What Do You Know About The Snowmobile Industry?

Anyone who follows snowmobiling with any kind of interest knows there are four snowmobile manufacturers.

After that, how much do you know about our industry? Here are some facts and figures compiled by the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association.

• There are four major manufacturers that build snowmobiles. They are: Arctic Cat - headquartered in Plymouth, MN; BRP - headquartered in Valcourt, Quebec; Polaris Industries - headquartered in Medina, MN; and Yamaha Motor Corporation - headquartered in Cypress, CA.
• In 2012 there were 129,087 snowmobiles sold worldwide; 48,689 were sold in the U.S. and 40,165 were sold in Canada.
• There are 1.4 million registered snowmobiles in the U.S. and 593,248 registered snowmobiles in Canada.
• The Economic Impact of Snowmobiling:
• United States - $23 billion annually
• Canada - $7 billion annually
• Europe & Russia - $4 billion annually
• More than 100,000 full time jobs are generated by the snowmobile industry in North America. Those jobs are involved in manufacturing, dealerships and tourism related businesses.
• The average age of a snowmobiler is 41 years old.
• The average annual household income for snowmobilers is $68,000.
• The average snowmobiler rides their snowmobile 920 miles (1481 km) per year in North America.
• Approximately 75 percent of all active snowmobilers are male; 25 percent female.
• 53 percent of the snowmobilers usually trailer their snowmobiles to go riding. 47 percent either snowmobile from their primary residence or have a vacation home where they keep and use their snowmobiles.
• Approximately 80 percent of snowmobilers use their snowmobile for trail riding and touring on marked and groomed trails. 20 percent of snowmobilers use their snowmobile for work, ice fishing and transportation.
• Snowmobilers are caring neighbors, they raised more than $3 million for charity during the 2011-2012 season.
• There are more than 225,000 miles of groomed and marked snowmobile trails in North America that have been developed by volunteer clubs working with local government and private land owners.
• There are more than 3,000 snowmobile clubs worldwide, involved in trail grooming and charity fund raising and family activities.
• There are more than 42 registered non-profit associations representing snowmobilers in the U.S., Canada and Scandinavia.
• Snowmobiling is great exercise that brings people outdoors to interact with nature and each other. It is an invigorating sport that is great for stress release and good mental health.
• Snowmobiling is a great family lifestyle. It is an activity that keeps parents and kids together. Historically individuals who snowmobile at a young age continue to snowmobile with their parents throughout their lives, sharing great experiences as a family. In many winter regions, snowmobiling is simply the main form of winter outdoor recreation and in some cases the main method of transportation available.
• The use of snowmobiles in National Parks is regulated by federal law enforcement. The snowmobiling occurs on roads groomed and marked for snowmobiling, the same roadways used by recreational vehicles, cars, trucks and busses. Snowmobiles are NOT used as off-road vehicles in National Parks such as Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain and Grand Teton.
• On U.S. National Forest Land, most of the trails used by snowmobiles are on groomed roads used by summer recreationists. There are also secondary and seasonal roads within the forests used by snowmobilers. These roads are groomed and marked by volunteers who work closely with the local U.S. Forest Service staff in maintaining and managing those areas.
• The manufacturers have always been actively involved in promoting safe riding behavior while snowmobiling. More than one million safety related brochures, decals and hundreds of thousands of posters and safety videos have been distributed free of charge to safety trainers, enforcement officers, Travel Bureaus, Chambers of Commerce, Convention and Visitor Bureaus, and snowmobile enthusiasts throughout the world.
• State/Provincial snowmobile registrations for 2010-2011 season were as follows:

• Visit the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association websites at www.snowmobile.org and www.gosnowmobiling.org for more information.