We are tough, strong, hardy, and we don’t back down from the craziest winter conditions. If it’s 20 below, the snow is falling sideways, roads are closed, schools are closed, or the National Guard has been called in to dig out emergency operators, then it sounds like the perfect weekend for us to go ride! We are snowmobilers!
There is something intoxicating about this love affair, or “snowmance.” There are many different kinds of snowmances that snowmobilers flirt with. It’s not out of the ordinary to stand in the garage, speaking sweet-nothings to our sleds and maybe even heavy-petting them with a soft rag and some aluminum polish. We want to make sure that our sleds run reliably and at the top of their game. I would say a little superstition is pretty much the norm.
It’s December now, and some sledders have probably already rekindled their snowmance this year by getting out and riding. The
AmSnow Western team has had several rides already, but our kickoff to the trail riding season usually happens in early December at our
AmSnow/DynoTech New York Shootout in Inlet, N.Y., which coincides with the Snodeo event in Old Forge, N.Y. After that, we are hot and heavy on the trails until late March, all over North America. Visiting new places and falling in love with a new “secret spot” is part of the special sledding relationship we get to enjoy for a few months each year.
Heck, in the days before online dating, sledders often met their significant others through snowmobiling! I’ve heard of many couples who met on a snowmobile ride, through their club, at a show, through mutual snowmobiling friends, etc. Maybe Google should invest in a snowmobile dating app!
Anyway, snowmobiling is our favorite fuel-filled fetish, and it is a healthy one. Now I’m off to fire up the sled and sniff some 2-stroke exhaust!
Mark Boncher, Editor