Island Pond, a remote community in northeastern Vermont, holds an annual two day Snocross event in early March. The event draws a crowd of snowmobile enthusiasts from throughout New England. About 500- 1,000 spectators and contestants attend. Entrance fee is normally $15.00 for two days, or $10 for a single day.

Snocross racing is like motocross racing, except snowmobiles are raced instead of dirt bikes, and instead of a dirt track, the race is on a snow-covered track about a third of a mile long. The track winds around and up and down and is full of jumps to test the skills of the riders and their machines. There are many different classes of races at these events. The riders operate on a point system, much like NASCAR.

Note that the snow on the track looks a bit brown. This is because the track is built out of natural snow and dirt, bulldozed by several groomers. Local organizers are only responsible for building the track and ticket sales. An outfit called Rock Maple Racing handles everything else. You can find out more about other evens at their site.

Click on the movie link at the top of the page to download a movie about this event. Wondering about how many contestants attend? See the QTVR of the "Sledders Parking Lot."