The popularity of snowmobiling has been on the rise in Maine. It is becoming a mainstream recreational activity.

Snowmobiling started in the northernmost United States and Canada as a way of getting around in the winter because the roads were covered in snow. Due to the large rubber track and wide skis, snowmobiles were an easy choice for transport over these harsh roads.

But now snowmobiling is expanding. It has become more mainstream thanks to magazines like SnowGoer and televised competitions like the X-Games.

According to SnowGoer, 15 percent of all snowmobilers are between the ages of 16 and 24, with an average age of 41 years old.

Younger riders have changed the sport of snowmobiling. Some things they have brought to the sport are freestyle snowmobiling and custom snowmobile building.

One reason the popularity of snowmobiling is growing is because it brings people together. For example, when people join snowmobile clubs, they meet people that they otherwise might not have anything in common with.

Plus, snowmobile manufacturers tend to take advice from their customers better than most other recreational vehicle companies. For the most part there is a “sled” out there for anyone, no matter what you want.

Another reason that snowmobiling is so popular is how individualized it can be. You can buy a snowmobile and make it completely your own. This is easy because of the huge aftermarket that supplies accessories and parts.

Snowmobiling can get expensive, but it does not have to be. At any given time there are probably about a thousand used sleds for sale in Maine alone. This allows younger people with less money to get into the sport.

Possibly in the future snowmobiling will be as mainstream as sports such a baseball or football, especially if the number of riders keeps increasing as it has.