A snowmobiler Monday completes the driving portion of a DNR safety certification course at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. Participants have already completed the online part of the course.
Snowmobile safety course offered through Community Ed
Minnesota is known for its love of snowmobiling and ample opportunity to take part in the growing winter activity.
The state's vast trail network is made up of 22,000 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, and the Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association reports there are about 220,000 snowmobiles registered in the state.
But snowmobiling safely requires riders to know and practice the rules of safe riding. Toward that effort, Minnesota requires snowmobile certification for anyone born after Dec. 31, 1976.
On Monday, riders took to a course at Voyageurs National Park's Rainy Lake Visitor Center for the final part of the certification. They had already completed an online course on snowmobile safety, operation, and laws. Monday's one-day snowmobile safety class included a morning classroom review of safety information and a performance driving course.
The course includes how to handle signage, when and how to signal to other riders and how to legally cross a roadway all in a controlled environment, said Minnesota Conservation Officer Darrin Kittelson, an instructor of the course.
The course is designed to help make for safer snowmobiling for everyone, but he also said riders need to know the local laws, as well as state laws about snowmobiling.
Several local concerns have been raised since enough snow has fallen in Borderland to lure snowmobilers to lakes and trails.
Among those concerns are how to properly ride on a Koochiching County road.
Kittelson said state law prohibits the use of roads by snowmobiles, but the Koochiching County Board has allowed county and township roads to be used by snowmobiles going to and coming from a trail if no ditch exists on which to travel.
However, Kittelson said if the roads have ditches, state law requires snowmobiles to ride in the bottom part or outside slope of a ditch.
Koochiching County Sheriff Perryn Hedlund pointed to a policy adopted in 2006 by the county board for allowing snowmobile operators to use the ditch section of any county and township road with the following stipulations:
- The furthest right edge of the roadway of any county or township road shall be used only to access and return from an established snowmobile trail or lake if there is not a ditch section;
- Snowmobile operators must travel in the direction of traffic unless there is a board resolution on certain roads restricting snowmobile usage to only one side;
- Snowmobile operators must be over 18 years of age or have a valid license to operate a snowmobile if between the ages of 14 and 18;
- The snowmobile operators shall not exceed 15 miles per hour and must yield to all traffic including pedestrians and animals;
- All state laws pertaining to snowmobile use and operation shall be followed;
- Snowmobiles with studs on the tracks shall not be allow on any bituminous (paved) surfaced road;
- There shall be no usage when there is insufficient snow cover to prevent damage to a bituminous surfaced road;
- There shall be no usage on roads with limited visibility unless authorized by special board resolution;
- The county board has the right to revoke usage on any road if there are numerous complaints by adjacent residences or abuse by snowmobilers.
Kittelson stressed snowmobilers may only use the far right side of roads if there is no ditch, and they may only use the roads to access and return from established trails or the lake. And, he said, snowmobiles must travel in the direction of traffic.
Speed on roads is limited to 15 miles per hour, regardless of the vehicle traffic speed posted on the road, Kittelson said.
Kittelson also said the snowmobile safety course discusses the need to heed the state's trespassing laws when riding.
"It's no different when hunting or any other recreational activity - if the land is agriculture, you need permission to go on the land," he said. "Or, if it's posted, you need permission from the land owners."
He and Hedlund said riders may unknowingly trespass by following the tracks of snowmobiles who went before them. But they said snowmobilers can damage septic systems or seedlings by riding on private property or may put themselves at risk of hitting an object hidden below the snow.
The many kinds of ownership - private, public, private but accessible to the public - of lands in Koochiching County can make it difficult to determine whether it is legal to operate on a particular place that is not on a marked trail.
"If you operate a snowmobile, it's your responsibility to know where you are at," Kittelson said.
Other safety concerns addressed in the class, and that all riders should know, is how to safely cross a road. Kittelson said snowmobilers must first come to a complete stop, yield to all traffic and cross the road at a 90-degree angle.
"We tell the kids in youth classes that a lot of people aren't looking for snowmobilers," he said. "Instead, they're worried about driving and oncoming traffic - not a snowmobile coming from a road ditch."
Among the most important factors in snowmobiling is speed, Kittelson said, which is a maximum of 50 mph unless designated otherwise.
He encouraged snowmobilers to drive to the circumstances.
"I tell the youth in the classes they may drive responsibly, but it's the other person coming at you that might not be driving responsibly," Kittelson said.
At night, he said people may take curves quickly, cutting corners and some operators are more brave and may drive faster. Mixing darkness with speed, and adding alcohol can be dangerous, he said.
"That's when things can go amok," Kittelson said.
