dfattack
Well-known member
I remember that. you were a little gun shy the rest of the season. Glad to know you got over it though...it was cold the day we rode this year. Single digits I think. Still cold when you are doing 90 on the grade!
Was out in west yellowstone bout 14 years ago first weekend in march was cold every morning but the morning we rode in the park when we were using a hair dryer to get sleds loose it was -46 set a record I believe they said in Bozeman or one of them towns set a new record that morn g at -60 we rode in the park that day and was awesome it was so cold that they didn't let the Rangers out basically had the trails to ourselves besides the buffalo and elk it was great
I upgraded to bibs soon after my "coldest ride", thought I could get by with two layers of Under-Armor; now it's that plus the bibs. Turning 50 stinks.
Bear
Maybe it wasn't that terrible cold but that Valentines 500 mile trip with Nick Keller last feb temp never got above 5 degrees and we never stopped longer than to get gas. 17 hours outside. Big windshield and good gear paid for itself that day. Oh and the Uclear jukebox I installed in my helmet!!! Priceless that day.
T
Tracker
Guest
hahahaaaaaaaaaaaa....I do....but I should of clarified it....I like it more when conditions dictate that no others will like to go then....all to meself.....cold as double tooth picks....or low to no snow.....never pass up prime conditions my man....never
journeyman
Member
-40 F back in the mid 1990's. I remember our sleds were outside at a cabin of a friends around Big Fork,MN trying to start our machines. The suspension did not move, the seat was as hard as a rock, went to pull the rope and instead the whole machine pulled backwards and the rope never came out of the recoil. When we did get going I recall the belt slipping on the clutch sheaves for quite awhile being they were so ice glazed. I was much more daring in my younger days.........
It was -28 when I got up about 17 below or so when I met Ken in Phelps and he wasn't happy about the grade into IR...I told him to either get it over quick or limp in then gas up at Krist go to American Inn to warm up and wait for you and Cass. It was so cold that morning that I broke the snap on my modular breath box and had to go back in Phelps gas station to install my spare... learned my lesson with that years ago when I broke the snap at Pat's and had to ride 120 miles without a breath box and half blind. I don't think it got much above zero all day ...maybe a little warmer in LAnse but it was a fabulous ride for all.
Grant Hoar
New member
A few winters ago Super Bowl weekend in the Hayward area, we walked to the lodge for breakfast and the proprieter said "good news guys, it has warmed up to -25". We were able to get all 4 sleds started (pulling the old Yamaha triple 700 was fun!), but had to pull the truck batteries and bring them in the cabin to warm up. The high for the three days there was -11.
The following year, same weekend, it got up to 50 degrees and we parked the sleds the last day.
The following year, same weekend, it got up to 50 degrees and we parked the sleds the last day.
formula_ss
New member
-42 actual temperature out in Boonville, NY. We somehow ended up at the Stillwater Reservoir. The trails were marked horrible, or not marked at all. The year we went, Wisconsin and Michigan had very little to no snow, 10-15 years ago. I believe by road it was 50 miles, and let me tell you, they do not have bars every 10 miles to warm up either. A couple of guys had frost bite that was noticed by the girl that was also an EMT at the Reservoir lodge. The funniest thing was, one in our group had just purchased a new Skidoo helmet with the face mask that looked like a fighter pilot. It did not have a heated shield as it was not needed. It was cold enough his breath would condense as it came out of the back of the helmet and freeze, 10 miles down the trail he had to stop and thaw out the ports as it would freeze shut and then he could not breath. I'm laughing as i type, the first time this happened, he could not get the helmet off fast enough as he thought he was suffocating, and had no idea what was going on.
allpolaris
Member
Fifteen (or so) years ago our backpack group of 10 left from Two Harbors MN making a loop of 1000+/- miles and got convinced in International Falls by a couple friendly locals to check thru customs and head up to ??? Resort for $.10 wings. Sounded like a great deal so we called ahead for accommodations and crossing Rainey Lake to be checked in by a customs officer at a hotel and we were off. The last thing the customs guy said was be careful, the thermometers are going to meet tonight. Thought about that the whole ride (40+ miles) up there, that -40 degrees is the same in Centigrade and Fahrenheit. Holy schneikees was it chilly !! The next morning after 27 Labatts Blue's and as many wings the night before, gettin' the sleds goin' and helpin' the tracks turn was a real head pounder for the group. All worked out fine, but it was a damn crisp ride back too. Guess every trip has its stories !!!
mjkaliszak
New member
Good read... Good thread. I rode up in Boonville NY, actually my cousins used to race Those Arctic Cat Z's up there back in the 70's. I still have family up in Utica & Syracuse area. I too was going to post up a -16 to -20 but that appears to be nothing.... That must have been 15 yrs ago ... Do I get any kudos for taking my " posse ' out there with me ? (4 Kids were about 7-11 yrs old. ) We Rolled out of Curtis MI about 8:00 AM at -20, .... all 5 of us.... with 3 of our own sleds and 2 rentals... We rode into a Blizzard white out about 1 hr later.... struggled with old tech helmets & visors for the kids, after limping slowly for a while we found a restaurant along US 2 and had breakfast and warmed up! The kids didn't want to leave the restaurant.... never the less we proceeded on.... by " High Noon " THE KIDS WERE DONE !!!!! we had a few smashed tail lights and bumpers and 1 kinked tunnel..... ( $$%%#@ ) ....! THOSE WERE THE DAYS.... It seemed for a period of 10+ years I was always paying for the rental damage..... ! To be clear as the kids grew they smashed our sleds up too .... but we never failed .... to smash up something on the rental....
Anyways... I can't recall what dumb arse temps I rode in as a kid all the way to my late 20's.... I just didn't pay attention to that sort of thing.
Fast Forward to age 54.... now I'm good to -11 or -12 like in Brimley/SOO a week & 1/2 ago ...but... it seems that when I return home from days on end of being out on the trails... I get cold after the trip for a couple days ???
Anyways... I can't recall what dumb arse temps I rode in as a kid all the way to my late 20's.... I just didn't pay attention to that sort of thing.
Fast Forward to age 54.... now I'm good to -11 or -12 like in Brimley/SOO a week & 1/2 ago ...but... it seems that when I return home from days on end of being out on the trails... I get cold after the trip for a couple days ???
mjkaliszak
New member
Guess some things never change.... it just dawned on me.... I am what I am =
Bent lower a arm, + who knows what else yet....! Price of living on the edge....!
Bent lower a arm, + who knows what else yet....! Price of living on the edge....!
zimmer1310
Member
couples trip last winter in the UP, group of 6. home base was gogebic. stayed one night in Lanse. left Lanse over to Big Bay then back to Gogebic. arrived back at Gogebic at 1am and was only -15 below. been awhile since i have heard the snow crunch like that at midnight. had a sled almost overheat as it wasnt kicking up. trails were smoothe and great and lucky to have as many stops along 8 to warm up.
Maybe not the smartest thing I have done my life, but Feb 1-2 1996, record set at Tower, MN -60 by an NWS oberserver. A group of us were at Ash River (north of Tower, mn), rode for three days. We purposely did not ride after dark, thinking was maybe not a good idea to ride after dark. Biggest problem was getting sleds started, followed by getting the tracks to spin. In the morning, Getting engines started took two, one operating the electric starter, one pulling on starter rope. (one sled would turn over, so pulled the plugs, then turned engine, then replaced plugs). Usually took three guys to get track to turn, one on each side pulling on track, and one operating the throttle. We had to stop periodically to check each other to make sure no one was getting frostbite on face and all skin on face was covered. The resort we stayed at had an outdoor hot tub, temps were somewhere less than -40 when we got in at dark, then sat in the hot tub to take the chill away. There was no traffic on the trails.
sweeperguy
Active member
On Feb 3 1996 it was -27 at the start of the 28th I-500 race. In Sault Ste. Marie Mi.
Can't imagine how cold it must have been for those guys (the racers). I know we were freezing our B.... off, riding to and from the race. Not sure of the temps, but we rode the days prior to and after the race. Was really F...ing cold, I remember that.
Can't imagine how cold it must have been for those guys (the racers). I know we were freezing our B.... off, riding to and from the race. Not sure of the temps, but we rode the days prior to and after the race. Was really F...ing cold, I remember that.
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Three cold rides stand out: Jan. 8, 2014 (Wed.) -27 degrees in Conover that morning, 135 mile ride to Calumet; Feb. 26, 2015 (Thur.) Another -27 degree ride (at the start) in Conover, ended 170 miles later in Prentice; and Feb. 10, 2011 (Thur.) Riding from Dane to Genoa, 144 mile day, I was watching the ambient temperature readout and noted that it reached -26 degrees while riding through a low marshy area by Roxbury, had been -11 degrees when we left Dane.
uncle_ed
Active member
I know I have ridin in some cold stuff over the years but one trip that sticks out was the first time I took my wife skedding up to the u.p. We awoke in Newberry to -17 and was -11 by the time we hit the trails. The cold was one thing but it was the wind that was blowing in off superior at 30 mph that really sent a chill down my spine when we hit Grand Marais. She was a trooper that weekend but did take a hiatus from riding for a few years after that though!
I try to pass when it gets that cold anymore............
I try to pass when it gets that cold anymore............