I took a man-cation with a good buddy from back home. we ended up going to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine to ski/snowboard, but also tried for the first time, snowmobiling.
First, this place we rented from was right on a state park, where the rangers maintain and groom snowmobile trails. Way different than other places that rent you the snowmobile for an hour and put u on a football field sized clearing and tell u to go play. That's like renting a car and letting u only drive it in a parking lot. This place was different, they put you on a trail that is over 50 miles long and you get 4 hours.
Second, they gave both my buddy and I 600 cc engines in our machines. I don't know if thats small or large but holy crap....these mobiles could fly. The fastest I ever had mine was 130 miles per hour according to the speedo and it still had the energy to go faster, I didnt even have the throttle all the way down. I had no idea they go that fast. At times the speed can be terrifying.
They are also way more controlled and not sliding around like I imagined. We are both first time riders and after a few minutes were already taking corners at 80 mph. We felt comfortable and in control most of the time except at high speeds when it was too scary to keep it that fast. At some points we were rocketing through trails in the woods at such speeds, it reminded me of the rocket scooter scene in Return of the Jedi, when they are on Endor. It can be challenging to maintain control of the sled in rough terrain, I was nearly catapulted over the handlebars a few times while descending and climbing out of little ravines and streams.
Bad news: I hit a snow covered rock while going fast and ruined the entire front suspension on the right side ski. I bent a steel control arm and broke a shock and other components. I did about $600 of damage to the thing. It happened in the last 5 minutes of the trip while we were returning to home base so I was able to get home. It was an expensive mistake but lesson learned to rent from a place that offers insurance next time.
Bonus: I rigged my camera to attach to my helmet. I recorded the entire snowmobiling trip in HD. Will have plenty of footage to edit through, maybe will try to make a compilation video.
First, this place we rented from was right on a state park, where the rangers maintain and groom snowmobile trails. Way different than other places that rent you the snowmobile for an hour and put u on a football field sized clearing and tell u to go play. That's like renting a car and letting u only drive it in a parking lot. This place was different, they put you on a trail that is over 50 miles long and you get 4 hours.
Second, they gave both my buddy and I 600 cc engines in our machines. I don't know if thats small or large but holy crap....these mobiles could fly. The fastest I ever had mine was 130 miles per hour according to the speedo and it still had the energy to go faster, I didnt even have the throttle all the way down. I had no idea they go that fast. At times the speed can be terrifying.
They are also way more controlled and not sliding around like I imagined. We are both first time riders and after a few minutes were already taking corners at 80 mph. We felt comfortable and in control most of the time except at high speeds when it was too scary to keep it that fast. At some points we were rocketing through trails in the woods at such speeds, it reminded me of the rocket scooter scene in Return of the Jedi, when they are on Endor. It can be challenging to maintain control of the sled in rough terrain, I was nearly catapulted over the handlebars a few times while descending and climbing out of little ravines and streams.
Bad news: I hit a snow covered rock while going fast and ruined the entire front suspension on the right side ski. I bent a steel control arm and broke a shock and other components. I did about $600 of damage to the thing. It happened in the last 5 minutes of the trip while we were returning to home base so I was able to get home. It was an expensive mistake but lesson learned to rent from a place that offers insurance next time.
Bonus: I rigged my camera to attach to my helmet. I recorded the entire snowmobiling trip in HD. Will have plenty of footage to edit through, maybe will try to make a compilation video.
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