By Ron Bentzinger
Have you ever wondered what happened to a snowmobile enthusiast you once knew?
Well, I have not been able to get a federal grant to study it yet, but; if they are still in good health, it is my strong belief, they are probably still an avid snowmobile enthusiast.
We baby boomers are the first generation to “grow up” in a snowmobiling era. When I was just nine years old my father picked up a Ski-Daddler franchise. Having been around his John Deere dealership for all of my life, I had already acquired a fond appreciation for power and anything with a throttle on it. I will always remember my first snowmobile ride. I was hooked for life. I have had the extremely good fortune to make my living in the snowmobile industry for most of my adult life.
As Snowmobile Product Manager at Western Power Sports, I end up at a lot of snowmobile events and trade shows. I consistently run into the awesome people I have met over the years. It always amazes me how they are still actively involved in the sport of snowmobiling.
In the 1972 model year John Deere released the snowmobile line we had been hearing rumors about. By the 1974 model year I found myself competitive in snowmobile racing with the limited production 295/S. In 1975 the limited production model was the 340/S. It was extremely competitive and at 16 years old I was thrilled with an opportunity to race in the Winnipeg to St. Paul I-500. That is another story for another time.
By the late 1970s, we were very competitive on production Liquifires. Jerome Implement Co. (my dad and uncle) sponsored Thad Lawrence, Rocky Sherbine and myself to race the three-man cross country and enduro races common at that time. Dad enjoyed traveling to the races with us to pour gas, turn wrenches, offer moral support and hang out with a really great bunch of guys.
The four of us are no exception to my observation. I moved my young family to Idaho’s upper Wood River Valley in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. There I managed Cathedral Pines Baptist Camp and Easley Hot Springs. For three winters we rode a snowmobile from the highway to our house.
I also used a snowmobile and/or a Cushman Traxter to haul supplies into the camp for weekend retreats. In the winter, several of the cabin owners in that area would pay me a security fee. That gave me an excuse to go for a ride every couple of days to “patrol” their summer homes. I even caught a trespasser red handed once.
In the fall of 1983 I began my career at Western Power Sports. By the mid-1990s, it was only natural for my son Brian and I to get involved in the RMSHA hillclimb circuit. It is still a great bunch of guys to hang out with. Dad has gone to several industry events with me over the years and we have tried to get him out every year to enjoy the fresh air and pristine solace of winter.
Thad Lawrence went on to take a very active role in the formation of the RMXCRC circuit. His motivation was the frustration that we had experienced racing our brains out every weekend for a trophy and maybe enough money to pay for the gas. He is now president of Mountain West Racing.
Rocky Sherbine continued cross country racing for several years and competed in a few of the new snowmobile races called snocross. It was not long after that I started noticing his kids consistently finishing in the top 5 at the snocross races. His son Isaac is very involved in the newest discipline of snowmobile competition—freestyle.
A couple of years ago I began to envision a snowmobile ride with some of the men who are such a big part of my snowmobile heritage. I invited Larry Peterson. He was a cattle rancher in the metropolis of Carey, ID. He had sold Ski-Daddlers for my dad.
Peterson went on to be a Polaris and Rupp dealer through the mid-70s. We also invited Larry’s cross country teammates Bill Sherbine (Rocky’s dad) and Bill Karst, but neither of them were able to make it.
We met at Rocky’s ranch on the Baseline Road in Bellevue, ID. In the midst of gloomy weather forecasts, it turned out to be a beautiful day. One of the highlights of the day, was when Rocky came out of his house wearing the John Deere coat that we raced in over 30 years ago.
It was late April. To find good snow we drove over Galena Summit to the Stanley basin, and rode up the headwaters of the Salmon River. I am more of a hotdogger sort of guy, but Larry Peterson wanted to build a fire and roast the hot dogs. That gave us some quality time to relive countless memories from “Back in the day.”
Rocky, Thad and I are all in our 50s now, Larry is 74, and my dad is 86. We are all in good health, so by the definition of my statement in the first paragraph, we are all still avid snowmobile enthusiasts.
I sit here writing this, just one day after the tragic accident that took Rick Ward to “The big snow covered mountains in the sky,” (the place known to non-snowmobilers as heaven). Rick was one more of those extraordinary individuals who I have been blessed to know, because of my involvement in the sport of snowmobiling. High on my list of good memories, is a day that Brian and I were able to spend testing and tuning with Rick and Darin Gould.
I always hoped to go riding with Rick “some day” but I never made it happen. If you have some old riding (or racing) buddies who you have been wanting to go riding with, my advice is simple, make it happen, before it is too late.
