MY MONTANA

Snowmobile Expo in West Yellowstone is Sturgis on snow

Erin Madison
emadison@greatfallstribune.com

From March 12-15, West Yellowstone will become the center of the snowmobiling world.

The World Snowmobile Expo, held for the past 25 years in West Yellowstone, brings 5,000 to 6,000 people to the Montana town and offers a Sturgislike experience on snow, according to organizer Marge Wanner.

During the Expo, Arctic Cat, Polaris, Ski-Doo and Yamaha will unveil their new 2016 snowmobile lines to the public. The companies have gone separately to different cities to unveil their lines, but this is the first place people can see the new products from all four major companies together.

"This is the first time they're all together in the same place," Wanner said. "People come to see them and touch and feel them and talk to reps."

The event also features racing, live music and displays from after-market manufacturers.

"The expo was created to be the finale of winter," Wanner said. "Expo is kind of like a family reunion; people bring their friends, look at new stuff and come to have a good time."

The World Snowmobile Expo has a long history in West Yellowstone, and has showcased a quarter-century of evolution in snowmobile technology and racing.

The first official "Annual Snowmobile Expo" was held in West Yellowstone in 1990, but snowmobile manufactures have been showing off their products in West Yellowstone since 1964 when the first snowmobiles designed for trail riding hit the market.

In 1965, the March Roundup began as a gathering of racers and snowmobile manufacturers. At that time, there were 73 snowmobile manufacturers including Sears ad Roebuck, John Deere, and Harley Davidson.

"Today, there are only four snowmobile manufacturers," Wanner said.

The March Roundup evolved into the World Snowmobile Expo, and the Expo has evolved over the years to keep up with new trends in snowmobile racing.

In the days of the March Roundup, races were held on an oval track just outside town. Oval track racing went by the wayside but is now making a return with the increased popularity of people racing old snowmobiles.

"We have vintage racing, which is a growing snowmobile race," Wanner said.

People pull out their old snowmobiles and take them on the race track. Attendees love to watch the race and pick favorites based on what they used to ride, she said.

The event also features snow drag races, radar runs and SnoCross races. There is also a 120cc race for kids ages 4 to 11.

The World Snowmobile Expo attracts some of the world's best racers.

"We've had a lot of big name people who started their racing career in West Yellowstone," Wanner said.

Many of the people who have raced at the World Snowmobile Expo have gone on to appear on the X-Games and at major snowmobile races.

New this year, the expo is offering live outdoor concerts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

"The bleachers are made out of snow," Wanner said.

Despite warmer weather, snow in and around West Yellowstone is in good shape.

"You can still get out of town on a snowmobile," she said. "Trails are still being groomed every night."

In 24 years, the expo has never had to cancel any activity due to snow.

"One thing about West Yellowstone is you can pretty much guarantee we will have snow for the Expo events," Wanner said.

The expo kicks off Thursday, March 12 with casino night and runs through Sunday, March 15.

For more information, visit snowmobileexpo.com.

World Snowmobile Expo

What: Snowmobile races and the unveiling of the latest snowmobiles

When: March 12-15

Where: West Yellowstone

More information: snowmobileexpo.com