Haliburton County Snowmobile Association (HCSA) president, Neil Vanderstoop, said his volunteer group has put in some hard yards preparing local trails for winter – now he just hopes mother nature plays her part.
While there hasn’t been a meaningful snowfall yet, Vanderstoop said that’s not unusual, with recent weather trends pointing towards a mid-to-late December start for snowmobilers.
“We’re suspecting we’re going to get as much, or more snow, than last year,” Vanderstoop said. “We’re just not going to get those minus 40 degrees Celcius temperatures we saw last year.”
On Tuesday (Nov. 10), the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (CCCS) presented a report predicting the 2026-27 El Nino weather event – which began in June, will peak in December and run until at least March – has a 90 per cent chance of being the strongest on record. That likely means warmer temperatures and milder weather for much of southern Ontario, CCCS said.
It’s been a busy summer for the HCSA crew, Vanderstoop said, with nine bridges built or repaired – including two on the old TOP B112 trail.
“One of them is the ministry’s and one of them is ours, but they’ve both been rebuilt. Our portion of that project was $20,000 to $25,000. We’ve also got the floating bridges installed in Minden and the one out into Big Hawk Lake, Partridge Bridge,” Vanderstoop said. “It just hasn’t stopped this summer. Our trail account is almost empty.”
HCSA has also been given permission by the province to reopen B112 West, known locally as the Outhouse Trail, after it was closed last season.
In more good news, Vanderstood said he’s found a solution to a decade-long debate in Minden. HCSA is partnering with Minden Hills township to offer an overnight staging area behind S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena for people to store their trucks and trailers.
“Studies have shown, because of the development of snowmobiles and the cost of living right now, that people are more going to a staging area, unloading and doing a day trip,” Vanderstoop said. “Before, people would go out for two or three-day rides, but the trails are such and the conditions are such – and the machines have changed so much – that there are more people doing one-day rides.”
He expects it will lead to more visitors to Minden’s downtown this winter, which he hopes will help local merchants. Vanderstoop said his next mission is finding a dedicated location for snowmobiles to park.
His biggest concern now is making sure HCSA has enough money in its budget to keep its four groomers running through winter. Vanderstoop said fuel costs were around $38,000 last winter, though he expected it would be more this year due to the increased price of diesel.
“I figured we’d need over $50,000 to do the same work this year – but the money in the budget we’re getting doesn’t reflect the increased cost of diesel, so it’s going to be a hard one,” Vanderstoop said.
Last year, HCSA looked after 390 kilometres of trails, with volunteers logging over 1,000 trail grooming hours.
Each year, the organization selects a local charity to earn $2 for every hour spent grooming. After raising $2,000 for the Minden Urgent Care Clinic last winter, Vanderstoop said this year’s recipient is Brooksong Retreat and Cancer Support Centre.
“Just another great cause, the work they do over there with the free retreats for people and their families is exactly the kind of thing we like to support,” Vanderstoop said.
He reminded anyone wanting to ride a snowmobile to purchase a trail pass ahead of time, with information available at hcsa.ca.
