In the snowiest places, locals and tourists get around on snowmobiles

The cool way to get around is on a snowmobile

Lesson summary

Hi there everyone, I’m Jeff and this is Plain English lesson number 531. This is the first of four winter holiday themed lessons, where we’re going a little easy on you. Today’s topic is more winter-themed than anything else. I’m going to tell you about snowmobiling. This is a winter activity that’s really only possible in areas that get a lot—and I mean a lot—of snow.

JR has uploaded the full lesson to PlainEnglish.com/531. Let’s get going.

Snowmobiling: like a jet-ski, but for snowy, cold places

If you don’t know what a snowmobile is, I’ll help you out. You’re probably familiar with a jet-ski. A jet-ski is like a motorcycle, only for water. It’s a one-person vehicle with handlebars, not a steering wheel. It’s powered by a small motor. You get it in the water and you can ride it anywhere.

You can probably also picture a military tank. A tank doesn’t have individual wheels with tires; instead, it has a track—almost like a treadmill-type band that pushes the vehicle forward.

A snowmobile is like a motorcycle or a jet-ski, but instead of being used on a road or on the water, it’s used on special snowmobile trails in areas that get—you guessed it—a lot of snow. Like a motorcycle or a jet-ski, one person sits on top and steers the vehicle with handlebars. There’s no ceiling, there are no doors—it’s an outdoor kind of a vehicle.

There are exceptions, but most people use snowmobiles on established paths. The paths go through the woods, alongside the roads, through mountain ranges—just like a bike path, but for snowmobiles, not bicycles.

Snowmobiling, as the activity is called, is only possible in regions that get about a hundred inches of snow a year, and where the snow is on the ground more or less all winter long. In the United States, this is popular in Maine, Michigan, New York State, Colorado, Idaho, and other snowy, cold areas. There are a lot of snowmobile trails in Canada. You can also snowmobile in Japan, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Russia, Chile, and New Zealand.

Here’s how it works. The snowmobile runs on a gas engine. The engine powers a track, which sits underneath the driver. The track, remember, is like what powers a tank. It’s like the band of a treadmill; this moves the vehicle forward, but it doesn’t allow for any steering. That’s where the skis come in. Toward the front of the vehicle are two skis, which help absorb some of the vehicle’s weight. They are also attached to the handlebars, so that’s how you steer.

Your handlebars move the skis left or right for steering, while underneath you, a track propels the vehicle forward.

Snowmobiles are fast. Smaller models can go up to 80 miles per hour—120 kilometers per hour. But some go really, really fast: 200 miles per hour, or over 300 kilometers per hour.

At speeds that high, the quality of the trail matters. The agencies that maintain the trails need packed snow. They often groom the trails, like ski slopes, so that the trails are smooth and consistent.

Snowmobiling can generate a lot of tourism dollars for a region. In the Adirondacks region of New York State, for example, there are hundreds of miles of trails. They connect small towns with more remote areas. The towns offer restaurants, hotels, and winter activities for snowmobiling visitors.

Fire departments, police, and other agencies can use snowmobiles to reach areas not served by roads. Locals in those areas can use snowmobiles as transportation, not just recreation; college students at frigid Michigan Tech University can take a snowmobile to class and park in a special snowmobile parking lot.

Up for the challenge

I have never been on a snowmobile. I have never done it. In fact , until today, I didn’t know they were powered by that tank-like track. I had no idea how they moved! But I would like to do it. It’s one of those things that’s only possible in a small number of places.

I’ve lived almost my entire life in areas with cold, snowy winters—but nowhere near the amount of snow you need to really maintain snowmobile tracks. One day, I would like to try it.

If you want to see a few pictures and videos of snowmobiles, I’ll post them in the Facebook group this week. Check that out by visiting PlainEnglish.com/Facebook .