1000 mile winter trip

[jestal]

Just got back from a 5 day, 1000 mile cross country snowmobile trip in northern Canada. Started out from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Excellent trip as the conditions were perfect and we got quite a bit of snow along the way. I had the pleasure of turning over 10,000 miles on my 2003 Skidoo. In snowmobile's life this is kind of like putting 100,000 on a car or bike.

Here's a representative sample of the trail conditions. So much fresh snow that the small willows were bent right down to the ground.

Morning at Halfway Haven, a wilderness camp where we stayed one night. It is 65 km into the bush by logging road if you want to drive in. Located half way between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa, Ontario. Gas was over $6.00 a gallon here and we were glad to pay for it.

You can have too much snow even on a snowmobile sometimes. With our short track "sport" sleds that are better suited for groomed trails than deep powder we had a bit of a problem breaking trail thru 24 to 36 inches of fresh snow along this power line trail. This is a very rugged area and the uphills were daunting in the deep, fresh snow. Delightful. The sort of day that keeps you snowmobiling year after year.

This was a unique experience. That is a wild camp jay perched on my hand. They are very tame birds that will steal food off picnic tables and such. We were feeding them crubs from a granola bar at a place we stopped to BS. I stayed there really still and finally got that one to land on my hand. Neat to feel a wild bird perch on your hand like that. We see those particular birds at this stop every time we go thru there year after year but it was the first time one actually perched on our hand for food.

Definitely helps with the FJR withdrawal........... :yahoo: :yahoo:

 

[jwilly]

Nice ride report Jestel, Looks like fun!

JW

 

[painman]

Very nice and you guys are braver than me! Being a Cali boy this type of behavior does not compute...PM. <><

 

[Bearly Flying]

I gotta ask......WHAT KIND OF OIL ARE YOU USING??????.........

 

[Scab]

Man, it sure looks like fun, but I just can't bring myself to do all that snow again.

I would come to visit though.

 

[Old Michael]

Really cool! Especially the camp jay. Thanks.

 

[jestal]

I gotta ask......WHAT KIND OF OIL ARE YOU USING??????.........

Citgo SuperGuard Sea and Snow two stroke oil. Excellent product at $11 per gallon or even less when on sale. Meets all of the Skidoo performance requirements and well proven over the years. Most of the guys on that trip use the same thing. We've all had excellent experience with the Citgo oil for many years. Even works in the worst test that I know of.....my hopped up leaf blower two stroke.

You think car and bike oil discussions get heated....you should hear some of the two stroke oil arguments and claims. Same sort of controversy with conventional and synthetic. We did a little inside research years ago and found out who and where different oil brands were being sourced and such. The Citgo product rose to the top of the heap so we tried it and have used it almost exclusively ever since. I carry enough for 5 or 6 days with me but after that I use whatever the gas stations we stop at have.

All the synthetic two stroke oil marketiers would have you believe that your engine will blow up without their product. Mine has 10,000 on it with a combination of Bombardier oil (conventional) for the first two years and Citgo since then. I take the power valves out once per year to inspect them and have never had to really clean them or anything. Not bad for a product that costs 25 to 30 % of most other "premium" oils.

 

[sonicspeed]

I gotta ask......WHAT KIND OF OIL ARE YOU USING??????.........

Citgo SuperGuard Sea and Snow two stroke oil. Excellent product at $11 per gallon or even less when on sale. Meets all of the Skidoo performance requirements and well proven over the years. Most of the guys on that trip use the same thing. We've all had excellent experience with the Citgo oil for many years. Even works in the worst test that I know of.....my hopped up leaf blower two stroke.

You think car and bike oil discussions get heated....you should hear some of the two stroke oil arguments and claims. Same sort of controversy with conventional and synthetic. We did a little inside research years ago and found out who and where different oil brands were being sourced and such. The Citgo product rose to the top of the heap so we tried it and have used it almost exclusively ever since. I carry enough for 5 or 6 days with me but after that I use whatever the gas stations we stop at have.

All the synthetic two stroke oil marketiers would have you believe that your engine will blow up without their product. Mine has 10,000 on it with a combination of Bombardier oil (conventional) for the first two years and Citgo since then. I take the power valves out once per year to inspect them and have never had to really clean them or anything. Not bad for a product that costs 25 to 30 % of most other "premium" oils.

yea but which tire are you using???????

 

[dcarver]

I never even considered a sm1k before?

What ya think J? 1k miles in 24 hours in the snow!

 

[HaulinAshe]

I never even considered a sm1k before?What ya think J? 1k miles in 24 hours in the snow!

I'm there!

I can do snow for 24 hours, just can't live there!

I'll be running Yamalube though. And if I need to heat something up, I can pull the head off and eat from the top of the warm piston because it's so clean. (How's that for stirring the pot?)

 

[luvtoride]

Very, very good report Jestal.

Snow mobiling is one of those things that I've always wanted to try but never have... & here you are doing a 1000 mile trip.

I'm very envious.

 

[gr8eyes]

That looks like alot of fun, but I have to ask. What was the temps? and can you stay warm? The older I get the more I can't tolerate the cold.

1,000 miles is very impressive on a sled.

Glenn

 

[SPORT]

Definitely helps with the FJR withdrawal........... :yahoo: :yahoo:

Now if we can get rid of all that white stuff and pack in some heat...I'd be all over that.

 

[juniorfjr]

Really a cool trip, am jealous as hell. Out here we are all riding the summits, and the longer the track the better. Nothing like a 160" with 2" paddles. Your sport sleds look like more fun though.

 

[stellarsteve]

Very cool report. I actually miss snowmobiling. As far as staying warm, not to worry when you are trying to unstuck a sled in 24-30" of snow. The toughest thing is to not sweat in your suit. Then you really get cold.

 

[jestal]

Temps ranged in the -10 to -25 F range overnight. -28 F one morning leaving out. It usually warmed up to around zero to 10 degrees F during the day as we had some nice, clear, sunny weather.

The secret to staying warm is staying dry. Nothing but polypropylene fleece or Goretex works in the long run. The poly wicks away sweat and keeps you dry plus it retains all its loft when wet. The Goretex lets it dry and cuts the wind. Dressing in layers is also important so you can adjust the thickness of the layers depending on the weather. The standard rule for riding like we is that if you are dressed warm enough to stand around in the parking lot you are overdressed and will overheat while riding. It isn't the most physically demanding thing to do but you are moving around a lot and the more aggressively you ride the more exertion there is. The good gear is not cheap (much like motorcycle gear) but it is worth the cost to be comfortable.

The secret to not overheating when getting stuck is to not get stuck in the first place......

The seal of your helmet is pretty critical for any air leak at speed on a -25 morning will result in stabbing pain and instant frostbite. Note the cord going to the face shields. Only way to see without fogging. Electrically heated face shields are pretty common these days. I used to make them myself back in the late 70's and early 80's with rear window defroster tape..... Now they are a conductive layer plated onto the shield and work excellently.

Actually, there is sort of a LD sled milestone.....500 miles in 24 hours is the rough equivalent of 1000-1500 on a motorcycle I would say. The most I've ever ridden in a day was 350 miles although never really tried to max out on mileage in 24. Most of the time we plan on 200 to 250 per day on a long trip. The 350 day "just happened." Mileage in 24 is supremely dependent on the trails and conditions. From Hearst, Ontario to Cochrane, Ontario is all smooth, straight trails that make 150 miles very easy. That power line in deep snow took over 3 hours to go 40 miles and was a killer. Fun but slow and tiring. I would hate to have to put 200 miles on in those conditions or in 2 foot deep whoops.