How cold will you ride

[bearrassler]

There are only about 14 trees in the whole county. Anyway if you figure in windchill it is just about always 20 or 30 degrees below most of the time. If we waited for it to be 10 above we wouldn't ride much at all. A person gets used to it I guess.

Someone must have just planted a couple of new trees Grub, I thought there were only 12 trees in Kittson County. You are right about the wind though, last year every time I groomed the wind blew in the next day or two wrecking the trails. Almost all of my most memorable rides have been below zero, the sun is usually bright, lots of times the wind calms down a little when we are under a high pressure system, there is not much traffic, and the sleds do run great. We rode sleds in the 70's and 80's that didn't even have hand warmers and didn't mind it much. Snowmobiling is a cold weather hobby.

 

[superski]

The older I get the warmer it has to be, and I bought gauntlets for the wife last year and after trying them myself I'm gonna get some too. The actual riding in the cold doesn't really bother me, it's the possibility of a break down I don't like. I'm retired and my wife and I ride during the week. Sometimes we can ride 100-140 miles and never see another sled. I don't want to have a problem and be stuck out in -30 at this point in my life

 

[xsledder]

I really start thinking about not riding when it is -25 F or colder. It is not much fun when it is really cold.

 

[Cat600]

1 Week last year I went up north it was about -20 to -10 every day when I went out. Only 1 day I completely stopped cause my fingers were so froze, even with skins and warmers on high.

Only other cold day I remember was once years ago when I was sledding to work going across farm fields, it was about -10 but something like 30mph winds. That chilled. So much I was ducking down as much as possible to avoid it.

 

[JimAndros]

Well, machines run great, snow is firm, handling precise and trails are nearly empty when cold. I've done -28 deg on a ride to work. My Sheldon to Conover trip was -12 when I left and I don't think it ever got above zero. Big windshield is a must.

 

[G]

Well, machines run great, snow is firm, handling precise and trails are nearly empty when cold. I've done -28 deg on a ride to work. My Sheldon to Conover trip was -12 when I left and I don't think it ever got above zero. Big windshield is a must.

A big windshield is the very first thing I buy when I get a new sled. Keeping the wind away is the very first thing to do. A lot of the newer sleds have very minimal wind protection. That is probably the biggest reason folks don't ride when it gets cooler.

 

[Grant Hoar]

A few years ago up in Hayward I heard a quote from the resort owner I never want to hear again: "Good news, it has warmed up to -25". It was a guys only trip, and the warmest it ever got in three days was -11. We took shorter trips, more frequent stops, and we made the conscious decision to skip a few really remote trails. Bad things happen quickly at those temperatures if something mechanical goes wrong.

Below -10 the fun factor goes down. Will ride to -20, but don't really enjoy it, and pull starting a 700 triple at those temperatures is an interesting exercise also!

 

[groomerdriver]

-20F but we're not going very far till we stop.

 

[mjkaliszak]

I don't like to ride at -5 to 0 to +5.....
I don't care what anyone thinks... Me and the kids when they were young took off at -16..... to warmed up to -5... we were back in the camp in 4 hrs....
Personally I want 24 deg, sunny , fresh ribbon and no-one else on the trails, want to ride in the sunlight, and have plenty of fresh POWDER.... off to the side so I can get stuck, hit something underneath and bang up yet another sled =.....

"Back in Black" for 2015

 

[blkhwkbob]

My friend is looking for gauntlets. What are the best ones right now?

 

[Builder Bob]

From my narrow minded POV, cheaper is better.
I like to wad these up and bury them in a sled bag, until needed.
You just need something to break the wind, to prevent "wicking" the heat from your hands, and hand warmers.
If you are clever, fabric, duct tape, and tywraps.
Mine are "Moose", from D. Kirk.
Search for Gauntlets

If I lived in Canada, maybe spending more may be better

 

[mefroe]

if I drive 500 miles to the UP to snowmobile you just have to go out and ride just have to slow down and stop more often. I like -10 to +20 if I have the choice, things just run better at that temp. Coldest I have ever ridden was when I was 13 and we stayed over by Long Lake wis. stopped to have supper as it was just getting dark. by the time everybody was done eating it had dropped to -45, rode back to the cabin on the lake about 5 miles at about 10 mph. that was damn cold with the suits we had back then. fun times and memories

 

[xc500mod]

My friend is looking for gauntlets. What are the best ones right now?

I was riding in -18 this past week with gauntlets on my newer sled with no wind protection. I had to turn the hand warmers to "low" because my hands were too warm.

they are the polaris gauntlets. they are really durable and have a little bit of insulation.

 

[Hoosier]

if I drive 500 miles to the UP to snowmobile you just have to go out and ride just have to slow down and stop more often. I like -10 to +20 if I have the choice, things just run better at that temp. Coldest I have ever ridden was when I was 13 and we stayed over by Long Lake wis. stopped to have supper as it was just getting dark. by the time everybody was done eating it had dropped to -45, rode back to the cabin on the lake about 5 miles at about 10 mph. that was damn cold with the suits we had back then. fun times and memories

Same here. Maybe cut the day short but definitely riding after driving that far

 

[shelby369]

-15 and warmer.

 

[Modman440]

Never cancelled because of cold. For many reasoned I can ride out in back country and sweat less, less trail traffic, typically better trails. If it's- 30 just dress right I wear many layers and I can take some off if I'm playing or put some back on if I'm on the trail just gotta be smart

 

[jonesin]

My friend is looking for gauntlets. What are the best ones right now?

i dont think brand matters, but like they said look for room, tight ones make u nervous about getting on the break in time.
I bought a cheap set maybe 12 years ago on a trip that have only been used 6-7 times but are always rolled up in a little plastic bag and somewhere on the sled, just in case.....