ROB POWERS
Snowmobile Product Manager, Yamaha Motor Corp., Wisconsin
Favorite Riding Areas: My 13-year career with Yamaha has awarded me great opportunities to ride all over the world. I've ridden snowmobiles from Japan to Idaho and many areas in between. Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska are on my "bucket list."
My favorite riding area is really two areas: Alpine, WY, and Snowy Range, WY. Alpine has technical boondocking to gnarly hillclimbs. My preference is the technical tree riding, getting into areas that seem to have no way out.
My second location is the Snowy Range in southeast Wyoming. This area gives you riding for all levels. It's a great way to ride with a big group of friends and everyone has a blast. It has big climbs, great tree riding and some wild creeks to get stuck in.
We had the SnoWest team in the Snowy Range when we first showed them the 2006 Apex. We had super deep snow-more than five feet in three days. It's one of my all-time favorite rides.
How Long Have You Been Riding? I've been riding sleds as long as I can remember so I guess that's about 35 years or so.
Your Current Ride: It's time to get ready for this year. Now I just have to decide if I should install Yamaha's distributed turbo or supercharger on my 2011 Nytro MTX. Life is full of tough choices.