To paraphrase Barfly: I don't hate snowmobiles I just feel better when they're not around. It's primarily the noise and the twin cycle engine exhaust. I don't want to ban them; I just want more than one or two places where I can go to the mountains to recreate in peace and quiet.<br><br>As for dogs (tied to sleds or running free) they aren't that loud and generally don't smell much worse than my old poly-pro so they don't bother me a bit.<br><br>I think a lot of the friction comes from the fact that so much space is given over to snowmobiles while so little is given to skiers. This is despite the fact that recent studies have shown that the majority of visitors to the Washington Cascades are there for non-motorized recreation. <br><br>I also think that as snowpacks in areas like Lake Wenatchee continue to decrease we are going to see more conflicts around Stevens Pass. It used to be that you never saw snowmobiles on Smithbrook or Skyline partially due to the high snowbanks and partially due to the crowds of skiers and snowshoers, but now they are almost a regular fixture. <br><br>I for one would support snowmobile only designations for trails provided that equal numbers of skier only trails are established and that the reality, that most of the current "multi-use" trails are in reality "snowmobile only" trails, is taken into account. Another possibility is to consider revolving trail access. This way no-one is permantly closed out of their favorite trail. This would require some significant signage, but it does work well in Pisgah National forest for regulation hiker/mtn biker/equestrian conflicts (or at least it did 12+ years ago when I was living in NC) <br><br>On another note I've never understood how someone on a > $10,000 snow-machine can get away with calling me on a couple of hundred dollars of ski gear "elitist".<br>
