shiny side up track spinners
Amsnow
A good friend of mine (let’s call him Mr. J), who is a longtime North Woods snowmobiler accused his young teenage nephew on one of our big rides last season of being, in his words, a “TRACKSPINNER!” Oh no, not a trackspinner!
His nephew, not being sure if this was an insult or term of endearment asked what a trackspinner was. To which Mr. J replied, “you are one of those darn kids who spins their track and messes up my perfectly groomed trail!”
After laughing hysterically at the two trading arguments back and forth I sat back and reflected at what had just happened. This was a meeting of two worlds, but both live and breathe snowmobiling. These two family members love snowmobiling down to their cores, but both enjoy their time on the snow differently … and that’s OK! There is room for everyone in our sport and that’s one of the great things about snowmobiling. Everyone is welcome.
Dozens of years of being on a sled, from the trails to the mountains and everywhere in between, have allowed me a large range of experiences. I was the 13-year-old punk kid who got caught trespassing through a farmer’s field and got stuck (only to have the unhappy farmer come out and help me get my sled out). That was a lesson in humility!
Now I’m a parent and “supposedly” an authority figure who must scold those same punk kids (who remind me of my own more youthful days) when they rip across my nice stamped concrete and leave big carbide marks. Perspective is a funny thing!
I digress, but one thing I see slowly diminishing in the snowmobile world is the old-school sense of community and camaraderie. I would sacrifice a whole day of riding awful bumps on the trail if I knew it meant a group of young riders (trackspinners) were enjoying our sport and passing their enthusiasm along to other young people. At the same time, having discussions about respect and safety should be first and foremost with novices to the sport because, let’s be honest, my knees and back have waaay too many hard miles on them already to deal with more moguls!
The point I am making here is that there is a place for all of us in snowmobiling and we need each and every rider to take a step back, think about what is the best way to keep freedom (which is the lifeblood of our sport) alive and well. We are a community, and a darn fun one at that!
So all you groomed-trail-lovers, boondocking-tree-carvers, mountain-powder-players, and yes, even you trackspinners, let’s get ready for another great season of fun, friends and family!