LOCALadk Magazine

42 Winter 2015 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Winter is more than another season in Old Forge. Winter is like blue- white energy. That energy powers life and recreation in the Old Forge area. Chores like snow shoveling and road plowing are minor distractions from the pleasures of snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing, and ice fish- ing. These activities often require determination, preparation, imagina- tion and insulation but in the end leave us feeling rewarded. Together locals and visitors celebrate winters chill in many different ways which in turn help fire up the regional economy. Old Forge is the largest hamlet in the Town of Webb, the state's largest township. Locals were among the first to embrace snowmobiling in the early 1960s, and soon large land tracts surrounding the hamlets were laced with snowmobile trails. It was a natural pairing… winter and sport recreation in the Adirondacks. Old Forge became famous as the "Snow- mobile Capital of the East" and area residents still work hard to earn the title every year. The town now owns most of the land encompassing the trail system, and town crews maintain the trails year round. The trails meander along the waterways, wind through pine groves, and climb for- ested mountainsides to panoramic vistas. Snowmobiling in Old Forge is much more than "Gas-n-Go". The town has grown its infrastructure and business community to serve the thousands of snowmobilers who flock here all winter long. That customer service model enables Old Forge to thrive during the winter months, instead of languishing in economic purgatory. Virtually every business in Old Forge is accessible by snowmobile. Revenue from snowmobiling infuses the lo- Snowmobiling Brings a Positive Economic Impact By Mike Farmer

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