No more reciprocal weekend

SAB1 · 10-04-2018, 12:58 PM

CONCORD, NH – For the past seven years, snowmobile enthusiasts have been able to explore new trails across northern New England during the last weekend in January under a single snowmobile registration. That weekend has been the annual Tri-State Reciprocity Weekend where snowmobiles registered in Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire could legally ride in any of the three states. Maine and Vermont have changed their laws to allow a free weekend, however, so reciprocal agreements with neighboring states are no longer needed.

A free weekend means registration is not required, so the agreement to allow snowmobiles registered in one of the other two states is no longer needed for Vermont or Maine. New Hampshire’s law, however, requires that in order for snowmobiles registered in Vermont or Maine to operate here in New Hampshire with their respective registrations, New Hampshire–registered snowmobiles must be allowed to operate in those states during the same time period. In changing their laws, Maine and Vermont also changed their free weekend to the first weekend in February from the last weekend in January.

“Unfortunately, not only did Maine and Vermont change their laws, but they changed them after we had finalized ours here in New Hampshire so there is no way to have a reciprocity weekend going forward,” said Capt. Dave Walsh, who coordinates snowmobile and off highway recreational vehicle enforcement, registration, and safety education for New Hampshire. “This weekend was one of the highlights of the winter for many residents and non-residents, but we certainly still have many miles of great trails for riding here in New Hampshire.”

So, beginning with this upcoming riding season, to snowmobile in New Hampshire, a state snowmobile registration will be required even for the last weekend in January. Snowmobiling has become one of the most popular forms of winter recreation in New Hampshire, and with almost 7,000 miles of established snowmobile trails spanning the Granite State, residents and visitors can explore the natural beauty of New Hampshire’s diverse landscape.

To learn more about snowmobiling in the state, visit www.wildnh.com/ohrv.

fatlazyless · 10-04-2018, 06:52 PM

So, could someone from Meredith, NH who has a totally unregistered snowmobile, trailer it to Maine and go hit the Maine trails for the first weekend in February without paying any registration fee with this ME/VT freebie weekend?

Skip · 10-05-2018, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

So, could someone from Meredith, NH who has a totally unregistered snowmobile, trailer it to Maine and go hit the Maine trails for the first weekend in February without paying any registration fee with this ME/VT freebie weekend?

No. In order to participate in any State that offers reciprocity the sled must be legally registered in one of the participating states and the operator must abide by all rules/regulations of the guest State they are riding in. For example, in the past, Vermont normally required an operator to carry a nominal amount of insurance, whereas there was no such requirement in NH. NH riders that went to Vermont needed to have proof of insurance or they could be cited by Vermont authorities.

fatlazyless · 10-06-2018, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Maine and Vermont have changed their laws to allow a free weekend, however, so reciprocal agreements with neighboring states are no longer needed.

Last time I went snowmobiling was in '68 on a Johnson sno-mo, as I recall, but doesn't this line from above say reciprocal agreements with neighboring states are no longer needed?

Outdoorsman · 10-08-2018, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Maine and Vermont have changed their laws to allow a free weekend, however, so reciprocal agreements with neighboring states are no longer needed.

Quote:

Last time I went snowmobiling was in '68 on a Johnson sno-mo, as I recall, but doesn't this line from above say reciprocal agreements with neighboring states are no longer needed?

Instead of picking and choosing what you want to believe, try reading the entire post!

I understand that you think your BS posts are "funny" but they are misleading and confusing and could very well be misinterpreted by those that do not choose to bypass your nonsense.

Quote:

CONCORD, NH – For the past seven years, snowmobile enthusiasts have been able to explore new trails across northern New England during the last weekend in January under a single snowmobile registration. That weekend has been the annual Tri-State Reciprocity Weekend where snowmobiles registered in Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire could legally ride in any of the three states. Maine and Vermont have changed their laws to allow a free weekend, however, so reciprocal agreements with neighboring states are no longer needed.

A free weekend means registration is not required, so the agreement to allow snowmobiles registered in one of the other two states is no longer needed for Vermont or Maine. New Hampshire’s law, however, requires that in order for snowmobiles registered in Vermont or Maine to operate here in New Hampshire with their respective registrations, New Hampshire–registered snowmobiles must be allowed to operate in those states during the same time period. In changing their laws, Maine and Vermont also changed their free weekend to the first weekend in February from the last weekend in January.

Top-Water · 10-08-2018, 04:34 PM

Thank you for that. He's ruined a few threads the past week or so with that same nonsense and the stand-up paddle board replies.

fatlazyless · 10-08-2018, 06:51 PM

.....say-hey ......hey, cut me a little slack here.....that was a very complex, compound paragraph loaded with some hard to understand info ..... and besides, just maybe, I am not the brightest bulb on the tree ...... gee whiz?

Rusty · 10-08-2018, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outdoorsman

Instead of picking and choosing what you want to believe, try reading the entire post!

I understand that you think your BS posts are "funny" but they are misleading and confusing and could very well be misinterpreted by those that do not choose to bypass your nonsense.

Instead of chewing out another forum member for being confused about the OP's comments, how about asking the OP where he got this information to post.
He didn't quote any source as to where it came from and IMO it is written very poorly.
The OP also said to go to the wildnh website to learn more about snowmobiling, however they don't say anything about the changes in the reciprocal weekend. Maybe they will but as of now they haven't.

CHSLTD · 10-12-2018, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty

Instead of chewing out another forum member for being confused about the OP's comments, how about asking the OP where he got this information to post.

He didn't quote any source as to where it came from and IMO it is written very poorly.

The OP also said to go to the wildnh website to learn more about snowmobiling, however they don't say anything about the changes in the reciprocal weekend. Maybe they will but as of now they haven't.

The OP was a release from NH Fish and Game.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

MAXUM · 10-13-2018, 01:55 PM

Is it really that difficult for the state of NH to change the date on the reciprocity weekend to align it with ME and VT? Is the state really that useless?

Answer - Apparently so since it probably took more effort to put out a statement announcing there is no reciprocity weekend than it would have been to just fix the damn date.

CHSLTD · 10-13-2018, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAXUM

Is it really that difficult for the state of NH to change the date on the reciprocity weekend to align it with ME and VT? Is the state really that useless?

Answer - Apparently so since it probably took more effort to put out a statement announcing there is no reciprocity weekend than it would have been to just fix the damn date.

My understanding is the House and the Senate would need to change the law and they are not in session.

MAXUM · 10-15-2018, 09:12 AM

It would have been far better if the state legislators thought ahead in the sense that all the language is fine with the exception of stating a specific weekend in the law instead of leaving this open ended where the weekend could be set at any time at the discretion of the F&G so long as the requirements for reciprocity as described are met.

Considering there are three states involved it's probably fair to think that at some point changes may occur in which case allowing the NH law some fluidity makes it easier to adjust to any changes without having to call law makers into session and waste time authoring a new law or debating something that otherwise could be solved easily within the authority of the entity that has been granted oversight in the first place. Seems like a reasonable thing to do, hopefully that is exactly what they consider if the law is going to be amended. Although I would stipulate that this authority cannot be punted to the NHSA

10-04-2018, 12:58 PM	#1
SAB1 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Tuftonboro Posts: 1,216 Thanks: 188 Thanked 312 Times in 228 Posts	No more reciprocal weekend CONCORD, NH – For the past seven years, snowmobile enthusiasts have been able to explore new trails across northern New England during the last weekend in January under a single snowmobile registration. That weekend has been the annual Tri-State Reciprocity Weekend where snowmobiles registered in Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire could legally ride in any of the three states. Maine and Vermont have changed their laws to allow a free weekend, however, so reciprocal agreements with neighboring states are no longer needed. A free weekend means registration is not required, so the agreement to allow snowmobiles registered in one of the other two states is no longer needed for Vermont or Maine. New Hampshire’s law, however, requires that in order for snowmobiles registered in Vermont or Maine to operate here in New Hampshire with their respective registrations, New Hampshire–registered snowmobiles must be allowed to operate in those states during the same time period. In changing their laws, Maine and Vermont also changed their free weekend to the first weekend in February from the last weekend in January. “Unfortunately, not only did Maine and Vermont change their laws, but they changed them after we had finalized ours here in New Hampshire so there is no way to have a reciprocity weekend going forward,” said Capt. Dave Walsh, who coordinates snowmobile and off highway recreational vehicle enforcement, registration, and safety education for New Hampshire. “This weekend was one of the highlights of the winter for many residents and non-residents, but we certainly still have many miles of great trails for riding here in New Hampshire.” So, beginning with this upcoming riding season, to snowmobile in New Hampshire, a state snowmobile registration will be required even for the last weekend in January. Snowmobiling has become one of the most popular forms of winter recreation in New Hampshire, and with almost 7,000 miles of established snowmobile trails spanning the Granite State, residents and visitors can explore the natural beauty of New Hampshire’s diverse landscape. To learn more about snowmobiling in the state, visit www.wildnh.com/ohrv.

10-04-2018, 06:52 PM	#2
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,706 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 993 Times in 724 Posts	So, could someone from Meredith, NH who has a totally unregistered snowmobile, trailer it to Maine and go hit the Maine trails for the first weekend in February without paying any registration fee with this ME/VT freebie weekend? __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake! Last edited by fatlazyless; 10-04-2018 at 08:09 PM.

10-08-2018, 06:51 PM	#7
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,706 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 993 Times in 724 Posts	.....say-hey ......hey, cut me a little slack here.....that was a very complex, compound paragraph loaded with some hard to understand info ..... and besides, just maybe, I am not the brightest bulb on the tree ...... gee whiz? __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

The Following User Says Thank You to Outdoorsman For This Useful Post:
Top-Water (10-08-2018)

10-08-2018, 04:34 PM	#6
Top-Water Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 674 Thanks: 1,535 Thanked 714 Times in 431 Posts	Thank you for that. He's ruined a few threads the past week or so with that same nonsense and the stand-up paddle board replies.

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to CHSLTD For This Useful Post:
Skip (10-12-2018), Top-Water (10-13-2018)

10-13-2018, 01:55 PM	#10
MAXUM Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kuna ID Posts: 2,755 Thanks: 246 Thanked 1,942 Times in 802 Posts	Is it really that difficult for the state of NH to change the date on the reciprocity weekend to align it with ME and VT? Is the state really that useless? Answer - Apparently so since it probably took more effort to put out a statement announcing there is no reciprocity weekend than it would have been to just fix the damn date.

The Following User Says Thank You to MAXUM For This Useful Post:
Top-Water (10-13-2018)

10-15-2018, 09:12 AM	#12
MAXUM Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kuna ID Posts: 2,755 Thanks: 246 Thanked 1,942 Times in 802 Posts	It would have been far better if the state legislators thought ahead in the sense that all the language is fine with the exception of stating a specific weekend in the law instead of leaving this open ended where the weekend could be set at any time at the discretion of the F&G so long as the requirements for reciprocity as described are met. Considering there are three states involved it's probably fair to think that at some point changes may occur in which case allowing the NH law some fluidity makes it easier to adjust to any changes without having to call law makers into session and waste time authoring a new law or debating something that otherwise could be solved easily within the authority of the entity that has been granted oversight in the first place. Seems like a reasonable thing to do, hopefully that is exactly what they consider if the law is going to be amended. Although I would stipulate that this authority cannot be punted to the NHSA