Snowmobiling

[NotSoPC]

Never been on a sled but it looks like a blast. I know a few people who ride and all say it is the best hands down. This may be the reason I have not gone out on one cause the last thing I need is another money pit. :booo:

 

[TOPWOP]

what are you looking to spend? a good brand new sled for the NW will be 10-11 grand...

I looked at a 2005 m7 limted edition. I like it. I was thinking around 4K-5K

 

[dove'd85]

I looked at a 2005 m7 limted edition. I like it. I was thinking around 4K-5K

sleds don't hold there value depending on what type of riding you plan to do, be in trail,boondocking,jumping,hill climbing for 4-5grand you can pick up a really nice 3-4 year old sled for tht price maybe even newer

 

[boardbysled]

I looked at a 2005 m7 limted edition. I like it. I was thinking around 4K-5K

One brand to stay away from is Ski-Doo in my opinion. They just have too many problems.

Arctic Cat are nice sleds, well worth the money, an M7 is a good sled, i have a buddy that is 6'3" 270 Pounds that rides a 156"(i think) model an he gets around good on it. If ya get one for the NW, make sure its a M model or a mountain model.

My personal preferance is Polaris. My family has rode them for over 20 years with very little trouble. They are really reliable with large aftermarket support. Just if ya do get one for around here make sure its the RMK model.

Yamaha used to be o.k. in its older models, but now has switched to 4 stroke only models, which are heavy as hell, an to mkae them preform like a 2 stroke, ya gotta pour some major bills into em.

As for motor size. I think a 700 would do ya good to start off on. Track size i would look for a 144" or 151", that way ya can learn what kinda ridding ya like the most. I would also look for a stocker right now, a sled with limited to no motor mods. Look for one with as low as miles as you can. Either a 700 Polaris RMK or Arctic Cat M7 would do ya good, but I would lean towards the RMK.

Good Luck!:awesomework:You will have tons of fun on a sled, and you live near some really good riding:awesomework:

 

[Mog9buG]

Seen a truck with a sled deck headed up Mt Baker yesterday. Stopped and talked to them at the store and they were going sledding because there is over 45" of snow up there already. The ski area is opening thurs.:awesomework:

 

[dove'd85]

Seen a truck with a sled deck headed up Mt Baker yesterday. Stopped and talked to them at the store and they were going sledding because there is over 45" of snow up there already. The ski area is opening thurs.:awesomework:

what side of baker were they planning on riding at? i doubt there is enough snow on the south side to get legally get through the meadow:eeek:

anyways im heading up to baker on friday on the snowboard:cheer:

 

[greenie]

I looked at a 2005 m7 limted edition. I like it. I was thinking around 4K-5K

that would be a good starter. the power is a little soft for me, i would go with an m8 162.
i too am a little biased against ski-doo, but as a polaris man, its not fair to beat them up on reliability. polaris has lost a lot of fans since 2004 when they started falling behind, and 2005-6 when their top dog sled was heavy and had tons of issues.

 

[Poohbair]

...thanks by ruining winter for the rest of the world who doesn't snowmobile.

Snowmobiles have free range of the hills, yet somehow 99% of the ROADS in the hills get shut down and groomed for snowmobiles.

...and the next person that bitches about the damage to trees by wheelin' needs to take a trip to a popular snowmobile area in the spring and look at all the saplings with no tops from snowmobiles.

 

[CentralGrand]

...thanks by ruining winter for the rest of the world who doesn't snowmobile.

That's greenies peeps:haha:

 

[boardbysled]

...thanks by ruining winter for the rest of the world who doesn't snowmobile.

Snowmobiles have free range of the hills, yet somehow 99% of the ROADS in the hills get shut down and groomed for snowmobiles.

...and the next person that bitches about the damage to trees by wheelin' needs to take a trip to a popular snowmobile area in the spring and look at all the saplings with no tops from snowmobiles.

wow really?:booo: you know how little damage snowmobiles cause? where i snowmobile, there is 10+ ft of snow, i never have to worry about tree's. And snowmobile's do not have free range, there are many area's that are shut down when it snows for hikers/skiers/snowshoes/wilderness areas. Snowmobiles are the most enviromentaly freindly form of ORV's. There are plenty of area's to go snow wheelin that snowmobilers don't even look twice at.

 

[boardbysled]

what side of baker were they planning on riding at? i doubt there is enough snow on the south side to get legally get through the meadow:eeek:

anyways im heading up to baker on friday on the snowboard:cheer:

all they need is 48" for the meadow, an the ski area has that, but i do agree, the meadows probably do not have enough snow, they were probably just doin a road ride, hopefully...

 

[white-rhyno]

There are plenty of area's to go snow wheelin that snowmobilers don't even look twice at.

ALL of the state land is off limits. DNR if it is groomed (most of it is around here). Whats left???

Still blows my mind a "purpose built" machine has to have GROOMED trails.....

Oh, CentralGrand, i hope and prey i get the ok to go up coleman/mission this year.........:stirpot::stirpot:

 

[Poohbair]

wow really?:booo: .

Yes

There are plenty of area's to go snow wheelin that snowmobilers don't even look twice at.

Really? Move to the Kittitas Valley...

 

[Poohbair]

Snowmobiles are the most enviromentaly freindly form of ORV's.

Next spring I will take some pics of all of the saplings w/ no tops for ya.


So you snowmobile where there is 10' of snow.... yippeeee.

Don't you think there MIGHT be some 10'6" tall trees? Crazy me, but last time I checked, trees didn't jump from 8' to 20' overnight.


Don't get me wrong, there are SOME snowmobilers that are just fine, and respect OTHER PEOPLE that have the right to use public land... however, in my experience, most snowmobilers are arrogant cocksuckers that think they own winter and everyone else should stay out of the hills in the winter.

 

[boardbysled]

Still blows my mind a "purpose built" machine has to have GROOMED trails.....
QUOTE]

Groomed trails are not necessary, but when there are large volumes of people riding in certain areas, the trails become beat to hell, with large whoops and holes, thus are dangerous and no fun to ride on. Where I ride, it is open to 4x4 and snowmobile traffic. I do not ride groomed trails, but i still pay for them (with my tabs) thus ensuring smooth trails for others. This is a lot like the motorcycle/quad/4x4 debate...we have just as much right to the land as 4x4's, plus there are larger ammounts of snowmobiles during the winter then 4x4's. Snowmobilers pay tabs to ride in these area's. It all comes down to numbers, snowmobilers pay $30 a year in tabs to ensure they have groomed trails and parking lots, and there are tens of thousands of registered snowmobiles in this state.

One question, have either of ya guys ever ridden snowmobiles?

 

[Poohbair]

Still blows my mind a "purpose built" machine has to have GROOMED trails.....

Groomed trails are not necessary, but when there are large volumes of people riding in certain areas, the trails become beat to hell, with large whoops and holes, thus are dangerous and no fun to ride on.

Slow down.

Where I ride, it is open to 4x4 and snowmobile traffic. I do not ride groomed trails, but i still pay for them (with my tabs) thus ensuring smooth trails for others. This is a lot like the motorcycle/quad/4x4 debate...we have just as much right to the land as 4x4's, plus there are larger ammounts of snowmobiles during the winter then 4x4's. Snowmobilers pay tabs to ride in these area's. It all comes down to numbers, snowmobilers pay $30 a year in tabs to ensure they have groomed trails and parking lots, and there are tens of thousands of registered snowmobiles in this state.

I pay WELL over $30 a year for my 4Runner tabs. I think you should have the "just as much right to the land as 4x4's".... thats the KEY... JUST AS MUCH... not total control and if I am up there I get a ticket. JUST AS MUCH means EQUAL. Not snowmobile fags telling me I cant be on PUBLIC LAND 5-6 months out of the year...

One question, have either of ya guys ever ridden snowmobiles?

Yes. My parents used to OWN a snowmobile shop when I was young and we rode all the time. Ever try to stack a family of 5 on a sled?
I am not saying it isn't fun... I am saying it is bullshit that PUBLIC LAND is only open to a small section of people in the winter.


Snowmobiles now have more horsepower than your average car, 20+" of suspension travel, heaters, lunch cookers, pretty much everthing but an on-board hand job... but somehow a tire track is like ****ing Kryptonite. Go figure.

 

[xmr256]

Tell you what gets me going is the fact that us in the powersports/4x4 world fight so much with each other instead of using that energy towards fighting the real problem and thats the extreme environmentalist that want to shut us all down. I do it all and there is bad apples in every group. Think your way off in thinking at all that most snowmobile riders would not be mad to see a 4x4 on the trail. Kinda like labeling all 4x4's as drunk rednecks trying to ruin all the forest. In fact all my sled friends are also wheelers also.

 

[white-rhyno]

Yea, i have riddin before. Not really my thing.

Id be willing to spend a lot more than 30bucks to get my winter access back......

 

[boardbysled]

Still blows my mind a "purpose built" machine has to have GROOMED trails.....

Slow down.
:

It is not speed that creates bumpy, dangerous trails, it is also the volume of traffic and natural weather/terrain.

I pay WELL over $30 a year for my 4Runner tabs. I think you should have the "just as much right to the land as 4x4's".... thats the KEY... JUST AS MUCH... not total control and if I am up there I get a ticket. JUST AS MUCH means EQUAL. Not snowmobile fags telling me I cant be on PUBLIC LAND 5-6 months out of the year...

Your tabs go towards road maintnence and 4x4 trail(or lack there of) maintnence, snowmobile tabs go directly to grooming, snopark, and enforcement funds. They are not telling you, you cannot be on public land, just some public land is reserved for snowmobiling, just as the skiers/hikers/snowshoers have their land. Think how bad it would get with 4x4's on groomed trails with snowmobiles, it would be a mess! It would also be a waste of grooming because i could see idiots in their stock 4x4's being able to make it up quite a ways on a groomed trail, then getting stuck and causeing a general mess of things.

Also, the state see's that snowmobiles can ONLY ride 6 months out of the year(for me it can be 9 months+), 4x4's are year round vehicles

Snowmobiles now have more horsepower than your average car, 20+" of suspension travel, heaters, lunch cookers, pretty much everthing but an on-board hand job... but somehow a tire track is like ****ing Kryptonite. Go figure.

But your tire tracks aren't normal tire tracks, your vehicle is cabable of making 3 foot deep tracks that are 18+ inches wide, riding behind these tracks is dangerous and takes a lot of work, I know from experience

No hard feelings, just a discussion, right? I am both a wheeler an a snowmobiler, I see both sides:awesomework:

Guess ya need to move to the wet side, Walker, Tahuya, an Elbe(i beleive) stays open year round for 4x4's and their are plenty of high mountain roads around here that there are no snowmobilers on that are perfectly legal to wheel on:hi:

 

[white-rhyno]

. but somehow a tire track is like ****ing Kryptonite. Go figure.

At 120mph, snow shoers and tire tracks are a bitch.......