From the Dogs to the (Snowmobile) Sled

(This is one of several posts about my non-snowboarding activities while at the NASJA national convention in Lutsen, Minnesota, held in 2009.)

In the afternoon after my morning on a dog sled, I took a more modern form of transportation, the snowmobile.

It wasn’t my first time on a snowmobile, but it was my first time in decades. I had wondered if things had changed a lot since then. They had, and they hadn’t.

Six convention-goers, arriving in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere, were greeted by representatives of various snowmobile companies, who had arranged for us to sample rides from the major manufacturers, two of which have their main facilities in the state.

The reps also had boxes of riding gear on hand, in particular, gloves and helmets. My gloves were thick enough for the temperature. But I wondered if I needed some sort of special snowmobiling gloves to dampen the vibration. (I’m used to wearing special gloves when riding what are popularly known as “jet skis.” They help dampen the vibration that my hands feel from holding onto the throttle.)

The rep said no, my regular gloves were just fine. But he did look through a pile of cardboard boxes to find a suitable helmet. I asked for the largest size available, but it ended up being not quite big enough. During our ride, the helmet pressed on my forehead so strongly as to leave an indentation that lasted for a couple days. I didn’t feel any pain, except when we came to a stop, at which point I squeezed on both sides of the helmet to try to relieve the pressure. (Taking off the helmet entirely was out of the question; it had taken quite a bit of work to get it over my head.)

This being 21st-century America, one of the first orders of business was to sign several liability waivers. I don’t know the number of people who die or are injured on snowmobiles each year, but mishaps (many self-inflicted due to excessive speed or consumption of alcohol) do occur.

Once everyone was equipped, we got a briefing on proper use of hand signals, the features of the various sleds, and other topics. I was impressed that the machines have brakes (I’m so used to driving personal watercraft, which don’t). Some have built-in hand and seat warmers, the better to provide a comfortable riding experience–and presumably, encourage repeat sales.

I rode a Polaris, and held the third position in our convoy. My goal, simply, was to keep up with the sled in front of me and not slow everyone down. The ride was a bit rough. The snow was hard, which caused some side-to-side chatter (yaw) during my ride.