West Yellowstone Expo 2013
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2013 West Yellowstone EXPO
The West Yellowstone EXPO so I am told is the Largest Snowmobile Event in the West. I would like to consider it the event of the year that compares to the famous fur trapper rendezvous's of the old west. This is the last winter event of the season held at West Yellowstone before the town virtually ends their winter activities, until the park opens up again in the spring.
Since I didn't attend the snow shoot this season I was looking forward to seeing what Arctic Cat, Polaris, Skidoo and Yamaha would have for their 2014 snowmobile lines. Also on display at the Holiday Inn (center for the 2013 EXPO) are the aftermarket snowmobiling exhibits that many come to check out for what's new and cool for their sleds & such.
There are many events featured this year but we came to run our sleds at the Radar Drag runs put on by WSSRA, and to see what was new for sleds and sled products.
The West Yellowstone Snow Expo is an event that caters to almost anyone interested in snowmobiling from vintage sled events to snow cross racing, and much more. One of our favorite events we had to miss out on was the timed sled drag races, and that is fun to watch and even better to participate in!
It is always great fun to see all the vintage sleds on display, and running around the West Yellowstone area during this event. The WSSRA RADAR RUN is a must do if you brought your sled. Snow Cross is a hoot to watch if you like action, and the kids 120 Western Grand Championships is a blast for the young ones to participate in.
If you like trick riding check out the Free Style sledders showing off their tricks, and there was even MC Stunt riding for those that were interested. Paint the place PINK! was the focus of the freestyle event, and all for a good cause.
During the day the street was closed down to include a swap meet, and it looked like attendance was high with people seeking good deals on used sled parts and more.
Access to the area events can be had by getting on the free shuttles, or walking. We parked near the drags one day and chose to get some exercise and walk to the events other days. West Yellowstone is not that big and is very easy to get yourself around in.
Mark Leipheimer (Leipheimer Yamaha) showcased his new Yamaha Turbo Snow Bike that he has recently built. Overall impressions were very favorable. One person was quoted as saying "Riding this bike was like having a 4 shot of espresso first thing in the morning".
Washington State Snowmobile Racing Association
(WSSRA) 500' RADAR RUN
WSSRA puts on the Radar Runs the day before the actual timed drag races and we figured it was a good chance to see what our sleds would do in a 500' pull. Bear in mind we just came off of a trail ride in the Gravellies, and we did absolutely nothing to the sleds to get them race ready. OK, I fibbed a bit, Jeremy had to install a new steering post on his sled so he could drive & steer his Apex
A lot of people use this day to tune and get their sleds ready for the next few days drag racing activities, also put on by WSSRA. We chose to go sledding at Carrot Basin the next day so we bowed out of the drags gracefully and went mountain sledding instead.
All in all we all did very well. My suspension was still set up for hauling a heavy load so I could of run faster if I chose to let some air out of my rear suspension, but that was too much work, so I run what I brought Mark is a pro at this and he run some really impressive runs. Jeremy raced for the first time and was pleased with his runs.
The cost of 2 runs was $10, and you know what, it was addicting, and we had to walk away before we drained our wallets. If you have your sled with you when you attend the West Yellowstone Snow expo doing the Radar Runs is a must do event, and I highly recommend giving it a go.
Dropped the sled off of the new So-Lo Deck and unloaded from the MCXpress Trailer and we were ready to rock...............
The new ATVPT So-Lo Deck from so-lowdeck.com
Here are some pics of our runs.
Patrick @ 77.4 mph in 500'
Mark @ 94.6 in 500'
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