Snowmobile grooming provides great help to growing recreational Idaho activity

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Snowmobile grooming is such an important service to those who snowmobile across the various trails that go over 5,000 miles across Idaho. Snowmobiling itself is an important recreational activity that brings in lots of Idahoans and travelers. Their registration fees provide a great help to the economy of smaller towns such as Island Park and Stanley.

There are 15 groomers locally here in Eastern Idaho that keep our snowmobile trails nice and smooth. They are also designed to till and pack snow to provide that nice layer that snowmobiles need to comfortably ride over. The blade at the front of the groomer cuts all of the excess snow to make a fairly smooth layer of snow while the tiller at the back flattens the layer to create the flat, smooth, and shiny snow surface.

Bonneville County worker Jeremy Neibaur operates these machines on a day-by-day basis. He says they work on the surface usually four times a week in the mornings, but the schedule can be very flexible depending on the weather. He covers the trails that go all the way from the Blackfoot reservoirs all the way over to the Tetons. Even though the snowmobile moves only at 10 mph and his trip takes about 7 hours, he said he still enjoys his time working.

"Out there, all by yourself can see a lot of cool country," he said. "You show up and there's no tracks in the snow, you're the first one, so it looks pretty cool."

You can find a list of trails around Idaho that groomed at the following website, https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/motorized-trails/