Snowmobiling at Brockway Summit

Because I was running late after spilling a cup of coffee on myself, I was a bit worried if Wayne Fischer, president of the North Tahoe Snow Travelers snowmobiling club, would still be there to meet me.

But Fischer was there, along with Greg McKay, central regional director for the California/Nevada Snowmobiling Association and colleague of Fischer's.

The two were waiting for me at the top of Brockway Summit, above the thick fog that covered the lake on a day reminiscent of a warm, sunny spring day, to take yours truly for a ride.

A popular trailhead for snowmobiles, Brockway Summit offers seemingly endless access into the Tahoe backcountry, and Fischer and McKay were ready to take me to it all.

"It's not the best day for pictures of the lake," Fischer said. He said we were to travel to Mount Watson, above Tahoe City, and then play around in some bowls and venture towards Northstar into some off piste terrain.

I was heaped with excitement as we started up the engines and headed out on the trail to our first stop, which was a vista that looked over the fog-covered lake.

Fischer took out his radio and began calling into Camino, a division of the Forest Service that monitors snowmobilers, and others who might be entering the backcountry.

"I like to call in and let them know we'll be out here patrolling," Fischer said. He said he keeps an eye out for any problems and if any are spotted, he calls it in.

"We have had very few problems over the years," he said.

After Fischer called in to Camino, we headed off toward our next destination, Mount Watson.

We were traveling along what is commonly referred to as the Fiberboard Freeway, which was nice and wide and had been groomed, which enabled me to open up the throttle a bit on my sled.

The area began to look familiar to me and I knew we were getting close to Watson Lake, a small lake located just North of Mount Watson.

I had done much mountain biking in that area in the summer and even though the area looked somewhat familiar, it carried a whole new perspective when covered in snow.

We played around in an open meadow for a while, kicking up powder as we made fresh tracks through the virgin snow, before arriving at Watson Lake, which was frozen over.



Watson Lake

I remember in the summer, coming up the rim trail to the remote and pristine mountain lake. This time it looked like a race track for snowmobiles.

Watson Lake is one of the stops where many snowmobiling companies that offer guided tours will take their guests.

The area is remote, open and sheltered from wind, making it a nice place to take a break, relax or have lunch.

There, Fischer, McKay and I had a conversation about snowmobiling clubs and organizations.

The North Tahoe Snow Travelers is one of two Snowmobiling clubs in the Lake Tahoe region and the only club on the North Shore.

Its members meet once a month from October through April and come together on various topics such as environmental issues, open terrain, grooming reports and more.

Fischer said there are some groups who are fighting to tighten the restrictions on snowmobiling, including how far snowmobiliers can venture into the backcountry.

But the NTST, in conjunction with the CNSA, work with the U.S. Forest Service and help keep others in compliance with the law so as not to jeopardize the legality of snowmobiling altogether.

"We have a really good relationship with the Forest Service in the Tahoe area," Fischer said.

In an area such as Tahoe, where the economy has moved from timber to recreation, snowmobiliers provide much income to the area, McKay said.

"People are spending $500 a day to come up here and go snowmobiling," McKay said.

Fischer added that in areas where tighter controls are being laid for snowmobiliers, such as Bridgeport, Calif., the areas have seen dramatic losses in local revenue.

In Bridgeport, a forest travel plan is being laid out that sets new guidelines and restrictions for motorized vehicles in the backcountry. As a result, snowmobilers have been staying away, and the area has seen a 30 percent reduction in local revenue as a result, Fischer said.

Fischer added that in Yellowstone National Park, areas for snowmobilers have been reduced and business has gone down 60 percent as a result of fewer snowmobilers, who have access to 1 percent of the park but constitute 2 percent of the traffic entering the park annually.

"It doesn't do any harm to wildlife or the environment, they just want the snowmobiles out of there," McKay said.

"We are on top of the snow," Fischer added. "All of our evidence melts in the spring."

Fischer also said that the snowmobile industry has voluntarily adopted new industry standards to reduce emissions from the sleds.

The snowmobiling industry pushed for new EPA standards that will reduce the amount of emissions from snowmobiles up to 30 percent by 2006, another 30 percent by 2010 and another 20 percent by 2012.

"The industry had to get the technology to get them clean now it's possible," McKay said.



A view from the top

From Watson Lake, we headed further up the Fiberboard Freeway. After a few runs off piste and into the trees, we headed up to Mount Watson, where Fischer and McKay attempted to explain why they snowmobile.

The view from the top of Mount Watson spoke for them, however, and it didn't take much convincing that snowmobiling is a great way to venture into the backcountry.

The entire lake was covered with fog, offering a unique view of Lake Tahoe, one that is not witnessed very often.

"Snowmobiling is a family oriented sport, and you don't see many people out here," Fischer said. "You can see so much of the country in a single day. It's mind boggling."

"It's not hard to get up and go from peak to peak," Fischer said. "You can go to all these beautiful views and enjoy it."

Fischer said that for the most part, the private snowmobile guided tour companies groom the trails for their guests, but many cross country and backcountry skiers who use the trails also benefit from the grooming.



Speed is your friend

After leaving the summit of Mount Watson, I received a real lesson in riding powder on a snowmobile.

"Speed is your friend," Fischer said. I soon realized he wasn't kidding when attempting to climb a steep hill that was untracked, I was having trouble keeping speed and controlling the sled.

After two attempts and nearly rolling the sled into a tree well, I decided to take an easier route and McKay led the group to the backside of Northstar.

Some people have said that snowmobiling is a way of cheating into the backcountry, but as Fischer and McKay told me, and as I realized the next morning, Snowmobiling is quite a bit of physical exercise.

Depending on one's desire to push their physical limits, snowmobiling can be enjoyed virtually by people of any age.

"There are 70-year-old and 80-year-old people out here riding," McKay said. "They take a little longer of a break, but they are out here."

After playing around in the trees making fresh tracks on the back side of Northstar, we hit the road and headed back to Brockway summit.

Fischer and McKay told me there are seven companies in the Lake Tahoe area that offer guided snowmobile tours.

Snowmobiling Unlimited, Lake Tahoe Snowmobile Tours and Tahoe City Sno Mos are three outfitters that offer guided tours in the Brockway/Mount Watson area.

Eagle Ridge Snowmobile Outfitters, located 15 miles north of Truckee on state Route 89, is owned and operated by Incline Resident Bob Kellogg and offers tours in ungroomed, off piste terrain.

Other companies, located on the South Shore and elsewhere, are Zephyr Cove Snowmobile Center, Lake Tahoe Adventures and Coldstream Adventures.

More information on these companies and other snowmobiling information can be found by visiting the North Tahoe Snow Travelers' Web site at www.tahoesnowmobiling.org.