APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) - With little snow so far this winter and an unseasonably quiet winter last year, snowmobile sales in northeastern Wisconsin have plummeted, with trails either closed or in poor condition. “It’s kind of tough. We’re sitting better than most dealers because we’ve presold most of our snowmobiles. We have a couple of used ones and a couple of new ones left, and that’s it,” Powersports 1 parts manager Peter Gerrits said. “Our customers have been coming in, saying there’s snow and they’ve been snowmobiling and planning trips up in Michigan. But locally and in northern Wisconsin, there hasn’t been much.” City of Appleton continues trend of yearly decreases in crime since 2020, down 33% in 2024 Gerrits understands the predicament enthusiasts face when considering the purchase of a new machine, knowing there is a good chance it will remain dormant for much of the winter. He is thankful for the online business that helps keep the snowmobile branch of the shop lucrative. “It’s really affected my door traffic, but there’s snow on the East Coast, so my internet traffic is really good right now,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t put on more than 300 or 400 miles on their snowmobiles, and it’s a pretty big investment if you’re buying a new one.” With limited sales, you might expect the showroom to be filled with snowmobiles. It’s not; in fact, except for four in the back corner, the room hardly has any, with rows of dozens of UTVs taking their place. “Yamaha’s done with snowmobiles. This was their last year, and they’re not making them next year. So for us, we’re not really pushing new units. Almost all of our new units were presold,” Gerrits said. “This was their last production year, and we got everything that we could get. If we could get more, we could probably sell more.” Yamaha has ended snowmobile production, and Arctic Cat has put an indefinite hold on manufacturing. Gerrits said that until recently, the two manufacturing giants had an agreement to co-produce snowmobiles. When that agreement ended, so did the snowmobile side of their businesses. “It would be an Arctic Cat chassis with a Yamaha motor. That’s how these were for years. They worked together for years, and then with Yamaha halting, it might have something to do with Arctic Cat halting production,” Gerrits said. “I think the popularity and the investment just weren’t there for Yamaha, and I think Arctic Cat and their agreement ended, so each company would have to produce its own snowmobiles.” CBS News has reported that Arctic Cat could lay off hundreds of employees. A spokesperson for Arctic Cat did not return a request for comment from Local 5 News. Yamaha has discontinued many snowmobile accessories with this being its final season. Gerrits says that has caused a frenzy for people to purchase them, but necessary replacement parts will still be offered for at least a decade. “People are grabbing whatever they can now because they know they may be discontinued for accessories,” he said. “But hard parts are all good. We still have those to offer.” Grand Chute Fire Department upgrades Emergency Medical Service systems At the Outagamie Conservation Club, the only tracks on the trails are from ATVs and UTVs. That’s one side of the business that is flourishing. “UTV sales have been really steady for the last few years,” Gerrits said. “During the COVID years, it was crazy. We didn’t have any stock on the floors then. It was so popular.”