love of the sport....

[Cooper0809]

Why do we put so much money and time into this sport for 2-3 months of the year? I know some of you are fortunate enough to ride longer or maybe all year, but for me and many others its only a few months. For me, I've always enjoyed the snow, snowmobiling and the scenery that goes along with it. This is the first year that I have owned a sled, and already im wondering if its going to be worth it or not. As much of a PITA it is sometimes fixing up the sled, I still enjoy it for some reason. I hope im able to enjoy the trails too! What keeps your love for the sport?

 

[opsled]

Cuz it's manley. What else would ya do in he winter??

Figure skate? ski? knit? Not this cat??

They say sittin in the middle of a lake on a bucket staring at a hole in the ice, drinkin beer and waiting fer fish is manley but,,,,

To slow,

opsled

 

[Devilin AblueDress!]

Why do we put so much money and time into this sport for 2-3 months of the year? I know some of you are fortunate enough to ride longer or maybe all year, but for me and many others its only a few months. For me, I've always enjoyed the snow, snowmobiling and the scenery that goes along with it. This is the first year that I have owned a sled, and already im wondering if its going to be worth it or not. As much of a PITA it is sometimes fixing up the sled, I still enjoy it for some reason. I hope im able to enjoy the trails too! What keeps your love for the sport?

The "silver lining" in your cloud is that once you have gone threw your sleds and gotten every thing up to snuff so to speak it will just be the simple maintance keeping them that way. As for myself When I started getting seriously into sledding if you were lucky you could ride for 6 months, last few years its ben 3...if your lucky! When its warm out I tend to run like an 8 day clock, even when I am on vacation I still have a tendency to try to get 2 weeks worth of stuff done during my 1 week vacation! Sledding is my "escape" so to speak....my version of "therapy". After a day on a SRX I have an inner peace that even modern day pharmacys cant reproduce!

 

[amatosrx]

I am so happy after 150 miles on my sled it makes all the hours of maintenance worth it. There is nothing like a hard pull on the blue devil. Can't wait to rip on my mr viper 700 that will be the best therapy there is.

 

[yami1]

Personally the wrenchin on them is half the fun. Sure dont wish for it to break down but is fun to update suspension and such. Also need something to do cause if Im not riding and not working then id just be drinking lol

 

[rx1jim]

I enjoy all aspects of snowmobiling, not just the riding. For the past several years, my job has taken over my life and I have not had much time for anything but that is another story. The things I enjoy about snowmobiling are:
1. the terrific freinds I have made over the years. People I have met on the trail and at the lodges I have stayed at which developed into friendships.
2. the riding through some of the most remote areas and seeing awesome scenery.
3. the preparations for the upcoming season: the sled shows, the grass drags, the hours of reviewing maps.
4. working on the sleds: I LOVE working on the sleds. I don't enjoy working on them on the trail at night at -20F so the better the maintenance and prep work the lower the chance of problems on the trail.
5. meeting up with sledding friends thoroughout the year
6. saddlebag trips across NH - Maine or in Quebec. A long distance saddlebag trip is just so much fun, especially to a new destination. A long distance saddlebag trip can be a huge accomplishment when faced with extreme cold and snowy conditions. I don't enjoy riding in the rain but it often part of a saddlebag trip.

I have analyzed the costs of sledding and yes, the total cost can be quite high but to me, even on a very limited budget, it is well worth it. You can get many years and thousands of miles of riding out of a sled with good thorough maintanence, particularly at the end of the season. Some of my riding partners sold or traded in their sleds EVERY year for a new sled. Their costs were therfore EXTREMELY high while I would ride a sled for 8 years before buying a new one. I don't know of any form of recreation that is inexpensive today!

Jim