as the weather does what it does, despite “experts” claiming we’re heating up. By the way, we’re not heating up! Over 2500 accredited scientists around the world – and more join this number every month – are convinced worldwide warming is flat-out not happening.

You’ve no doubt noticed the past two winters have provided outstanding snow for the largest portion of the North American snowbelt. This most important ingredient, snow, is what gets wallets to open. One immutable fact is true: If the previous winter had plenty of snow, snowmobile sales go up.

In fact, the 10-year sales slide has ended with sled sales and usage is leveling and turning upward. It’s undeniable: When it snows, even marginal snowmobilers take the covers off, dust off the garage mold and use their sleds. When more snowmobilers are out riding, more new snowmobiles end up being sold. It’s statistical boiler plate and, at this point in history, it’s impressive to see how this axiom holds true in a tough economy.

Here’s what we think…it’ll snow. The snowmobilers we’ve been talking to are fed up with a dismal summer and are already looking forward to snowmobiling this winter. Sled sales will spike this fall as the current economic climate improves month by month.

Snowmobilers will get out and ride their sleds to escape the realities of work, economic negativity and the six o’clock news. You can count on it.

By Kent Lester

Inevitably, whenever we meet a group Supertrax readers on-trail, the conversation turns to the new snowmobiles we’re riding. It never fails to drop someone’s jaw in sheer amazement when they find out we get to ride a fleet of brand new, cutting edge sleds every year – all with the permission of the companies that build them. We agree. It’s awesome.

You’d think it would be easy for us to become a bit jaded about the new snowmobile models. After all, we get access to a whole new fleet of equipment every fall and get to accumulate miles of trail use on sleds from all four manufacturers without spending a nickel of our own cash to buy them. It never gets old.

In fact, our team of editors and contributors pretty much act like a bunch of fifth graders when it’s time to take delivery of our press fleet. Our childlike fascination with the new stuff hasn’t diminished in twenty years of publishing and actually, seems to be getting worse.

The phone calls from staff start in mid-August and the inquiries generally run this way: “Could you just refresh my memory. I was wondering if we’re getting a 2010 (blank) in the press fleet this year? You don’t happen to remember if it’s the candy apple red one or the black one, do you? I really hope it’s the black one with the 4-stroke in it. Could you just phone and check? I’d love to take that one to Quebec this January.”

Believe it or not, the staff person on the other end of the line is a full-grown, mature adult and has likely been snowmobiling for decades but their focus is on the one sled they’ve been dreaming about for weeks and really want to adopt as their “pet” for the winter.

We put in our requests to each OEM for our press fleet choices early in the calendar year and base the selection on the newest models introduced at manufacturer’s Sneak Peek new model intros in January and actually ridden at Sno-Shoot in March.

Sno-Shoot is an industry-wide event that allows early season photography for all the snowmobile media and is usually held in some exotic, mountainous winter locale where backdrops are both breathtaking and photo-friendly.

Events like Sno-Shoot are great because we get to accumulate a ton of inside data early on and stockpile riding impressions for the upcoming publishing season. It’s not as important, however, as actually riding current year press sleds for hundreds of miles to create a blueprint for the stories you read between these covers every year.

There’s no excitement that matches what happens in early fall when the actual, living, breathing production sleds start to appear in showrooms and, more importantly, in our garage. I don’t know how many times I’ve gone out to our shop and, turning on the lights, have been overwhelmed by the sight of a group of new sleds that have just shown up.

Shiny and impeccably pristine, even the smell gets your pulse going. The sight and odor of new plastic and upholstery and glistening new paint is a truly sensual experience akin to falling in love. In fact, that’s what often happens. A bond forms between you and one of the sleds. It transports your imagination away to some far-off trail where the sun is shining, the grooming is perfect and it’s just you and her together.

Since we don’t buy too many sleds (actually we do buy a few but that’s another story, usually related to bent egos and more-than-bent equipment) it’s good to get a reminder of what Supertrax readers experience when you take delivery of your new love. Truth is, we need to feel as enthusiastic as you do about new sleds so we can evaluate them fairly and get the right info to you when you read the mag.

That feeling of connection with an inanimate object and the sense of anticipation of the upcoming winter’s riding are intense, almost feral reactions that leave an indelible impression. When I say “inanimate”, we who ride them know it’s the poorest way to describe a snowmobile.

When the engine is fired for the first time and the clutches spin up to engagement, it’s nothing short of a heart-pounding thrill to be mobile on the snow. In motion, outdoors, at one with winter, feeling the surge of power and acceleration under you and knowing you can go nearly anywhere in comfort.

Ahh, the sounds and sights and feelings of a new snowmobile: Priceless!