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Ray Grass: Blizzard of misinformation aims to ban snowmobiles in Yellowstone

"Handful of elitists" would be able to enter the park? I don't think so.

Before snowmobiles, Yellowstone had a thriving winter tourism business with large tracked vehicles taking groups of winter tourists to the lodges in the park.

The big snowmachines could carry groups of people much more quietly and efficiently than packs of buzzing snowmobiles driven by tourists wearing crash helmets.

I guess if you cross country ski or use snowshoes you are a elitists? When did we get so lazy and out of shape that in order to enjoy a National Park we need to use snowmobiles?

Yellowstone is a "Park", not a wilderness. As long as cars and motorcycles can enter in the summer, then so should sleds in the winter, using the "best available technology" as mandated by the park service. This means the sleds are now cleaner and quieter than many of the vehicles which enter in the summer.

The real issue here is not noise or emissions or packed trails. It is public access to public land. The enviro groups would just as soon keep ALL personal motor vehicles out. If sleds are banned, the day will come where you will have to load your family and your tent and cooler onto a bus and be hauled into the park. You will no longer be able to drive through at your leisure. Do not kid yourself. That day is coming.

If the park is to be managed as a wilderness, then change the designation. The new sleds are clean and quiet, far more so than the noisy motorcycles that come and go at will all summer long. That is a fact.

Plenty of research exists to condemn snowmobile use in YNP...why don't you do your job and search for it? Emissions in cold winter temperatures are different from summer emissions. Just because bison don't charge doesn't mean they aren't stressed by noise & proximity...duh.

Yellowstone still uses snow coaches to move groups of people in and around the park; no one is "locked out." The northern entrance is open year-round to auto traffic. My snowshoes cost about $150. What does a snowmobile, the trailer to haul it, the truck to pull it, the suit, helmet, and goggles cost? Something above $50,000? And you're calling ME the elitist?

Thanks for your comments Kevin. It's nice to see common sense responses instead of the typical anti-snowmobile rehtoric.

If people want to eliminate all motorized access to Yellowstone, or limit it to mass transit, fine, work to that goal.

The idea of eliminating access to less than 1000 snowmobiles per day just because they are snowmobiles is ridiculous. They are clean. They are quiet. They are guided. THEY ARE HEAVILY REGULATED ON ALL FRONTS.

Only the uninformed and/or anti-snowmobile zealots are pushing for this. It's too bad the truth has such a hard time being reported.

YNP 4 me and American Citizen. Nothing preturbs me more than the idea of snowcoaches being better than snowmobiles. I have worked in Yellowstone in the winter for years.

Coaches have a greater negative impact on wildlife than 'biles when coach passengers disembark the coach, which they do. That is according to the most recent EIS by the park service.

Coaches use 10% more fuel efficient than snowmobiles assuming 1.3 people per 'bile, 8 people per coach, which are the averages per each mode of transport. That is according to Mike Yochim (SP?) a park service rep who studies snowmobiles.

Ban 'em all, or let them all be! Pick your poison.

YNP 4 me, Thanks for saying check the studies. After many years of studies, they show the new BAT snowmobiles will travel through Yellowstone with lower emissions per person than the snow coaches will. There has also been plenty of research on the wildlife reaction to the visitors to the park and they also show no adverse reaction to snowmobiles. Just go to the National Park Service Yellowstone website and you can look up the winter planning documents and see that the snowmobiles are able to tour Yellowstone with no adverse impact on the environment.

Your comments about the snowmobile, truck,trailer, etc is moot because no private person is allowed to take a personal snowmobile in Yellowstone anyway. All must be rented at an authorized rental place and a guide must be used to tour Yellowstone by snowmobile so many of the people enjoying the park by snowmobile don't even own them but have chosen them as a way to see the beauty of the park.

Go see the park in the winter by snowmobile and enjoy the experience.

Try both sides of the story next time. There are also plenty of extremeist on the bilers side of the story and it's obvious who you side with. The fact remains, snowmobiles impact the environment in a big way. If nothing else, the exhaust hangs in the air for hours and hours. I've skied back to trail heads late at night, long after the snowmachinces have vacated (you can hear them miles away), only to be choked by exhaust that I would not allow in my garage for fear of the health of my family. I'd rather smoke unfiltered Camels. At least they smell better.

Elitist? Hmmm, lets do some 3rd grade accounting:

Bilers:
Ford F-350 $45,000
Snowmachine 8,000 (min)
Trailer 10,000
Avalanche gear 100 (cell phone)
Clothing/Misc 1,000
Total $64,100

BC Skiers:
Backcountry ski gear $2000
Avalanche gear 600
Clothing/misc 700
Total $3300

So who's the elitist? I my wildest dreams I could never afford snowmobiling.

Nice try Grass. If I wanted brainless, unfounded "facts", I'd listen to Hannity (and I'm a Republican!).

While dining out, most D-news reader would not allow someone to smoke a cigarette at a neighboring table. I'd bet most of you would complain loud and long until the problem was corrected. Smoking is illegal in most public buildings for good reason, yet we're supposed to accept that same behavior outdoors? Try skiing from a trail head shared with snowmobiles. It's just as bad, or worse, than tobacco. Yes, the four-strokes are much cleaner, but enough 2 strokes remain to leave a long, inky trail of stink. Most 'bilers' I know are hesitant to make the switch to 4-stroke for power and/or weight issues.

There is merit to the other side of the story.

nobody can possibly snowshoe Yellowstone, if it's closed to snowmobiles then it will soon be simply closed. there won't be anyone who wants to come visit. all the greenies can sit around their smog filled big city living rooms and pat themselves on the backs for keeping snowmobiles out of the park. But those greenies won't even come visit anyway. Look out your high rise window and take a look at what you've done to your town before you try to tell wyoming what to do.

Smoker and OMR, There is no merit to the other side of the story. The third paragraph of the article covers the rules of snowmobiles in Yellowstone. It is smoke free using your analogy because 2 stroke snowmobiles haven't been allowed in Yellowstone since 2003. Currently all the Best Available Technology (BAT) snowmobiles are all 4 strokes so it is obvious you haven't been to Yellowstone in the winter for the past 5 years.

Being an elitist has nothing to do with how much it costs to enjoy a recreational experience. Over a decade of studies have been done regarding snowmobiles in Yellowstone and they show that a combination of snow coaches and snowmobiles are sustainable in Yellowstone to view its splendor in the winter without adverse impacts on the environment and wildlife. Still there are some who push their views that the snowmobiles have no place and they want them out because they don't agree with them being there. That is being an elitist. The snowmobilers aren't trying to remove any group. Again to get into Yellowstone by snowmobile you need nothing because you must rent one that meets the requirements of Yellowstone.

Nice try. Bet you wrote some of those misleading releases. Lets see, you don’t drive a vehicle to go cross country skiing? Oh, you do own a vehicle. Probably an $85,000 BMW. Funny, I don’t see it listed as you did with “Bilers.’’ Smell exhaust “long after” and hear the “miles away?’’ Little exaggeration there? No, you wouldn’t mislead people to further your agenda -- would you? Sounds like if I wanted brainless, unfounded facts, I’d check in with you.