2020 Sled Season

[yamadoo]

Great to read of the Fun we’ve all had.

These are estimates as we have several old sleds
Apex 1500 miles
Venture GT 400 miles
Viper 300 miles
Vector 250 miles
These aren’t miles the sleds get more because often they are out together
So I guess I am around 2400 miles, loved them all
900 + in UP , most on North shore and some around CrossLake Mn
Had a fantastic couple of rides late this spring on beautiful lake Vermillion and Burntside lake that is the south border of Boundary waters and Quetico provincial park. Absolutely beautiful scenery sorry can’t post pics. We had trail side steaks on a stick as all bar grills are closed 2/2 Covid 19

 

[Vmax]

Good for you getting a late season trip. My 7000 El Tigre has been put away from a month now

 

[Norse]

Update: The trail through town follows a river that you can now ride canoes in. Temps down here are just below freezing point and the snow is starting to act funny.

For some apparent reason the trails ON the mountain are closing this weekend.
I have yet to see an avalanche probe long enough to reach the ground. There is this camp in the mountain ranges where the tents (sort of like Tipis) have had to be elevated.
A few days ago we got 1-2ft of powder up there. I'll be heading up tomorrow, maybe do some gopro filming. Check out my youtube videos!

I went icefishing a week ago at about 3200ft. The catch was bad, I sat there for about 7 hours and the biggest one I caught was a fingers length. They say you shouldn't rename your boat and yet I put on a decal kit.
That's some FAQ right there for the fellow icefishers. The trail was windswept so litterally no loose snow for 20 miles. And because Ice Age rails aren't compatible with the boggie wheel mounts on my Viper,
I decided to see how it went without em. Where the hyfax bend towards the driveshaft there was nothing left. Those "runners" on the tip were so worn even the rails were grinded down. Luckily no damage on the track!

So I changed the hyfax today, and noticed my track has grown like an inch longer from that day. If the Powerclaw doesn't break soon I'll have to extend the sled!

 

[cannondale27]

Update: The trail through town follows a river that you can now ride canoes in. Temps down here are just below freezing point and the snow is starting to act funny.

For some apparent reason the trails ON the mountain are closing this weekend.
I have yet to see an avalanche probe long enough to reach the ground. There is this camp in the mountain ranges where the tents (sort of like Tipis) have had to be elevated.
A few days ago we got 1-2ft of powder up there. I'll be heading up tomorrow, maybe do some gopro filming. Check out my youtube videos!

I went icefishing a week ago at about 3200ft. The catch was bad, I sat there for about 7 hours and the biggest one I caught was a fingers length. They say you shouldn't rename your boat and yet I put on a decal kit.
That's some FAQ right there for the fellow icefishers. The trail was windswept so litterally no loose snow for 20 miles. And because Ice Age rails aren't compatible with the boggie wheel mounts on my Viper,
I decided to see how it went without em. Where the hyfax bend towards the driveshaft there was nothing left. Those "runners" on the tip were so worn even the rails were grinded down. Luckily no damage on the track!

So I changed the hyfax today, and noticed my track has grown like an inch longer from that day. If the Powerclaw doesn't break soon I'll have to extend the sled!

Whats your YouTube channel name?

 

[Norse]

Whats your YouTube channel name?

Norse.

 

[Brotherdan]

Norse.

Norse.

Well my mileage was down this year due to our Canada trip being cancelled& my sled being apart about half of the winter,however I still managed about 1300 miles in 4 trips, my latest& last trip was April 25th&26th which was awesome to be out riding so late in the year(was a little chilly sleeping in the sled trailer@ 30 degrees Fahrenheit).Seeing the utter power of Mother Nature with flowers growing in the sunny spots next to two feet of snow,it was kinda weird being out riding sleds while they are boating in the southern part of the state.One of my best trips was a solo trip that I took&ironically I saw the most animals of any trip this year, It was a weird year as they stopped grooming real early& there were no other people out riding,I rode 225 miles in 2 trips& saw 1 sled, the motels all closed & I ate lots of meals on my sled due to takeout food only.I saw my first lynx ever after all of these years of hunting, fishing, sledding, hiking etc.my sled went fantastic after having one issue after the next the last few years& I actually finished the year with nothing being broken!Hopefully next year we will be somewhat back to normal& can get our Canada trip in.

 

[Norse]

OOH that kind of lynx. They're so rare over here they show up on the news if one's spotted. At least you got a lot of miles and a lot of experience. Good luck next season!

 

[cannondale27]

Well my mileage was down this year due to our Canada trip being cancelled& my sled being apart about half of the winter,however I still managed about 1300 miles in 4 trips, my latest& last trip was April 25th&26th which was awesome to be out riding so late in the year(was a little chilly sleeping in the sled trailer@ 30 degrees Fahrenheit).Seeing the utter power of Mother Nature with flowers growing in the sunny spots next to two feet of snow,it was kinda weird being out riding sleds while they are boating in the southern part of the state.One of my best trips was a solo trip that I took&ironically I saw the most animals of any trip this year, It was a weird year as they stopped grooming real early& there were no other people out riding,I rode 225 miles in 2 trips& saw 1 sled, the motels all closed & I ate lots of meals on my sled due to takeout food only.I saw my first lynx ever after all of these years of hunting, fishing, sledding, hiking etc.my sled went fantastic after having one issue after the next the last few years& I actually finished the year with nothing being broken!Hopefully next year we will be somewhat back to normal& can get our Canada trip in.

Awesome! Can't believe you got a picture of that Lynx. Well done. Great story and pics. Thank you!

 

[Brotherdan]

Awesome! Can't believe you got a picture of that Lynx. Well done. Great story and pics. Thank you!

Thanks Yeah it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen sledding!some more pics

 

[Mike P]

Well my mileage was down this year due to our Canada trip being cancelled& my sled being apart about half of the winter,however I still managed about 1300 miles in 4 trips, my latest& last trip was April 25th&26th which was awesome to be out riding so late in the year(was a little chilly sleeping in the sled trailer@ 30 degrees Fahrenheit).Seeing the utter power of Mother Nature with flowers growing in the sunny spots next to two feet of snow,it was kinda weird being out riding sleds while they are boating in the southern part of the state.One of my best trips was a solo trip that I took&ironically I saw the most animals of any trip this year, It was a weird year as they stopped grooming real early& there were no other people out riding,I rode 225 miles in 2 trips& saw 1 sled, the motels all closed & I ate lots of meals on my sled due to takeout food only.I saw my first lynx ever after all of these years of hunting, fishing, sledding, hiking etc.my sled went fantastic after having one issue after the next the last few years& I actually finished the year with nothing being broken!Hopefully next year we will be somewhat back to normal& can get our Canada trip in.

Glad you got a final ride in, You were alone out there because anyone who was registered with the state of Maine got an email;

"March often is a fantastic time to snowmobile in northern Maine, but this season if you are thinking of traveling to Maine to snowmobile, we are encouraging you to postpone your trip and visit us next year.



Due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, snowmobile clubs have stopped grooming trails for the remainder of the season, and Maine restaurants and bars are closed to customers who want to eat or drink in the restaurant, but open for take-out. More businesses, including lodging, stores, and fuel are closing or are considering closing daily.



Thank you for considering a trip to snowmobile in Maine as well as your understanding. We appreciate you staying smart and safe regarding COVID-19 and we hope to see you on the trails in Maine next year."

See you next season. Be safe.

 

[sailor joe]

totally cool Brotherdan...I had no idea there was so much snow up there last week. Sleeping in the trailer not smooch fun but you got to do what ya got to do!! You might want to consider picking up one of those old Coleman heaters, they work great but have some fresh air coming into your trailer. The pictures are fantastic...that LINX is unbelievable!!! Best for next year!!

 

[Brotherdan]

totally cool Brotherdan...I had no idea there was so much snow up there last week. Sleeping in the trailer not smooch fun but you got to do what ya got to do!! You might want to consider picking up one of those old Coleman heaters, they work great but have some fresh air coming into your trailer. The pictures are fantastic...that LINX is unbelievable!!! Best for next year!!

Sailor joe yes your right you gotta do what you gottta do!We brought a propane little buddy heater&a propane Coleman lantern( I have a Coleman catalytic heater but didn’t bring it with me,)it was too cold& the trailer was too big for that little buddy& lantern but we toughed it out( had the roof vent open for fresh air) the previous solo trip was about 500 miles between truck& sled which makes for a long day but it was totally worth it! I don’t like riding alone safety wise but had a ton of survival gear, food, water etc with me.Wished I had taken a video of the lynx but it happened so quick& I was so shocked to see him I didn’t think of it until afterwards,best for next year to you also

 

[Brotherdan]

Glad you got a final ride in, You were alone out there because anyone who was registered with the state of Maine got an email;

"March often is a fantastic time to snowmobile in northern Maine, but this season if you are thinking of traveling to Maine to snowmobile, we are encouraging you to postpone your trip and visit us next year.



Due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, snowmobile clubs have stopped grooming trails for the remainder of the season, and Maine restaurants and bars are closed to customers who want to eat or drink in the restaurant, but open for take-out. More businesses, including lodging, stores, and fuel are closing or are considering closing daily.



Thank you for considering a trip to snowmobile in Maine as well as your understanding. We appreciate you staying smart and safe regarding COVID-19 and we hope to see you on the trails in Maine next year."

See you next season. Be safe.

Glad you got a final ride in, You were alone out there because anyone who was registered with the state of Maine got an email;

"March often is a fantastic time to snowmobile in northern Maine, but this season if you are thinking of traveling to Maine to snowmobile, we are encouraging you to postpone your trip and visit us next year.



Due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, snowmobile clubs have stopped grooming trails for the remainder of the season, and Maine restaurants and bars are closed to customers who want to eat or drink in the restaurant, but open for take-out. More businesses, including lodging, stores, and fuel are closing or are considering closing daily.



Thank you for considering a trip to snowmobile in Maine as well as your understanding. We appreciate you staying smart and safe regarding COVID-19 and we hope to see you on the trails in Maine next year."

See you next season. Be safe.

Mike p yes it has been a tough winter for everyone& I received the same emails I was trying to go up as often as I could & spending money on fuel, food etc to try to help everyone in the county with this shutdown let’s hope they all make it thru & we can be back to somewhat normal next season, be safe as well

 

[Brotherdan]

Well my mileage was down this year due to our Canada trip being cancelled& my sled being apart about half of the winter,however I still managed about 1300 miles in 4 trips, my latest& last trip was April 25th&26th which was awesome to be out riding so late in the year(was a little chilly sleeping in the sled trailer@ 30 degrees Fahrenheit).Seeing the utter power of Mother Nature with flowers growing in the sunny spots next to two feet of snow,it was kinda weird being out riding sleds while they are boating in the southern part of the state.One of my best trips was a solo trip that I took&ironically I saw the most animals of any trip this year, It was a weird year as they stopped grooming real early& there were no other people out riding,I rode 225 miles in 2 trips& saw 1 sled, the motels all closed & I ate lots of meals on my sled due to takeout food only.I saw my first lynx ever after all of these years of hunting, fishing, sledding, hiking etc.my sled went fantastic after having one issue after the next the last few years& I actually finished the year with nothing being broken!Hopefully next year we will be somewhat back to normal& can get our Canada trip in.

There is a moose in the 5th pic but it was far away so it’s hard to see!

 

[Brotherdan]

Just shy of 2,000 trail miles for me this year. Not bad for a farmer from central Indiana that has to drive 600+ miles each way. My Apex turned 10,000 miles last week.

I put over 3,600 miles on my truck driving to Michigan and back, three times this winter. My mileage to drive vs. mileage to ride is way off! That's what you do for what you love.

View attachment 153920 View attachment 153921

Redbeard that’s hardcore driving to get to snow but it’s what we do without hesitation. My rx1(ltx) turned 10,000 this year as well but we got caught in a wet heavy snowstorm & were trying to find fuel& I missed the 10k picture by 3 miles! Hope you have a great summer& we will be back to somewhat normal& great riding next season