From my experience here in Alaska, I have a longer usable season for the ATV and it is also more versatile than a snowmobile. I can cross a two foot deep stream with the ATV whether it is frozen or not. Not so with the snowmobile. My ATV will handle the snow a WHOLE lot better than my snowmobile will handle the dirt. My hunting seasons are "mostly" snowless up here so I can hunt better and longer with the ATV than the snowmobile. My ATV (a JOYNER-TROOPER side by side) is rated for and capable of carrying a 750 pound load and then trailering another 1,500 pound load behind that. I don't know of any snowmobile with that capacity. If you can afford it, buy one of each. But if you have to choose between one or the other, I'll take the ATV every time.