That’s one less regional snowmobile death than last year and comprises about a quarter of the state’s 23 recorded snowmobile deaths this season. Six of the state’s deaths involved alcohol, state records show.

Minimal snowfall characterized this winter, but snow enthusiasts nonetheless took to the trails.

“I don’t think it was a phenomenal season, but I don’t think it was a bad season,” said Carol Kraak, who writes trail reports for the Benzie County Visitors Bureau.

Fewer snowmobilers made the trek up north compared to last year’s banner season and record snowfalls, Kraak said. But limited snow didn’t keep all riders away and some lost their lives or suffered devastating injuries.

A snowmobile crash critically injured a Traverse City man on Feb. 3 in a field near Kingsley in Grand Traverse County. Kyle McGhee, 22, remains hospitalized with head injuries and now struggles with pneumonia.

“His eyes are open, but there’s no talking at all,” said Allen Tomaszewski, McGhee’s stepfather. “He was going too fast and riders should stay on the trails. Always drive in control because speed kills.”

The first local death occurred Dec. 22 in Crawford County’s Frederic Township. Authorities believe Ohio resident Joyce Weir, 68, lost control when she entered a turn too quickly and crashed into a tree. It was her first time on a snowmobile.

Another death followed on Dec. 26 in Benzie County’s Almira Township, when downstate resident Candace McDonald, 29, missed a curve and struck a tree.

The next fatality came Jan. 29 in Cheboygan County’s Mentor Township. Donald Carver, 70, of Indian River, lost control and struck several trees.

Two deaths happened in as many days in early February.

First, Nora Kilpatrick, 66, of Cheboygan, died Feb. 5 in a freak accident in Cheboygan County’s Munro Township. The cover to a running snowmobile caught the throttle while being removed, and caused the sled to lurch forward and kill Kilpatrick when it struck a parked vehicle.

Then Steven Smigulec, 54, of East Jordan, died Feb. 6 while snowmobiling on his property in Antrim County. He crashed into trees and his family later found him in the snow.

The last local snow mobile death happened March 1 in Crawford County’s Grayling Township. Kenneth Houghtaling, 44, of Grayling, lost control and rolled his snowmobile several times in icy conditions.

Last winter, 25 people died in snowmobile crashes in Michigan through the end of March.

LAKE ANN — A snowmobiler in Benzie County apparently was driving too fast when she missed a curve and struck a tree, becoming the county’s first snowmobile death this season.

Candace Grace McDonald, 29, of the Midland County village of Sanford, died early Sunday after the Saturday evening crash. Sheriff Rory Heckman said both alcohol and speed played a role.

McDonald was riding with her father and her husband when she crashed about 8:20 p.m. Saturday on Burnt Mill Road near Hooker Road in Almira Township.

She took a curve too quickly and her sled hit a snowbank, forcing her airborne, Heckman said. McDonald and her family were riding along the road, he added, and not on a marked trail.

Deputies’ observations and witness statements led investigators to consider alcohol a factor, Undersheriff Bill Sholten said, adding that witnesses said they were aware McDonald had been drinking prior to the crash.

He did not know her blood-alcohol level.

A month of wintry weather has been a boon for snowmobiling enthusiasts, but local and state law enforcement officers say it’s important to keep safety in mind on the trails. Twenty-two people died in snowmobile accidents in Michigan during the winter of 2008-09, including seven in the northern Lower Peninsula, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

Snowmobilers always should heed the common warnings — don’t drink and drive, don’t ride too fast, follow marked trails — but it’s even more necessary when they don’t have much experience at the controls, said Dean Molnar, assistant chief for the state Department of Natural Resources’ law enforcement division.

Inexperience is cited as one of the reasons why Galion, Ohio, resident Joyce Weir lost control of the snowmobile she was operating and hit a tree last week in Crawford County.

Weir, 68, died in the Dec. 22 crash on a trail in Frederic Township after, police believe, she entered a turn too quickly. It was her first time on a snowmobile, a powerful Arctic Cat model, Sheriff Kirk Wakefield said.

Later that day, three Ohio teenagers were injured when they missed a curve on Lewiston Grade Road near Grayling. Wakefield said the girls possibly were listening to music through headphones while riding.

“People are, they’re just driving too darn fast,” he said. “Curves are the big deal. Nobody’s familiar with the trails.”

Drivers with less experience, especially young people, should take snowmobiling safety courses or become involved with local clubs to learn from advanced riders, Molnar said.

Children between the ages of 12 and 17 are not permitted to cross roads or ride without someone 21 or older unless they have a snowmobile safety certificate with them, DNR regulations state.

And although the legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.10 aboard a snowmobile, riders still could be found liable if they cause an accident after drinking, Molnar said.

Today’s machines are “very powerful, they’re very large, they’re a lot better than they were many years ago,” he said. “You still control the speed.”