LOCALadk Magazine

44 Winter 2015 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk irondacks. A large contingent of second home owners in the TOW hail from New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. The success of SNODEO later fostered SNOFEST, held each March. Al- though spring sunshine takes a heavy toll on the trails, TOW's profession- al trail crew make the most of whatever is left. Their work throughout the season extends the March riding to accommodate the sneak peek demo rides on the new sleds. Most of the vast trail system remains open and rideable until the April 1st closing date. The Town of Webb Trail Maintenance Department is self-supporting, funded by a snowmobile trail permit program. Every snowmobile oper- ating on town owned trails must have a current trail permit, the price of which has not increased for over a decade. Despite the fact that TOW has one of the only permitted trail systems in New York, permit sales have increased consistently every year. When everyone has snow, Old Forge has the best riding conditions. When everyone else is closed for business, Old Forge is still operating. Other places may get more snow, but none have better conditions day in and day out. Professional grooming is the most important feature of the TOW pro- gram, always striving to provide consistent high-quality riding conditions is the goal. This is most crucial during lean snow years, when consistent attention and preparation results in decent riding with mere inches of coverage. Snowmobilers see and experience vast expanses of back country around Old Forge, Eagle Bay, Big Moose, Stillwater and Beaver River. As they skim over hundreds of miles of snowy trails, they get a sense of many miles of hiking, biking, and paddling paths lightly sleeping underneath. People who come to Old Forge for snowmobiling are exposed to the rec- reational assets and activities available during all seasons. This also fuels a thriving local real estate market, increasing the number of multi-sea- sonal residents and multi-generational family visitors. It also impacts those who embrace Old Forge as "Adirondack Base Camp". Old Forge is very accessible, and it's a great launching pad for Adirondack snowmo- biling adventures. From here, every place in the park is an easy day trip. Many seasoned riders cover 150-200 miles in a day, riding their passion to outlying Adirondack communities.

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