Snowmobile interest growing on P.E.I., with more members and trails

The PEISnowmobile Association is looking forward to another good season, thanks to growing interest in the sport.

Membership in the association continues to expand, allowing membership fees to remain the same, despite the rising costs of keeping Island trails groomed and maintained.

It looks like it's going to drive people to actually buy their memberships and stuff. And that's what we need to keep going. Dale Hickox,PEISnowmobile Association

The number of families belonging to the group has almost doubled in the past seven to eight years, according to president Dale Hickox, and now stands at close to two thousand families.

Hickoxsays the growth isn't just related to all the snow the past couple of years.

"There is a lot of movement in the western end of the Island with new trails being developed," Hickox said.

"Some new people up there working hard to really increase membership and everything up that end of the Island by opening up new trails and different things like that."Having government on board has been a plus, he added.

"We have got a new fine for people that don't have their snowmobiles registered and permitted," Hickoxsaid.

• Too much snow forsnowmobilers
• RCMPhitting snowmobile trails

"It looks like it's going to drive people to actually buy their memberships and stuff. And that's what we need to keep going."

Hickox saida new 20-kilometre trail will be opening this season in the O'Leary area.