SNOMOBILING GIVING AREA ECONOMY BOOST

Area snowmobile trails are in 'the best condition in at least 10 years,' according Southern Potter County Snowmobile Club President Bill Elwell, pictured here dragging the trail groomer through souther Potter County last week. Elwell said he expects the already-heavy snowmobile traffic to pick up over the next several weeks. A good, old-fashioned northcentral Pennsylvania winter has given a boost to many area businesses that otherwise would be struggling mightily at this time of the year.

Perfect trail conditions and lower gasoline prices have combined to make the area a mecca once again for the state's snowmobilers, reminding many of the sports heyday here in the early 1980s.

And, snowmobilers can rejoice and make their plans to visit the area to ride as far into the future as the weather prognosticators can see. With the exception of tomorrow (Sunday), temperatures are expected to stay well below freezing and snow is being forecast nearly every day for 10 days.

"The trails are absolutely perfect," said Southern Potter County Snowmobile Club President Jim Elwell who was grooming trails Thursday afternoon, in anticipation of weekend snowmobile traffi c. "It's been at least 10 years since the conditions have been this ideal. It really is perfect out there."

The news couldn't come at a better time for some area businesses who for years came to depend on revenue generated from people coming to the area to snowmobile.

"We have been really busy and I just thank God for the snow," said Victor Earle, the new owner of the Keating Summit Hotel. "We've had snowmobilers in just about every day since the snow began and it has kept us busy."

In Emporium Bruce and Lona Bush, owners of the Buttonwood Motel, are seeing a steady steam of customers who are coming to the Land of Endless Mountains to snowmobile.

"We've been pretty busy," Bruce said. "We have people who call and ask about the weather and the conditions and if everything's good, they come up for the weekend."

This year starkly contrasts recent years where snowmobilers have been lucky to log a couple hundred miles on their sleds an entire season.

"We've knocked out close to 200 miles already this weekend," said Dan Majot, a longtime snowmobiler and co-owner of Golden Acres Mobile Home Park in Coudersport. "That's as many miles as we put on all of last year."

Majot was riding with a group of Allegheny County riders who did a lot of sledding here in the 1980s.

"This is how it always used to be," one of the veteran riders said. "We've passed hundreds of people on the trails. There are sleds everywhere. Hopefully it's giving the local economy a good shot in the arm. We're sure spending a lot of money!"