State, Snowmobile Group Urge Alcohol-Free Riding in Vermont

Vermont State Police and the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers are renewing their calls for safe snowmobiling in the wake of a deadly start to the season.

Six people have died in snowmobiling accidents in Vermont since Dec. 24, and investigations are under way into whether alcohol played a part in any of them.

In a news conference Tuesday in Hinesburg, Sgt. J.R. Underhill, recreational enforcement coordinator for the State Police, said drunk driving laws apply on VAST’s snow trails network and that alcohol and snowmobiling don’t mix.

Deputy Game Warden Justin Stedman says snowmobilers should avoid crossing frozen bodies of water, and especially parts of iced-over lakes where streams or rivers feed in, since the ice there is more likely to be weak.