Picking up a 2006 Switchback. Will use it as a substitute for a couple years before I can get back in the new sled budget range.
10-13 MI Snowmobile Fatalities report
- Thread starter 2TrakR
- Start date
Picking up a 2006 Switchback. Will use it as a substitute for a couple years before I can get back in the new sled budget range.
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lenny
Guest
I'll trade you 2 yamahas for the VW
I'll take the hit for the popcorn crack but I could just feel the tension & mood going down hill so tried to say in a nice way "do we really need to go there"? If words not directed at me in anyway hit me as agressive towards another member a joke or crack is a way to make one hit the pause button & think before typing. Just a method to pause & slow things down a bit. Sometimes other members "get it" & start cracking too & the mood evens out quickly other times full steam ahead confrontation is inprocess & going to happen no matter what. Just pointing out that some jokes & cracks do have a purpose.
Had to sell it. Had a bad head gasket. $4,000 to fix it. Loved that car!!
I believe as stated before that I don't disagree with the removal of all the signs.
Trails are NOT uniform and should be treated as such. However 'the authorities' disagree. They believe in so called uniform trails and less signs to reduce clutter.
There is a debate about what are considered 90 degree turns (I was told this from msa early in the season). Why is there a debate? Politics...that's why. An 89 degree turn should NOT have a sign. This makes absolutely no sense to me. I do believe some if not all the fatalities from this year are due to the removal of sharp turn signs.
Tell me and explain to me why removing 89 degree turns is a good idea. For the love of God please don't tell me it's to enjoy scenery.
Trails are NOT uniform and should be treated as such. However 'the authorities' disagree. They believe in so called uniform trails and less signs to reduce clutter.
There is a debate about what are considered 90 degree turns (I was told this from msa early in the season). Why is there a debate? Politics...that's why. An 89 degree turn should NOT have a sign. This makes absolutely no sense to me. I do believe some if not all the fatalities from this year are due to the removal of sharp turn signs.
Tell me and explain to me why removing 89 degree turns is a good idea. For the love of God please don't tell me it's to enjoy scenery.
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Since this is really off the original subject, I'll keep it short, sweet, and be done: this sums up exactly how I feel and what I've tried to express through several wordy posts on other threads. I would even go a bit further and say there are still other signs that could be eliminated with little to no risk of detrimental effect.
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lenny
Guest
Polarice, excellent post! I have helping as a volunteer to implement the sign change. I was one of many many people who removed many sign. We used our discretion if the corner was a 90 or not. There was no scientific method. Basically we though if it was a sharp corner like a 90 we marked it. OUR group error on the side of caution and if it was 89 degrees I am sure we marked it. I also believe we missed some,odds are we had to have made some mistakes and over time there will be adjustments. As far as being sure people died this year because of signs, I cannot agree with you there because info is needed for that and so far it is not shown to be the case. They die every year because they miss a corner, even on logging roads.You see what I mean, very difficult to determine.
snowdance
Member
The report clearly states the reason for the accident (see highlighted text). Those darn Yamahas! Just trying to lighten the mood myself here...
Firecatguy
New member
I would reply to this thread but I now longer Know what its about? is dave buying a sled? thanks Dave for taking this thread way off track you give sooo much to this website dont know how wwe get along without you
Shut your trap and get off my friggin back! I told you to take it to the PM board
The thread got off track because you decided that we all needed to be chastised like 4 years olds for making lighthearted comments and, as I stated before, it probably wasn't appropriate.
If I want to respond to a thread from Lenny, (who also is a good friend) or anybody else for that matter, it's none if your business. Unless it was directed to you, stay out of it.
Why you want to ruin the forum,I have no idea but get off my back!
Sorry to all those who have an interest in the topic from the OP.
Dave
snowdance
Member
Dave, I've got the 06" switchback and I love it. I have pretty much converted mine to an RMK though...Sorry this is off subject
I know for 100% certainty that all the sharp turns that I rode on this year were not marked. I rode in Alger, Schoolcraft, Delta, and Luce. I put around 1200 miles on. I went to Pine Stump so I'm not sure if that's still Luce or not. I lost track of how many turns were not marked. I blew a serious 90 around Pine Stump and thank GOD that there was an open area in front. That's probably why I didn't realize it was a turn until I was right there. There were many others that I came close to blowing as well because of no warning. I don't ride that aggressive through turns but I will admit I am somewhat aggressive.
This is the issue. Some clubs or visitor's bureau (in this case) have removed EVERYTHING. It makes no sense to me.
It comes down to how many others has this happened to due to the removal of signs...going back to the OP of the death toll.
toddspolaris
Member
Sorry, just had to jump in. Come on people slow down, open your eyes, do you really need a sign for everything you do. Lots of curves on the road that don't have signs. Who cares just slow the heck down.
polarisrider1
New member
Thank you. Totally agree. I truly don't like thinking that there maybe a culling of the herd at first but in the end slowing down will save lives. What's the hurry anyways.
Might not be the case
TROUT LAKE TOWNSHIP — A 47-year-old Deckerville woman lost her life in a snowmobile accident that occurred Saturday, about 25 miles north-northwest of St. Ignace.
According to Chippewa County Sheriff Robert Savoie, Terri Tarzwell-Klee lost control on a curve and hit a tree while traveling at a relatively low rate of speed — 20-25 miles per hour. She later died at War Memorial Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie from injuries sustained in the crash.
“This was a very unfortunate accident and doesn’t appear to be caused by speed, negligence, alcohol or anything like that,” Savoie said. “It’s a very peculiar situation.”
Savoie said that Tarzwell-Klee was snowmobiling with her 9-year-old daughter at the time of the accident. He also indicated that the daughter was at one point traveling on Tarzwell-Klee’s snowmobile but had switched over to a friend’s snowmobile shortly before the accident.
“It’s very fortunate for the young girl in that respect, because there could have been two occupants on that sled,” Savoie said.
Tarzwell-Klee was found unconscious after impact and the accident could possibly have been caused by her looking back at the sled behind her for a split second, resulting in her losing control and striking the tree. Savoie speculated that the bent handlebars of the snowmobile and chest trauma she suffered was indicative of a victim that was not quite braced for impact.
Savoie, who has been with the sheriff’s office for 32 years, said his office sees maybe one or two snowmobile-related deaths per year and that typically, snowmobiling accidents are related to either speed, alcohol — or both.
“I cannot tie either of those factors to this accident,” he said.
The accident was one of four snowmobile-related deaths in the state over the weekend.
Fifty-one-year-old Jeffrey Ellens of Cadillac and 61-year-old Gerald Carter of Clarkston died Friday in separate crashes on Trail 35 in Wexford County.
And a 51-year-old Midland County man was killed Saturday when a drunken relative struck his snowmobile with a vehicle on Secord Lake in Gladwin County’s Secord Township.
http://michigansthumb.com/articles/2013/03/13/news/local_news/doc5140653508e85330609293.txt
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lenny
Guest
I'd call the club you rode in and mention it to them as we have put a few up since the season start. I do not have the authority to determine if sign will be put, it is mandated by the local gov,,,DNR I believe has the authority. We have to follow direction as best as we can and they do check. DNR people ride the trail and inspect trail all the time. We once were grooming on wrong side of a sign in an open field for a few days, bad storm blew drifts and groomer just missed it than next groomer followed. This month the dnr said we needed to better job at road crossing,,point is they do inspect and hold us to a high standard.
If you are blowing corners you need to slow down, just like I need to do from time to time. We cannot depend on anything else except ourselves for a high lever of safety. Is the only thing between us and blowing off a corner and hitting a tree a sign?
I've contacted msa and they contact dnr. Was told dnr and msa have inspected trails. No changes. They're worthless both of them on the issues I've contacted them about.
Like I mentioned, I don't ride that hard. Those turns need to be marked period. I slow down for turns when I see them. You must admit with a TON of snow that we got this year sometimes it's difficult to see turns??
And sometimes the signs get snow-covered, too. I know I've cleaned snow off a couple of 'em that were covered, or partially covered, and were difficult to see.
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lenny
Guest
That's a good point and true but still no excuse to miss a corner. It makes it easier to miss but ultimately my life is priority one and I just have no interest in riding to fast that I cannot make the corners anymore. I haven't missed a corner in 3 years and plan to never miss another.