The snowmobile tag that gets added on to other feature types is problematic. Usually a snowmobile track is a path but the problem is there really often is no path and the snowmobile track only exists in the winter. In the summer it might be a lake, unpassable swamp, wheyfield or just not any kind of passable path. If snowmobile tracks were a feature type of their own then it would be easier to not display them in the applications they aren’t meant to be in. A lot of times now it appears as if there is a path or a road when there is none.
yes, agreed.
Yeah, we have those issues elsewhere. e.g. route=ferry is not clear-cut either.
But more pertinent are many “paths” which aren’t really paths nor clearly defined (think mountaineering, alpinism, node networks etc). See e.g. Request for Comments: Solution proposal for the `path` issues - #93 by Matija_Nalis
Yeah. I’d advise adding seasonal=winter + access=no in addition to that snowmobile=yes in such cases as the best solution that can currently be done. (but see that huge discussion above for possible alternatives in the future)
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I would advocate for piste:type=snowmobile Search results | OpenStreetMap Taginfo
Can be added to an highway, or just standing on its own accross a meadow, like other piste:type ways.
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I second piste:type=snowmobile for consistency with other types of ways that depend on snow or ice: Key:piste:type - OpenStreetMap Wiki
Although they key was originally for ski trails, it has expanded to include ways various other winter activities such hiking, skating, sledding, and fat biking. I no reason not to include snowmobiling as well.
See also the other issues with snowmobile=yes : Access tagging ambiguity
The topic comes back every couple of years, really someone caring should propose piste:type=snowmobile.
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