Two years of heavy snowfall have temporarily revived the snowmobile industry, but it’s going to take more than that for business to thrive again.

“We need a few good winters in a row to keep people interested,” said Jeff Trimble, co-owner of Trimble’s Cycle Center in Austin.

According to him, this winter has been the best for sledders in nearly a decade — something many others agree with.

Few retailers, mechanics and enthusiasts have forgotten just how dismal the last decade has been for snowmobilers. Until last year, southern Minnesota hadn’t had a consistent snow pack since 2000.

Jason Vaith, owner of Vaith’s Cycle in Racine, remembers when the industry went sour in 2001-2002 — the first of a string of winters with hardly any snow. During that time, the market flooded with used snowmobiles, driving prices down.

But this winter has shown some promise for the industry. Trimble’s has sold more than 50 new sleds this year, which is nearly 20 percent more than last winter. Although business tapers after December, he said there’s still a few sales trickling in.

Northstar Powersports in Albert Lea has also seen an increase in sales.

“It’s definitely brought the value back to the used market,” Northstar’s Brian Berhow said. “They’re (used sleds) in short supply and you can use them, finally. The trends are back going the right direction. People are remembering how fun it used to be. You just gotta remember how fun it is.”

Neither Trimble’s nor Northstar have been able to keep used sleds in stock because the demand is so high. And they’re both getting low on new sleds, too.

Trimble explained how manufacturers aren’t overproducing machines anymore — playing it smart and keeping demand high. Dealers used to be able to order new machines when they wanted. Now, when the supply is gone, it’s gone.

Vaith, who had almost stopped working on sleds completely, has had his busiest winter in a decade. But manufacters, retailers and enthusiasts have all gone in to play-it-by-ear mode. He said people are excited to be back into it, but people don’t rely on back-to-back winters like they used to. He and others also think it will take several more good winters for things to get anywhere close to where they were.

All three businessmen remember enthusiasts buying products year-round. Now, they mostly buy when they need to — relying on the economy and the weather. The industry has changed to a point where people refer to the last few decades of snowmobiling as the good old days.

“It’s definitely slower than what it was,” Vaith said. “I don’t know if it will ever be what it used to be in the late 90s.”