Winter Trails Day Draws Strong Turnout

ith good early snow in many locations and pent-up demand from two previous weak winters, the 19th annual Winter Trails Day experienced a strong turnout at recurring locations, according to event organizers. Despite the cancelation of events due to weather-related happenings, several sites saw large turnouts, some with record attendance.

“The nice weather and lots of snow combined with a lot of great media attention made this a record year for us,” said Mikaela Swanlund, organizer of the Fort Snelling State Park event in Minneapolis.

Events were canceled in the Pacific North West and California due to low or no snow, and in the Mid-Atlantic and New England region due to terrible icing followed by driving rain. “It was a tough year due to weather issues forcing many cancelations,” stated Reese Brown, Winter Trails administrator. “We did see many bright pockets with some regular occurring events showing attendance increases of 20 to 30 percent.”

Final participation numbers are still being tallied, but it appears the program received positive attendance gains in areas not adversely affected by weather. Each year, Winter Trails is held in early January and offers children and adults an opportunity to try either or both activities free at participating locations throughout the U.S. Venues are posted at WinterTrails.org. There are still a few events schedule later in the winter season.

SnowSports Industries America (SIA), a national, non-profit trade association for snow sports suppliers, manages Winter Trails. Winter Trails sponsors and media partners include: Atlas Snowshoes, Atomic Skis, Cross Country Skier Magazine, Fischer Skis, Madshus, Mountain Safety Research (MSR), Rossignol, Salomon, SkiTrax Magazine, Snowshoe Magazine, Swix, Tubbs, Whitewoods and XCSkiresorts.com.