top groomer

The importance of volunteers and their work through local snowmobile clubs makes our sport different from other types of outdoor recreation. Countless enthusiasts unselfishly give their time to create and maintain our outstanding trail networks and make snowmobiling more pleasurable for everyone.

None are more deserving of praise than the trail coordinators and groomer operators. Not only do their efforts provide us with many of the open trails we ride, but their devotion to grooming creates a better riding experience. On many a winter night, when temperatures are frigid and winds are cold, groomer operators are out there until the wee hours, tending the trails.

Yet, most of the time their hard work goes unrecognized.

Harold A. Butschke of Oconomowoc, Wis., is one of those guys who grooms for us, devoting more than 25 years to advancing snowmobiling in Waukesha County, just west of Milwaukee.

Harold's longtime efforts earned him the admiration of his local club, the Oconomowoc Throttle Jockeys, who submitted his name last season as a nominee for 2008 Wisconsin Groomer Operator of the Year.

Not only did he win that award, but he also was selected as International Groomer Operator of the Year and honored by the International Snowmobile Hall of Fame in Bovey, Minn.

"It's very appropriate that Harold won this award," says Donna White, past president of the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs. "He's dedicated many years to this work." 

Harold and his wife Barbara were among the founders of the Oconomowoc club in 1972. The next year, he started working on local trails using homemade signs and became the club's trail master and representative to the county association in 1974, as well as a certified safety instructor.

In 1975, Butschke began conferring with the Waukesha County Park & Planning Dept. to establish the county's first funded trail, which finally opened in 1982. He and several others founded the Waukesha County Groomer Corp. in 1985, adding their own funds to an initial bank loan to buy grooming equipment. County clubs bought shares to increase the initial capitalization and raffle tickets were sold to help defray expenses, resulting in the first loan being paid off in 1988.

Today, the Groomer Corp. operates three Tuckers (1981, 1989 and 1995 models) and maintains about 120 miles of trail, as well as 10 miles of the Glacial Drumlin State Trail. Discussions are underway to take on another 35 miles of routes in a nearby state forest, if a connecting route can be established.

Butschke has worked in construction for many years as a quality control manager for Wolf Paving Co. His experience in operating and maintaining heavy equipment suits him for handling the Tuckers, and the seasonal nature of his business coincides perfectly with snowmobiling.

"We need more operators, but finding sufficient spare time is a problem for many people, because it usually requires 6 or 7 hours each time you go out," Butschke says.  "Any person who wants to run the Tucker and the drag first spends time in the shop learning about the equipment, then rides along with an experienced operator to see how it's done. Even with good instruction it takes awhile to learn the proper technique so that everything is smooth when you're finished grooming."

Tending trails is a challenge he enjoys.

"It's not a speed run. It's slow going, between 6-8 mph. You have to keep close watch on the tracks and the drag to avoid damage to the equipment, as well as to trees and signs. A groomer operator is not a driver. He must have knowledge of the equipment, which includes knowing how to grease and maintain the machine."
Through the years, Butschke also has had plenty of experience in repairing tracks, fixing hydraulic systems and extricating machinery stuck in difficult places. He's also made an occasional phone call in the middle of the night to ask Barbara to come pick him up at some remote location after an equipment breakdown.

"She's provided help and support throughout the many years we've been involved in organized snowmobiling and I'm very thankful for that," Butschke says. "Barbara was secretary of the county association for 30 years and has traveled with me to countless meetings around the state. She also is a certified safety instructor and teaches with me at the two safety schools we hold each year."

Waukesha County is one of the fastest-growing areas in Wisconsin, which makes maintaining a viable trail system increasingly difficult.

"The greatest challenge we face today is the development of large tracts of land where trails are located," Butschke says. "This problem is statewide. Up north, paper companies are selling forest land to people who don't want a trail on their property. In our county, almost every farm that is sold is purchased by a developer. Because of that, the housing slowdown has actually been a blessing for our trails."

Butschke has seen a lot of land turn into subdivisions, causing rerouting.

"In the 1970s, the clubs established their trails on private land and got the snowmobiles off the highway rights of way," he says. "Now, as that land is developed, we're forced to use those roadsides again to maintain our trail connections."

At his award ceremony, Butschke expressed appreciation to the snowmobiling community for recognizing his contributions. "I am both honored and humbled by this award. There are many dedicated operators grooming the trails so that we can enjoy our sport of snowmobiling and to all of them I say thank you - and keep up the good work."