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Be Careful out there guys!

Crossfire12 said:
I know a guy who is trying to sue a snowmobile club for not putting a curve sign on the trail we’re he was going fast around curve and hit some trees. Unbelievable/common sense
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Think this is enough? LOL...another 12 hours signing and bush hogging brushy areas. (like the one in the distance)
so our signs are visible around corners.
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fourload said:
Yes. I feel the same way about weekend traffic up there. Last year we only rode in the day on weekends. Trail 5 is full of drunks after 5 on the weekends.
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Yes, get out by dark. I prefer trails like Penn mt, Camden, Pulaski, etc, as they are still in the lake snowbelt but far less traffic and like home, big fields, some woods, not just seasonal roads like on top of tug. No kidding, years ago, 6 guys at the Montague Inn were all trying to decide who was going to lead to Flat rock....empty beer bottles filled the table....that's like what, 10 miles or less???? Have some beers, rip 10 miles have some more beers. Not for me. I like 200 mile saturdays, by 5 and then OUT! Off the hill, if possible.
 
Frozenstiff said:
Like any motorized vehicle, it is totally up to the operator on how safe or dangerous that vehicle is. IF you don,t have the smarts or disciple to understand the power of what you are in control of, then that is a huge problem for the operator. Age has got zero to do with common sense. Some people have it, some eventually get it, and some never will.
There is a time and place to do, what you want to do, safetly. You have to be smart enough to figure that out.
Darwin seems to take care of those, that aren,t smart enough to take care of themselves. Unfortunately, sometimes, innocent people who are doing nothing wrong, just happen to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Do we really need more laws to protect stupid people from themselves, which affects those of us that have common sense ? Personally, I don,t think so.
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Believe me, I am the last person who wants more legislation. That's why I said to let insurance companies make it harder to purchase insurance under 21. Just put a cap on cc limts until their brains fully develop.
 
Beware coming off the lake entering a narrowing chute, seen many guys fast out of the chute fast and even airborne not thinking someone could come off the lake. Up near Smooth Rock Falls one guy on a Doo 800 came out airborne head on with skis way up in the air and grazed my buddy and caused him to roll. Then the guy on the do0 slows to see my buddy get up and cowardly scooted away. My buddy hurt his ribs but is ok. His Sidewinder needed new handlebars and hood, approx $1500 and missed much of the season, from what I saw, it could have been tragic.
 
LouTurbo said:
Beware coming off the lake entering a narrowing chute, seen many guys fast out of the chute fast and even airborne not thinking someone could come off the lake. Up near Smooth Rock Falls one guy on a Doo 800 came out airborne head on with skis way up in the air and grazed my buddy and caused him to roll. Then the guy on the do0 slows to see my buddy get up and cowardly scooted away. My buddy hurt his ribs but is ok. His Sidewinder needed new handlebars and hood, approx $1500 and missed much of the season, from what I saw, it could have been tragic.
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Glad he did not fare worse....
 
fourload said:
I just wanted to convey the message of safety on the trails. Don't drink and drive and don't drive over your capabilities or your sleds. https://www.syracuse.com/crime/2019/01/town-of-clay-woman-killed-in-snowmobile-crash-near-old-forge.htmlIf you want to go fast do it on a nice smooth lake in the daylight. Unfortunately 1 of the 2 deaths up in Old Forge was on a Sidewinder.
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I started a whole thread dedicated to snowmobile deaths and being safe a while back... please cross post over here too:

https://ty4stroke.com/threads/please-be-safe-out-there.155349/
 
Being a trailmaster for years,is a wakeup call for stupid people. I have seen a lot of sled abuse,land abuse and just stupid abuse lol some clubs have safety class,s for beginners,and I encourage it,you wont believe all the middle age folks that have never driven a snow sled,and the power of even a 600cc two stroke has more than enough to get most people in trouble quickly. Maine has had more than it wants already this year,Accidents and deaths,it can happen so quick,its scary,my wife hates the weekends,and she does not like shotgun,every time I let her lead,someone coming from the other direction always causes her to not like snowmobiling any longer.
 
SideHogger said:
Believe me, I am the last person who wants more legislation. That's why I said to let insurance companies make it harder to purchase insurance under 21. Just put a cap on cc limts until their brains fully develop.
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Not sure this really makes sense in my opinion. Started riding with my family since I was four, tried out my first snowmobile at 12 (a Ski-Doo 380F), upgraded to a 500cc Phazer 4-stroke in high school, bought my first SR Viper (1,049cc) at age 18, and just upgraded to a Sidewinder at 23. Realistically speaking, I went from 1,049cc to 998cc but WAY more horsepower (so I'm not sure that enforcing a cc limit will really make a difference). And 4-strokes require a larger engine size to do the same work as a smaller 2-stroke (a 1,049cc RS Vector/FX Nytro/SR Viper is generally in the same class as a 600cc 2-stroke). I do understand insurance can be stupid expensive, but mine is the same expense as the rest of my group who uses the same insurance, so I wouldn't use that as the end all to make sure young people can't hurt themselves or others.

HOWEVER, I do believe better signage can improve the safety of everyone on the trail (without TOO much signage). For example, when the clubs put out signs in the fall, don't put the sign on a 4' pole (because that turn/stop/caution sign will be covered when it snows 3'+). And don't put a turn sign in or after the turn because by then it's too late. I don't care how fast you're going (sometimes 85 mph is too fast and sometimes 25 mph is too fast). If you're not aware of conditions (such as a trail change or a water hole), then the trails aren't safe enough. Put a sign 500' before the turn on a long straight when people could be moving at a pretty good speed so they're prepared to make the corner.

I don't mean to stoke the fire, I just believe there are better alternatives than telling someone they can't ride a particular snowmobile due to their age. In my line of work, we look to eliminate the hazard from the process instead of expecting the employee to do the same (in this case, provide adequate information to the snowmobiler so they are aware of hazards).
 
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Again, all the laws cannot protect stupid people, from doing stupid things ! If I am dumb enough to let a dummy drive my sled, and he crashes, how is any law going to protect anyone from that type of stuff ? It is not the sleds fault. It is the nut holding on to the steering wheels fault. If the driver isn,t smart enough to be able to control speed and safe stopping or turning distances, it isn,t the sleds fault. Stupid people get killed on sleds with less than 100 HP. Let Darwin keep doing his thing, and quit blaming the sled.
 
Well on the other hand we could require people to take some training so they may have an understanding of the possible hazards... Maybe even a behind the handlebars experience to familiarize them with the way the machine operates...

As an underage rider in Minnesota we were required to do this exact same thing... now it’s a required 30 min computer training...

The old adage of guns don’t kill people... people kill people is only true if the act is intentional... what about the individuals who have no firearm training... say a young kid finds a gun and experiments/plays with it... or when your significant other doesn’t understand the gun is loaded until you clear the last round out of the chamber... BANG!!! opps sorry I took the clip out honey... I just thought (tears)

If you think adequate training doesn’t save lives you’re either stupid or naïve... do your research!!!

Although the most experienced riders can still miss signs and be involved in an accident... i fully agree proper signage is extremely important... it is another step to reduce snowmobile deaths and serious injuries...
 
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Frozenstiff said:
Again, all the laws cannot protect stupid people, from doing stupid things ! If I am dumb enough to let a dummy drive my sled, and he crashes, how is any law going to protect anyone from that type of stuff ? It is not the sleds fault. It is the nut holding on to the steering wheels fault. If the driver isn,t smart enough to be able to control speed and safe stopping or turning distances, it isn,t the sleds fault. Stupid people get killed on sleds with less than 100 HP. Let Darwin keep doing his thing, and quit blaming the sled.
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Have you ever noticed the big tag on a hair dryer saying NOT to use it while in the tub.
That's because every year someone gets electrocuted when they drop the dryer in the tub.

Will a bigger tag help?

I witnessed a group of people drinking & doing shots at one of our pit stops on the trail last weekend.
Three women had at least 5 drinks while i ate 2 hot dogs. I was sick to my stomach the whole ride home.
 
stevewithOCD said:
Have you ever noticed the big tag on a hair dryer saying NOT to use it while in the tub.
That's because every year someone gets electrocuted when they drop the dryer in the tub.

Will a bigger tag help?

I witnessed a group of people drinking & doing shots at one of our pit stops on the trail last weekend.
Three women had at least 5 drinks while i ate 2 hot dogs. I was sick to my stomach the whole ride home.
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Like you I sometimes look around at the drinker/riders and worry about their and all of our safety.
Until it’s not socially cool it’s going to continue unfortunately
 
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Rode with a guy that raced on the trails this weekend, never again. there isn't a trophy at the end of the day for being the fastest out there guys. 6 people got killed down the trail from my house this winter because of one guy being a hotrod...
 
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