NYS begins safety courses for young snowmobilers

RENSSELAER COUTNY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The Grafton Trailblazers Snowmobile Club, Black River Raiders Snowmobile Club, and Grafton Lakes State Park held a New York State youth snowmobile safety course on Saturday. NYS-certified volunteer instructor Jim Blessing taught the class at the Grafton VFW/Fire Hall on South Road from 8:15 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m.

The course was for children ages 10-17, and parents were encouraged to attend and participate.
Blessing covered topics such as NYS laws and regulations, riding skills, trail emergencies, protecting the environment, trail etiquette, maintenance and repair, and trailering.

Seven kids showed up to the course. Blessing said that number is low in comparison to years past due to the lack of snow.

"The demand has dropped off; winter has been really poor, and when I say poor, I mean very little snow," Blessing said. "We had almost no measurable snow last year. Snowmobile sales dropped by 50% or more. We used to have 30 to 40 kids take the course, and we would have to close out the course we had so many kids. Especially during COVID, that was really the peak in the last 20 years for snowmobiling. People could not do anything publicly expect they could snowmobile, and snowmobile dealers sold out."

Eylse and Adahlia Gregoire are two students who took the course on Saturday and said that the lack of snow is not going to stop them from making sure they are prepared for the season.

"It's a fun experience to have before you can drive and stuff. It's just fun to do as a winter sport," Adahlia said.

"I love just zooming around in the wintertime, and you can see all the beautiful scenery in the wintertime just whizzing past; it's beautiful," Eylse said.

The course also involved hands-on training with a snowmobile in addition to the quizzes and final exam. Blessing said after everyone passes the exam, in two weeks they will be receiving their snowmobile safety certification and card, which is valid until they turn 18 years old.