The investigation is continuing. Abundant snowfall in December has created excellent snowmobiling conditions in the area, says the president of the Pineridge Snowmobile Club. He said trail groomers have been working 24 hours a day to keep the club's 460 kilometres smooth for its 1,000 members and visiting snowmobilers. The Pineridge Snowmobile Club manages trails between Parkhill, Bayfield and Seaforth. The local trail system is a very small part of 49,000 kilometres of trails across Ontario.
Every kilometre is managed by a local snowmobilers' club.
The sport is most popular in central and northern Ontario, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Bosley said the early season also means permit sales are ringing sooner than usual, and at this point are close to last winter's results. Most of the money stays with the club from which the trail permit was purchased to pay for grooming local trails. But a small portion goes to the OFSC to pay for provincial programs. The OFSC boasts membership of 200,000 snowmobilers, who are involved in 281 clubs, making it the largest organization in the world.