Many of us have a tendency to wait until the last minute to prepare for the riding season. It's usually during that first ride when we threw everything into our gear bag at the last minute when we realize that we really weren't prepared for the season.
I don't know how many "first rides" I've gone on where either myself or someone in the group forgot what you would think would be a necessity for a ride. Everything from helmets to boots, coats to goggles were missing from gear bags as we prepared for that first ride.
So this year I took just a little extra time last weekend to go through my snowmobile gear to see if everything was where it should be. Here are just a few things I was able to find:
My avalanche beacon was ready to go . but I had a battery life of about 10 percent. So new batteries were put in my beacon and my "backup" beacon (the one I keep in case a riding partner fails to bring his).
My boots were caked with dried up mud from last year's last ride. It was good to get them washed off and aired out for this season. I also have a pair of gloves and goggles in a water-tight bag that I carry in my backpack that could use some time in the open air to eliminate a stale stench to them.
My helmet needed a visor bolt replaced and the helmet lining washed. And we don't even want to discuss the balaclava that I found tucked away in my jacket pocket.
By taking about 30 minutes last weekend, I figure I'm now set for that sudden phone call that will come from a riding buddy who informs me there is 18 inches of fresh snow up in the mountains and he'll be by in 30 minutes to pick me up.
Not only will I have everything with me on my first ride . I won't be packing some of last season's smells-which will make the inside of my helmet a lot fresher.
SJ