I thought to myself just a little while ago about my involvement in the sport and how much it has changed. I said to myself...damn.... you know what.... i forgot about the whole point of why i like riding because of going with the flow of other riders today.


lemme start from the beginning. I grew up in Rome,NY and this is where my dreams of snowmobiling first began. I was about 9 yrs old when i moved to rome.
Just behind my house was access to trails. My neighbor also had a sled. I never got to ride on it. I used to run to the window and stare outside wanting to own one or ride one sooo bad. But it never happened. Night after night I would look out my back window and see guys riding down the trails and for years this went on. I asked and begged for my parents to buy me a sled and it never happened. I got to take some rides occassionaly with my sisters friends (she was a few years older) and god did I love it. I used to walk a couple miles to Mikes sport shop in rome and stare at the sleds day after day and sit on the sleds. I can remember the one I wanted was a yamaha ovation. I figured at the time it would be great for me at my age. I used to take catalogs home and stare at them.

Maybe three years later my parents split up and I was able to take my savings and buy my first sled. A 1972 skidoo nordic 640. it cost me $400. probably not the best deal but whatever. It brought me wholehearted into the sport and i'll never forget that sled.


i definately learned how to wrench good owning that thing....and down the road i havent had good luck to be honest with having reliable machines but oh well.
that bothers me a lucky and can ruin your day out, but this isn't what i'm writing about.

paul's discussion about drinking and riding made me think of something. I thought about why i really loved snowmobiling so much and what made it a great sport.

....... its the peace of mind you get having a nice casual ride and forgetting about your worries and enjoying the nice winter scenery and meeting buddies. I can never have that anymore with the people that ride today.

its seems just about anyone i ride with nowadays there main concern is riding to the bar, then riding to the next one.

and it also always seems its gotta be an all out race everywhere we go.
For once i would love to take some time...enjoy the day...play a little bit off the trail and stop and maybe light a fire and bull#### a little about the riding we did and the fun we encountered.

i think that kind of riding spirit is all but lost. maybe it comes with all the racer wannabes and the whole whos sled is the fastest mentality.


at times nowadays i think to myself how did the sport I grew up with and loved so much turn out to be a sport that sometimes I dont wanna even be involved with anymore.

i just don't know anymore.

I wish I'd find that spirit out there somewhere, but maybe its just a false hope.

Don't panic, theres more of us "old time saps" then you realize. I've been a sledder since the very early 60's when my Dad bought a '62 or '63 Sno Cruiser, thought I was kind of the lake when he purchased a pair of 16 h/p electric start Olympics in '68 for he and my mom. Back in those days us three kids rode in a Ski boose........................our coolest times had 10-15 sleds out in the back woods with the entire group sharing in a good old fashioned cook out, now those were the days :) :) :)

Rick.

I live on a lake, and when ever I hear sleds while watching TV...I always have to jump up and see what kind they are and if I know the people..I guess this is one affect that happens when you have passion for sledding? :)

I get enough of the fast lane at work and around home. When my wife and I go riding it is for the enjoyment of getting out and relaxing. Some speed at about 50 mph but other than that it is trail riding 10 mph. Playing in the fields and lots of hill climbing. We ride in the Mountains and the only groomed trail is the main road which is 18 feet wide and only 50 miles long. All of our riding is real slow paced and geared for fun and enjoyment......keep happy thoughts and enjoy the sport.

gerals 143....sounds to me like you need to find some different riding companions that enjoy the good old set back and relax kind of riding...Good luck and stay with the sport.. You enjoy life too much to wuit bud..

i am glad this was brought up, i was jus talkin with my dad today about how it wasnt the speed that impresses me anymore its the fun i have finding big drifts and riding them wishing we had mountains around here to play in and jus having a good time.....i still like to crack the throttle every now and then but there is a time and a place for it, thus is true, it seems as if all snowmobiling is about anymore is who can beat who and how quick they can do it......kinda sad that this is the reflection of our sport that we all love.... :confused: i agree a nice trail ride where you can kick back put ur feet in the wells of the sled and cruz while looking at what nature is really offering to us is the best.....jus my 2 cents though :)

gerard143,

I can relate word for word to what you've said. Excellent post. If you're interested in getting back to basics and enjoying the sport again, I think you'd be surprised how many of us there are that are thinking that exact same thing.

I say we start a club. Forget having the newest and the best machine. Forget seeing who can ride the quickest through the trails, or who can spank who out on the lake. Most of all, leave the booze at home. Heck, if you really want to make it authentic, we'll make a rule where you can't ride anything newer than 20 years old. Then the only competition is to see who goes through the least number of plugs or belts in an afternoon.

This is a great topic. I've taken a few trips in the last couple of years and have gotten my Dad reinvolved in the sport as well as two cousins and a brother-in-law, not to mention a good handful of friends. I think part of the magic of taking the trips is not only the great sledding, but just being able to hang with family and friends and talk about the day's ride and past rides. The biggest kick I'm getting lately is riding with my Dad again. He's now 58, I'm 36, and we enjoy our rides now, but I really enjoy talking about riding with him when I was a kid. He had a John Deere Liquifire and I thought he and the sled were gods. It's nice to know that we can still share the sport and memories, and it's great to see that gleam in his eye when we race each other across a lake or open field. To me, that's the beauty of this sport.

See, there's lots of us out there!!

I'm riding tomorrow with my group of usual suspects, mostly older than I, but we all share a common trait - we love riding! And you're right - it's not always the riding that makes it so great - it's the stops and the commaradarie and the harmless taunting at the lunch table.

Well, we're going to meet in Barrie and try to get to Owen Sound and back tomorrow. Wish us luck!! Because, sometimes I glance down at the speedo and we're going about 40 klicks on the straights! Might be in for a long haul!

If you guys don't see any posts from The Hossman tomorrow, please call 911. :p

hossman, I put 911 on my speed dial. lol BTW, are you a Tragically Hip fan?

Originally posted by jtkennedy9@Jan 24 2004, 12:42 AM
hossman, I put 911 on my speed dial. lol BTW, are you a Tragically Hip fan?
Am I Canadian????

:D

OF COURSE!

lol Saw the Dark Canuck header, just wondered. Nice to see fellow Das Hip fans. A little sparse here in Indiana.

It's funny when you look back and can laugh with friends about the most disastrous trips you can imagine. I break up my trips with different people ,friends,family, newbies,etc. I still can't get enough of it !

Didn't even realize that they existed south of the border...

They'd sell out 12,000 seat arenas (we miss you Maple Leaf Gardens) in about 15 minutes up here in the mid-90's, and a guy I used to know saw them at the same time in a small, dingy bar in New York state, nobody knew who they were! So, he sat 10 feet from Gord Downey and rocked out to the Hip for $10.

Nice to see someone south of the border enjoys our Canadian version of The Beatles.

Sorry for going badly off topic - but he started it!... :D

Not to many people south of the border Have heard of them, unfortunately. Saw them at Bogart's in Cincinnati, OH on Phantom Power tour, third row. They played in Fort Wayne (on my birthday) on the Music at Work tour and was in the front row. I said hi to Gord Downie in the hallway when they came in to the club. Pretty cool birthday. Funny thing is, at both concerts, most of the fans there were Canadians. Sorry, I know this is off topic, too, but that's what these posts are all about.

bet you never knew i am a dope smoking needle injecting bum. :undercover:

Paul, I didn't know that, but I had my suspicions. lol

LMFAO Paul.

Originally posted by The Hossman@Jan 24 2004, 05:15 AM
gerard143,

I can relate word for word to what you've said.* Excellent post.* If you're interested in getting back to basics and enjoying the sport again, I think you'd be surprised how many of us there are that are thinking that exact same thing.

I say we start a club.* Forget having the newest and the best machine.* Forget seeing who can ride the quickest through the trails, or who can spank who out on the lake.* Most of all, leave the booze at home.* Heck, if you really want to make it authentic, we'll make a rule where you can't ride anything newer than 20 years old.* Then the only competition is to see who goes through the least number of plugs or belts in an afternoon.
Hehe, funny you should mention running older sleds. I've been watching for another cheap old sled again lately. The last one was a 73 Johnson with a wankel engine. It got up higher than I wanted to pay before auction end. Now I'm thinking that I should have tracked it more closely and threw in a bid. :(

I've been wanting to tinker with another oldie. If the environazies are sucessful in kicking us out of Yellowstone, then I won't have much incentive to buy a brand new machine with as often as I get to ride.

gerard 143 excellent post, brought back some memories of my own childhood :D

There is a time for competing and a time for enjoying nature. PEople of different walks have different ways of finding enjoyment. WE may not agree on what they are doing and think it reckless but this is human nature. I for one will never bungee jump , parachute or hang glide. Racing has been around in snowmobiling since the second sled was manufactured The trail is not the place for this as it could endager others. There is nothing wrong with a friendly drag race against your buddies on a lake or MNR forest fire airstrip. Like Boondock said it might be time to find new riding partners. Ones that are interested in the same ideals as yourself. :)

Permafrost

I decided to get back into sledding this winter after a long absence from the sport.When the boys were all home we used to ride all the time(when the old beasts we rode would run)LOL.My wife wouldn't even sit on a sled,let alone ride one!The past two years I've been going to the dealership where we buy our atv's from this time of the year just to look at all the new sharp looking sleds for something to do on Saturdays.

My wife say's to me one day when I'm salivating over some new machines "why don't you get yourself one?"I said "would you ride with me sometimes if I did?"To my disbelief,she I'll ride with you!! w00t Well I could have bought an RX-1,a Rev 800HO,ZR900 as my dealer sell's all these brands,but opted for a two-up touring machine so my wife could ride in comfort with me,and I chose the 700 so I could feel the rush when needed! :hallo1:

I drink when I ride(Busch n/a)I save the real stuff for after the ride,just way too much two stroke power ,and as I'm slowly learning,way too many joe-snowcross wannabes coming around the corner on the wrong side to be half snickered when I'm out there,ecspecially with my little wife of 30years on the back! Why is it that some of these clowns have to ride out of control? :lookaround: When I come to long sweeping curves,I'm as far to the right and slowed right down as I can be and it seem's someone is on my side every other curve.

Now that we have enough around home,I've ridden around the state forest,I can ride right off my property onto the trails here.More enjoyable riding here,not nearly as much traffic as everyone is in the Adirondacks or Tug Hill,so we can go for a nice scenic trail ride.Some of these trails are atv trails in the summer,and they look so much different in the winter(no black flies or deer flies either)LOL!Sorry for the long winded post,just felt like running off at the lips!

gerard 143,
I feel the same way you do, I started a similar thread in the Yamaha section a month or so ago. I decided to pick different riding partners, the most important one- my wife. Maybe Hossman is right about starting a Club for laid back fun rides.
I don't know about the 20 year rule though, after having had back surgery for a
ruptured disk I need suspension from the 90's at least. :ohmy:

excellent replies i've been reading..... i'm glad to see theres others out there that feel the same as I do.

Great subject, I've felt this way for a while. gerard143 brought up the issue of racing from one place to the next. I know trail racers have been around for a long time and will always be around, but it seems with the popularity of snowcross the past decade the trail racing has increased. As much as I enjoy watching snowcross, I'm almost looking forward to it dying out. I think that if that happens some of the trail racers(racer wanabee's) will fade away also . Don't know if I'm even close in my assumption, it's just a hope of mine.

Great post, Good to see there are a few of us out there.
I will never forget the rides in the SKi-bose. I asked my brother about it one time and he remembers the time we were out in the bush at night and the ski-bose came off. It just slowed to a stop. He doesn't remember how fun the ride was, just how cold it was (Timmins in January). I guess that why he isn't interested in sledding