Lack of Snow Hurting Upstate Economy
Warm winter keeps snowmobilers on the sideline

PINE BUSH, NY – The 2012 snowmobile season is underway, but the lack of snow is hitting small businesses in the wallet.  Snowmobiling is a $1 billion dollar industry in New York State and many businesses in Upstate New York are feeling the affect because snowmobilers have yet to ride on the vast majority of the state’s 10,500-mile trail system. 
The snowmobiling season traditionally starts at the end of hunting season in late December and continues through early-mid April as the snow slowly diminishes.  With three weeks of the season already lost, NYSSA estimates that the Upstate New York region has been deprived of millions of dollars in economic activity that the snowmobiling industry traditionally generates.

“We are in desperate need of snow,” said Dominic Jacangelo, Executive Director of NYSSA.  “Our members really want to hit the trails.  Once we get significant snowfall, our members will be out riding trails across New York State, providing customers for businesses in areas of our state that rely heavily on the snowmobile industry.”

Along the 10,500 miles of trails across New York State there are a variety of restaurants, bars, convenient stores, and even gas pumps that rely on snowmobilers as a source of revenue.