Season 2011-2012 Ike (Finnish Lapland)

[Ike]

After unusually long, warm and snowless november, we finaly have enough snow for riding.

I did 50 km today at work. Again, like the years before, I was checking out our soil preparation worksites and riding on the winterroads which go over the peatlands to freeze them over. When timber rigs here weigh 60 tons, we need over 1 meter of ice to carry them safely.

Start odo

In the morning loading my Warrior on my trailer.

Freezing temps are welcome...

Like you can see from the pics, arctic night is here. Hardly any sunlight here anymore. It can bring some people "down" but most of us are used to this. Some drink lots of alcohol etc. but I prefer sledding and sauna, and quality time with the wife...

Weather: -4c, light snowfall
Season odo: 50 km
Ride odo: 50km

 

[Ike]

Yesterday I went to prepare some new sections of winterroads. In last 2 days we got great snowfall, and it seems like trails are open now.

Not too much sunlight. I took this pics from the highest point on the road. Only a small glimpse of the sun anymore.

Some fresh winterroad. In few cold days it will hold heavy equiment and trucks. Sorry for the pic quality, I took those with my mobile.

Weather: -9c, light snowfall
Season odo: 76 km
Ride odo: 16km

Ike

 

[Ike]

Earlier this week I spent some quality time with my secind oldest son. He really likes to go snowmobiling and off we went.

I didn´t manage to take good pics since we were riding in the late afternoon after my work, so it was all dark by then.

I took one pic of my sled in the garage though.

Weather: -5c
Season odo: 98 km
Ride odo: 22km

Ike

 

[Ike]

Yesterday I was checking out our worksites with my coworker. It was quite a different work day since we got two new Ski-Doo Tundra 600ACE´s to use. My employer did finally upgrade some of the sleds we have. I wanted them to get etec 600 Extreme Tundra´s, but the older guys wanted less hp and noise, so...

Theese machines are quite good, not that exciting. They really do not use any fuel at all.

Same story here: winter road base in the making...

One of our new VW Transporter 4wd busses we got this year also. It has Seikel suspension mods and all the goodies for rough terrain/road conditions. 8 person vehicle.

Weather: -1c
Warrior season odo: 98 km
Other season odo: 55 km
Season odo: 153
Ride odo: 55km

Ike

 

[Ike]

Yesterday evening I was again riding with my second oldest son Juuso. We did almost a round trip around the town , but the rivers here aren´t frozen so good yet that we didn´t want risk anything, so we had to ride the same trail back too.

Juuso on our sled. This is a reindeerfence overcrossing.

On our way back we saw a new A6 quatro Audi wagon stuck on a snowbank. A german man was in trouble. He was on his way up north and the slippery road surface did the tricks on him. Seemed like he was not used of driving in snowy conditions. Anyway , I and one other man whom was driving pass, helped to push the Audi back on road. Owner was really pleased. He was afraid the he would have to spent all night in his car.. LOL

He gave me two bottles of Radeberger german beer for thank´s

Weather: -1c
Warrior season odo: 126 km
Other season odo: 55 km
Season odo: 181 km
Ride odo: 28km

Ike

 

[Ike]

Last sunday I was riding with my two oldest sons. We did the usual 55 km´s with stops to the local gas station to have some hot chocolate etc.

Leevi on front of our garage.

Juuso on our sled on a another reindeerfence oversrossing.

Weather: -3c light snowfall
Warrior season odo: 181 km
Other season odo: 55 km
Season odo: 236 km
Ride odo: 55 km

Ike

 

[Ike]

Today I was out in the field again. We got heavy snowfall, infact so heavy that I had to park my Landcruiser + trailer almost 20km´s before the planned worksites. I rode there on my sled instead.

The sites are on the army proving grounds (hence the tower). No one else there today. Only one track made by army truck on the road.

Some nice snowbanks allready...

Winter road.

Weather: -1c heavy snowfall
Warrior season odo: 244 km
Other season odo: 55 km
Season odo: 299 km
Ride odo: 63 km

Ike

 

[Ike]

Yesterday we went to prepare allready once done section of a winter road. Mild temps are really harming the winter road construction... We need more ice badly, and that only comes when the temps are below -15c.

As you can see from the pics, water comes trough the peatlands and still softens the roadbase. Colder temps would help alot...

Weather: -2c heavy snowfall
Warrior season odo: 302 km
Other season odo: 55 km
Season odo: 357 km
Ride odo: 58 km

Ike

 

[APEX 06]

I wish it would snow here. My son keeps asking me to go for a ride. It looks like you are off to a good year.

 

[Mooseman]

Although you are getting more snow than we are, you mentioned that your season got to a later start than usual and are still having mild temperatures. We still haven't had a decent snowfall and the temperature keeps going above freezing. really wacky weather.

For what you have now though, the scenery is great.

 

[Ike]

Year 2012 is here and so are some pretty big changes on my mileage log.

I sold my sled. Yep. Since my wife does not have a fulltime job , and since we are in the middle of fixing our house, I decided to sell the Warrior. I still have my V4 though, but it is not registered.

So it seems like I just might be done with this snowmobiling for a while. I still might loan a sled from my brother for the annual sledding trip, but we´ll see.

Anyway´s some final pics of the sled.

I still get to snowmobile with those 4-stroke Doo tundra´s in work, but those are hardly the cure for this hurt so to speak.


Weather: -6c
Warrior season odo: 327 km
Other season odo: 95 km
Season odo: 462 km
Ride odo: 58 km

Ike

 

[Mooseman]

Sorry to hear about your having to sell your sled. Hopefully things will improve for you and your wife and you'll be back in the saddle of a Yamaha again soon.

 

[Ike]

Last weekend I was out riding with a friend of mine. I loaned XTC 600 from my brother. pics will follow.

Ike

 

[Ike]

Long time since my last post, but anyway, I´ve got pics and stories to share.

I did actually loan that XTC 600 from my brother 2 times this season and ended with a destroyed track (almost cut in half), one broken rear suspension shock and blown engine... It pretty much ruined my annual snowmobile trip with my friends.

Last saturday was the 3rd drag race of our snowmobile club. I never made it to those first two, since I was busy with my kids volleyball tournaments all over northern finland, but we did make to this last race.

My 8 year old son Juuso raced for the first time in the junior class with a ´85 SRV. Their drag race was 100m sprint up the local downhillskiing hill. He ended 3rd after a F6 Cat and 500 Polaris. Class limitations are that the engine must be under 600cc. Liquid or fan cooled, does not matter.

My brother and I warming the pipe of the SRV for the first elimination run.



Juuso beating a 550 rotax engined Lynx. (video, click on the pic)

I rode my Vmax4 in the 800 stock class and the new Apex CST in the Open Fuel class. CST stands for Charged Super Tourer. It based on the Apex XTX, but it has the MPI supercharger, bigger track and different graphics.

I slep in the first elimination run with my V4 and lost. But in the Open fuel I ended in 3rd place after two Nytro MTX turbo´s. I lost to the class winner in semi´s just barely, only a ski loop lenght. CST had the hole shot but the bigger turboed Nytro had more top end. And the CST ran 500 rpm´s too high.



Qualifying run for the CST (video, click on the pic)

Anyway nice raceday. Pics were taken in 9 30 pm by the way.. And we still have tons of snow.

My front lawn...

Ike

 

[Mooseman]

Looks like fun was had by all. And you still have snow? How are Finland's immigration laws? My mother-in-law is Finnish