Owen Sound Snow-x, Cat 500 Sno-Pro testing.

This weekend, SGC test rider Mike Van Muyen and I were track-testing the Arctic Cat Sno-Pro 500. A few lucky teenagers also got to try out this sled, and it was the first time these teens had ever been on a race track.

Mike-VM and I are reviewing our thoughts of the 500-SP as a trail sled and comparing them to what we experienced on the race track under race conditions.
Cam from Country Corners Arctic Cat is helping Jesse get used to the sled and the gear. 15 year old Jesse has ridden sleds on his grand-dad's farm and also rides BMX bikes on a high-end track, but today he was going to experience snowmobile racing in a snow-x heat!

I am not sure why Mike and Gord are laughing, is it because they just saw me "racing"?

On Saturday the temps were minus 15-20 under a blue sky.

The area was full of race rigs and sleds.

On Sunday, it was milder but lots of heavy snow was falling all day. That's big air from that Doo-racer!

The vintage sleds are set to take to the track.

A Trail-Twister cornering in the heavy snow.

Wow, a 1980 TX-L INDY! You don't see a lot of them around!

Look closely, and you'll see a 1982 Moto-Ski Sonic "MX", with Bombardier's first consumer IFS system that was also available on the Ski-Doo 5500 Blizzard MX. The entire system would retract up into the belly pan area so there are no exposed parts.
Yeah, I am smiling after the Sno-Pro 500 on-track race testing.

Just back from the Lindsay Snow cross.

Lee Butler sponsored by Rockstar, Royal Distributing and Ski-doo won both his Qualifiers in the Pro Open as did Ian Hayden from Monster, Yamaha. In the final, Ian false started and had to go to the back row, but he worked his way through the field to fall short to Lee Butler in the Pro Open Final.

Lee Butler also won the Pro Stock final on his RockStar, Royal Distributing Ski-doo.

Also on site was BRP's Demo rides with the Trail line-up, including the new 800 E-Tec. The Demo Team was busy the whole day taking riders through the 2km closed course. A full story from the demo rides will be posted later.

We can still find snow and open trails.

We were riding in the Markdale area again, where the snow and trails are holding up during this mild spell. Let's hope this snow stays and more comes our way!
That's me on a "loaner sled" REV. My ride (Cat 800) was loaned out so Hal could ride with his visiting cousin, and that left me with no sled. My buddy Kevin Maggs came to the rescue with a 600 REV. His wife was busy so I got to borrow her sled for the day. (Thanks Cathy!)
The view from the bridge.
Up on top of the ridge, the trail brought us in behind Talisman Ski Hill.
Quite the view across the valley and north towards Georgian Bay..........

Our guest rider was Hal's cousin Murray from Thunder Bay. He had a Ski-Doo jacket so we just had to put him on the 800 LXR for while!
I really like the foot-rests on the Cat. They are snug without feeling too tight. I like to know they are there, but that they are not too confining.

Nice trails......
More nice trails......
At the Markdale clubhouse, there's always lots of sleds and the grill is always going on a busy weekend. (I recommend the Cheeseburger/Fries combo.) Folks like to chat and check out everyone else's sleds......like the Turbo Cat.
Let's ride !

Great Riding in District 2

Last weekend, I rode a couple of hundred miles in the Bancroft area on the trails maintained by the Paudash Trail Blazers and the Old Hastings Snow Riders in OFSC District 2, and the Maple Leaf Snow Skimmers in District 6. Great riding, but just enough snow. Need more!!!!!

Took my 2010 GSX SE 1200 4 TEC and Renegade 600 ETEC to Dunford's of Havlock for (more than) 10 hour service and to prep sleds for my 1st Snow Goer Canada tour in Quebec starting next Sunday. Will put finishing touches on sleds and pack on Friday, then it's off on tour! Keeping my fingers crossed for snow!

Gord Avann trys the new 2011 Yamaha

Things happen very fast in the Month of January.
This is the month that we start getting the invites to ride the new sleds from the OEMs. Such an invite happened Thursday when Chris Reid, National Manager, Product Planning and Research for Yamaha Motor Canada, invited me out for a ride. Chris, Jon Blaicher and Bryan “Huggy” Hudgin had to do some corporate video work for a MY2011 new Sled and asked me to come and have a look and ride. The Sled is embargoed so I can't go into detail about this New Yamaha Sled, our session only lasted 3-4hrs and Miles of smiles and I came away impressed.

Also as my luck would have it, the schedule was opened again for a ride on this New Yamaha Sled this past weekend, I of course took up the offer for a whole day of REAL world testing on our now open Ontario Trails.


That said, also showing up at my doorstep was the recently Blogged Yamaha Apex of Chris Reid’s. This YamaCharger as he calls it is scary fast on the trigger. G force division makes the 'Yamcharger' for $2200 MSRP, available through Yamaha dealers = 20+hp, no engine mods required and is direct drive with 2lbs boost. Chris is always tinkering on some projects and I have to do double takes on his sleds, he slyly has some trickery that is well disguised. One particular feature Chris has figured out is the hand and thumb warmers, he likely has the hottest grips; he says you need grippy contact while pulling the trigger on this Apex. Chris is in my experience the best seat of the pants suspension tuner for Yamaha products. It likely has something to do with riding on non-padded carbon-fiber bike seats.

That's it; I'm packing my equipment and getting ready for my extended ride this weekend in an undisclosed area.

Stay tuned for more info, riding impressions and photos of the New Yamaha.

Canada Safety Council Course at Horseshoe Riding Adventures

Yesterday we were on location at Horseshoe Riding Adventures to do a story on a safety course being offered by the Canada Safety Council for Instructors and students. This was an in depth course that was 3 days in duration. Everyone we talked with even if they were seasoned instructors learned from this experience. Thanks Clinton for letting us come along for the story. Instructors learning to be better instructors, what a great idea!

Here are the students lined up and ready to follow instructions.

Josh, from the OFSC checking the course book.

The students in line awaiting their turn to go. Anyone looking for a place to learn to ride, Horseshoe Riding Adventures is a great facility.

Getting the thumbs up, always a good sign to see while taking a course.

Part 2 of Snowgoer Ride

Well after talking about it for some time we got the entire group at SnowGoer assembled at one place to put the entire fleet of 2010 sleds through their paces and ride like there was no tomorrowThe group left from Thornton,Ontario and headed to Wasaga Beach for lunch. As we got closer to Georgian Bay the snow got deeper and the trails better. This had to be the official kick-off of the snowmobile season in Southern Ontario as the number of sleds on the trail and trucks hauling trailers were plentiful.

We rode to Wasaga Beach and had a great lunch with lots of laughs. We then headed toward Stayner and Collingwood. The Niagara Escarpment loomed in the background.

We all had a chance to run each of the 2010 fleet of sleds that SnowGoer is evaluating over the winter. From the 600 ETEC Renegade which pulls like an 800 to the F8 Cat with the new 800 motor that spools up the RPM's like a sewing machine, the Yamaha Vector with EFI which has tons of torque to the new Rush we rode em all in all conditions. From ditch banging to groomed trails, the riding in this part of Ontario rivals the best snowmobiling anywhere.

A winter wonderland as this pic shows. Does it get any better?

The SnowGoer Canada staff and friends ride.

Once the snow flies, the SnowGoer Canada and SnowmobilerTV staff spreads out to cover the many sled activities and events that take place. That commitment leaves us with little opportunity to actually ride together as a group. This weekend we got together as a group and rode in the Wasaga Beach area. Camera people, test riders, editors and graphics staff all got together to ride on this slightly chilly day.
Here are some of the sleds involved our group ride. Not seen in this photo but hiding behind me away from the lens, is a much rumoured 2011 prototype. We were allowed to ride and test it, but no questions or photos were allowed. If I say anything more in this post, four big guys with clubs will show up at my front door, so I will play it safe and not say much more then I have......
The bigger the group the more often you seem to stop.
Being a magazine and TV crew, we end up stopping at scenic spots like this for a "photo op".

Lunch time in Wasaga Beach means the behind the scenes editors and graphics folks can warm up inside while keeping an eye on the fleet. They're not used to something called wind chill, and they're also not used to 8 hours without internet access.
Back on the trail, the snow was hanging off the trees, so, yep, you guessed it, another photo op.
Now that's a trail scene you dream about in November!

Lots of snow and a clear blue sky.

More trees with heavy snow on the branches. These are friends' sleds that joined us for the ride.

In the village of Singhampton, the population probably doubled when all the sledders showed up.

Fomer oval racer and SGC staffer Gord Avann is getting trail info from former ice oval champ Peter Van Dolder who was also sledding in the area.

Storm Damage to Bancroft Trails

Anyone planning to ride in the Bancroft area this weekend needs to know that an ice storm during the holidays has wiped out some of the Old Hasting Snow Riders trails just east of Bancroft, as well as causing problems on TOP E and E101, also east of town.

I hear that club volunteers are overwhelmed with the amount of clearing that needs to be done so be patient!

Muskoka Ride

Rode 225 klicks in Muskoka yesterday with limited riding opportunities available on many trails. Started in Bracebridge and rode TOP D to the Sequin for lunch at Sprucedale and then east to Trail 95 south to D102B and D103B, then Trail 51 back to D trail.

Conditions ranged from bumpy in places where there is still not enough snow for smooth grooming to table top on many trails. Until the club stakes Marry Lake at Baysville (likely next week), you have to scratch down the main street of town.

All in all, a great early season ride, but before going, be sure to check the OFSC web site at www.ofsc.on.ca for latest Trail Status for District 7 and avoid closed trails: many really are impassable due to downed trees or unfrozen water, so you just have to turn around and go back.

Getting Ready To Tour

My tour schedule for Snow Goer Canada starts in about 10 days and I'm scrambling to get ready. Drive to Burlington today to pick up cases of Shell Advance Show Ultra for this winter.

Rode my Ski-Doo GSX SE 1200 4-TEC about 275 klicks on New Year's Day and go again Wednesday (see new blog Thursday) and twice next week to get past that 10-hour check point and get it serviced before the 1st tour.

Itineraries for 4 tours almost finalized: two in Ontario; one in Quebec and one in New Brunswisk & Quebec.

Riding on the open trails.

Well, it took a few weeks of patience while waiting for trails to open, but Hal and I finally got out for a day of riding on open trails just south of Georgian Bay (Ontario).
In the Markdale and Collingwood area of Ontario the snow was plentiful.
You gotta luv it when the snow hangs off the trees like that........
The wind really picked up and moved the snow from the fields to the trails that run along the fence lines.
Hal was enjoying his time on the RUSH. Open trails and lots of snow.
In the trees, it was much calmer than out on the open. (That's Hal's son Aiden who was riding on the back of the IQ. He had to endure my driving style, sorry kid!)
Of course we had to get semi-lost on our first ride, so our new buddy Ivan helped clarify our location and route. He was at a T intersection waiting for his riding buddies to show up. Cell phones and GPS units have made it much easier to meet up with friends on the trail.
Yep, that's a lot of snow, especially when areas south of here have very little. Lake effect snow is a wonderful thing! (The snow-covered signs caused us to miss a couple turns...that's our excuse.)
Hal was anxious to get out on the RUSH, but we also had the IQ Turbo Touring with us today. You guessed it, I spent most of the day on the IQ.
The weather turned nasty around noon so roads in the Collingwood/Stayner area were closed. We even had to detour some trails as they were un-passble due to huge drifts and ZERO visibility. We could not see each other when we were ten feet away.
All in all, this was a VERY good day for a first ride of 2010!