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ckf
El Nino Winter claims SnoDeo
Concord, NH February 15, 2016 – The Swift Diamond Riders Snowmobile Club and event organizer, South End Media, announced today—due to poor snow conditions in New Hampshire’s North Country—the 24th annual N.H. SnoDeo will be cancelled.
Swift Diamond Club President, Tim Andersen, said in making the announcement, “This was an extremely difficult decision. We know the economic impact of SnoDeo in Northern New Hampshire, and what it means for it not happen. SnoDeo started in 1993 and has never been cancelled.”
Organizers made the decision over this past weekend based on a combination of factors: The lack of snow at the SnoDeo site, Coleman State Park, as well as the current thin snow cover throughout most of Northern New Hampshire. Event planners consulted with the four major snowmobile manufacturers, Arctic Cat, Polaris, Ski-Doo and Yamaha for input on what they needed for snow conditions for snowmobile test rides. Generally, it was felt the demo trails wouldn’t have enough snow for safe riding. Looking at long-range forecasts, planners were not confident that much snow would fall in the next three weeks.
Andersen also explained the upfront costs of SnoDeo that required making a decision now. “There are some big expenses like tents and food that have to be ordered soon. We felt that the club could lose thousands of dollars if we tried to tough it out and wait until the weekend before SnoDeo to decide.” The Swift Diamond Riders and South End Media also felt they didn’t want to ask vendors and the factories to incur the expenses of coming to SnoDeo and then not being able to have the event.
South End Media’s Kurt Muhlfelder said, “We’re going to regroup and get ready for SnoDeo, 2017. We’ll see everyone next year for the 25th anniversary on March 3rd and 4th.”
By ckf