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I got out but now I'm back in...

B

branr1

New member
I was an avid snowmachiner for many years and then in 2008 I sold my last sled and sort of got out of the sport. We have a group of family cabins here in Alaska so I'd ride my parents sleds once in a while (2006 Tundra 300F, 2007 Tundra 300F and a 2002 Summit 600). Life had changed for me, my beautiful wife and I had our first child in 2006 so that contributed to me changing my prioritys. I tried to go the more family friendly route and I bought a 2009 Polaris RZR and put a set of CamoPlast Tracks on it. The RZR was fun but nothing like having a sled. I ended up selling the tracks after the second season on them.

Before getting out of the sport I'd owned a 1995 Indy 500 SKS, 1996 Polaris Ultra 680 SKS, 2001 Summit 800 Highmark 151, 2003 Summit 800 Rev 144, 2003 Mountain Cat 1M 900 151, and a 2005 Ski-Doo RT1000 X package 162. Out of all those sleds the Arctic Cat was probably my favourite it had a lot of aftermarket parts and it ran great until it burned down at about 2500 miles. I had it rebuilt and it ran great again until I sold it. The RT1000 was a POS it spent a lot of time at the dealer getting worked on. I walked out the door having spent $13,000 dollars on that sled with a few extras in 2006. I sold it and was happy to see it go.

Now my son is old enough to ride his own sled and our 2 year old daughter can ride with me or mommy and Grandma doesn't ride so she doesnt mind watching her while we ride at the cabin. My wife and I decided we should get back into the sport so this year I've purchased three sleds. We got a 1983 Polaris Star 250 for my son for the wife I got a Super clean 1997 Arctic Cat Panther 440 two-up and for myself I purchased a 2007 Apex Mountain. So far all three of these machines have worked great I've got about $5400 investeted in all three machines. The Apex was a dream of mine in 2008 right before I got out of sledding, In fact after buying mine used last month I pulled out my matching blue Arctiva jacket I purchased in 2008 to match the sled I never ended up purchasing in 2008. In 2007/2008 I had turbo Apex dreams I got all the promotional videos and brouchers I got quotes from a couple local dealers I was fixated on it for a few months but life and other intrests got in the way. I purchased my dream machine last month with 1200 miles on it for $3700 its in great condition. I changed the oil added a skid plate and a 2 inch Rox's Pivot riser on top of the stock handle bar riser. I have to say for a sled this size and weight I'm really impessed. My RT1000 was compairable in size and weight and it never work as well as this sled has. I'm getting older so I may have slowed down a little bit but I'm thinking I don't need a turbo to have a lot of fun with this machine, at least thats what I'm thinking today. The sound of this sled the low end power the comfort all of it is top notch. I'm 6'0 tall and weigh 250 with my gear on so I don't mind the size of this machine. There are a couple more on our local Craigslist and I'm tempted to purchase one more if the price is right. I think there a steal right now because they don't seem to get as much love as the 2 stroke mountain sleds.
 
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Good to hear someone getting back in it! I went one year only riding three or four times and it about killed me! Have fun and enjoy it with friends and family! That's what it's all about!
 
Glad to see you back! Sleds sure do change alot even in that short time you were away. As for how old you are you are only as old as you feel. I may not be in front of the pack all the time anymore but once in a while those younguns can still get schooled and be surprised by the old man! best of luck and glad to see you back.
 
Good to see more people that don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy snowmobiling. All you hear is about how the price of admission is too high for most people to get in the sport ( or back in).
More people need to have a little ingenuity and they too could be out riding.
Congrats. Have fun.
 
Yep one doesn't need the high dollar sleds and gear to have fun. I still ride old edge sleds and i guarantee the smile on my face is just as big as the one with the new Pro wearing the Klim gear. :D
 
I picked up another APEX yesterday. I'm still extremely happy with the one I bought earlier this season but I thought that this new one was a great deal. I bought it from the original owner it has 360 miles on it, It's another 2007 and I payed $4000 for it. As far as I can tell its like new and it should be with those low miles. I have already installed a 2 inch Rox Riser and a Skid plate those are my only planned mods for it. The family is still having a blast in fact we put on a little over 120 miles last weekend. All in we still only have invested what one new mountain sled cost. Have a good spring and enjoy those last few trips.
 
with my math your still about 3 grand short of buying a new current, kudo's to you for not being part of the see and be seen crowd:)
 
I haven't missed a season sledding since 1976.

I would be festerin up a big one if I had to miss a season.
 
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