snow_monkey
New member
The only thing I had to look out for on Saturday was tree branches and the snow rooster coming from polaris 1's paddle track!!
A message to the "Professional Trail Racers"
- Thread starter Marty P
- Start date
Firecatguy
New member
aaaaaaaaand We have A winner!!!!!Lol....go get em!!!!!same thread as 06,07,08,09,10 and now 2011.........
1-snowbullet
New member
Yaaaa This is way to interesting . Only Reason most of them are going slow or Super fast is to get to the next bar and see who is buying the next round !! Ive noticed that MOST NOT ALL riders are D.W.I. riding .. I myself made a pledge to the D.N.R. Here in WI. to stay sober when riding my snowmobile (( I even got a T-shirt And some Stickers and they took my Pic.)) !! I wish Some people out there would do the same .. As for the Statment racer -x Im 46 years old been Sledding for 40 of the 46 years and pretty darn good at it .. I can run at 10mph-125mph and exist with my souroundings . as for long hall traveling i run at 60 mph most times unless i get behind the person who is so full of ALCOHOL then i let them lead So me and my riding crew can Pick up The pices And call a Ambulance or Two . Respect is the Key Here . There are times when you want to take your boot and kick the rider off his sled comming at you or ?? but whats that going to solve ?? NOthing In my book !! Another Big key In my Book --Snowmobile Education Handsignals The right Away .. You can shure tell a newbee rider from a seasoned VET the newbee wont use there hand signals and basicly take up the whole darn trail even when they are comming at you !! In most cases be the First to be wining about how people are driving and how rough the trails are !! Good Night All Racer-X gone !!
polarisrider1
New member
Sorry, forgot about the rooster tail. Hope you had fun. Snow could of been better. I did my best to keep you off the groomed trails. Right at the start of the day we had Ricky Racers barreling at us. We probable could of used my saw a few times on the forest roads.
polarisrider1
New member
Thank you. I just couldn't edit my response enough to say what you said.
cat_man_mike
New member
I know everyone (as do I) hates the idea of regulation. But, with the speeds and cornering capability of the sleds nowadays that make some riders feel like superman, I think it is time for snowmobiling licences. Make everyone take the saftey course (As most of us should anyway at some point in our early riding days) and give them a licence. If you cause an accident by being drunk or going too fast or riding recklessly, your licence is gone. If you get cought riding on a revoked licence, your sled is gone. It is not right that some of us are getting pushed out of the sport because we fear for our lives.
Not a bad idea, but I think the law as it is, here in MI, would be fine if there were more patrols out on the trails. You have to be 16 or 18 and have a drivers license to be on the trail without your parents. If you get ticketed for ANY infraction on the trail, it goes on your driving record and reflects on your car insurance. If you are snowmobiling drunk and get caught, it is the same as driving a car. Now MI even has the "super drunk" law that has even more drastic fines and punishments related to it. The laws are there, they just need to be enforced better. IMO
polarisrider1
New member
The manufacturer ads are of no help in keeping the trails safe. I used to be a Ricky racer, (didn't see anything but rapid sled depreciation) how else can a guy from Michigan rack up 4500 miles a season yr. after yr.. Then I got older and decided that my days are truly numbered, and the numbers left are decreasing at a rapid rate. No sense in speeding up the dieing process.
Cat ad: "See how the world's fastest sleds put the finish line closer than ever". Polaris ad: "It's not all about beating your buddy. Actually, that's exactly what it's all about". Goodyear belts: "Eat up the trail". FXR: "Full throttle Addiction". "Castle Racing". "TeamFast". The list goes on forever, all geared to Joe Rocket and Ricky racer.
Canada has a 35 mph speed limit on their trails, because of the outrage of all the deaths, liability and a socialistic health care program. This can easily be done to us with a swipe of a pen in Lansing if we don't police our selfs better. I already know of 2 trails with 35 mph speed limits in MI.
Cat ad: "See how the world's fastest sleds put the finish line closer than ever". Polaris ad: "It's not all about beating your buddy. Actually, that's exactly what it's all about". Goodyear belts: "Eat up the trail". FXR: "Full throttle Addiction". "Castle Racing". "TeamFast". The list goes on forever, all geared to Joe Rocket and Ricky racer.
Canada has a 35 mph speed limit on their trails, because of the outrage of all the deaths, liability and a socialistic health care program. This can easily be done to us with a swipe of a pen in Lansing if we don't police our selfs better. I already know of 2 trails with 35 mph speed limits in MI.
Regulation is not the way
More regulation won't solve this problem.
Grub said it best:
"Stay alert, drive defensively and have some respect for others."
Regulation won't make any of these things happen. We've all got drivers licenses and we see idiot drivers every day. Most sledders ride safely and appropriately, but the minority violators are the problem. This is true in most any activity / society.
More regulation would create a huge bureaucracy with huge costs. Who would pay for it? We would. What would the impact be on the problem? Minimal. This would push as many out of the sport as are already being pushed out. This is already an expensive sport with a lot of inconveniences.
What should we do?
* Set a good example for others. (How you ride, club membership, etc.)
* Expect / push the DNR to enforce the existing regulations. (And in a reasonable way - see the DNR posting)
* Try to influence others, in a positive way, to ride responsibly. This will have the biggest impact. If it comes down to it, refuse to ride with others that ride irresponsibly.
That's my 2 cents. Off my soap box for now.
More regulation won't solve this problem.
Grub said it best:
"Stay alert, drive defensively and have some respect for others."
Regulation won't make any of these things happen. We've all got drivers licenses and we see idiot drivers every day. Most sledders ride safely and appropriately, but the minority violators are the problem. This is true in most any activity / society.
More regulation would create a huge bureaucracy with huge costs. Who would pay for it? We would. What would the impact be on the problem? Minimal. This would push as many out of the sport as are already being pushed out. This is already an expensive sport with a lot of inconveniences.
What should we do?
* Set a good example for others. (How you ride, club membership, etc.)
* Expect / push the DNR to enforce the existing regulations. (And in a reasonable way - see the DNR posting)
* Try to influence others, in a positive way, to ride responsibly. This will have the biggest impact. If it comes down to it, refuse to ride with others that ride irresponsibly.
That's my 2 cents. Off my soap box for now.
cuzzinolaf
Active member
Off-trail AND trail riding is dangerous. Everyone should just stay home or stick to speed runs on the lakes. This thread is hilarious!
I wonder how much professional trail riders get paid? I didn't know there was such a job.
I wonder how much professional trail riders get paid? I didn't know there was such a job.
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cuzzinolaf
Active member
Really? So you're saying that I cruise down the trail at 60mph, standing, with my back pack and throw ice chunks at you? I guess I can respond and ask if you're rushing to the next bar for a beer and live by the motto "the more I drink the straighter the trail gets". You need to stop with the stereotypes and get a clue.
Why can't we ride the powerlines if we want? The electric companies don't own them so who cares what the powerline company says.
cat_man_mike
New member
T man, in a perfect world you would be spot on. Set a good example and be a leader by doing the right thing and people should follow. Unfortunately that is not the case. There are those out there who don't care and do whatever they want anyway. If "socal darwinism" would take care of the problem, there would be no need for action. But, unforunately innocent people get hurt every year by the trail drunks and Johny Rockets. At the very least there are people who have loved the sport and been responsable getting out because they no longer feel safe on the trails. This is unaceptable.
G
G
Guest
A few very simple rules would solve a lot of problems. Designate heavy travel trails one way trails on weekends during daylight hours. Put up signs every five miles that say 'Check behind you NOW for faster traffic.' What am I saying??? - People can't seem to follow the few and simple rules we already have. Nevermind.
rsvectordude
New member
The companies are carrying the extra liability for these easements. I.E. Someone flying off the top of a hill and crashing into one of the poles. Both landowner and utility company will be sued. The gas companies are complaining trail use by both snowmobiles and wheelers are eroding the minimum required cover over the gas lines.
polarisrider is spot on,the manufactures are no help
what do they think will happen when they advertise a 150 hp high performance trail sled as the fastest sled on the trail,well they are going to try and prove it,to top it off most are newbies to sledding.
Iam 46 yrs old been sledding since 12 i ride a f-7,is it fast yes,does it handle yes,do i like to ride aggressive when the trail permits yes.do i always finish first NO.
Because you just have to use common sense,i get scared to death when i ride in the lower way to much traffic had my skis clipped plenty of times,and i cant count the number of times ive been looking at a oncoming sled sideways taking up the whole trail.
The thing i like most about sledding is seeing is parents out with the kids teaching them to ride responsible does this old man good,not to mention 99.9 percent of the people i meet will stop and help if need be,sleders are a great group people.
that being said thank you for your time.
what do they think will happen when they advertise a 150 hp high performance trail sled as the fastest sled on the trail,well they are going to try and prove it,to top it off most are newbies to sledding.
Iam 46 yrs old been sledding since 12 i ride a f-7,is it fast yes,does it handle yes,do i like to ride aggressive when the trail permits yes.do i always finish first NO.
Because you just have to use common sense,i get scared to death when i ride in the lower way to much traffic had my skis clipped plenty of times,and i cant count the number of times ive been looking at a oncoming sled sideways taking up the whole trail.
The thing i like most about sledding is seeing is parents out with the kids teaching them to ride responsible does this old man good,not to mention 99.9 percent of the people i meet will stop and help if need be,sleders are a great group people.
that being said thank you for your time.
polarisrider1
New member
Ain't that the truth. I miss George. The power company in my neck of the woods loves the snowmobilers and so do the loggers. They say we help hold down the brush growth and it saves them money on clearing. Snowmobiles causing erosion? now thats a new one. spitting leaves is not erosion. A cross country skier (they love our flat groomed trails) causes more erosion kicking snow off there boots.
There's bad apples everywhere. When it becomes a problem, DNR need to show their faces a little more often and really set an example for bad behavior like that described. There's plenty of lakes out there for bragging rights. And ****, if I could ride during the week I would! Stupid work!!!