Snowmobile enthusiasts in the area will have to be patient but local snowmobile club officials believe this winter will be a vast improvement on the short season of 2024.
"Things are shaping up nicely now compared to last year especially," explained Shawn Flindall, the communications director with the North Bay Snowmobile Club.
"It was nice to get a few days of really cold weather, which we really need cold weather before snow just to freeze everything up so Trout Lake just skimmed over Saturday night. That gives you the idea of the inconsistency and unsafe nature of ice right now because there is certainly not much in the way of ice on Trout Lake at this point."
Flindall says the dump of snow the area received on Monday was a good thing.
"We are packing trails, we are clearing trails," he said.
"Every weekend is a busy one for all the local clubs but the swamps north of town are still pumping heat and they are not freezing at all so we are still having some struggles in our area but still very optimistic and enthusiastic based on the snowfall and cold temperatures."
Flindall is not worried some milder weekend conditions will cause delays in trail openings.
"The warm-up this weekend does not look like it is going to be a real big deal for us and it might bring some extra snowfall as well. We are really excited and optimistic for what we think will be an actual winter again," he said.
However, Flindall does not have firm date for the start of the 2025 snowmobile season in the North Bay area yet.
"We don't have any anticipated date," he said.
"It really is so weather dependent for sure but we are usually the second week of January. In the last number of years when we open trails so we are still two or three weeks away from that. There is a lot of work that has to happen including a lot of freeze-up that has to happen before we can get anything open but things are shaping up nicely for sure."
Again it is all about being smart and patient.
"We really ask people to keep their sleds in the shed at this point because trails are not open and many of the trails run on private property and we really need to respect those private property owners, they are so generous to allow us to use their land and we don't want any trespassing going on and respect for those property owners so please stay off the trails, watch the online maps until you see the green light and then it is good to go," said Flindall.
"There's lots of snow on the bush trails in Redbridge that people can run on if they are looking for an early season rip but please stay off the trails and same can be said for ice too. It's this time of year that people see snow covered across the lake and that does not mean it is safe out there so we really ask that people are smart, make smart decisions and don't do anything that could lead to some tragic results."
