Club History

In the winter of 1971 this club was formed in Marlborough, MA. The past President and prime mover of the club was Ernie Houde, owner of the now defunct (but successful at the time) South Street Snowmobile & Power Equipment of Marlborough. Through the years the meeting places have changed, but the club still remains in Marlborough, presently at the Marlborough Moose Lodge on Fitchburg Street.

The early days of snowmobiling saw the club have a lot of activities in Marlborough. With the formation of other clubs, events such as poker runs, slalom runs, and trail rides took place in many of the area towns. Northborough, Townsend, Grafton, and Sherborn — at one time almost every town had a local club or group of snowmobilers, some more organized than others.

Over the years, with land development and zoning ordinance changes, many of the neighborhood trails were closed leaving fewer local trails in the area to ride on.  These changes saw the Easy Riders evolve into a club which took advantage of the more extensive trail systems in other parts of Massachusetts and to the north in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Brunswick and Quebec.  Besides, with the ever improving ride quality and reliability of our machines, a day’s ride became significantly more than the 20 or 30 miles a day that had satisfied us in the past.  Trips organized by our members could be day, weekend, and sometimes week-long touring events.  Trips and/or weekend rides may already be in the planning stage or waiting for sign-up and confirmation of reservations by members.  See “Club News” tab at the top of the page.

The Easy Riders Snowmobile Club, Inc. is an informal organization of persons interested in the sport of snowmobiling.  Our purpose is to promote the sport of family snowmobiling by offering the opportunity for liked minded individuals to share information and experiences.  Through bi-monthly newsletters and meetings during the season, members can share information about equipment, trail access, snow conditions, safety techniques and group riding opportunities. The Club encourages participation in non-competitive group snowmobiling activities, but the Club itself does not sponsor organized trips.  Instead, Club members act as coordinators for Club activities and act as focal points to bring together the ideas, energies and resources of the group. They are not formal leaders, they are not paid, do not represent the Club, and can take no responsibility for the safety or well-being of participants.

The Easy Riders Snowmobile Club has formal monthly meetings from October through March (6 meetings) at the Marlborough Moose Lodge, 67 Fitchburg St., Marlborough, MA.  We also hold a club banquet in April and often provide an informal cookout during the summer. These meetings provide you with opportunities to meet other snowmobilers personally, so that you may decide which activities and personalities are most compatible with your interests. While larger group activities and trips require planning and advance commitments, many members participate in less structured activities which may not appeal to larger groups. Depending upon the season’s offerings, many one, two or three day trips may be planned with just a few days notice.

In addition to these benefits, the bi-monthly newsletter (at least 4 per year) frequently contains tips of timely or technical interest to snowmobilers. Many of our membership are skilled in the complexities and professional quality repair and maintenance of snowmobilers. Their advice is always free and their assistance may also be available subject to any private agreement you may come to. To this, can also be added, the shared knowledge about the best and/or lowest cost sources of service, parts, accessories and sleds. Since this information is continually changing and might be sensitive to our newsletter advertisers, it is best shared with others at one of our club meetings.

Finally, The Easy Riders Snowmobile Club is a supporting member of the Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts (SAM).  SAM is the only political voice in this state on issues which effect snowmobilers.   If a Club Member purchases a SAM Membership/Trail permit they are entitles you to receive the “On The Trail With SAM” newsletter and gives you permission to use SAM trails (trails maintained by the 30 affiliated clubs in Massachusetts), as long as your sled is registered in Massachusetts.  Most of these trails are in central, north central and western Massachusetts.

Another opportunity: No well-run organization can shift into idle six months of the year. The Board of Directors often meet year ’round. We “summerize” our sleds, but not the Board Members. Even if you are not elected to serve, the meetings are open to all members and contributions of time and creative ideas are always appreciated.

So if you have an interest in increasing your opportunities to ride, see new places and meet new friends; take the step to becoming a member of one of the oldest active clubs in Massachusetts.  In January 2024 the Easy Riders Snowmobile Club, Inc. will start it’s 54th season of association and active promotion of the family sport of snowmobiling.