PREVIEW: Snowmobile USA Show This Weekend In Detroit Suburbs

The fall snowmobile show season comes to a roaring conclusion east of the Rockies this weekend with the big-daddy show held in the Detroit suburbs.

snowmobile show
This image was taken before show hours last year at the Novi Snowmobile USA Show.

The 25th annual Snowmobile USA Show in Novi, Michigan, will return to the Suburban Collection Showplace November 4-6 for the largest indoor show in the U.S. It fills the big convention center, with 182 total vendors this year selling everything a powersports enthusiast could need. That’s why it attracts upwards of 17,000 riders every year.

For Tom Anderson, the founder of the show that has become a family business and is currently operated in conjunction with his adult children, Scott (and his wife, Sarah) Anderson, Lori Wood and Lisa Jenkins, the Novi show is an annual celebration of snowmobiling, and a snowmobiler reunion of sorts that he never grows tired of, even after 25 years.

“It’s fun to be back with the vendors we get to see every year, and the snowmobilers who come in year after year that we recognize,” Anderson said Thursday morning while taking a short break during the show setup. “It’s also fun to see all of the families that come in and people getting riding gear for their kids. The kids can try the clothing on and they walk out of here with big smiles on their faces, because they know they are going to go riding this winter.”

Lots To See

All four snowmobile manufacturers will have their big corporate booths setup at the Novi show again this year, with a vast array of their 2017 snowmobiles on displays. Plus, there will be dozens of big dealer booths set up selling the usual assortments of jackets, bibs, boot, gloves, helmets, oil, studs, carbides and other things that riders need to get ready for the upcoming season.

There are 13 different brands of trailers that will be on display at the show this year, Anderson said, plus dozens of tourism-related booths for riders looking for new places to ride – from many resorts, hotels, clubs and tourism bureau from across Michigan to farther-away destinations like West Yellowstone, Montana, and locations in Canada.

Anderson said there will be a few additional ATV/UTV-related products on the show floor this year, which is one reason for the show’s growth because the snowmobile vendors are certainly not going away. Performance shops, traction production manufacturers, accessory designers, antique and vintage sled displays, even magazine companies (visit the Snow Goer at booth 244 for subscription deals that include T-shirts!) will have displays at the show.

There will even be youth snowmobile safety course held onsite Sunday morning, with more than 150 students expected to get certified for the coming year, Anderson said.

Show hours are 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 for ages over 12; kids 12 and under get in for free.

 

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