Winter Forecast 2017/2018
- Thread starter whitedust
- Start date
sweeperguy
Active member
Pretty sad living in MN not being able to ride out of my garage. Can't hardly remember last time I pulled the cord and rode out.
This having to trailer EVERYTIME to ride makes a guy want to move to Montana or Alaska.
Living in Phelps and riding from home is the winter norm. Last year was tuff in so many ways trails were garbage even during the week with some towns doing much better than others with grooming resulting in many Uturns to avoid a beating. More snow and colder temps could help a lot! All in all I thought the WUPMI did very well to make trails the best they could be. Yes... there was a hub that didn't do too well but they promised to do better and I'm good with that admission. No area WI or MI can do better if they don't try to do better and admitting there is room for improvement is step 1.
You are right on the fact that the first step is getting them to admit to the problem WD. If they can muster that, then they can take the next step in the start of the improvement process. I know the area you are relating to, and we will also give them another try. We had gave up on their continuously horrible trail conditions.
I just can't help remembering how the winter season used to be as I grew up, and then started snowmobiling. The first 20 years, and how it has changed as the years have passed. Having to travel so far now days to find "good" snow conditions for riding purposes. We even had difficult warm conditions in Ont. Canada last year. Twice, and far north of the border. But as they say time goes on, and things change. I must say though it is not to my liking. I've always enjoyed the "winter season".
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Guest
I don't think it has changed much if at all. We are just paying more attention. Back 40 years ago it was rare to get snow before Thanksgiving. It happened but not much. Still that way. On the other end the ridable snow was over at the end of high school hockey season which was the end of Feb in those days. It is still that way also. Last season would have been great except for two meltdowns. And there have also been January thaws for years. Those of us on this site are just more attentive about snow conditions. Also when we were younger we didn't care as much about 'good' riding conditions. Up here we didn't even have groomed trails. We just went. We ran on ice and dirt and rain and bumps big enough to lose a minivan. Didn't matter when we were young.
I don't intend to argue grub, but where we are located N/W IL, there is a real difference in the snowfall now as to when I was referring. We have over the years had to continually travel further, and further north to find the snow to ride. First 20 years we rode many, many miles at home. If we traveled, S/W Wis had all the snow needed anytime during riding season. BRFalls being the farthest we would go. Just saying.
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Guest
You are quite a bit further south than me. I am just about in Canada. The effects of climate change are probably more noticable by you. However the farmers around here are growing more corn and soybeans than ever before. That would have been impossible 30 years ago. Granted there are now faster maturing seed varieties. I don't know. I ordered a new sled. If I have to I will chase snow this season. Along with 10000 others.
Sent you a PM might want to check them...Did your SW come in yet?
I have given up on long term forecasts. Look what happened last year. Most every forecast I read favored a cold snowy winter. "Epic" is the word that comes to mind. Look what happened with that. One of the worst riding seasons for sure with the prior year being a close second.
Yeah but fun to research and watch what the Indians are doing up here!
Kooks and Indians, well we're off to a good start. I saw a woolybear caterpillar the other day, he was all black. Not sure what that means but I guess we'll find out in about 6 months.
According to the Farmer's Almanac; In terms of appearance, the caterpillar has segments of either rusty brown or black. Often, he is black with more rust segments in the middle, although he might be almost all black or all rust.
Folklore says that if the rusty brown band is wide (more segments), then it will be a mild winter. The more black there is, the more severe the winter.
According to the Farmer's Almanac; In terms of appearance, the caterpillar has segments of either rusty brown or black. Often, he is black with more rust segments in the middle, although he might be almost all black or all rust.
Folklore says that if the rusty brown band is wide (more segments), then it will be a mild winter. The more black there is, the more severe the winter.
I want nothing more than a bitter cold deep snow winter here at home. Wanna test out all this new tech that I put in this new house. Oh and a 3k mile year around home would be great. I remember 9-10 years ago a buddy said "lets leave from home and ride to canada" The snow was great all the way. I said na we can do that some other year. That was 10 years ago and the chance has never returned...
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Guest
You built your new house too far south. A few years ago I rode out my back door and went west 10 miles and kicked the road sign that says 'Welcome To North Dakota". Then I picked my way down to the Soo Line Trail and went to Duluth /Superior. Then the Wisconsin Tri County Corridor west to 63 and then to Lake Namakagan. 486 miles in one day. On a Pol no less. 3 states in one day. I should have checked in to Canada first. Then it would have been 2 countries also. Maybe this year.
bearrassler
Well-known member
Keep that back in good shape Grub, in a few years I plan on riding up north a little bit and meeting up with you on the trail somewhere and then riding all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
On another note I also thought that the snow was deeper and the weather was colder when I was younger but if you look at the weather records it just seemed that way. The old sleds ran fine in 2" of snow and didn't have much protection so it seemed colder and that the snow was deeper. Some of our snowiest winters here were in the last 20 or so years.
oldguy
Member
There is a difference in weather patterns up here in far northern MN. We seem to get more of a Canadian influence then Wisconsin or the UP. Last year in the Tower area we still managed to ride 7 weeks on pretty good trails. What worries me is the low temps at night have been higher. It seems it has been a few years since we had 40 below.
Two years in a row it came to a screeching halt mid to early March as well.