DOWAGIAC — Members of Airline Snowmobile Club have been doing the snow dance since snowmobiling season began on Dec. 1. 

Airline is a private trail system of approximately 60 miles maintained by members of Airline Snowmobile Club. The trail uses private properties and farms across Cass and St. Joe counties.

So far this season, members of the club like Bobbie Jo Hartline have been praying for snow.

“Sometimes we blame it on whoever bought the newest sled, they jinx the snow,” Hartline said with a laugh. “It will come. I wish we hadn’t gotten those 14 inches so early in the season and then it went away so fast. We will just wait for Mother Nature to show us some snow and then we will finally get some miles in.”

Hartline, who has been a member of Airline Snowmobile Club for some time, said the name came from an old inner-urban trail that ran from Cassopolis to Benton Harbor, Three Rivers, Kalamazoo and possibly South Bend.

Hartline, who grew up on a sled, was involved in snowmobiling from a young age. Her parents, who were part of a different club in the area, used to meet in Sister Lakes. After Hartline got married and her husband showed interest in the sport, a friend of theirs introduced them to Airline.

“Our club is very family-focused,” she said. “We try to provide a fun, safe environment for families to do some winter traveling on their snowmobiles.”

Airline Snowmobile Club operates differently from other clubs in the area due to the fact it is a private club, Hartline said. Members pay a membership fee to get access to the trail, which is not published anywhere publicly, but runs through Cass County.

Each year, volunteers get permission from landowners because the trail crosses through farms and wooded areas.

“We check with them every year because property may change hands or they may change a crop in the field or they may want a different route through woods,” Hartline said. “We just work with what their needs are. If it weren’t for those land owners the club would not exist.”

Currently, Hartline estimated the club has about 100 memberships, with families who have participated for generations. She predicted most membership comes from eastern Cass County, St. Joe County, Three Rivers and Constantine area.

Before the beginning of snowmobiling season, a team of volunteer staff mark the trail and remove any trees or rocks. They also clean up the trails, repair any gates and put up new signs. An annual sign-making party is traditionally held and then the group meets at the duration of the season to tear down the trail.

With a lack of snow this season, Hartline said snowmobilers might be experiencing “snow depression.” Airline Snowmobiler Club has smaller trails with lower amounts of mileage, therefore the club does not own a groomer like other clubs or state trails own.

“We rely a lot on the weather,” Hartline said. “Once the ground freezes and you get a good base of 5 inches of snow it’s much better, but you need more on top of that 5 inches to ride.”

Hartline believes the membership ebbs and flows. Some years, she has seen many new memberships, other years it’s mostly renewals.

“A snowmobile is a little bit of an investment whether it’s new or old,” she said. “There is state and local registration for trails. Also depends on the economy, but once you’ve been on a sled, it becomes a little addicting.”

Hartline and her husband, who have not made it on the trails yet this season, are remaining hopeful in the snow rituals.

“I wish we could schedule snow on the weekends but you never can,” she said. “Whenever it snows, you ride.”