Install the app
How to install the app on iOS

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

  • Don't miss out on all the fun! Register on our forums to post and have added features! Membership levels include a FREE membership tier.

SW Colorado - Antsies in my pantsies...

Finally ordered a tether for the M8, which I'll put on this weekend.
And started a build thread for the Sno Pro over on Arctic Chat. :)

Hopefully next week's weather will bring some snow to this area!! Looks like the WC conditions thread is starting to show some good snow... I'm looking forward to getting up there soon!!
 
Wife and I are going to head up to Molas tomorrow morning (12/27). Probably get there ~11AM and ride for a few hours if all goes well. First ride of her newly assembled Sno Pro Mtn Lite, so I figure we'll keep close to the groomed trail in case I have to drag it back to the truck. Still needs the gearing changed, but we're going to at least make sure it does OK for her on the groomed trails before I re-gear it and we try Mancos or Wolf Creek later this week... :) Anyone want to tag along is welcome. Look for the white contractor bed GMC with a tall trailer.
 
Well? How'd the "build" run?

Followed your build on Arctichat. You need longer lunch hours! :face-icon-small-hap
 
It ran... Way rich, especially down low. I had to pump the throttle to get it off idle... Lowered the needles a clip and a half (Washer on top) and that helped get it moving a little better, but it still needs a lot of jetting work. It did run fairly well right on the bar, so I got to do some testing in deeper snow. (It snowed about 4' in the last few days up there, so lots of snow with limited bottom...) It gets around. :) I think it'll be a great sled for the wife once I get the jetting dialed, and get the seat rebuilt. (WAY soft foam...)

I mostly rode the crappy running sled, but I did get to ride mine some and hit a few jumps and hills. It was great fun, and aside from digging two people out of bottomless holes, was uneventful. Definitely going back up there, but later this week we're going to hit West Mancos.
 
Some pictures from our second ride out of West Mancos, CO. (Transfer parking area.) There was great snow, and Steph's sled was doing pretty good at higher throttle settings, so we headed for the lookout tower.

Jersey Jim fire lookout tower




Steph rode my sled at first whilst I beat on the Z Sno Pro to see how it was feeling this day... It was a little boggy off the line, but ran fine at higher throttle. Being a 65hp sled, it's mostly higher in the throttle. :)


I think she's starting to like it!!


Things were going well, and we were having fun exploring, so we ended up riding the loop, 541 all the way around to Windy Gap, and back to the parking area. Had to break about half a mile of trail on the north side, but the road was still visible, and mostly level, so it wasn't a big deal. I can see that some of this might be slide prone later in the winter...


The road was drifted over right where it comes up to Windy Gap, so we cut up the bank a little early. Steph was iffy on it, so I rode her sled up to, and she hoofed it. :)


Yup, she's doing OK now!






Awesome day for riding!!


On the way out, we took a little side trip at the Transfer campground to the overlook for Hesperus Peak.




We went back a few days later and the snow had settled quite a bit. Still found some deep powder, and being able to just bum around was a bonus, as we are still very much in explore mode!! Looking forward to more great rides. Nice that this is only about an hour from home!!
 
Riding Wed/Thursday?

I'm guessing Mancos got some good snow the last couple of days, particularly up high...

Anyone want to ride Echo Basin tomorrow or Thurday? I can be there 12:30 tomorrow for an afternoon of riding, or anytime Thursday.

Looking to get out, but don't want to (won't) go by myself. Wife has to work.

Shoot me a text if you like, 517-242-1878
Chris
 
It's been two plus months since we've been out, but I put an airbox and smaller pilots in the wife's sled and it's time to get it out again and see what else I might need to do.

Looks like Mancos is a bit low, though there's snow as you get up higher. Anyone know if Transfer or Echo is still rideable? Is there another place to go in that works better when the snow is this low?
 
Making up for lost winter

Well, we rode Sunday out of Echo Basin. Luckily they had unlocked the gate, and we were able to drive a few more miles up the road until we hit snow. We unloaded just before heading down off the top of a hill, and there was about six inches of fairly wet snow. Nothing under that though.

Riding up the road quickly got us onto good base, and we did about two hours of riding around and poking up every side road and every open hill. As we went higher the power was less wet, and deeper. We found up to a foot in places, all with a rock solid base. Exploring was very low risk, which is good when you're still new to the riding area. :) The light was tricky, and it was hard to tell read the terrain... Luckily, I was able to just reverse out of a few fairly iffy places. No digging at all, unlike the last time I was up there and got us down into a ravine... :)

Some pictures of the wife on her Z440 Sno-Pro Mtn Lite...

Heading in, strange to be in snow with the Mancos valley so clearly snow free. The first hour was like this.


Then it started snowing. It was coming down pretty good a few times.






Not bad riding for mid-April, and only an hour's drive from home!! The Mtn Lite is getting dialed in... Slowly. It should be a great sled next year at the rate I'm improving it... :)
 
Last edited:
Premium Features



Back
Top