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As the title says, what are you riding this winter? I still have the '05 Renegade and the '06 GSX.

As the title says, anyone here order up a new sled for the upcoming season? Nothing new for me. I'll be riding either the '05 Renegade or the '08 GSX if we have any snow this winter

Who's going to the NHSA Annual Meeting being held this coming Saturday at the Grappone Conference Center, Concord, NH ?

I'm officially throwing in the towel on the 2015/2016 snowmobile season Even if we do get snow at this point it is to little to late. The sun is getting stronger every day and unless there is already a deep snow pack of dense snow in place at this time of year it is just going to melt soon after it falls. This will be the first year since I bought a leftover 1992 A/C Prowler in November of 1992 that I have not registered and ridden a snowmobile. I don't want to hear that I should register anyways just to support the system. Over the years I have more than paid my dues to the sport and don't feel bad about not registering for the first time in 22 years. Hopefully next year the snow is deep throughout New Hampshire and Vermont from December until April

Thoughts and prayers to his friends and family. PITTSBURG, N.H. (AP) - A 30-year-old man has been killed in a snowmobile crash in Pittsburg. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says Eric Tatarinowicz was riding on a trail with friends on Monday when he lost control of his snowmobile and went off the trail, hitting a tree. A rider who happened upon the scene began CPR while others rode to a house to call for help. Officials say there's no cellphone coverage in the area of the accident. Tatarinowicz was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials say the Seabrook man was an experienced rider. He was only about 15 minutes into his trip when the crash occurred. Officials are calling it a tragic accident. http://www.wcax.com/story/31232180/man-killed-in-northern-nh-snowmobile-crash

The Lancaster Grand Prix scheduled for the upcoming has been cancelled

What's everyone riding this winter? I'm going to get my '05 Renegade going again along with the '08 GSX. Both are 600 SDI.

http://www.conwaydailysun.com/newsx/local-news/124339-golden-eagle-submits-rfp-for-mountain-division-freight-line17 By Tom Eastman BARTLETT — David Schwanke, president of Golden Eagle Rail Corp. of Maine, confirmed Tuesday that his startup company has made a bid to the state of New Hampshire for leasing the Mountain Division railroad line from Portland through Crawford Notch for possible freight service. The Mountain Division rail line is seen on North-South Road in North Conway. (JAMIE GEMMITI PHOTO)He also said his company would like to run passenger service on the old Boston and Maine tracks from Conway to Dover and Boston. "We are still a long way away from all that (starting up a rail service). We did put in a proposal when the state issued a request for proposals in August, but that's all I can say at this point," Schwanke said Tuesday. The N.H. Department of Transportation issued a request for proposals in summer to lease the Mountain Division line from the Fryeburg, Maine, border up through Crawford Notch to Lunenberg, Vt., as well as the Conway branch south from the Conway Scenic Railroad's Conway terminus south to Ossipee to connect with the privately owned N.H. Northcoast (former Boston and Maine) line. There had been speculation from some that the DOT was ready to forward the RFP to the governor and executive council, but it was not listed on the executive council's agenda for its Jan. 27 meeting. Bill Boynton, public affairs spokesman for the state DOT, said Tuesday that state law forbids the department from issuing any information regarding a potential bidder before a proposal is put on the council's agenda. Executive Councilor Joseph Kenney (R-Wakefield) of District 1 said Tuesday he thinks that Golden Eagle and the state are at best several months away from reaching an agreement regarding the proposed lease. "When an RFP goes out, there are discussions that go back and forth between the state and an applicant, and I suspect that this is still a long way off — at least a couple of months," said Kenney. "There is a lot of renewed interest in rail, more than I have seen in 20 years, and things (in all areas of the state, especially southern New Hampshire) are moving along, but not at light speed." Schwanke said he did not know if any other companies had participated in the RFP process. "We haven't gotten anything more out of the state on the process," he said. The Sun also contacted Doug Pizzi, a spokesman for Massachusetts railroad owner Jon Delli Priscoli of Marlboro, Mass., about whether Delli Priscoli had made a bid to the state for those lines. Delli Priscoli, operator of two industrial railroads and a tourist railroad in Massachusetts, had been in negotiations to purchase the Conway Scenic Railroad. But his spokesman said he had not put in a bid for the Mountain Division RFP. "I just spoke with Jon on the phone, and he says it's not us. We have absolutely no connection to it," Pizzi said Tuesday. Conway Scenic owner Russ Seybold had no comment regarding the Mountain Division RFP story. In addition, neither he nor Pizzi would comment on reports that the proposed sale of the CSRR to Delli Priscoli had fallen through. Originally built by the Portland and Ogdensburg in the 1870s, and later run by the Maine Central and Guilford Transportation Industries, the Mountain Division last saw freight service in the early 1980s. Guilford Transportation Industries later abandoned the line, after which the state obtained it. It granted a lease to Conway Scenic to operate excursion passenger service in 1994, with the first train ride through Crawford Notch from North Conway taking place in September 1995. The CSRR has since renewed its 10-year lease with the state twice. Some residents say that were the state to grant the lease to Golden Eagle for freight, it would have to operate around the CSRR's summer and fall schedules. There has been much concern over the impact that a revival of railroad freight operations would have on businesses and activities in proximity to the Mountain Division, such as local snowmobile trails, mountain biking, multiuse recreation trails and ski touring. Concerns about the impact on residential neighborhoods also were raised by some this week. Earl Sires, Conway town manager, said he had tried to obtain information regarding the RFPs from Shelley Winters, the state's administrator of the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Rail and Transit. In a Nov. 13 email to Sires in response to his questions about the Mountain Division and Conway Branch proposal, Winters said the reason the RFP was issued was because over the past few years there had been several inquiries to the DOT about utilizing these state-owned railroad lines for additional railroad operations. "The department chose to issue this RFP in order to allow private sector railroad operators to propose service that could enhance rail service in the state and utilize existing state-owned railroad corridors," Winters said. "Department staff have been contacted over the last 3-plus years by several railroad operators (either existing or proposed startups), executive councilors and state senators, who have all indicated that additional rail service is warranted and desired in the N.H. North Country and that exploring this would be in the best interest of the economic vitality of the North Country and the citizens of N.H.," Winters wrote Sires. Addressing concerns as well as the overall question of how the state has handled the RFP process has been a priority for state Rep. Gene Chandler, who is also chair of the Bartlett board of selectmen. He said rumors have circulated for months ever since the state issued the RFP. "I am very concerned about this proposal," said Chandler, a former House Speaker. "I have expressed my concerns last month to the Department of Transportation about how they have not been very public about this — I have pushed to at least be able to see who responded to the RFP. "They have told me they can't, that it's a competitive process, but I think the public deserves to know. I am still fighting that fight," said Chandler, noting he was aware there had only been one RFP submitted but did not know which company had submitted it. Chandler said he would try and use legislative ways to change the way the RFP was handled and that he would speak before the governor and executive council when the lease does come before it. Chandler said that while it is true that Bartlett was once a railroad town and that it is still served in summer and fall by the CSRR's tourist excursions, those trains run during the day. Were a freight operation to lease the line, it would have to work it out with the CSRR to operate around their daylight hours of operation — which, Chandler says, means that the freight runs would have to take place at night in summer, a time that would probably not be well-received by townspeople. He said in winter when the CSRR does not operate, a freight hauler could run day and night. Again, that could impact daytime ski touring and snowmobiling operations, and could have noise issues for residents. "Yes, Bartlett used to be a railroad town — but the operative word there is 'was,'" said Chandler. Former selectman Doug Garland, whose family operates Bear Notch Ski Touring and Snowshoe Association, parts of which abut the tracks, said that while he shares those concerns, he believes arrangements could be made by his business, the state and the operator. "I have heard the rumors about the freight," said Garland, "and I am surprised that this seems to be moving along and getting to this point. If it were true, it would impact my business and others, but I am sure we could ameliorate it somewhat. The railroad right of way is very important to us, and we do use a portion of it, but our end is mostly a few 90-degree rail crossings, so I think we could work with it." Peter Gagne of Northern Extremes snowmobiling also expressed concerns over the proposal in an email, questioning the impact on the snowmobile corridor from the Maine border through Conway to Bartlett. Chandler urged constituents to call Kenney regarding their concerns. "I am especially disturbed by the lack of public input on this. There are a number of us in Bartlett who are concerned with it. I think people should contact our executive councilor, Joe Kenney, to let them know about their opposition to this," said Chandler.

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FS: OEM 2009 Yamaha Nytro XTX Low Windscreen, took off when new, never used, like new, fits all Nytros, smoked color, located in New London, NH. $40.00 shipped CONUS.

Okay, looking through Craigslist and came across an ad for a 1972 Hellstar Jetstar sled. I'm not only not a fan of the Hellstar line of sleds, I've never heard of them. Maybe I should have..... Remember the Yamaha "pogo-stick" sleds? I owned several of these sleds and never considered that they borrowed the front suspension idea from Hellstar. Snowgoer Canada points out that Yami did follow a pioneer in snowmobile suspension.

Looking for Insurance rates. If anyone has recommendations let me know. I live out of state but ride in NH... what should I pay?

I filled up the car a few days ago and paid $2.12 per gallon here in northern VT. Heating oil prices are also way down this year. How will the lower fuel costs effect your snowmobiling this season? More local riding? More trips north?

HK Hooksett on 10/17: http://www.nhsnowmobilemuseum.com/classifieds-3/classifieds-2/show-ad/?id=13226 Goffstown on 10/24: http://www.nhsnowmobilemuseum.com/classifieds-3/classifieds-2/show-ad/?id=13215 Irwin Marine on 10/31: http://www.nhsnowmobilemuseum.com/classifieds-3/classifieds-2/show-ad/?id=13220

Where's all of the hype about this weekends grass drags? I just checked the NHSA Facebook page, nothing there.Their last post was on 9/30 about the OHRV Coalition to Return Northern Pass Money. No posts about it here on SledNH. I also checked HCS and there was a thread there started by a vendor in MN. It just seems like there just isn't the hype that there used to be.

I read this opinion piece in a My Turn column in the 9/19 edition of the Concord Monitor. Its title is "Snowmobile Association Tactics Shameful". It was written by a guy from Warner. My experience has been that the clubs I join are 100% NHSA members, but I guess there are clubs where this isn't true. From the Concord Monitor today: With winter approaching, those of us who ride snowmobiles should be made aware of changes being made to the requirements that determine how much we pay to register our machines. New Hampshire law (RSA 215-C:39) sets out the requirements and fees for snowmobile registration. That law says, in part, that you can receive a $30 discount on your snowmobile registration if you are an individual “who provides proof, at the time of registration, that the individual is a member of an organized New Hampshire nonprofit snowmobile club which is a member of the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association.” Note that the law does not require that the individual must be a member of the NHSA, only that he or she belongs to an organized snowmobile club that belongs to the NHSA. The purpose of offering a discount in this manner was to encourage membership in local snowmobile clubs and the law has done well to accomplish that. Now, however, the greed of the NHSA has reared its ugly head and it is unilaterally changing the rules set by statute that determine who receives the discount. In order for a snowmobile club to belong to the NHSA, it must now sign an agreement stating that 100 percent of its members will also be individual members of the NHSA, at a rate of $10 per person. The agreement that the clubs are being forced to sign also states that, “Only NHSA member clubs in good standing will be allowed to issue vouchers” (for the registration fee discount). How can a private organization change the rules that govern who gets charged which fee for a state vehicle registration? The NHSA has bypassed the legislative process, the administrative rules process and any semblance of state oversight in order to force individuals to join the organization. I have been an NHSA member, and a member of a local snowmobile club, for as long as I can remember. My local snowmobile club has voluntarily opted to have 100 percent NHSA membership among its ranks. The NHSA has done a world of good for the sport and most snowmobilers know that and gladly join the organization of their own accord. Why does the NHSA now see the need to abandon a policy of voluntary membership and force individuals to join or pay a financial penalty? There is nothing in the language or spirit of RSA 215-C that gives the NHSA control over the discount vouchers for snowmobile registrations. Telling individual citizens they must pay the NHSA $10 in order to get a voucher is, plainly and simply, extortion.

Are the new stickers going to be smaller in size ?

I was just reading on Facebook about club memberships being offered online next year through NHSA. The post said all clubs will be the same price. From what I've heard NHSA is pushing for all clubs to set their membership fee at $25. I haven't been involved with my club since I moved to VT last year. But if I was still on the board I couldn't vote to drop our dues from $30 to $25. Since $10 already goes to the NHSA that would mean the club is loosing 25% of it's income. How are some clubs going to be able to handle this much of a drop in income when they are already struggling to make ends meet? In my opinion the entire funding issue in NH needs to be changed in order for the sport to continue at the level that we have come to expect.

How busy has it been on your favorite trails this winter? It's been very quite here in Island Pond, VT this winter. Island Pond is the Vermont equivalent to Pittsburg, NH. I have also spoken to friends in the Ossipee area and was told that it's very quiet there considering the fantastic trail conditions.

I got out on Tuesday afternoon for another ride over here in the Northeast Kingdom of Vt. I thought I would run across a little traffic since it is vacation week, but I only meet 6 sleds in my 50 mile loop. The trails were awesome! I posted a few pics on SledVT if anyone wants to take a look. Next week I hope to make a loop from Island Pond, VT to North Stratford, NH to Pittsburg and back. I would love to see some comments over on SledVT if any of you are a member over there. If not feel free to sign up. I feel like I'm talking to myself most of the time over there, lol. http://sledvt.com/forums/index.php?/topic/407-nek-trail-report-21715/ Here's a short video from the ride. http://youtu.be/QHNwVgUtjN4

I had a chance to get out for a short 30 mile ride this afternoon in the NEK of Vermont. Trails ranged from fair to excellent depending on the trail. Coverage was fine everywhere, just need more snow to fill in the holes on the woods trails.Hopefully we get more snow soon so I can make my way of to Pittsburg. Here's a couple pics I took when I stopped on Lewis Pond Road.

Went up to register my sled and my fathers sled this weekend. Guy at the counter asked for my license and I was suprised he wasn't giving me the little slip of paper to complete for the registration. Guy then pulls out a laptop and sees my registration online, takes my money, hands me my stickers and tell me registration will be mailed to me. Said my dad would need to be there to show his license to register. Can I go back up there and register it under me this year? My dad is not local to me and I need to register his sled so we can ride it.

Maybe it was a re-run from last year but still good to see the good press about the sport. Can't believe Chris let Erin drive his sled!!!!

To those that let there kids under 14 ride snowmobiles or atv just found out that my 9 yr old is not covered if GOD FORBID hit someone or something because he is a non licensed driver no bashing but I have Allstate just letting everyone out there know .