What's your long term forecast for the sport of snowmobiling 25-30 years from now?
- Thread starter scoot
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snobuilder
Well-known member
I'm starting to understand you....LMAO!
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What about the cocked gun?...NO EDIT THAR!!!!you inconsiderate hoser!!!!!
uncle_ed
Active member
30 years has changed the face of snowmobiling quite a bit. Sleds are faster and ride smoother now than back then and creature comforts are just awesome on sleds of today. Its hard to imagine that they could be that much different in the future as they are pretty nice right now but who knows. I think our biggest enemy in this battle is going to be mother nature and her desire to continue to warm us up and move that John Dee freeze line farther and farther north. Those sledders of the future will be those that live farther north than those of today and others will have to chase snow to the north or the mountains to enjoy it. Remaining trails here in Michigan will be drastically reduced by weather and land owner refusal to allow trails on their property for numerous reasons that we discuss here today. Thats why I think that we need to be aware of these land owners concerns and listen to what they have to say as they are our key to the future in this sport. I will be 86 in thirty years but in 25 I will only be 81...........
I wanted to play sports as a kid and my grandpa always said NO we have a cabin and u have 320 acres to your self and u have a atc and sleds and guns your buddy's would switch places with u in a second.
If global warming is as it was described by the world's leaders in Paris a few months back - game over.
If the weather is cyclical as many others think - the snow will be just fine.
Can snowmobiling be kept within reason financially? Yes we have $14K sleds now but we also have $7K sleds from Poo and Doo at least that do everything they need to.
Can access to trails be maintained with easements, etc.?
Sled sales, before this year at least, have been growing again the past 4-5 years.
If the weather is cyclical as many others think - the snow will be just fine.
Can snowmobiling be kept within reason financially? Yes we have $14K sleds now but we also have $7K sleds from Poo and Doo at least that do everything they need to.
Can access to trails be maintained with easements, etc.?
Sled sales, before this year at least, have been growing again the past 4-5 years.
EXCESSIVE FORCE
New member
In 25 - 30 years my idea of a backpack trip will start out in Bergland eating a beef at the BBB with an overnight stay in Rockland above Henry's, and lunch the next day at the Bug Bar, then probably cross the bridge and stay at the Ramada.Then take a couple days to get back to Bergland....
Silent, electric powered sleds? No noisy 'cans' for folks to bitch about? No endless debate about which oil to use in yer sled? Omydog! What'll y'all talk about on JD then?
Naw, things will change, but you just have to adapt. See below.
Not to worry. No problem!
Swap yer sleds fer sand rails, and have a shot at "high marking" the sand dunes! (click →) like this. (Yoot Toob video, 3 min. + 7 sec.) Don't need no stinkin' snow! (And you thought those $10,000+ sleds were getting 'spensive?)
… camels. And camel races! Yes!
You won't even have to ride them stinkin', slobberin', galopin' camels (which would be like bustin' 3 foot moguls on yer sled) these days they're driven by robots, operated from the comfort of your air-conditioned Roller, or Bentley, Mercedes, or even a humble cheap-аss every-day Beemer! Like (click →) this. (Yoot Toob video, 2 min. + 32 sec.)
Perhaps Klim will pick up on this whole new gig and start offering some (click →) suitable attire for your camel racing! (You surely wouldn't want to be seen chasing your camel around the track in your Roller/Bentley/Mercedes/Beemer wearing anything but the finest desert camel jockey outfit!)
And you thought those Middle Eastern sand moguls din't have nuthin' to teach us!
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That sounds like a day trip to me! Pretty much did 90%of that this post weekend on Friday on our couples trip. But besides the time it takes to make that loop,I'm on board with this opinion. 25 years will bring many technological advances to the sleds, both 2 stroke, 4 stroke, and I also think hybrids are on the way. But 25 years is not enough to think the sport will just dry up and cease to exist. Some things will be lost, maybe more snow chasing than the previous 25 years, but not enough to make most the members of this site stop doing it. I just hope that the lack or possible lack of snow doesn't add up to a bunch of side by sides running our snowmobile trails commonplace in the future. I know it's allowed on some trails now, but I sure do NOT want to see more of it.
chords
Active member
Owning and riding can be done le$$ cheaper than 12k sleds, and 52k trucks and 15k trailers and all the $1000s spent on 1 week that will get spent somewhere else if trails aren't smooth cause "gosh darn I bought a trail sticker"
and I cant handle this.unless its groomed huh? not much future for that sport
and I cant handle this.unless its groomed huh? not much future for that sport
Return of the Jedi...speeder bikes...they hit trees too.
I feel the sport will continue to change with the times....25 years ago everything was different from what it is today (and sledding still here) and 25 years from now sledding will be different, but not gone....... I had an old lady years ago set me straight one night when I was on my "high horse" about all the money I had invested in the sport between sleds, gear, trailer, truck, weekend runs, etc..etc..etc.. She said to me and it's stuck in my thick head.. "son, do you like sledding?? does your wife like sledding?? does your kids like sledding?? do you create unforgettable memories for yourself?? does your family create lasting memories?? do you all enjoy being together?? do you and family have fun doing"?? I answered YES to all her questions... she then said.. "then stop bitching about money, you cant put a price take on the memories you and your family are creating forever".........from that day in 2001 I've never put money ahead of the memories ......the sport will survive.
T
Tracker
Guest
this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0kJbPEqbFA
with a solar panel on the back so never have to stop. And global warming it is not. its a pole shift happening take for instance the sinkholes. now they are in Oregon amongst all places. the crust is shifting and the UP and north will be the equator and palm trees. we will all be trailering south that's the only difference IMO. and youll have to buy another GPS or switch your north to south and vice versa. after that it will be magnetic sky cycles and Alabama sledding fatality reports and cancun reports. LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0kJbPEqbFA
with a solar panel on the back so never have to stop. And global warming it is not. its a pole shift happening take for instance the sinkholes. now they are in Oregon amongst all places. the crust is shifting and the UP and north will be the equator and palm trees. we will all be trailering south that's the only difference IMO. and youll have to buy another GPS or switch your north to south and vice versa. after that it will be magnetic sky cycles and Alabama sledding fatality reports and cancun reports. LOL
journeyman
Member
As for the weather, I think places like the mountains and the UP of Michigan will continue have good snows here in the states. The great lakes is an undeniably fantastic snow making machine. As for the rest of us in the plains, I think it will be hit or miss.....more miss than hit. Right now it seems about every 5 years we get a barn buster around here and everything in between is not much to write home about.
EXCESSIVE FORCE
New member
We will hopefully be enjoying this site with some input from the next generation of the Dee family....
HardwaterHoosier
Member
Climate change will become a thing of the past as well as diversity. "Global Stabilization" will take place and we will be required to stay the same like our climate. Summer will be summer, winter will be winter. Ridable snow Dec.-March
As for #1 & #2 above: Time will tell. I believe there is something to global warming but 2 years ago we had a COLD, SNOWEY & LONG winter so we are dealing with trends, not absolutes.
#3: Think about the sleds & pricing. Manufacturers give the best top dollar sleds to the magazines to run all season. The magazines add thousands of dollars of accessories provided free by the advertisers. The consumer believes he or she can only have fun on the top of the line machine with accessories just read about. Now at the manufacture's level, there is obviously a cost of adding features but typically the 600 & 800 have the same features except for the engine. There is no $1000 or larger cost to build bigger engines (I'm talking 2 cylinder, 2 stroke vs 2 stroke). The profit margins are built into the big engines to artificially keep the cost of entry level sleds lower. Still, entry level sales are poor. Low sales = low parts, oil, garments & accessory sales. Low sales = higher cost of development per sled sold. So, is it best to sell less high margin machines or more machines with lesser margin? IDK
#4: Without respect for the landowner, trails are in jeopardy. I won't go into specifics, they are discussed in all sorts of threads on this forum & others.
#5: Sales are typically made during the spring programs & then again start to pick up about Labor Day. Poor snow this year will hurt this spring's 2017 sales & next fall's sales. So with poor snow all over south, central & western WI and most of MN last season it's no wonder this season isn't doing well.
I think it will still be a strong sport. Even if there is global climate change there will still be snow, maybe just less as you go south. Sleds are expensive but you don't have to buy an expensive sled. You can pick up a nice, fast and great riding non current new sled for under 10,000 right now. Some trails might get closed but hopefully the majority will remain. Theres a lot of money for businesses to be made based on snowmobiling and that will keep the sport alive. Greenies, liberals and such won't kill it off. I should add that I am a professor of environmental science at a local college and an active sledder, four wheeler, hunter and outdoorsman. I argue with more far leaning "greenies" than anyone. I take pride in teaching college level students how to protect but also use the environment for our benefit. Just remember, a politician, whatever party, will follow the money. Maybe the industry needs to align themselves together and use economics and political muscle to keep it going. Time will tell, but i will still be riding, maybe a little slower and probably less miles and hopefully ill be showing my kids and grandkids the fun and excitement of this great activity.
T
Tracker
Guest
so being an environmental scientist what is your opinion and are you aware of the polar shift and the magnetic pole shift that is evident in the magma cooling of rocks as it hardens? and do you think the sinkholes are related to this or are you of a mind that its global warming. I do know that either way the water will rise and the water rising could cause the sinkholes as well as the crust shifting. have you studied this event in class as opposed to global warming? and is the pole shift even being considered. I do know that it is evident in the magnetic rocks that upon hardening every 750,000 years they face north. then another 750,000 years they face south. the last time it happened was 750,000 years ago. just wondering your opinion as you study this a lot also. and as sledders we will follow the snow as always. provided most of us don't all drown like some books say.
I see 2 strokes becoming extinct. Four strokes will continue to improve and become lighter. Trials will close. Trials will be re routed. Same as always. As far as the climate goes. Who knows. Only time will tell. But corn being grown is due to technology of seed and fertilizer. And has almost nothing to do with warmer weather in the up. Most the guys that complain about the price have a new sled every year. A 60,000$$ truck they don't need and a 29' enclosed trailer worth 18 grand they use once a year. You can make this sport economically reasonable and still have fun
All this Doom and gloom is depressing. I'm going for a ride
All this Doom and gloom is depressing. I'm going for a ride