Sort of speak.....
First off, went up for Yammi fest to climb some shoots, 1st day up was Friday, and all I can say is this...WHAT A DAY.
It absolutely could not have gotten any better of a day for climbing. It was AMAZING. Bird blue skies, temp was about 25-30*F, avy risk was low, and maybe 12-24" of fresh, at least in the big shoots.
Secondly, you boys up in Canada make me proud to be a Canadian. Hospitality was great as usual, and me and my buddy got help from BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan!!!
The trip started out with me and buddy going up for Yammi-fest. I have been wanting to pull a lot of shoots for several years, but in the past, just didn not have the machine to get it done, or have been cursed with break downs. Well, we had a great day of climbing, but at the end of the day, break downs sent me home early again.
We started out Friday AM with my buddy and 2 others from my hometown in Cut Bank, Montana. The adrenaline was already building when I stepped outside from my motel and the skies were blue, I knew it was just going to be a crazy day. I was riding a 08 MCX turbo at 18#, Vanamburg race tunnel, timber rear, skinz front end, little light on the track with just a CE 162x15x 2.25....but that wasn't going to stop me from trying what I wanted to try.
The plan was to hit the sugar bowl, then upper Bull Pen, swing over to the airport, then back over to the lower Bull pen, and time (and sleds still together), over to the monster.
Surgar Bowl was a good place to start, as there are some good runs there, and would allow some warm up, test the snow conditions, and see how the sled was running. Made a couple of pulls to the right of the main bowl, then up to the far right draw, up and back to the left over the trees and cliff......adrenaline was flowing!!! Had to after the first pull and tighten the track as I ratched 1st pull up. After that seemed to do well....until later.
Wide attack going up around sugar
Once done there, we scooted over to the Upper Bull Ben, only a few tracks, about 2' of fresh stuff, and still, the oh so blue skies!!! Bull Pen has always been one of my favorites, and would serve well as a warm up to the bigger stuff later in the day. Took a couple of pulls up the main lines, then side hilled over the cliffs from left to right. Everything was going well.
Second Pull, then to the left and over
And then up and over!
We were about to go over to the Airport, when we heard the roar of the 4 strokes in the Lower Bull Pen, and seen a sled attempt the 90!!! Well, change of plan, had to go down and check it out. I knew at that point that I would at least be attempting the 90 and Swenson street.....Not exactly at the point I had planned, but I fugured it had to be done. When we got down to the bottom, my heart was racing. There were probably 30 sleds or so at the bottom, and lots of the best were there to showcase there talent.
I had ridden with some of the BC boys about a month before, and saw a couple of them, but with gear on, didn't really recongnize them by name at first....I did recognize the only young woman that was trying the 90, Megan....she is pretty amazing, I think that she had already attempted the 90 twice before we even got down there. And she attempted it twice more...4 times for the day! I only attempted it once. lol OUTSTANDING. Jimmy Clipperton, who took me out the previous trip, was there, and the rest of his crew, Laird, Scooter, Mike Irmen to name a few. All just incredible riders, and I was inspired just to watch them climb.
Anyways, Megan had just made another attempt at the 90, I think her 3rd, maybe only her second, got around the 90, and lost it, While waiting I took a couple of practice runs up to Sweeny, and decided to try that one first.
I started out the bottom with a handful of throttle, and as I got into the bottom 3rd of the shoot, I hit a bump, the front end came up on me, and my wrist hit the kill switch!!! My sled immediately lost forwardt momentum, but I was able to pull up the kill switch and she fired right back up, just in time to dig it in as it was already starting to come backwards. Well, lets jsut say, once up there, it looks a WHOLE lot different. lol Quite intimidating to say the least.
Ended up kicking the sled down, it roller numerous times in the soft snow, but somehow managed to bend something in the front end, I think it the steering rod, as my right ski was toed out significantly. ( At the same time mine was rolling down the mountain, Megans was rolling out too) Got it somewhat realigned, and took another poke at it.
The first attemp at Swenson
WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!!, is all I could say. I picked my line, and literally flew up it and NAILED my line perfectly! I simply cannot describe the feeling, it was jsut completely exhilerating! I am usually a pretty calm guy, mellow, but when I got to the top I was jsut screaming with joy! lol I went around the top, and the BC group was at top of 90. I didn't mean to be rude, and probably should have stopped, but I was jsut flying high at that point. (should have looked at 90 from the top).
My successful run at Swenson
Got down to the bottom, a few more sleds tried, couple made the 90, a couple didnt. And then I tried. Unfortuneately, I didn't tell me camera guy and he missed most of the shot, but apparently I made the 90 with lots of heat, made a very nice turn, but then HOLY HELL, it gets steep!!!! lol... had lots of momentum, but 3/4 of the way up, I felt my track ratchet for a second, let out of the throttle real quick and lost my momentum I turned it around and tried to ride it out, Unfortuneatley, I got caught in the drift around a protruding rock ledge half way up, and the guys at the bottom thought I made it out, and the guys at top thought I rode it down.
Laird( I believe it was him) then pulled the 90*...fortuneately, I was safely out of mine and his way...he flew up the 90 and as my buddy put it "he made it look like a bunny hill"! lol He did make it look bery easy. Hell of a rider.
3 or 4 from the top came down to help me, one I now know was Mike Irman, got me situated, and then suggested I kick my sled down. I'd have none of it, I was going to ride it out!!! SO I THOUGHT!!! lol Again, I forgot to let me bud know so he missed the first (and best part) on film. I think I made it down from the rocks to the main line, but couldn't get on the other side of the sled where I needed to be and she started endoing! I lost my contour :face-icon-small-fro, and the the 90 spit me out of her like I was spoiled lunch! When I stopped cart wheeling, I was dizzy,literally.
This is as far as I made it before trying to turn out.
Look REAL CLOSE, you can see my silver helmet at the bottom 3rd of the big rock.
A few that tried and made it, and didn't...
I think this is Megan's last attempt of 4!!! WOW
Laird, I had a birds eye view on this one, still stuck up in the rocks.
At home to assess damages
The guys that helped me came right down to see if I was ok, and collected parts to me sled. Lost my boost guage, hood was in pieces, side panel had come off and sled was 3/4 to the bottom.
Regrouped , put every thing back together as well as I could, skis both toed out. Plugged my boost hose off with a panel screw, and she roared back to life!
I really wanted to try the 90 again, but it was so rough, and now hard. I didn't give my ratching issue a second thought. Forgot about it. Besides that, I had it adjusted all the way back, couldn't get it any tighter.
So we headed to the Airport...
Didn't last long, first pull up the 1st left shoot, and I spun the drivers(actually, it was the external teeth that totally got wore off. I just barely got it turned around, and came back down.
Then I couldn't make it out without the good driver spinnning on the shaft. To make a long story short, if it hadn't been for a 3 boys from SASK. that towed me back to the warming hut, it would have been a chopper ride out. Thanks guys!
Then, at the staging area, I met up with Jim Clipperton, and he did his best to get me fixed up, gave me Capt. Ron's number, who made calls to try tofind me some drivers, but we just couldn't pull it off.....so we stayed the night, and reluctantly headed back home!
BUT what an incredible day! Thanks so much to ALL the peeps that helped me out in one way or another, it was literally the best day of sledding I have had in years! Sorry, I don't have the names of everyone who helped, or of who was exactly climbing, but thank you. Please chime in. I hope to hook up with the BC boys again soon to hit the chutes, that is some awe inspiring stuff. What a bunch of incredible riders!
Missed Yammi fest again! lol
First off, went up for Yammi fest to climb some shoots, 1st day up was Friday, and all I can say is this...WHAT A DAY.
It absolutely could not have gotten any better of a day for climbing. It was AMAZING. Bird blue skies, temp was about 25-30*F, avy risk was low, and maybe 12-24" of fresh, at least in the big shoots.
Secondly, you boys up in Canada make me proud to be a Canadian. Hospitality was great as usual, and me and my buddy got help from BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan!!!
The trip started out with me and buddy going up for Yammi-fest. I have been wanting to pull a lot of shoots for several years, but in the past, just didn not have the machine to get it done, or have been cursed with break downs. Well, we had a great day of climbing, but at the end of the day, break downs sent me home early again.
We started out Friday AM with my buddy and 2 others from my hometown in Cut Bank, Montana. The adrenaline was already building when I stepped outside from my motel and the skies were blue, I knew it was just going to be a crazy day. I was riding a 08 MCX turbo at 18#, Vanamburg race tunnel, timber rear, skinz front end, little light on the track with just a CE 162x15x 2.25....but that wasn't going to stop me from trying what I wanted to try.
The plan was to hit the sugar bowl, then upper Bull Pen, swing over to the airport, then back over to the lower Bull pen, and time (and sleds still together), over to the monster.
Surgar Bowl was a good place to start, as there are some good runs there, and would allow some warm up, test the snow conditions, and see how the sled was running. Made a couple of pulls to the right of the main bowl, then up to the far right draw, up and back to the left over the trees and cliff......adrenaline was flowing!!! Had to after the first pull and tighten the track as I ratched 1st pull up. After that seemed to do well....until later.
Wide attack going up around sugar
Once done there, we scooted over to the Upper Bull Ben, only a few tracks, about 2' of fresh stuff, and still, the oh so blue skies!!! Bull Pen has always been one of my favorites, and would serve well as a warm up to the bigger stuff later in the day. Took a couple of pulls up the main lines, then side hilled over the cliffs from left to right. Everything was going well.
Second Pull, then to the left and over
And then up and over!
We were about to go over to the Airport, when we heard the roar of the 4 strokes in the Lower Bull Pen, and seen a sled attempt the 90!!! Well, change of plan, had to go down and check it out. I knew at that point that I would at least be attempting the 90 and Swenson street.....Not exactly at the point I had planned, but I fugured it had to be done. When we got down to the bottom, my heart was racing. There were probably 30 sleds or so at the bottom, and lots of the best were there to showcase there talent.
I had ridden with some of the BC boys about a month before, and saw a couple of them, but with gear on, didn't really recongnize them by name at first....I did recognize the only young woman that was trying the 90, Megan....she is pretty amazing, I think that she had already attempted the 90 twice before we even got down there. And she attempted it twice more...4 times for the day! I only attempted it once. lol OUTSTANDING. Jimmy Clipperton, who took me out the previous trip, was there, and the rest of his crew, Laird, Scooter, Mike Irmen to name a few. All just incredible riders, and I was inspired just to watch them climb.
Anyways, Megan had just made another attempt at the 90, I think her 3rd, maybe only her second, got around the 90, and lost it, While waiting I took a couple of practice runs up to Sweeny, and decided to try that one first.
I started out the bottom with a handful of throttle, and as I got into the bottom 3rd of the shoot, I hit a bump, the front end came up on me, and my wrist hit the kill switch!!! My sled immediately lost forwardt momentum, but I was able to pull up the kill switch and she fired right back up, just in time to dig it in as it was already starting to come backwards. Well, lets jsut say, once up there, it looks a WHOLE lot different. lol Quite intimidating to say the least.
Ended up kicking the sled down, it roller numerous times in the soft snow, but somehow managed to bend something in the front end, I think it the steering rod, as my right ski was toed out significantly. ( At the same time mine was rolling down the mountain, Megans was rolling out too) Got it somewhat realigned, and took another poke at it.
The first attemp at Swenson
WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!!, is all I could say. I picked my line, and literally flew up it and NAILED my line perfectly! I simply cannot describe the feeling, it was jsut completely exhilerating! I am usually a pretty calm guy, mellow, but when I got to the top I was jsut screaming with joy! lol I went around the top, and the BC group was at top of 90. I didn't mean to be rude, and probably should have stopped, but I was jsut flying high at that point. (should have looked at 90 from the top).
My successful run at Swenson
Got down to the bottom, a few more sleds tried, couple made the 90, a couple didnt. And then I tried. Unfortuneately, I didn't tell me camera guy and he missed most of the shot, but apparently I made the 90 with lots of heat, made a very nice turn, but then HOLY HELL, it gets steep!!!! lol... had lots of momentum, but 3/4 of the way up, I felt my track ratchet for a second, let out of the throttle real quick and lost my momentum I turned it around and tried to ride it out, Unfortuneatley, I got caught in the drift around a protruding rock ledge half way up, and the guys at the bottom thought I made it out, and the guys at top thought I rode it down.
Laird( I believe it was him) then pulled the 90*...fortuneately, I was safely out of mine and his way...he flew up the 90 and as my buddy put it "he made it look like a bunny hill"! lol He did make it look bery easy. Hell of a rider.
3 or 4 from the top came down to help me, one I now know was Mike Irman, got me situated, and then suggested I kick my sled down. I'd have none of it, I was going to ride it out!!! SO I THOUGHT!!! lol Again, I forgot to let me bud know so he missed the first (and best part) on film. I think I made it down from the rocks to the main line, but couldn't get on the other side of the sled where I needed to be and she started endoing! I lost my contour :face-icon-small-fro, and the the 90 spit me out of her like I was spoiled lunch! When I stopped cart wheeling, I was dizzy,literally.
This is as far as I made it before trying to turn out.
Look REAL CLOSE, you can see my silver helmet at the bottom 3rd of the big rock.
A few that tried and made it, and didn't...
I think this is Megan's last attempt of 4!!! WOW
Laird, I had a birds eye view on this one, still stuck up in the rocks.
At home to assess damages
The guys that helped me came right down to see if I was ok, and collected parts to me sled. Lost my boost guage, hood was in pieces, side panel had come off and sled was 3/4 to the bottom.
Regrouped , put every thing back together as well as I could, skis both toed out. Plugged my boost hose off with a panel screw, and she roared back to life!
I really wanted to try the 90 again, but it was so rough, and now hard. I didn't give my ratching issue a second thought. Forgot about it. Besides that, I had it adjusted all the way back, couldn't get it any tighter.
So we headed to the Airport...
Didn't last long, first pull up the 1st left shoot, and I spun the drivers(actually, it was the external teeth that totally got wore off. I just barely got it turned around, and came back down.
Then I couldn't make it out without the good driver spinnning on the shaft. To make a long story short, if it hadn't been for a 3 boys from SASK. that towed me back to the warming hut, it would have been a chopper ride out. Thanks guys!
Then, at the staging area, I met up with Jim Clipperton, and he did his best to get me fixed up, gave me Capt. Ron's number, who made calls to try tofind me some drivers, but we just couldn't pull it off.....so we stayed the night, and reluctantly headed back home!
BUT what an incredible day! Thanks so much to ALL the peeps that helped me out in one way or another, it was literally the best day of sledding I have had in years! Sorry, I don't have the names of everyone who helped, or of who was exactly climbing, but thank you. Please chime in. I hope to hook up with the BC boys again soon to hit the chutes, that is some awe inspiring stuff. What a bunch of incredible riders!
Missed Yammi fest again! lol
Last edited:
she was def no gimmie and I tried my best, oh well hopefully by Easter Revy will get some fresh and I can try again, I refuse to climb on hard snow just in case i dont make it haha. Kris bought Lairds sled and it has Lairds name is still on it so I can see where you would be confused haha. Cheers to a good ride, you missed much more carnage on Sat!
