A Blending of the Tribes! (Skier gets a sled…)

For the past 15 years or so I’ve been lucky to access some pretty awesome skiing terrain by using a snowmobile to get up long, snow covered, closed highways. But the problem that’s existed is that I was always “the guy without a sled.” It’s not spoken, but no sled owner really wants to deal with you after they’ve taken you out a dozen or more times riding you double or towing you. So thanks to Larry Goldie, Rod Martin, and a few others (you showed me the light), I finally bit the bullet and bought a snowmobile. So here’s how my decision making process played out: 1. At first I wanted the cheapest, biggest beater of a sled that I could find. But then I was warned that this was a terrible way to go, by EVERYONE, and I was encouraged to get something a little more expensive than $500. 2. I got a screaming deal on a trade-in sled, a 2002 Ski Doo Summit 800. But I just spoke to one of our dealers who told me “the bars break on the 2001 and 2002′s.” I’m not sure what this means and I hope I’m with someone who can help if it happens. He’s not talking about the handlebars, he’s talking about a rod in the engine. If this happens I’ll post where I leave it and then someone can go get it and use it for parts. Anyway, Remko at I-90 Motor Sports played a major role in helping me choose a machine and also getting it set up for some backcountry access! 3. It had to carry skis. So I mounted a gun rack to it. In this case I chose the Kolpin Rhino Grip. But now I’m told that these break as well by my boss who broke his last year. I guess we’ll see. But what I liked about this rack was that I could move the angle and run the skis behind me or down the rails. 4. Trailer. This was the shocker: they cost more than a used sled. 5. Total trailer and sled value: worth more than a 1991 Toyota Previa Van. 6. The one glitch: learning how to use reverse in your car when the trailer and sled are attached. This is completely counter intuitive to backing up the normal way. 7. Oh, one other glitch: think twice if you think your wife or girlfriend wants one of these parked in your driveway. Luckily I have a little sister who has a big garage and she’s come to the rescue.