Important Are we all becoming SNOW SNOBS?????????

[christopher]

Serious Question for everyone here on SnoWest.
I posted this video today to the SnoWest Forums FB page.

Take a watch and offer your comment.

https://fb.watch/pOT_rLrsC1/

 

[Blu Du]

i am leaving in 4 hrs to drive 16 hrs to get to west for the 3rd time since christmas. i know the snows going to be **** but WTH i love snowmobiling. always have and always will. for the next month i will be dreaming about whats new for 25

 

[zal]

I’m not sure if people are Snow Snobs as much as trying to get the most out of their money. As we all know, it’s not a cheap sport anymore as it’s easy to spend $1000+ for a weekend chasing the sun and snow. Of course depending on how far away you live from the mtns. With the cost of living going up, fuel and sleds, they might be more picky as to when to go. Where I’m at, 4 hours min to hit the mountains. At home, hardly any snow And the mtns are low snow. So, I watch the weather a bit closer then before and use that to decide when and where to go.
Just my 2cents.

 

[IDspud]

Hanging with wrong guys….
But I know the guys you’re talking about. Had a trip this year that typically sees 20-30 guys join over a four day period.
This year we had 11.
I need enough to float the skis and lube the track if I know the area.
It’s nice to have 30-40” to cover land mines tho.
We ride anytime a few of the kids are free from sports. Also have a group of regulars for those mid week dumps when kids are busy.

Deep tracks and expensive sleds/gas are a factor.
Skimpy snow destroys them faster than a 90 phaser.

I’ll tell my kids and even guys on a not powder day, hey, let’s see some country today we don’t normally see cuz we’re playin in the powder.
Resisting sidehills, downhill throttle to keep from dipping skis deeper can go a long way to save a crap snow day.

 

[IDspud]

Oh, and I’m five-ten miles from home to four different unloading spots, 3.5 hours to where Christopher is videoing,
5 hours if I had his Ford.

 

[christopher]

i am leaving in 4 hrs to drive 16 hrs to get to west for the 3rd time since christmas. i know the snows going to be **** but WTH i love snowmobiling. always have and always will. for the next month i will be dreaming about whats new for 25

But thats just it.
The snow is NOT CRAP.
Its really NOT BAD at all.

 

[christopher]

I’m not sure if people are Snow Snobs as much as trying to get the most out of their money. As we all know, it’s not a cheap sport anymore as it’s easy to spend $1000+ for a weekend chasing the sun and snow. Of course depending on how far away you live from the mtns. With the cost of living going up, fuel and sleds, they might be more picky as to when to go. Where I’m at, 4 hours min to hit the mountains. At home, hardly any snow And the mtns are low snow. So, I watch the weather a bit closer then before and use that to decide when and where to go.
Just my 2cents.

Totally Valid Point.
If going sledding is a MAJOR UNDERTAKING, that involves LONG DRIVES and DAYS away from home, that really changes everything.
But I am talking about just a LOCAL rip in the mountains for people that are just over an HOUR away from home.

 

[christopher]

Hanging with wrong guys….
But I know the guys you’re talking about. Had a trip this year that typically sees 20-30 guys join over a four day period.
This year we had 11.
I need enough to float the skis and lube the track if I know the area.
It’s nice to have 30-40” to cover land mines tho.
We ride anytime a few of the kids are free from sports. Also have a group of regulars for those mid week dumps when kids are busy.

Deep tracks and expensive sleds/gas are a factor.
Skimpy snow destroys them faster than a 90 phaser.

I’ll tell my kids and even guys on a not powder day, hey, let’s see some country today we don’t normally see cuz we’re playin in the powder.
Resisting sidehills, downhill throttle to keep from dipping skis deeper can go a long way to save a crap snow day.

With a 55" base at this point, we are well safe of landmines.
Just seems like guys are not as motivated/interested/excited as they have been in years past.

 

[IDspud]

Last week when we were there our normal spots we ride still had logs and boulders 6-12” out of the snow.
One guy made six miles and punctured his injection oil case, raced to road before it dripped out and went and fetched a trailer.
It’s a good base, but it’s not the firm landmine covering base it usually is.
We found some sweet spots, but passed by most of our regular favorites.

 

[IDspud]

We spread the love one day, sent a cat, a poo, and a doo back to the road early limping into a rescue trailer.

 

[Turbo Thompson]

Everybody’s in Colorado right now rabbit ears and Buffalo pass are packed every day of the week. Snows been pretty rock hard since Saturday but no lack of people probably because we have 6-10 ft of base right now. Between all of the parking spot just in those two zone I’d bet there’s over 50 million dollars in trucks, sleds and trailers every day. Just insane on a bad year the lots are packed Christmas to mid march and a good year it’s mid December to mid April. Once you get to the middle of the year it’s mostly out of state trucks especially at buff.

I tend to be a snow snob because I’m 3 hrs from 30+ sledding areas and the same from 10+ moto tracks. I don’t feel the need to beat myself up on hard snow anymore.

Another thing is nobody has to work anymore for whatever reason so they go on deep days no matter the day of the week. I personally do the same but I run my own company and just make up the time on the hard snow weekends.

If you want some more people just invite them over but why drive from the Midwest to ID when CO is much closer and normally has the same if not better snow.

 

[jh7]

With a 55" base at this point, we are well safe of landmines.
Just seems like guys are not as motivated/interested/excited as they have been in years past.

About the only good thing that came out of COVID for me was the ability to work remotely. I live 10 hours from where we always made trips out to go riding. The last 4 winters I've had the opportunity to work the entire winter from towns that are within an hour of prime mountain riding. It's been absolutely phenomenal to ride almost every day of the weekend for the entire season. Makes me want to move out permanently.

That said, I have not made my planned full winter journey out west yet for the year. Keep hearing so many conflicting reports on conditions. Some say it's great. Next guy says conditions are terrible with landmines everywhere. Next report says there's dirt at the trailheads. Then there's those that say it's better than sitting at home on the couch. I look at the cost of replacement parts, and the long lead times getting into dealer service departments, and that's what has kept me from heading west so far this year. Hoping February and March bring better conditions, because sitting at home is driving me nuts.

I've ridden sub-par snow conditions. Powder days are obviously way more fun, but to me, any day on the snow is better than sitting at home. I'd say my regular riding group falls into the snow snobs group--if conditions aren't "great" they aren't as inclined to go out. Then on the opposite end of the spectrum, there was one weekend last season where my group said there was too much snow in town, that we'd never be able to leave town, much less make it to the trailhead. I ended up taking the Monday off right after that storm, met up with a new riding partner from a Facebook group, and it ended up being one of the best riding days of last season.

 

[Nooby]

Serious Question for everyone here on SnoWest.
I posted this video today to the SnoWest Forums FB page.

Take a watch and offer your comment.

https://fb.watch/pOT_rLrsC1/

View attachment 415159

View attachment 415160

 

[Nooby]

If there’s enough to keep my sled cool, I’m riding.
Chomping at the bit right now as I trashed my ankle a couple weeks back and it’s not healing so well just yet.

 

[Sage Crusher]

Well.. I only have to travel 1-1/2 hours to my riding area-and yes the snow seems low compared to prior years, down low yeah we see the brown hillsides in the parking lot-and just get more surprised as we go up in elevation, and I am talking unloading @7,000'.
So far this season we have gone out 5 times and only one day was over the hood. Sledding for going on 44 years-and ya have to take the good with the bad, and right now it's really not that bad.

It's fun to hear others say boy the snow really sucks this winter-when 2 day prior I was chocking out the sled from the new snow. If you try to pick your day's this year- odd's are you missed the better day.
2 new 9R's in my group and yeah they want to ride those $20K plus machines. SNOW SNOB... not happening!! Western Wyoming has some decent snow.

 

[David67]

When the logging eases off the plowing ends 10 minutes from my house. Snow and temps vary all over the area most winters, but there's always something to play at - we'll sled to ski, to run dogs, ice fishing for some folks, collect firewood, visit huts, groom Nordic tracks... Currently doing some arcane planning to put in a food cache for friends planning a snowshoe traverse. It's all fun. If you're paying premium prices and travelling across the country for white and fluffy and waste deep you don't have a sport, you have a cocaine habit.

 

[christopher]

Keep hearing so many conflicting reports on conditions. Some say it's great. Next guy says conditions are terrible with landmines everywhere. Next report says there's dirt at the trailheads.

As of yesterday, all three are CORRECT.
I did a LONG loop all the way around Island Park and West Yellowstone yesterday, and the conditions varried from absolutely HORRIBLE (in West) to downright great (above 8,000ft). Rode into West for Lunch and coming out the main access trail was a disaster, Its BROWN. but as you climbed up out of the valley it got better and better with altitude. By the time I made the summit of Two Tops, the snow was pretty darn good, and over on the idaho side in Black Canyon, it was very good.

Now the next week is going to DESTROY a lot of it with the coming high temps, and then it all resets in the first 3 days of February.

So all the reports are accurate. Its just a matter of exactly WHERE you go on the same mountain.

 

[christopher]

When the logging eases off the plowing ends 10 minutes from my house. Snow and temps vary all over the area most winters, but there's always something to play at - we'll sled to ski, to run dogs, ice fishing for some folks, collect firewood, visit huts, groom Nordic tracks... Currently doing some arcane planning to put in a food cache for friends planning a snowshoe traverse. It's all fun. If you're paying premium prices and travelling across the country for white and fluffy and waste deep you don't have a sport, you have a cocaine habit.

thats an interesting way of looking at it!!!!

 

[IDspud]

My neighbor is a no mind altering substance kind of guy. He buys all of his sleds from me as we run many. He and his wife have called me his drug dealer ever since his first purchase from me.
Enable him to get his fix of the white stuff…..

 

[boondocker97]

My neighbor is a no mind altering substance kind of guy. He buys all of his sleds from me as we run many. He and his wife have called me his drug dealer ever since his first purchase from me.
Enable him to get his fix of the white stuff…..

I've warned several friends when they asked me about getting a sled that they will soon be broke and they should seriously re-consider getting involved with me and my sledding habit. Then I have a clear conscience once they develop their own habit!

I'll copy my response from FB: It has to be deep enough that I'm not tagging rocks and stumps consistently and not riding dirt out of the parking lot. That usually means there needs to be enough to be able to run the groomer at least. I have a special rule for Cooke City that the Fisher Creek snotel has to show 50". Every time I've broken that rule I've broke my sled. We're just not there yet in Montana. If Island Park was closer I'd be riding. From Billings it's a 2-3hr drive one way to get to sledding. When I lived in Bozeman it was a 45min drive and you could do half-days pretty easy and we went a lot.

We used to take more multi-day trips but most everyone in my group has young kids now and I have a couple dogs so it makes it tougher to do that now too. My work obligations and responsibilities are a lot higher than they used to be too so it's tougher to take a random snow day. That has also made it tougher to have time to do maintenance and mods on the sleds, trailer, and truck.

I ran across this old forecast again today. Unfortunately, it seems to have aged well for our area.