01-27-2009, 10:20 AM
Well, after years of talking about it and having in-laws that live a mere 50 minutes from Old Forge, NY.... I finally went snowmobiling with some friends this past weekend!
What a freakin' awesome time!
Left Thursday from PA and drove to Utica, NY. Stayed O/N at my in-laws, then drove to Old Forge, NY, early the next morning. We were on our sleds by 9:15am!
For those not familiar with the Old Forge area, there are literally hundreds of miles of groomed snowmobile trails in the Adirondacks. It is a mecca for sledding in these parts. Quite a few trails are maintained by the state and some more "local" trails are groomed by the counties/towns/etc. Rode across lakes, up mountains, all over the place. Ended up putting over 210 miles on the sled between Friday and Saturday.
Friday was incredible- about 35-36F outside and sunny (odd for upstate NY!). I actually had too many layers on and was sweating a little. Didn't even have to use the sled hand warmers! Hit 60mph on the sled across a couple lakes! One guy we joined up there (showed us around on Friday) has a few sleds and a house in the area. His new sled is a turbocharged Arctic Cat 1100 putting down about 205 HP on a blend of premium and race fuel! He said he can dial up 250 with full race fuel if he wants... He notched about 110mph across the same lakes. He used to drag race sleds! Incredible!
Saturday was extremely cold- high temp was around 11F and that wasn't for long (it was 2F when we went to dinner, and dipped down to -15F for the ride back on Sunday!). It was so cold that I actually had a problem with icing on my glasses. I had to use a rental helmet and it was a piece of crap. We ended up going to a sled shop and I bought a helmet specifically designed for snowmobiling. Made all the difference in the world! Prior to getting the helmet, I had to drive without my glasses (I'm nearsighted!!!) so that was a challenge!
It was incredibly fun zipping along these trails, at 20mph to 40mph with jaunts up to 50mph terrain pemitting.
A few years back (12 now!), I had a 600cc sport bike so getting on a sled for the first time wasn't overwhelming. If you have no experience riding/driving anything other than a car, it can be a little disconcerting. It took an hour or so to get used to the sliding that occurs, both from the front skis and also the rear track.
I highly recommend doing this to anyone who likes motorsports. It was one of the best things I have done in a long time. So much so, that my friend and I are looking into used sleds. The rental wasn't cheap - $550 for two days - so a used sled for $2-4K would easily come under the rental costs for a few years.
Check the forecast if you go- and dress appropriately. It can get real cold and if you don't have the gear to protect you, bad things can happen. The good thing is there are many places to get the right gear should you find you are lacking!
And, on the serious side, be careful if you do it. Do not, I repeat, do not drink and drive. The night before we got there, a 50 yr old woman died after hitting a tree- not sure if she had been drinking or if the accident was from some other cause. 1-2 days before that, a 35 yr old guy bought the farm after leaving a bar at 1am and hitting a tree at an excessive rate of speed. It's no joke- these trails are in the mountains, for all intensive purposes, and the trails are lined with trees and rocks, with other riders coming from the opposite direction. There are many places where there is just enough room for two sleds to pass each other, and then there are places (marked appropriately) where it is too narrow for more than one sled at a time. And, these things go really fast - even over rough terrain. My sore back is proof!
I can't wait to go again!!!! I hope to have some pictures soon- I just need to get them from my friends as I didn't bring a camera.
What a freakin' awesome time!
Left Thursday from PA and drove to Utica, NY. Stayed O/N at my in-laws, then drove to Old Forge, NY, early the next morning. We were on our sleds by 9:15am!
For those not familiar with the Old Forge area, there are literally hundreds of miles of groomed snowmobile trails in the Adirondacks. It is a mecca for sledding in these parts. Quite a few trails are maintained by the state and some more "local" trails are groomed by the counties/towns/etc. Rode across lakes, up mountains, all over the place. Ended up putting over 210 miles on the sled between Friday and Saturday.
Friday was incredible- about 35-36F outside and sunny (odd for upstate NY!). I actually had too many layers on and was sweating a little. Didn't even have to use the sled hand warmers! Hit 60mph on the sled across a couple lakes! One guy we joined up there (showed us around on Friday) has a few sleds and a house in the area. His new sled is a turbocharged Arctic Cat 1100 putting down about 205 HP on a blend of premium and race fuel! He said he can dial up 250 with full race fuel if he wants... He notched about 110mph across the same lakes. He used to drag race sleds! Incredible!
Saturday was extremely cold- high temp was around 11F and that wasn't for long (it was 2F when we went to dinner, and dipped down to -15F for the ride back on Sunday!). It was so cold that I actually had a problem with icing on my glasses. I had to use a rental helmet and it was a piece of crap. We ended up going to a sled shop and I bought a helmet specifically designed for snowmobiling. Made all the difference in the world! Prior to getting the helmet, I had to drive without my glasses (I'm nearsighted!!!) so that was a challenge!
It was incredibly fun zipping along these trails, at 20mph to 40mph with jaunts up to 50mph terrain pemitting.
A few years back (12 now!), I had a 600cc sport bike so getting on a sled for the first time wasn't overwhelming. If you have no experience riding/driving anything other than a car, it can be a little disconcerting. It took an hour or so to get used to the sliding that occurs, both from the front skis and also the rear track.
I highly recommend doing this to anyone who likes motorsports. It was one of the best things I have done in a long time. So much so, that my friend and I are looking into used sleds. The rental wasn't cheap - $550 for two days - so a used sled for $2-4K would easily come under the rental costs for a few years.
Check the forecast if you go- and dress appropriately. It can get real cold and if you don't have the gear to protect you, bad things can happen. The good thing is there are many places to get the right gear should you find you are lacking!
And, on the serious side, be careful if you do it. Do not, I repeat, do not drink and drive. The night before we got there, a 50 yr old woman died after hitting a tree- not sure if she had been drinking or if the accident was from some other cause. 1-2 days before that, a 35 yr old guy bought the farm after leaving a bar at 1am and hitting a tree at an excessive rate of speed. It's no joke- these trails are in the mountains, for all intensive purposes, and the trails are lined with trees and rocks, with other riders coming from the opposite direction. There are many places where there is just enough room for two sleds to pass each other, and then there are places (marked appropriately) where it is too narrow for more than one sled at a time. And, these things go really fast - even over rough terrain. My sore back is proof!
I can't wait to go again!!!! I hope to have some pictures soon- I just need to get them from my friends as I didn't bring a camera.