By Greg Gilbert, Columnist / Test Rider for SledMagazine.com / Motoneiges.ca
Memories... It’s really what the sport and activity of snowmobiling is and has always been all about. The meaningful camaraderie of those who have had the addicting and extreme pleasure of enjoying winter in a way that is indescribable to those who have not.
We are fortunate to have snowmobiling in our lives and everything that snowmobiling has brought to our lives. I’ve often written the words “Snowmobiling is not just something that I do, it is something that I am” in my personal signature on snowmobile forums.
Over the past year, I lost important snowmobile friends, from disease and accident. Fate often takes very good people much too early from full and rewarding lives and those of us who loved them. Each of their untimely passing’s makes me look back on my snowmobiling memories in a deeper way.
Each weekend and each ride offers the opportunity for a memory that can be ours forever. Memories live in often told stories as well as the quick gleam of an eye. They can be made equally with Spouses, our children, long time riding partners or total strangers that can quickly become uniquely connected friends. The potential and pleasure of each ride is endless. And incredible snowmobile memories are available to all without discrimination.
A few random memories that have stayed with me came from an experience with 2 guys from Colorado. As a Test Rider for SledMagazine.com, I was asked by a Polaris marketing executive to introduce 2 Advertizing agency snowmobilers from Colorado to a weekend of our Northeast trail riding experience.
Our mission was to successfully tour them from Quebec City to Saguenay Lac St-Jean and back. The goal was to give them a taste of the trail in order to stimulate a meaningful and relevant point of reference for a future advertising campaign. Being from Colorado, they were reasonably experienced mountain snowmobilers with limited experience with trail machines or the ways and skills of the trail.
The first memory that stands out in my mind was their confusion and amazement at our attention to the carbide runners on their rental sleds. They watched with interest as we tipped the sleds up, inspected the runners and observed less than desirable condition. Their intrigue peaked when we pulled a portable Carbide Runner sharpen tool (BiteHarder.com) on a cordless drill from our truck. Certainly they had never paid such attention to sharp, high quality carbide runners. And with that they learned their first valuable lesson of the trail. Turning is everything and making all the turns is rule.
#1. That was the first memory of note. The next was the intrigue of the RollerSkis they saw on my Polaris AXYS Switchback. Wheels? For what?
As the weekend’s gas stops continued, the convenience and function of this increasingly important accessory became clear and I was a star. They had met a guy with a retractable wheel system on his snowmobile. They probably still talk about my RollerSkis.
But the most important memory was the absolute wonder that I witnessed in their eyes, as they absorbed everything that is our often taken for granted trail experience. The conditions, terrain, sights, grooming, signage, trailside stops and overnight accommodations were all new and wonderful to them.
Their recognition and appreciation of our trail system was evident in their never ending smiles. Through their wide eyes and smiles we ourselves were renewed and brought back to the very basic pleasures of our sport and the realities of just how incredible our Northeast trail experience really is.
I was particularly pleased by their acknowledgment and significant respect of the club volunteers who make the greatest snowmobile trails on the planet possible.
As a side note, another memory was made near the completion of our trip, when “Rookie” over confidence resulted in hefty charges for rental sled damage. My Dad always asked me “Did you learn anything?” so I asked.
One weekend with total strangers and multiple memories that will last in the minds of many forever. Memories often come with valuable lessons and this story is no different.
- Hold your memories and those who you make them with close to your heart and with you always.
- Get the most performance and safety from your snowmobile, by purchasing quality carbides and keeping them sharp on every ride.
- Never take for granted the world’s greatest snowmobile trail system and the volunteer efforts and commitment make it possible.
- Always ride within your safe and reasonable capabilities.
Snowmobiling is the people, moments, trails, places, machines and memories that provide us with pleasure until our final days. This is what snowmobiling has been, is and should always be about. We are lucky people!
