Syracuse.com - Snowmobile industry contributes $860 million to NYS, according to new study

HuntingNY-News · May 9, 2012

Snowmobiling has been a growing activity during the last decade with significant economic impact for New York State .

The following is a press release from the New York Snowmobile Association:

PINE BUSH, NY – An economic assessment undertaken by the SUNY Potsdam Institute for Applied Research shows that the sport of snowmobiling delivers an economic impact of more than $860 million to New York State annually. The New York State Snowmobile Association (NYSSA) revealed the findings of the assessment to more than 600 NYSSA members who attended the 2012 Educational Forum and Annual Meeting in Lake Placid.

The results of this assessment are designed to analyze what the sport of snowmobiling means to New York State’s businesses and municipalities. In comparison, a 2011 study done by the Iowa State University Department of Economics determined that snowmobiling has a $123 million economic impact in the state of Iowa.

"Our previous study shows that, even after adjusting for cost of living and other factors, snowmobiling has been a growing activity during the last decade with significant economic impact for New York State “ said Dr. J. Patrick Turbett, SUNY Potsdam

Results of this economic assessment show that on average, a New York State snowmobiler spends more than $3,000 individually every year for snowmobile related activities. This figure does not include the $45 registration fee required for each sled every year.

“We tasked the SUNY Potsdam Institute for Applied Research with this economic assessment to accurately determine the current contribution of the snowmobile industry. By collaborating with the SUNY Potsdam Institute for Applied Research we ensured that the findings would withstand peer review,” said Dominic Jacangelo, Executive Director of NYSSA. “In addition to financial numbers, this survey informed NYSSA of our current demographics and how snowmobilers feel about our sport in New York State. These results are critical in ensuring snowmobiling interests have a voice on the federal, state and local levels.”

Survey results broke down how much money snowmobilers spent on sleds, travel, insurance, maintenance, gasoline, clothing, service and repairs during the 2010 – 2011 season. Distributed online and via mail, 5,916 surveys were completed. In comparison, the prior survey in 2003 returned 1,350 results.

“Our Economic Impact Survey really brings into perspective how difficult this past winter was,” said Gary Broderick, President of NYSSA. “With lower than average snowfalls across the state, snowmobilers were not able to spend the amount of time on their sleds as usual and that directly leads to less money spent as well. Along our 10,500 miles of trails across New York State, there are a variety of restaurants, convenient stores, gas pumps and snowmobile dealers that rely on our sport as a source of revenue, as evident by our study.”

Additional work is being undertaken by the Institute regarding the sport involving snowmobile dealers and businesses that depend on snowmobilers for a portion of their revenue stream during certain times of the year. Complete results of the study will be released later this year.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog