More snow is expected to hit our area this week, and that means the DNR is expecting to see plenty of snowmobiles on the trails. But with the amount of fatalities on the trail already getting high, they are hoping that number will not increase any more.

This season, 21 people have died while snowmobiling, and that number is getting dangerously close to season ending totals from the past two years.

In the 2006-2007 Winter season, 26 people died while on the trails, and totals the following year were only slightly lower, hitting 25 fatalities.

While they don't want to see any, officials at the DNR say the numbers do partially explain most of the deaths.

"A lot of them are alcohol related," says Randy Falstad, Conservation Warden Supervisor for the DNR, "I believe out of the 21, 7 are confirmed as being drunk, there's some other ones that had alcohol involved in the accident, and there's still 7 that are pending, that the tests aren't back in yet, so it could be well over half."

Falstad says he can't tell if we're on track for a lower number of fatalities, because while they hope not to see any more, a single weekend could change everything.

For that reason though, he's urging anyone planning on hitting the trails to stay sober, because a bottle of beer is not worth your life.