Boy Scout Troop 93 member Alex Rolloff had a keen idea when he thought about what he wanted to take on for his project to complete his Eagle Scout status: something that would combine his passions of scouting and snowmobiling.

The end result was the construction and installation of a snowmobile trail warming shelter —located between Becker and Big Lake — that will allow riders to seek refuge from the wind and take a break.

“I had been thinking about the project for awhile, since I saw something similar when I was up north snowmobiling,” Rolloff says.  

Rolloff found some extremely helpful partners for the project in the Big Lake Sno-Cruisers and local farmer and land owner Pete Ewing.

“Pete has been awesome to work with,” Sno-Cruisers Trail Coordinator Larry Gallus says.  “We have great property owners throughout the county who partner with us (on locating the trails).”

Those trails were put to great use this past winter, as the snow conditions led to a high trail usage rate.  Gallus says there were 825 hours put into grooming the trails, or more than double an average winter.

Ewing used his front end loader to clear a path to the shelter location last Saturday, ensuring that Rolloff could finish his project before his 18th birthday later this month, thus meeting his Eagle Scout requirements.

Many members of the Sno-Cruisers were on hand to witness the occasion when the Rolloff’s and family friend Jamie Hinton arrived with the shelter on a trailer.

Alex says that his scouting friends from Troop 93 in Big Lake helped build the foundation of the shelter.

“The idea of an Eagle Scout project is that it is something the troop can help with,” Rolloff says.

Alex did the majority of the work of sketching out the plans, raising the funds for the materials and then constructing the shelter.  

From there, Ewing provided the perfect location — an idyllic setting — where trail riders can stop for a break from the wind and enjoy the beautiful natural scenery.

Come next winter, there is an excellent chance that Rolloff will make the trip back home from his first year of college at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology to enjoy the fruits of his labor.