I promised I’d bring your lots of good stuff from the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, and here it is…  The manufacturer’s association put their researchers to work, and here’s what they found… More than 50% of adults living in snowy North America wish they could go snowmobiling.  Surprised?  I didn’t really think you would be, we all know how great a sport snowmobiling is!  But on a scale of 1 to 10, “outdoor enthusiasts” rate their desire to go snowmobiling at a 9! 

Oh how jealous our friends and neighbors must be…  But the ISMA thinks this is a prime opportunity for all of us to advance the sport of snowmobiling.  They are recommending that snowmobilers take their friends with them this winter, and take the opportunity to teach them about all the good snowmobiling does as a sport.  Good things like maintaining trails and open space, club affiliations, political activity, preserving the right to the great outdoors, promoting family fun, and contributing—very significantly I might add—to the economy. To hear more about this initiative, check out the press release at the ISMA website.  And stop being so selfish!  If you care about your friends, make their dreams come true, and get them on a sled this winter!

I came across a very informative & interesting site today for snowmobile information, snowmobiling statistics and more.  For today I’ll just leave you the link, but expect to see a lot more posts citing this site.  There’s lots to learn for fun & for all things snowmobiling in general.

Here’s the link:

http://www.snowmobile.org/snowmobilestatistics.asp

 Have fun perusing yourself, or come back here and I’ll weed out the good stuff for you!

Number four on the list for our safety series is : “4. Check ice conditions before you venture onto a lake or river.”, because obviously, drowning sucks.  So does losing your sled. 

I’d add to this to check ice conditions on trails before venturing out.  Ice adds a whole other dimension to riding, and while we should all always be on the lookout for the potential spot, it’s good to know that the day’s riding could be slick. 

If your group includes novice riders, take a minute to give them a rundown on how to drive through icy conditions, including not losing their cool when they hit that inevitable icy patch. 

To check trail conditions, you can visit the website for local clubs and state organizations where you can link to local areas.  In

Maine you can start out at http://www.sledmaine.com; in Mass it’s sledmass.com.  These sites are good off-season resources, too, for trail improvement initiatives and snowmobile news.

Just about every riding season I determine the same thing—I’d be a more confident snowmobiler if I was a little stronger.  When I say that, I don’t just mean that I’m wimpy (but I am), I also mean I lack a little in endurance.  Sitting at the computer raising 4 kids will do that to you. 

You see, I have a theory that the guys have a little more fun riding because they have more upper body strength and endurance.  Very simply, they can handle the corners better so they can move along more quickly (yet reasonably!!) You might not quite know what I mean if you’ve yet to do any lengthy riding, but trail riding is tiring.  It takes a lot out of you.  And the more fit you are, the easier snowmobile riding will be, and the longer you’ll be able to stay on the trail. 

Why do I mention this now?  Because this is the time of year you might be able to do something about it.  This is the time of year you can start exercising or adding some light weight-training to your exercise routine.  Not that I’m going to, but usually I don’t remember this until the first week in January after an exhausting day pulling around the front of my sled.  

Does this mean I think the guys are better riders?  Of course I have to answer ‘no’ (even though a number of the guys we ride with are, hubby at the top of the list), because riding involves a lot more than muscle.  There’s brain involved, too.  Specifically, brains enough not to outride your own abilities.  This is definitely where the girls have the edge because most guys are always pushing the envelope trying to look cool and keep up with the leader (read: Bill) regardless. 

Nevertheless, just thought this was worth a mention in case someone is more ambitious in preparation for the eventual upcoming snowmobile season.  Never to early to start thinking about riding.

“Don’t Drink and Ride” is the number one safety precaution topping the list quoted the other day from American Snowmobiler Magazine.  Seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?  In my household we have a strict no drinking and riding policy.  NO ONE needs the liquid courage.  Knowing your riding limits is of ultimate importance.  And NO ONE needs to be at all impaired when riding a snowmobile. 

While researching stats for drinking and snowmobiling, I came across an interesting discussion on the forum at Snowmobile Fanatics.com.  Greasemonkey over there had a very good suggestion for those who think they are great drunk sledders.  Here’s what he had to say: 

” If some of you think you can handle a sled better after a few drinks I have a test for you.
Take out your faverite video game and see how many points you can get before drinking than have a drink and play the same game again. Have Another drink and play it again.
I can guarantee you that you will think you are doing better but your scores will be lower.
Drinking and sledding is just plain stupid!!
Plenty of time to drink AFTER a day of sledding.” 

The majority over there agreed that drinking and sledding – any amount of drinking and sledding – is a bad combination.  I have to agree.  Especially as one has a way of leading to two, and then what do you do?  Call a sled-taxi? (Hopefully…)  The point is, as most at snowmobilefanatics said, snowmobiling is for the thrill of the ride.  There’s plenty of time to relax with a few AFTER the trails without endangering anyone. 

But this isn’t the opinion of all.  If you have something to add, either in support or opposition of this take, let’s discuss.  For myself, I sure as Heck don’t want to meet you after a six-pack coming the other way.  As Greasemonkey said, 

“Let me know when and where you are drinking and I will go the other way!!!”

When I first started riding, I made sure to become acquainted with my sled by having my husband take me next door to a wide-open field, where the worst thing I could hit at my whopping 20 MPH was the stubs of cornstalks from the previous year.  I have to say, he was a very good teacher, and after circling the field 134 times that day while the kids slid down the hill (under family supervision), I had a good feeling about riding, and adequate confidence to take my 20 MPH on the trails. 

As it turns out, he did forget one minor detail.  And the funny thing is, this has happened to two other new woman snowmobilers (trained by their significant other) since.  What he forgot to mention was hand signals.  I had never given the notion a moment’s thought.  I was relying on the man in my life to teach me the essentials.  Guess we are all learning something about my judgment here. 

As the story goes, and yes I’m turning a little red as I relate it to you, we went off on our first trail ride.  Hub in first, myself second, and Bob in the back (who spent a lot of time napping at stops so he could manage a little speed on his ride behind me).  As we passed the inevitable few sleds, I started getting hand signals from the other riders.  Well, at least they knew they were hand signals.  I just thought they were friendly.  So I kept waving back, thinking I was some sort of cool SledChick who had just joined a new order. 

Probably 3 or 4 intersections into the ride, my husband finally thought to mention…”did I tell you about the hand signals?”  No.  You didn’t.  And now I’m sure every snowmobile we passed doesn’t need to see beneath my helmet to tell I’m a blond. 

Long story short, girls, save yourselves.  Get your own good information BEFORE you ride.  Here’s a link to a set of snowmobile hand signals.  Learn them.  Use them.  Save face and be safe.  Now we all know.

One of the series I’d like to start here is a series on safe snowmobiling.  Whether you are new to the sport of snowmobiling or an old pro, it never hurts to take some time to review what you know, and to check to be sure that what you know really is accurate. 

To kick off the series, I’ve located this list of ten easy snowmobiling safety tips from American Snowmobiler Magazine.  As we go along, I’ll be taking some of these safety tips and more and discussing them more in-depth so we can all have a safer ride on the trails. 

1. Don’t drink and ride
2. Wear proper equipment & helmet, gloves, boots, protective vest, etc.
3. Know your hand signals & A comprehensive guide to safe snowmobiling including illustrations of these hand signals can be found at Safe Riders! Snowmobile Safety Awareness Program’s web site.
4. Check ice conditions before you venture onto a lake or river.
5. Never ride alone.
6. At night, don’t out-drive your headlights.
7. Ride right& Stay on the right side of the trail at all times.
8. Always carry emergency care equipment.
9. Respect private property.
10. Obey trail signs and stop at all road crossings. 

I know we’re still a bit away from the sledding season by, oh, say, five or six months, but I think this is the ideal time to talk about sled safety.  Let’s face it, when there’s snow on the ground the last thing we’re about to do is sit around on the ‘net and read up on our snowmobile safety tips.  Better that we get it out of the way now, while we have nothing better to do! 

Safe Sled Dreams!

If you read more than one blog here at SkinnyMoose.com, there’s a good chance you’ve seen today’s info elsewhere.  I was alerted by Admin and Desert Rat about this excellent organization helping to fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.  But this is worth repeating again and again, so I’m including it here as well to give as much exposure to the Hunt Of A Lifetime Organization as possible. Here’s a description of what Hunt of a Lifetime is all about, quoted from their website’s homepage…” ‘Hunt Of A Lifetime’ is a nonprofit organization with a mission to grant hunting & fishing adventures and dreams for children age 21 and under, who have been diagnosed with life threatening illnesses. We are doing what we can to make a difference in their life, a dream come true.”  This organization is something of a Make-A-Wish Foundation for children who enjoy the great outdoors.  It is supported by hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who care about giving these struggling children a ray of hope and happiness. Currently, HOAL has these ‘Available dreams’ posted on their site for qualifying children:Available Dreams

1: Maine - 2 Moose
2: Idaho - Deer, Elk, Bear, Mt. Lion, Antelope and Moose
3: Kansas - Whitetail
4: Oregon - Elk, Mule Deer
5: Colorado - Elk, Deer & Antelope
6: Arizona - Elk, Mule Deer & Oryx
7: Illinois - Whitetail
8: Canada - Black Bear
9:

Mississippi – Whitetail

This is an issue that is near and dear to me, because we have watched our neighbor’s young daughter fight (SUCCESSFULLY!!! Go EMMA!!!) leukemia over the past year.  She is a bosom-buddy, best friend of my kids and is the same age as my oldest.  I have so much respect for organizations like HOAL and Make-A-Wish—they deserve all of our support! If you want to learn more about HOAL and how you can help or donate, or if you want to help a child you know qualify for one of these trips (or another of interest to them), stop by the HOAL website here: http://www.huntofalifetime.org/.  Just think about the difference you could have on a child facing the unimaginable!

I’m sure many of you are snowmobiling Moms, Aunts, Cousins, Sisters, and relative guys, so it made sense to me that you might also have an interest in snowmobile themed gifts for kids.  Today’s post is a gathering of some snowmobile gift options for children of a variety of ages that you might enjoy.  Keep reading to the end—I saved my favorite for last. 

Knowing just how pricey gifts & toys for kids can be, I kept the list today to sled gifts for kids under $50.00. 

RC Snowmobile at StoreForKnowledge.com—Not quite as nice as the name brand models, but about a third of the price at $39.95— 

See it here: http://storeforknowledge.com/RC-Snow-Mobile-P6463C294.aspx 

Snowmobile TrinketsA wide variety of sled theme gifts; these are the people with the snowmobile baskets, too.  They have two pages of kids snowmobile toys, varying in price & quality; here are a couple I had my eye on: 

-POSTERS—most are Artic Cat, but there are some really fun ones there, especially the ‘Waiting for Winter’ posters.  Priced at $9.99.The link: http://www.snowmobiletrinkets.com/POSTERS.html 

-NEON LIGHTS—a few options, the best of which are the tube-type molded into the shape of a snowmobile, available in a variety of colors.  On sale now at $45.00.  Check them out for a great kid’s room decoration, especially for older SledKids.The link: http://www.snowmobiletrinkets.com/NeonLights.html 

eToys.comGreat, cheap, fun gift—for $9.99 order the 50 in. inflatable snowmobile sled, ‘the Blizzard’.  We had one a few years back, and the kids loved it.  It went really well; got great reviews on this site from owners.The link: http://www.etoys.com/genProduct.html/PID/3145379/ctid/17/INstock/Y/D/ 

Barnes and NobleThis was my favorite pick.  It’s really cool.  It’s a Lego snowmobile model kit, rated for ages 7 and up.  I never even knew Lego made this, which is ironic because we’re big Lego people here and I thought we’d seen it all.  Check this out at BarnesandNoble.com—I know it’s on our Christmas list!  Priced at $27.00 for B&N members, otherwise it’s $30.00.The link: http://gifts.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?z=y&cds2Pid=15549&ean=9781400661190 

Puzzle gameAnd just for fun, I’ll leave you with a link I found for a fun little puzzle the kids can do online; it’s not much, but the younger ones will get a kick out of it.  Check it out at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/kids/features/games/snowmobile.html 

As always, happy shopping!

Undoubtedly, the opinions and answers to a question like this will be varied.  Rightly so, too, because the right size for a brand new woman snowmobile rider and a seasoned veteran is probably different. I’m in the process of polling a few snowmobile retailers and salespeople to get the official line(s) on this, but I’d like to hear from all of you out there – guys, you can chime in, too. 

When my first sled was purchased a couple of years ago, my husband took the lead.  For obvious reasons.  I just didn’t know anything about buying a snowmobile.  He decided on a Polaris ProX 550 for my first sled.  Not being a speed rider, I thought at the time that was probably even more sled than I needed, but he felt good about his decision to go with a bit of a bigger sled.   His thoughts were these: 

• It was a good, reliable, comfortable ride – and it is.
• It had enough power for me without being ‘outgrown’ too soon – and it does.
• It was big enough to retain resale value, whereas a 340 wouldn’t probably be worth much if snowmobiling wasn’t for me – too bad he won’t get to prove this theory.  Surely he thought he’d be cashing in on the cold by now…
• It’s not too heavy for a girl – and it’s not.  I have on occasion ridden my husband’s ProX 700, and I didn’t like it.  It was too heavy and so was tougher to steer.  He is in love with it, though.  I’m a little jealous.  I can tell you, though, that another woman I spoke with has ridden a 700 for years and loves it.  She loves the extra power on wide-open, big Maine trails.

A girlfriend of mine and my sister-in-law bought sleds after I had mine, and they opted for a Polaris 550, too.  Both are happy with their sleds as well, presumably for the same reasons – enough sled, plenty of power, and good handling without being too much. I can’t say that I know much of anything about anything other than my sled, particularly about makes and models other than Polaris.  SO for those of you riding different size sleds, or different makes, let us know your favorite ride and what you think is a great snowmobile for a SledChick.