Crow River Sno Pros cater to snowmobile enthusiasts in area

The Crow River Sno Pros are always looking for ways to help snowmobile enthusiasts, whether it be grooming and maintaining 160 miles of trail, offering safety classes or giving a venue for people to show off and see vintage snowmobiles.
Its latest venture is the purchase of a new tractor and groomer for the trails. But this groomer is unique — it was designed by club members and custom built by OEM in Green Isle. The tractor to pull the groomer was bought from Arnold’s in Glencoe, as the club tries to keep its business in the local area.
What makes the new groomer unique is that it has a component to help pre-condition trails prior to snowfall by breaking up clumps of dirt and preparing the base.
With 160 miles of trail to maintain, most of it through farmland, the club owns and maintains two groomers, one based near Silver Lake and one by Glencoe. On average, it takes two complete days with both groomers going to complete a circuit of all 160 miles, which includes some work on the Dakota and Luce Line Trails.
Kevin Cohrs, one of the club’s members, said the club’s goal was to create trails on privately owned land, rather than running along road ditches, as many other clubs do.
“It’s safer than riding in ditches,” said Cohrs of the Sno Pros trail system.
“It also gives them (riders) a chance to see some country that they can’t see from the road ditch,” added Rodney Mathews, another club member.
The club members said they work with a large number of landowners who allow them to develop trails and post signs on their property.
“The landowners are key,” said Mathews. “They’re what makes this whole thing work.”
For more about the Sno Pros, see the Feb. 14 print edition of The Chronicle.