Why We Snowmobile

[gary_in_neenah]

I was reading the other thread about miles we rode this past season and there seems to be a lot of disappointment among us, Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois seemed to have the most snow which is highly unusual but good for them, If you can jump on a trail from your own backyard then go for it!

For the rest of us...uh, not so much. The snows got here late and when it did snow it was only marginal. So why do we snowmobile?

Some new machines are now north of 20K​

Most hotel rooms are over 100 a night​

You need a truck and trailer to get where you're going​

On a good year you might see 3 months of riding, then it's parked for the next 9​

Riding Gear head to toe, 1500+​

I'm probably forgetting some other add-ons but we all know what goes into a typical season. So when we have a short season it's disappointing. So, again, why do we snowmobile?

Because of This​

​

I have yet to find a better way to spend a day or weekend with friends in the dead of winter. While the rest of the population has the Cabin Fever we're able to get out and see some fantastic scenery and wild life that most others never encounter. So when my wife, co-workers, people in general, ask me why I snowmobile....I show them the above picture, Lake Superior shoreline February 2021.

I think that picture says it all.​

 

[xcr440]

Agree 100%!

And from the other side of the big lake March 2nd!

Speaking of wild life, I came around a corner and encountered my first Moose on the trail last week.... SKART the crap out of me!! Thankfully she turned and ran away on the trail before ducking into the woods, or I might have lost the good fight with that one.

 

[old abe]

Spot on! You Got it!

 

[heckler56]

Gary- Ditto.<br><br>For 30 years I rode solo then 10 years ago two gentlemen struck up a conversation at the hotel bar with me. Since then we have been riding together. They are my family. They lifted me at the sudden loss of my adult son. We have welcomed others that come and go into the sport. I now live a state away and look forward to those 3 months to be with them again or rendezvous at a snowmobile show. Worth every penny spent...

 

[SOUPS]

As they say it's only money. I will probably keep doing it till I can't physicaly do it anymore. Nothing like it in the world.

 

[timo]

I golf alot,, too much. 50-60 rounds a year.
People often ask me if I like snowmobiling or golfing more.
I look at them like they're from another planet.
I could snowmobile 12 months a year with or without riding buddies


I can't golf by myself. What if I got a hole in one?

 

[katden4]

I have to admit, I like my SXS a lot, and ride often.

I think that's what makes snowmobiling so much fun, is you really cant do it everyday if you live in the US. Its always an adventure, every ride. Not two rides for me are the same. Conditions change by the hour, and I welcome that usually. I ride a lot with my neighbors and friends close to my cabin, and then I also ride with guys that I only see during the winter months. Yes its getting expensive, but I will continue riding as long as my body allows.

 

[elf]

Agree 100%!<br>
<img src="https://forum.johndee.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=62820&stc=1" attachmentid="62820" alt="" id="vbattach_62820" class="previewthumb"><br>
And from the other side of the big lake March 2nd!<br>
<img src="https://forum.johndee.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=62821&stc=1" attachmentid="62821" alt="" id="vbattach_62821" class="previewthumb"><br>
Speaking of wild life, I came around a corner and encountered my first Moose on the trail last week.... SKART the crap out of me!! Thankfully she turned and ran away on the trail before ducking into the woods, or I might have lost the good fight with that one.

<br>
<br>Congrats on the moose. I didn't see any this yr but saw 6 last yr. The best thing we saw this yr was 3 Lynx on a forest road. Didn't even see a wolf this yr. 

 

[hermie]

I have been riding since I was 10 and I can not find anything that makes me feel like I do when I am on my sled. Some people that know me say I have an addiction problem with snowmobiling and I tell them you are right. First step is to admit it right? I will keep riding until my body doesn't let me do it.

 

[LoveMyDobe]

Everything you mentioned is so true and the pictures are priceless! We used to come up here from Iowa to ride with a big group, yep always had everything new, paid to stay and play but so many great memories. Now that I live here I can leave from home to hit the trails any time. Sadly our Iowa group quit coming up, they found more important things in their lives. My hubby sold his sled for a UTV and decided he doesn't enjoy sledding like he used to. But I'm not giving the sport up as long as I'm here, that's why we moved up here in the first place. Riding alone can be enjoyable and peaceful, but not the same. None of our local friends ride sled, old people, they love the UTV sport and so thats what we do in summer.. But when I'm out on the trails in summer I dream of snow being on the trails, kinda weird.

 

[mikes99ss]

This....my best friend. Deep snow and I'm so far in the woods I doubt anyone could ever find me. Sooooo peaceful.

 

[scoot]

When I was young, and as our kids were growing up, snowmobiling was about spending time outdoors with the family. Then after our kids grew up, it was about riding with the guys, buying new machines every other year, watching scenery go by at ludicrous speed, and tallying up miles on an odometer. Now our grandkids have come of age! Miles traveled now? Its irrelevant since half of the sleds in our fleet, older midsized budget sleds, don't even have odometers. During this year's February trip, we probably only rode a few hundred miles on the sleds. But our grandkids rode out to see waterfalls, scenic overlooks, a local winter festival, enjoyed a family bonfire, got to enjoy a horse drawn sleighride, a neighbor's dog sled team, and got to truly see the stars out in the wilderness far away from city lights. And Gramma and I got huge hugs of thanks when the trip was over. That's why I snowmobile.

 

[katden4]

When I was young, and as our kids were growing up, snowmobiling was about spending time outdoors with the family. Then after our kids grew up, it was about riding with the guys, buying new machines every other year, watching scenery go by at ludicrous speed, and tallying up miles on an odometer. Now our grandkids have come of age! Miles traveled now? Its irrelevant since half of the sleds in our fleet, older midsized budget sleds, don't even have odometers. During this year's February trip, we probably only rode a few hundred miles on the sleds. But our grandkids rode out to see waterfalls, scenic overlooks, a local winter festival, enjoyed a family bonfire, got to enjoy a horse drawn sleighride, a neighbor's dog sled team, and got to truly see the stars out in the wilderness far away from city lights. And Gramma and I got huge hugs of thanks when the trip was over. That's why I snowmobile.


View attachment 62823

Great story and reasons to love the sport!

 

[wiviperman]

Everyone is spot on in their responses as to why we love riding snowmobiles. I have said for many years that snowmobiling is a sport that is almost impossible to duplicate. People come and go to the sport, but one of the greatest things is when you bring in someone new to it. My wife typically is not a "winter" person, she is really starting to like being on a snowmobile. She will drive one in an open area for now as she is a little "gun shy" on navigating trails(does great on a lake or open field), but she enjoys being a passenger on our 2-up.
I have explained and shown her places that we would never have seen if we weren't on a snowmobile and you end up having many great friends when you participate in this sport!

 

[old abe]

When I was young, and as our kids were growing up, snowmobiling was about spending time outdoors with the family. Then after our kids grew up, it was about riding with the guys, buying new machines every other year, watching scenery go by at ludicrous speed, and tallying up miles on an odometer. Now our grandkids have come of age! Miles traveled now? Its irrelevant since half of the sleds in our fleet, older midsized budget sleds, don't even have odometers. During this year's February trip, we probably only rode a few hundred miles on the sleds. But our grandkids rode out to see waterfalls, scenic overlooks, a local winter festival, enjoyed a family bonfire, got to enjoy a horse drawn sleighride, a neighbor's dog sled team, and got to truly see the stars out in the wilderness far away from city lights. And Gramma and I got huge hugs of thanks when the trip was over. That's why I snowmobile.


View attachment 62823

Spot on you are! It's all about FAMILY!

 

[buddah2]

...I can't golf by myself. What if I got a hole in one?

<br><br>I can...and did...YOU know you made it, no need to brag...at least for me...<br>
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