A snowmobile holiday is fun for whole family
Take a ride on the latest range of Ski-Doo sleds
“Don’t worry. Everybody has to do this once today and you just got it out of the way early,” lied Jim Norlander, our Yellowstone guide for a recent day of snowmobiling.
I had firmly planted my machine up to its handlebars after taking a wide (OK, very wide) turn off the trail. The machine was bogged, and as I struggled off, I found myself also plugged up to my waist in snow. Nobody in our group did it the rest of the day.
I am of the opinion you should always try things outside your comfort zone. For me it might have been a oneoff, yet snowmobiling is not just a pastime but a passion for many. It is a niche market, though it is a steady one along the 44th parallel.
L ast year, t here were 50,659 units sold in the U. S. and 44,161 sold in Canada. That’s a remarkably comparative number, and just a slice of the number of registered machines: 600,000 for us, and 1.2 million for our neighbours to the south.
I was the guest of Ski-Doo on a spectacularly sunny day in Yellowstone National Park in Montana. Ski-Doo creator Joseph-Armand Bombardier launched the snowmobile in 1959, and while the number of manufacturers worldwide would eventually reach 100, today there are just four left standing: Ski- Doo ( BRP), Polaris, Yamaha and Arctic Cat. Ski- Doo remains No. 1, and the name is often used interchangeably with snowmobile, a happy hazard of being the first and the largest.
While a lineup of sleds may all look similar to the untrained eye, I was about to learn they very much resemble the car industry in ranges of power, handling and utility.
It’s not just about going fast. A Montana State University study finds 95 per cent of snowmobilers participate in the activity as a family, and the age spans reflect that. While the average age is 44, kid-sized sleds dotted our staging area because many families participate together. Machines ranged from agile little sports cars — er, sleds — to luxurious double- seaters I quickly dubbed the Gold Wings of the lineup. More importantly, in both the U. S. and Canada, there are many remote communities that depend on snowmobiles not just for leisure, but for law enforcement and search-and-rescue work. Some outlying areas rely on them as a primary means of transportation. Wildlife and environmental scientists use them to access some of the most remote places of the world’s snowbelt areas.
North America is a mecca for enthusiasts. Canada has 124,595 kilometres of designated, maintained trails across every province, with Ontario and Quebec leading the way with a combined 66,670 km. Trails are created and maintained by local clubs and associations, with three levels of government usually involved. Many of those clubs also work in conjunction with outfits that allow you to show up for a day or a weekend and hit the trails, even if you’re a beginner. You can rent snowmobiles and gear and, as I came to realize, it usually pays to rent a guide, too, if you’re new to the area.
Regions that welcome snowmobilers go all the way. You can stay at lodges and base from there, with your machine parked out front and just a short haul to a trailhead. Trails are well marked with speed limits and road signage, but for the uninitiated, a guide from the area is worth his or her weight in gold. I felt safe blasting 50 km/h across a lake because I knew the ice was safe. No way would I venture out like that in any other circumstance, and every winter, headlines blast the sad and senseless loss of life for those who miscalculate. It gives snowmobiling a bad name, and it’s unfortunate.
The other elephant in the room is noise. Certification standards have evolved and it would take 256 of today’s snowmobiles at full throttle to produce the level of noise generated by one original, pre-1969 machine. Of course, what some riders do aftermarket with their machines can s end t hat progress hurtling backward, and it only takes a few to ruin it for many, like any other motorized vehicle.
I was testing out Ski-Doos, and made the mistake of thinking that engine size dictated everything. The 600-cc Renegade I jammed into the snow- filled ditch was an exercise in total driver error; it was agile and easy to use, and I made the mistake of simply thinking I could hop on another 600 — the MXZ — and have the same ease of use. Nope.
“It needs an alignment! I can’t steer it! Somebody else hit a rock with it!” I yelped. Because, of course, it must be the machine, not the operator. This is when I learned that, like cars, sleds have different purposes, and some are meant for powder snow, some hardpack trails, some sport and some touring. I was attempting to handle something I was informed compared more to finicky sports- car handling; I told them I was looking for something more Buick than Ferrari. Big touring Ski-Doos are incredibly stable and comfortable.
If exploring remote trails in deep winter is on your bucket list, search for clubs in your area, or find your way to the fabulous Rocky Mountains region for superb scenery. Even if you’re not already a snowmobiler, it’s a trip I guarantee even the most picky teenagers will want to do with you.
Just make sure you book a guide to dig you out of snowbanks.
I GUARANTEE EVEN THE MOST PICKY TEENAGERS WILL WANT (TO GO).