Thanks for posting those photos. Mountain goats in the Washington cascades haven't recovered from a decline in the 70s. I had no idea they were up there. Good to see them.
Snowmobiling, The Early Days
- Thread starter Aerosled
- Start date
Thanks for posting those photos. Mountain goats in the Washington cascades haven't recovered from a decline in the 70s. I had no idea they were up there. Good to see them.
Cross country from two Top mountain to Lion's Head, West Yellowstone, 1974.
Tripod flats, Cle Elum Ranger District 1982.
Tripod flats same cabin 32 years later, 2014.
Water crossing, Paulina Lake, Newberry Crater Oregon, 1987. It was illegal to ride on frozen lakes in newberry crater because hot springs in the lake make soft spots in the ice. So, I stayed off the frozen part of the lake.
The little cabin in Klickitat meadows in the background, 1989. Ahtanum area , west of Yakima, Wa 1989.
Frisby Ridge, Revelstoke, BC, 1996.
The "New" Fisby cabin, Revelstoke, BC 1987. They Prefabbed it down town and flew the sections up there slung under a Heliski company'sHuey. On the first trip he got a little too low and Knocked the tops out of the trees behind the cabin.
Entering Waldy's world, Boulder Mountain, Revelstoke, on my brand new 500 Liquid Cooled Ski Doo Summit. Named after a guy named Waldy that snowmobiled up there all the time.
Waldy
Tripod flats, Cle Elum Ranger District 1982.
Tripod flats same cabin 32 years later, 2014.
Water crossing, Paulina Lake, Newberry Crater Oregon, 1987. It was illegal to ride on frozen lakes in newberry crater because hot springs in the lake make soft spots in the ice. So, I stayed off the frozen part of the lake.
The little cabin in Klickitat meadows in the background, 1989. Ahtanum area , west of Yakima, Wa 1989.
Frisby Ridge, Revelstoke, BC, 1996.
The "New" Fisby cabin, Revelstoke, BC 1987. They Prefabbed it down town and flew the sections up there slung under a Heliski company'sHuey. On the first trip he got a little too low and Knocked the tops out of the trees behind the cabin.
Entering Waldy's world, Boulder Mountain, Revelstoke, on my brand new 500 Liquid Cooled Ski Doo Summit. Named after a guy named Waldy that snowmobiled up there all the time.
Waldy
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I scanned this photo off the back of a Gifford Pinchot National Forest Recreation map dated 1967. The lower slope of Mount Saint Helens can be seen left of center on the top edge of the photo.
Heading up to the Plains of Abraham on the east slope of Mount Saint Helens. May 1975
The Plains of Abraham. My Elan on the left, my boss on his Arctic Cat on the right. May 1975
In the early days of the Gifford pinchot NF there was a Spirit lake Ranger Station. By my time on the GP it was used as a Summer time visitors center. We would go up there a few times each winter to shovel the snow off the roofs of the buildings. The technique was to use crosscut saws (Misrey Whips) to cut blocks of snow about 4 feet square. Two toboggans were lashed together and pulled with a Thikol snow cat. They would work the toboggans under the block and the thikol driver would take off with it. He wold make a tight turn out in the yard and the block of snow would roll off. By the time he was back to the building the cutters would have another block of snow ready. This photo taken in April 1975. The Thikol
The bunk house roofs are clean. April 1975. Harry Truman's Spirit lake Lodge was down the road about a quarter of a mile. In the lodge there was a photo of a line of float planes anchored that reaches clear across Spirit Lake. I wish I had copy of that photo. Too late now. The whole area, and Harry Truman, was covered by about 400 feet of mud when the mountain erupted in May of 1980.
Heading up to the Plains of Abraham on the east slope of Mount Saint Helens. May 1975
The Plains of Abraham. My Elan on the left, my boss on his Arctic Cat on the right. May 1975
In the early days of the Gifford pinchot NF there was a Spirit lake Ranger Station. By my time on the GP it was used as a Summer time visitors center. We would go up there a few times each winter to shovel the snow off the roofs of the buildings. The technique was to use crosscut saws (Misrey Whips) to cut blocks of snow about 4 feet square. Two toboggans were lashed together and pulled with a Thikol snow cat. They would work the toboggans under the block and the thikol driver would take off with it. He wold make a tight turn out in the yard and the block of snow would roll off. By the time he was back to the building the cutters would have another block of snow ready. This photo taken in April 1975. The Thikol
The bunk house roofs are clean. April 1975. Harry Truman's Spirit lake Lodge was down the road about a quarter of a mile. In the lodge there was a photo of a line of float planes anchored that reaches clear across Spirit Lake. I wish I had copy of that photo. Too late now. The whole area, and Harry Truman, was covered by about 400 feet of mud when the mountain erupted in May of 1980.
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I’ve really enjoyed this thread! I’m a third generation resident of Kettle Falls. The Terry Star stuff is pure gold to me. I drink coffee every morning with a handful of old timers at the Little Gallea and Terry and his antics get brought up often. He ran for Sherriff of Stevens County when I was in High School. Sounds like he lives in the Clayton/Loon Lake area now. Still see some of his family members from time to time. Love seeing the old pics on the Sherman Mountain range. Learned to ride a snowmobile on Albion when I was four. Have lots of great memories with my dad on top of Barnaby, Graves, Lane, Twin Sisters, Mack and King. Lots has changed up there in the last 30 years though. Forest service has really restricted motorized use. My Dad new both of the guys you worked with out of Kettle and I grew up in the summers with Tollivers son Robert. Where do you live now? Do you still sled? If you do and ever make it back up this way I’d love to do a ride up Sherman together and hear some of these stories in person. Thanks again for sharing.
JW
JW
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Jaw, Thanks for the comments and info from Bob!
We live in Ellensburg and don't snowmobile any more. The trails in Central Washington just got too crowded. We bought our Sea Doos from a guy named Dennis Dial. He owned Elliot Bay Lumber in Spokane. He supposedly rode a Sea Doo up Kettle Falls when it was exposed in the late 60s for some work on grand Coulee Dam. He also gave us a tip about riding Sea Doos up the Columbia to Trail BC. The A&W was on the river and had a dock you could tie up to and get a Root Beer.
I think Tubin Terry had a hand in organizing the kettle River Raft Races. We rode our Sea Doos up to the first rapids to watch. That's where we met him.
The races in 1977.
Sea Dooing on the Kettle River 1977. Sea Doo is much more fun than the Jet Ski my buddy had.
Here's some old photos from your neck of the woods.
Old Miner's cabin up Sand Creek.
Steam donkey at the mine. Te fly wheel still turned and the piston still went back and forth with some compression.
Barnaby Butte Lookout 1976. When we moved to kettle Falls it and Twin Sisters were sold with contracts to remove them. In 1977 they were gone. They were both built in thw 1960s and looked alike. The one on Twin sisters never spotted a fire.
Togo Mountain Lookout site 1977.
Togo Mountain Lookout out house. In the beginning, the Colvile National Forest was part of the Kaniksu National Forest and was in Forest Service Region one. It is in Region six now. it seems Region One Lookout houses are all 'Open air" like this. It's not like they had any neighbors.
We live in Ellensburg and don't snowmobile any more. The trails in Central Washington just got too crowded. We bought our Sea Doos from a guy named Dennis Dial. He owned Elliot Bay Lumber in Spokane. He supposedly rode a Sea Doo up Kettle Falls when it was exposed in the late 60s for some work on grand Coulee Dam. He also gave us a tip about riding Sea Doos up the Columbia to Trail BC. The A&W was on the river and had a dock you could tie up to and get a Root Beer.I think Tubin Terry had a hand in organizing the kettle River Raft Races. We rode our Sea Doos up to the first rapids to watch. That's where we met him.
The races in 1977.
Sea Dooing on the Kettle River 1977. Sea Doo is much more fun than the Jet Ski my buddy had.
Here's some old photos from your neck of the woods.
Old Miner's cabin up Sand Creek.
Steam donkey at the mine. Te fly wheel still turned and the piston still went back and forth with some compression.
Barnaby Butte Lookout 1976. When we moved to kettle Falls it and Twin Sisters were sold with contracts to remove them. In 1977 they were gone. They were both built in thw 1960s and looked alike. The one on Twin sisters never spotted a fire.
Togo Mountain Lookout site 1977.
Togo Mountain Lookout out house. In the beginning, the Colvile National Forest was part of the Kaniksu National Forest and was in Forest Service Region one. It is in Region six now. it seems Region One Lookout houses are all 'Open air" like this. It's not like they had any neighbors.
Thanks for the local pics! Those are great! I’ve heard many stories about the infamous river raft races! Lots of memories for me floating the kettle river over the years. My dad tried making it up the “gorge” (just below eye beach on the kettle) in the mid 90’s on a Polaris 750SL. Almost made it to the top before coming over backwards and bobbing his way down all the way to Barstow. Broke the handlebars clean off. He was pretty beat up after that ordeal. I was lucky enough to make a half of dozen trips up to trail on wave runners as a kid. We’d launch at Northport and rip up through Deadman’s Eddy headed for rollers at the bottom of the Wanneata Dam just north of the border. My brother and I were 10 at the time. Still can’t believe the things we did with our Dad as kids. That’s fast water up there! I’m a third generation tug boat captain here on Lake Roosevelt and have spent most my life on the upper Columbia. In 2008 my dad pushed up a 300 ton turbine from the top of Grand Coulee Dam all the way up to Mica Dam in Revelstoke. I’ll see if I can’t find some pics of that trip and post them up. It was the first time boats that big had been that far north on the Columbia
Twin sisters look this spring
Twin sisters look this spring
JAW, I'd like to see the photos of that turbine being pushed up to Revelstoke on the barge. We got behind it on the highway somewhere for a while when they put it on a lowboy to transport it overland from Pasco to Grand Coulee. I was delivered to the mouth of the Columbia on a cargo ship then pushed from there up the river to Pasco on a barge.
It was a huge lowboy with three 10 foot wide off highway trucks pulling it.
It was a huge lowboy with three 10 foot wide off highway trucks pulling it.
I snagged this photo off BC Hydro's web site. The turbine on the barge in Shelter Bay south of Revelstoke, Aug 2009. The jet boat tied up on the left end of the barge is the Guide Boat.
Empress Lake near Shelter Bay, south of Revelstoke 1996.
On the way to Paint Lake, Empress 1996
Heading into "Secret Pass" on the way to Mount Begbie, near Revelstoke 1996
Glacier on Mount Begbie 1996
Boulder Mountain cabin, Revelstoke 1996
Empress Lake near Shelter Bay, south of Revelstoke 1996.
On the way to Paint Lake, Empress 1996
Heading into "Secret Pass" on the way to Mount Begbie, near Revelstoke 1996
Glacier on Mount Begbie 1996
Boulder Mountain cabin, Revelstoke 1996
Reconing a new Timber sale. Bridge Creek on the Kettle Falls Ranger District 1976. 1975 Ski Doo 640 Alpine Double Track (Hog track) and a John Deer. Our nick name for the John Deer was "The DB". One day the District Ranger...a very religious fellow...went to the field with us and rode the John Deer. We were working on snow shoes. When we got back to the snow mobiles one time he started up the John Deer then sat down to take his snow shoes off while the John Deer idled. Of course it died after about a minute. He started it a few more times and let it idle until the plugs were fouled and it wouldn't continue running. After a few times of that he yelled "You Deing Bas#$%d"
Lunch fire
West Yellowstone races 1976
Sea Dooing on Frenchman Hills Wasteway near Potholes Reservoir, Washington. 1977
Merry Christmas, Calispel Mountain northeast Washington, 1977
Lunch fire
West Yellowstone races 1976
Sea Dooing on Frenchman Hills Wasteway near Potholes Reservoir, Washington. 1977
Merry Christmas, Calispel Mountain northeast Washington, 1977
More Yellowstone.
The morning after an all night blizzard the park groomer had groomed the road to Madison Junction where we caught up with him. We took the road that goes north towards Canyon Village and started breaking trail. In a couple miles the snow started getting deep enough that I couldn't see where the road was so figured we better turn around.
Buffalo on the way to Old Faithful.
Crossing the Continental Divide near West Thumb. The Elan has a carry rack on the back that is carrying seven gallons of gas, a tool box and a lunch pail. I had changed it to the suspension springs and quad wheels from an olympique and also replaced the 250cc 12 HP engine with the Olympique 235 cc single cylinder engine. It had 18 HP.
On the way to Two Top.
Loaded up, ready to head home.
Purdy sure that you meant a 335 from an Olympic.
I had a '72 335 Olympic, but not 'till around 1980 or so.
Glad to see that you are still active in the sport, and that you had a really good camera back then!
Your pics are truly amazing compared to anythng we still have from those dates!
Oh, I think he's still around yet.
I think that he uses the name "Turboless Terry" now-days.
Hey Ox, you are correct, it was a 335 single out of the 72 Oly. I bought it from the same guy we bought our Sea Doos from in Spokane. When we moved from Kettle Falls, Washington to Lexington, Oregon in 1980 I put the two Sea Doos on my snow mobile trailer and the Elan and my 1970 Oly in the Uhaul van.
There wasn't any room left in the van so I left the 72 Oly without an engine on the property. I had a second 12 horse Elan I sold to a kid that worked for me that lived on a mountain top 4 miles off the highway. In the winter he had to snowshoe in and out so he was really tickled to get it. In 1982 I sold the 1970 399 to a lady rancher in Heppner Oregon. She used it to tow a sled full of hay to feed her cattle in the winter.
There wasn't any room left in the van so I left the 72 Oly without an engine on the property. I had a second 12 horse Elan I sold to a kid that worked for me that lived on a mountain top 4 miles off the highway. In the winter he had to snowshoe in and out so he was really tickled to get it. In 1982 I sold the 1970 399 to a lady rancher in Heppner Oregon. She used it to tow a sled full of hay to feed her cattle in the winter.
1997 eh?Cross country from two Top mountain to Lion's Head, West Yellowstone, 1974.
Tripod flats, Cle Elum Ranger District 1982.
Tripod flats same cabin 32 years later, 2014.
Water crossing, Paulina Lake, Newberry Crater Oregon, 1987. It was illegal to ride on frozen lakes in newberry crater because hot springs in the lake make soft spots in the ice. So, I stayed off the frozen part of the lake.
The little cabin in Klickitat meadows in the background, 1989. Ahtanum area , west of Yakima, Wa 1989.
Frisby Ridge, Revelstoke, BC, 1996.
The "New" Fisby cabin, Revelstoke, BC 1987. They Prefabbed it down town and flew the sections up there slung under a Heliski company'sHuey. On the first trip he got a little too low and Knocked the tops out of the trees behind the cabin.
Entering Waldy's world, Boulder Mountain, Revelstoke, on my brand new 500 Liquid Cooled Ski Doo Summit. Named after a guy named Waldy that snowmobiled up there all the time.
Waldy
Oh, I see that you posted above that you got out of the sport.
Yet, you have had an account here for the last 8 years, and posting currently.
All for "the good ol'e day's" ???
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Not quite the "early days", but there have been several pics of Buff's in Yellerstone, and here is my pic of them - Jan 3, or maybe 4, 2002.
We started at East Gate in the morning, and slowly werked our way west and north - stopping to see anything that we could, and it was dusk when we got the the road out to West.
So, it was just going to be a trail ride back to the truck, but since we were essentially 180* away from where we needed to be - doo we turn back, or finish the loop?
Even tho it was going to be dark the whole time - we still opted for the "finish the loop" option.
We had gone a ways north, and then my fearless leader - wasn't quite so fearless....
All of a sudden he stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the road and jumps off his snowmachine.
I pulled up - but over to the side, and seen what got his goat.
It wasn't goats, but rather a whole herd of buffs coming through the other way.
No lights, reflectors, nor DOT tape.
Other than the roadway where we were, there was no-where else to go.
It was a cliff UP on the west side of the road, and a cliff down on the east side.
IDK how many buffs came through there, but I'm sure that it was well over 100, and finally we seen why they were coming through - despite my chums RMK parked in the middle of the road - running - with the light on. There was a ranger pushing them through a narrows coming our way - with a bunch of sleds behind him.
We were only a few feet from many of them as they went past.
We are farm boys, so we understand bovines, but wasn't quite sure what to expect from these, so we gave them as much berth as we could.
We started at East Gate in the morning, and slowly werked our way west and north - stopping to see anything that we could, and it was dusk when we got the the road out to West.
So, it was just going to be a trail ride back to the truck, but since we were essentially 180* away from where we needed to be - doo we turn back, or finish the loop?
Even tho it was going to be dark the whole time - we still opted for the "finish the loop" option.
We had gone a ways north, and then my fearless leader - wasn't quite so fearless....
All of a sudden he stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the road and jumps off his snowmachine.
I pulled up - but over to the side, and seen what got his goat.
It wasn't goats, but rather a whole herd of buffs coming through the other way.
No lights, reflectors, nor DOT tape.
Other than the roadway where we were, there was no-where else to go.
It was a cliff UP on the west side of the road, and a cliff down on the east side.
IDK how many buffs came through there, but I'm sure that it was well over 100, and finally we seen why they were coming through - despite my chums RMK parked in the middle of the road - running - with the light on. There was a ranger pushing them through a narrows coming our way - with a bunch of sleds behind him.
We were only a few feet from many of them as they went past.
We are farm boys, so we understand bovines, but wasn't quite sure what to expect from these, so we gave them as much berth as we could.
Low cost was the reason I bought a 1971 Elan for my first machine. That was the first year the Elan came out. It was $650 with a cover and 100 dollars worth of merchandise from the dealer. The Guys I rode with were very impressed with the ability of the Elan to break trail in fresh deep powder and it was really easy to pick up if you did get stuck. When we started going to Revelstoke in 1996 I had a Long track Phazer and wanted a more capable machine with more power in that " Champagne powder snow". A couple of my riding buddies had Ski Doo summits, one a 583 and a couple 670s that did well in that snow so I snow checked a 97 Liquid 500 Summit. Again cost was an important factor for me.
I have a friend that buys a new sled every couple years and offers me first option to buy his old ones at a really fair price. In 1999 he got a new Summit and offered me his 96 670. he had a lot of after market add ons and custom stuff done to it. 141 inch tarck with two inch paddles, rolled chain case, titanium front axel, Slp twin pipes, Sicamous skis, and on and on. I couldn't pass that up so bought it and sold the 500. That 670 pulled like a freight train. It would take me anywhere I wanted to go and some places I shouldn't be. it was the last sled I owned.
Bald Mountain area west of Yakima with Mount Stuart in the background.
Mount Rainier in the back ground
I have a friend that buys a new sled every couple years and offers me first option to buy his old ones at a really fair price. In 1999 he got a new Summit and offered me his 96 670. he had a lot of after market add ons and custom stuff done to it. 141 inch tarck with two inch paddles, rolled chain case, titanium front axel, Slp twin pipes, Sicamous skis, and on and on. I couldn't pass that up so bought it and sold the 500. That 670 pulled like a freight train. It would take me anywhere I wanted to go and some places I shouldn't be. it was the last sled I owned.
Bald Mountain area west of Yakima with Mount Stuart in the background.
Mount Rainier in the back ground
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Here's the photo that is missing in my last post.
D
Dobber1
Well-known member
Happy to contribute... ? (Took this photo in the dark with camera shutter open for a bit.)
