‘Snowmobile Capital of the World’ hopes for snow as it prepares for winter
The Eagle River, Wisconsin, business community will again be keeping a close eye on the weather, as the “Snowmobile Capital of the World” and its economy rely heavily on snowfall and snowmobile traffic during the winter months.
Chris Petreikis, an owner and general manager of Track Side, Eagle River’s largest snowmobile dealer. The dealership sits just a few hundred feet from the start-finish line of the famed World Championship Derby Track, and snowmobiling plays a big economic role in the Eagle River area. Petreikis told NBC News affiliate WJFW about the importance of snow during this time of year and the potential revenue it generates.
“Snowmobiling really impacts most of the community businesses and tourists alike,” Petreikis says. “It definitely draws people.”
Petreikis joined the Trackside team in 2018 after new management took over, and he says every year before winter, his dealership adds at least 100 new snowmobiles and additional gear for the anticipated influx of business from locals and tourists.
“When the season kicks off, and they actually open the snowmobile trails, then it becomes really busy,” Petreikis told WJFW.” If you snowmobile up here, you will know what it’s all about.”
However, little snowfall or low snowpack during the winter months causes revenue loss, and when winters are mild and lack snow, the Eagle River economy declines. A mild winter in 2023-2024, for instance, caused millions in lost revenue for snowmobile-reliant businesses. But Petreikis stays optimistic and knows that when the snow does come, business booms.
“On a good year, between Christmas and New Year’s, it feels like a mini-Black Friday at a Walmart here,” Petreikis says. “I’m excited for this year, knowing that they’re predicting a lot of snow and a lot of cold, so we’ll see.”
