Winter has arrived full force in the Inland Northwest, and Yogi Naresh figures he has opened his new snowmobile-rental business just in time to give outdoor enthusiasts and snowmobile novices a bit of a thrill this season.


The business, Mount Spokane Adventure Sports LLC, which does business as Mount Spokane Snowmobile Rentals, opened in mid-December at the Bear Creek Lodge on Mount Spokane, and Naresh says, interest has been higher than I expected.


The business, which he owns with his wife, Connie, has 11 model year 2006 and 2007 Polaris snowmobiles available for rent and operates out of a rented 300-square-foot mobile office trailer across the street from the lodge.


Naresh says customers can choose from a variety of rental options, including guided excursions, such as a Summit to Supper tour that takes from two to nine guests on a three-hour ride to the summit of Mount Spokane and concludes with dinner back at the lodge. Those who prefer to guide themselves can take the snowmobiles, or sleds as he calls them, for two to 24 hours, including on a provided trailer to some other destination of their choosing.


Tours seem to be a harder sell so far, he says, but hes marketing them as a treat for families, church groups, employee parties, or any sort of team-building experience, especially for those who have never ridden a snowmobile before.


Rental prices range from $89 for a two-hour rental to $450 for two sleds, a trailer, and 24 hours of rental time. Four-hour and eight-hour rental options also are available.


Inspiration for the business came last winter from Nareshs brother, Jeremy, an avid snowmobile rider and now the only other employee of Mount Spokane Snowmobile Rentals beside Naresh and his wife.


Jeremy wanted me to go snowmobiling with him, but I didnt have one of my own, Naresh says. So he looked into renting a snowmobile but couldnt find anyone in Spokane who offered the service. That was when he started considering opening up his own rental shop. Naresh says that he attended snow-sport trade shows, and talked with riders, snowmobile dealers, and the president of Spokane Winter Knights Snowmobile Club, a longtime organization here. He says that everyone he contacted was enthused about the idea, and thought it would be a great way to bring newcomers into the sport.


I saw market demand, interest, and potential profit, says Naresh, so he delved into the task of researching the market and creating a business plan. He seems pleased with the positive reaction of customers and the word-of-mouth feedback that hes received.


I originally had really modest projections, he says.


The snowmobiles, which typically cost about $8,000, were the single most expensive startup cost that the business faced, running around $50,000 for the lot, according to Naresh. He bought them from Grand Adventures LLC, a snowmobile rental outfit in Winter Park, Colo. He says that the owner of that operation, Bryan Hastert, has become somewhat of a business mentor to him, offering bits of advice from his own experiences and helping Naresh locate good prices on equipment, such as snowmobile boots, pants, jackets, gloves, and helmets, all of which Naresh makes available for rent.


Naresh estimates that he will have about $95,000 in total startup costs by the end of the winter season.


This, however, is not his only entrepreneurial venture. He and his wife also operate Clarity Window Cleaning, which has about 70 residential and commercial clients throughout the Spokane area.


It does die down a bit in the winter, he says of the window-cleaning business, which gives him the opportunity to do something in its place.


To open the rental shop, Naresh also took vacation time from another job he holds, as an associate pastor at Faith Bible Church, in Spokane. He had been building up the vacation time for three years, he says.


Naresh and his wife have three young boys, and his family was one of the reasons that he decided to build a business around snowmobiles. Its a significant family sport that I can do with my wife and kids, and his three sons love it, says Naresh.


The business operates Wednesday through Sunday, and will be open during holidays or anytime that a group of four makes a reservation for a tour.


Naresh hopes to spin Mount Spokane Snowmobile Rentals into a year-round operation eventually by adding rentable all-terrain vehicles at some other location, since Mount Spokane State Park doesnt allow motor vehicles other than snowmobiles on its trails.


For now, he says that hes content to enjoy the ride.


Contact Ben Rascoff at (509) 344-1260 or via e-mail at [email protected].