They're two recreational machines that share the same forest and, this year, sales of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles seem to have held their ground in Wisconsin.
As of October, there were 322,333 ATVs and similar utility vehicles registered in Wisconsin, according to the most recent available figures. There were more than 202,000 snowmobiles as of last March 31, the Department of Natural Resources said.
Four-wheel ATVs have eclipsed snowmobile sales in recent years, in part because the wheeled machines can be used all year, and interest in snowmobiling slips following winters when there isn't much snow.
Daniel Hoppe, a snowmobile rider for more than 20 years, got rid of his sled a while back.
"I got out of it because, even though winter comes every year, it doesn't always bring much of the white stuff. And I got tired of having to put the sled on a trailer and drive north," said Hoppe, with the Dusty Trails ATV Club in Oconto County.
As baby boomers reach retirement age, there's also more interest in utility vehicles, or UTVs, that seat several people, side-by-side, on bench seats and can be used on ATV trails. For some, they're more comfortable and more practical than a regular all-terrain vehicle.
They're wider than ATVs and look something like dune buggies.
"You definitely see a lot of older folks with UTVs. Sometimes a family will buy one of those instead of two ATVs," Hoppe said.
"They can't build the trails fast enough to accommodate the UTVs," said Rick Welch of the Kettle Moraine ATV Association.
Sales are 'buzzing'
Still, snowmobile dealerships have benefited from the unusual amount of snow and cold last winter, when people rode their motorized sleds from the middle of December through much of March.
Wisconsin ranks second only to Minnesota in the number of registered snowmobiles.
"If you are looking for the most fun you can have in the winter, it's absolutely a snowmobile," said Bob VanZelst, owner of Don & Roy's Motorsports in Brookfield.
Both ATV and snowmobile sales are "surviving well," said VanZelst, who has been in the snowmobile business for 40 years.
Typically, a Wisconsin snowmobiler will ride 1,500 to 1,800 miles a year. Last winter, some people exceeded 5,000 miles, said Rob Strauss, owner of Rob's Performance Motorsports in Johnson Creek.
"We had a banner year," Strauss said, with strong sales in the spring when people typically buy a new snowmobile for the following winter.
"We are just buzzing right now, even without snow on the ground. My business works off the wave from the prior winter up until about now, when the new season starts," Strauss said.
Even as ATV use has increased, snowmobiling hasn't lost a lot of enthusiasts to the four-wheel crowd, said Dave Newman, president of the Wisconsin Association of Snowmobile Clubs.
"Our membership is up considerably this year, mostly because of the great snow we had last winter. When I talked with dealers, they said sales were phenomenal last spring and again this fall because of the snow we had," Newman said.
Shared traits, trails
While sales of ATVs have eclipsed snowmobiles, the two have a lot in common, said Randy Harden, president of the Wisconsin ATV Association.
"If they're not selling snowmobiles, they're not selling a lot of ATVs," he said about periods when the economy and poor weather have kept people out of the motor sports marketplace.
As of last week, there wasn't much snowmobiling activity across most of the state because of the weather. Many people were towing their machines to northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula to find trails with snow to ride on.
That's likely to change soon. The best snowmobiling in Wisconsin is usually in February and early March. "I think we were a bit spoiled last year, when there was consistent snow literally from Dec. 15 until people begged and pleaded for it to go away in March," Strauss said.
Wisconsin has dozens of snowmobile and ATV clubs, and there's been a trend toward clubs that represent users of both machines. They have similar interests, including a network of shared trails.
"We are maintaining more than 22,000 miles of trails across the state, so it takes a lot of work," Newman said.
All-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles have to stay off trails when the ground is soft and their use could damage the path.
"The snow we had in November was terrible because the ground was warm underneath and the snow acted as an insulator, keeping it from freezing. Luckily, it all melted so we could start over," said Harden.
"On the rare winters when it's real cold but there isn't snow, then some trails are open for ATVs. But most shared trails have to be open for snowmobiling before they also allow ATVs," Harden said.
