howto back country boondocking

Boondocking. Is this a word? According to the American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company, "boon" is written as a benefit bestowed, especially in response to a request; a timely blessing or benefit.

The dictionary defines "docking" as to maneuver a vessel or vehicle into or next to a dock; to couple - join - two or more spacecraft. To clip short or cut off an animal's tail. To deprive a benefit or a part of one's wages, especially as a punishment. To withhold or deduct a part from as in one's salary.

This begs the question, how the heck did snowmobilers conjure up this word to mean deep powder back country riding?

Boon, a noun. Docking, a verb. Combined we have boondocking- a very active verb. Your English lesson for the day is now finished.

Boondocking is a favorite snowmobiling activity for experienced back country riders. What makes a successful boondocker? Desire, no fear, a patient wife or girlfriend, gallons of fuel, string cheese, deer salami, a frosty bottle of Mega Jolt and a snowmobile that is as brainsick as the driver. Boondocking is a robust activity, not for the faint-hearted.

Boondocking is to snowmobiling what off-road four-wheeling is to an old Jeep CJ5 or to a trials bike. Get the picture?

In all seriousness, back country riding can be as dangerous as it is exciting. Not to detract from the solitude and excitement of traversing nature's hills and mountains- preparation, personal skill and confidence in your snowmobile all play together to keep driver and his or her partner safe.
See the November, 1999 edition of American Snowmobiler, which has an article on dressing out your snowmobile with avalanche and winter survival equipment to ensure your boondocking expedition is safe.
Some things to remember when staking out your claim in deep the hills: know your personal limits, know your sled's limits, review weather and avalanche forecasts and know the snow conditions for the country you will boondock through.

Too many times a news anchor reports a snowmobiler or a group of snowmobilers are lost in the Poker Peak area, for example. Or we'll read in the local paper about two riders who died of exposure or in an avalanche. Lost or dead snowmobilers brings a sour mood to our sport.

When it comes to snowmobiles, the best way to boondock is to belly up to current longtrack mountain sleds. Engine displacement is a personal choice, but big displacement keeps the power up as the thin gets thinner. My choice is the new light weight 700 class.

Why a longtrack? Shortys are great for the trails. If a high horsepower sno-crosser is taken in the back country several things can happen. First, your time spent being a human shovel increases. As the other longtrack fellows are cutting up the hills, you are left to backhoe out the shorty.

Two, if you are overweight, the thin air and constant pulling and grunting on the snowmobile's bumpers and skis opens the door up for a visiting angel or the grim reaper. Know your personal limits. A summer exercise program is beneficial.

Today's specialty built mountain sleds have the light weight, narrow ski stance and tall treads to keep itself licking along on top of the snow. Wide-stance low-slung shortys don't have this advantage. But let's keep a perspective on the 3D picture here. Mountain sleds are the wrong colored horse when it comes to a snocross or trail skipping. Right?

Here is what one westerner has to say about cutting up the slopes. Eric Woolstenhulme, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 38, says, "I really like boondocking because of the challenge.

"With new sled technology, and electronic gadgetry such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) I can take the challenges of boondocking to new heights.

"There is not a more thrilling combination of using my intellect, my riding skill and my sled to compete against nature. I haven't found a type of riding that demands more technical refinement than boondocking.

"In my early years I was fortunate to have a father who was a mechanic. This qualified us to own snowmobiles back in 1967- I was nine years old at the time. We started with a 1967 Ski-Doo Olympique 300. Two years later, 1969, my dad bought a real boondocking sled- a 1969 Motoski Zephyr. I remember thinking, while following in my dad's tracks through the forest, 'when I grow up I want to ride a Motoski Zephyr.'

"With a track foot print to rival the longest long tracks of today and plastic paddles on the track, the JLO single cylinder 390cc mill had the grunt of a Ferguson tractor. This sled would get us into country that wasn't marked on the maps. This is where my love for exploring was born.

"What makes a good boondocking sled? I would put mountain sleds into two categories: high-marker and boondocker. The sled that goes straight up a hill the farthest, a high-marker, doesn't necessarily make it the most enjoyable boondocking sled.

"A boondocking sled will have more refined personality than a high-marker. What I would look for in a boondocking sled is many of those same characteristics as our old Motoski: maneuverable, light, quiet, big footprint, smooth and comfortable clutching, clutch engagement at low rpm, great traction, good balance, and a good pull from the engine at low speeds.

"Many of those characteristics can be ignored for high-marking, but if a boondocking sled doesn't have these features, the driver will come up short when jumping a creek with a short run or threading the needle between trees on a steep side hill.

"For this reason, I wouldn't base a new sled purchase on its ability to go the highest or the fastest up a slope in a hill climb shoot out. I would rather base my decision on the qualified opinions of experienced riders concerning deep-snow handling and performance characteristics.

"Boondocking is a great family riding style. Although I try to stay out of the real technical areas when my family is behind me, if the going gets tough my family rides in my tracks just the way I did in my father's. They like the challenge and scenery just like I do," says Woolstenhulme.

I would have to concur about the high mark aspect. A mountain sled running radical weights and stiff springs in its clutches, makes threading the needle through the trees and around (or through) creek beds difficult. More so with a turbo sled and peaky big-bore sleds.

Clutch and engine lag kills the fun- unless you want to be the first to cheap seats.

Woolstenhume explains the fundamentals. Remember, boondocking is a Jeep Jamboree on snow. Equipment, skill, terrain, survival knowledge and confidence in yourself and your snowmobile are your best partners.

Oh, if "boon" means a benefit bestowed, especially in response to a request; a timely blessing or benefit; then we have the right word for this activity.