Winter toursim had been average but expected to rise now

According to the National Weather Service, the International Falls region received almost an inch of snow an hour after midnight, what some called the first real heavy snowfall of the season.

In addition, last week temperatures were near-record lows in the double digits below zero. Prior to that, the area experienced freezing rain, slush and jags of extra warm and cold weather.

With more snow and “more reasonable” temps, Jennifer Gelo said she now expects Mother Nature to cooperate with the four-season resort, restaurant and gas station. They anticipate a healthy mix of good fishing and snowmobiling from here through March, she said.

It was an opinion echoed by many of her tourism brethren. The real cold keeps a lot of the snowmobilers away and gas sales down until the thermometer rises a bit more, they said.

In fact, attempts to reach several snowmobile club members were unsuccessful Tuesday. Those who were home said their husbands were out on the trails.

“My take is we are having a better year than last,” said Pete Schultz, director of the local Convention and Visitors Bureau, who won’t have a full financial picture until he collects tax data after the winter season. “I certainly hope it will stay that way.

“People are using our trails and will continue to do so.”

Jerald Netland, who owns the Voyageur Motel with his wife, Sandy, said it had been and up-and-down season from a weather and business sense so far with an unusually warm December followed by January’s “deep freeze.”

But with fresh snow and renowned trailheads nearby, Jerald Netland said he’s been booking rooms for excited snowmobilers from across the state.

“I’d say it’s not been that bad and will get pretty good now,” he said. “We’ve been pretty busy and will get busier.”

Traditionally, from Christmas to New Year’s, it’s a slow period anyway, the outdoors business vets said.

Falls Sportsmens Service owner Tim Shuff said cold weather can keep the fish at bay but not people out of their fishhouses on the bays. The low temperatures can slow down bites in some places, but plenty of folks still made their way out to where the action was supposedly better, such as on Rainy Lake’s Sand Bay and Lake of the Woods, he said.

“Everyone who lives here, lives here for a reason; and that’s the outdoors lifestyle,” said Shuff, who’s worked at the store for about 50 years, or since he was 14. “And like most, I suppose I’m also confident everything will pick up and be fine again.”

Falls Outdoorsman’s Headquarters owner Jim Leinum said at least one silver lining of the cold snaps was that they boosted apparel sales.

“I’d say overall, our fishing (business) has been pretty good because we have good ice conditions, which is always unpredictable,” Leinum said. “Now it will be full bore for snowmobiles, skiing and fishing.”

He said sales had been average or below until this point.

All of Voyageurs National Park’s snowmobile, ski and snowshoe trails are now open, according to the most-recent park report.

The International Voyageurs Snowmobile Club also maintains 134 miles of groomed trails in the Falls and Rainy Lake area, which is one of several such local organizations for sleds.

Crews also have been working on the ice roads on both Rainy and Kabetogama Lakes, according to the Voyageurs National Park website. As of last week, the Kabetogama Lake Ice Road is open from the Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center to the Ash River Visitor Center.

“The Rainy Lake Ice Road is open from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center to Bushyhead Island, and park crews continue to make progress opening the rest of the road,” the report stated.

Park officials reminded the public that the speed limit is 45 mph for lake surfaces and 25 mph on trails and to keep winter survival kits handy and an eye on fuel gauges.