That’s a wrap for the so-called 2017 winter. Time to summerize and put away the Ski Doo snow machines, get out the Sea Doo watercraft to go PWC touring and spend my summer dreaming about a better snowmobiling season next year. No doubt, opinions about the 2017 winter vary depending on what snow conditions were like close to home, whether trail …
During years of snowmobiling, I’ve heard and seen it all, including things snowmobilers say in person, on snowmobile videos and in snowmobile magazines. So I’d like to recall some of them to you – maybe you’ll recognize a few that have passed your own lips – and impart the benefit of my accumulated wisdom. Those who do much …
Not every snowmobile tour goes smoothly – things go wrong. One day in Quebec, one sled blew a piston in the middle of nowhere. Not being close to anything, we decided to tow it to our next hotel destination. We hooked up the tow straps and began what would end up being a 200-kilometre pull. The tower, towee and …
Have you ever considered a snowmobile groomer ridealong? I remember the day I almost hit a groomer. I‘d come around a blind corner on my snowmobile. And there it was, looming over me, filling the trail. Wide-eyed, we both hit the binders. Fortunately, my Ski-Doo snowmobile came to an abrupt stop as the skis kissed the groomer’s blade. …
What are the first aid realities on snowmobile tours? Given the millions of miles North American snowmobilers rack up each winter on their snowmobile vacations, fortunately that snowmobile safety answer is not needed very often. Surprising really, when you think of all that remote riding area, those thousands of riders, variable snow conditions and all the potential accidents just …
I call it fractured French snowmobiling. Many snowmobilers ask me what language challenges to anticipate while snowmobiling Canada’s numerous Francophone regions on a Quebec snowmobile tour. Suddenly being immersed in an unfamiliar tongue may be a little uncomfortable at first. But the hospitality, charm and desire to help that characterize the Québecois, Acadian and other Francophone communities soon put …
