Anchorage Daily News Working Column.(Originated from Anchorage Daily News)

Oct. 20--When snowmobile enthusiasts begin to see signs of snow, they start thinking of people like George "Chip" Sterbenz, a mechanic and service manager for Marita Sea & Ski.

Sterbenz, 41, and his crew of five mechanics have been hustling to keep up with the early-season snowmobile tuning and assembly of new Polaris machines, which the shop will try to sell this winter.

Sterbenz, originally from Tacoma, Wash., is a former snowmobile racer and has been with Marita for about four years, he said. He earns about $35,000 a year, he said.

"We have a handful of people who do come in early, before the snow, to have their machines winterized and …