Snowmobiling Part 2

Snowmobile trails stretch for miles across flat land, around and up mountains, even across major highways. Sometimes they’re a wide open field, and sometimes just narrow enough to squeeze a sled through. The most beautiful trails are encased in crystallized snow, canopied by branches that cuddle each other in a snowy embrace, sometimes huddled so close to the ground snowmobilers have to stoop down to pass through these frosty tunnels. 

We usually embark on our sledding journey around 10 AM and sometimes don’t return until 7 PM! We stop for lunch, and fuel, and I always squeeze in as much shopping as I can fit into the little trunk of my Ski-doo. Sometimes we stop miles and miles into a mountain trail where it is several degrees below zero, for a rest or to take in the incredible sights. Last year, we stopped right in the middle of a trail to let an enormous Moose cross from one side of the frosty forest to the other, through about 4 feet of snow. On a smooth trail, the ride can become hypnotic. Peering out through the angled rectangle of a helmet windshield, keeping a keen eye on navigating the trail and watching the white forest fly by in peripheral vision is a little like being on a roller coaster, without the nauseating corkscrew inversions. My mind invariably wanders to the possible and potential injuries that could be sustained from a crash, frostbite, or becoming entrapped in the snow, or under a snowmobile. Of course I don’t carry any medical supplies with me so I catalog what little resources I have, and how I could put them to use for treatment, rescue, or extrication. Pretty morbid and lame way to spend a day vacationing, huh?! I guess it’s the Paramedic in me, always crouched and alert, expecting the unexpected. :)

Last year, I had to depend on the extrication and rescue abilities of my fellow riders when I crashed insanely, was ejected off my sled, and entrapped underneath a fallen tree with the added 500lbs. of my snowmobile on top of me. I was coming around a hairpin curve, not going very fast but an oncoming rider was flying and losing control of his machine. To avoid a head on collision, I swerved and intended to plant myself in a shallow ditch on the side of the trail. The force of my grip on the handlebars caused me to depress the thumb throttle wide open, and the sled rocketed into the air like a bullet, tossing both my daughter and I into the chill air. She landed in a fluffy pile of snow, buffered by many hefty layers of winter gear, unharmed. I slid on my back for several feet, finally wedging my body under the thick trunk of a fallen tree, and the airborne snowmobile landed on top of the tree and I. While I was gliding ungracefully over the snow, the ski mask under my helmet shifted to cover my eyes and mouth, rendering me blind and suffocating me. The weight of the snowmobile over the tree trunk across my torso compressed my chest enough that I could barely take in a breath anyway. Believe it or not, I wasn’t hurt at all but I couldn’t move or see, and I could hear my daughter screaming and my father calling my name. Probably the scariest part of the whole thing was not knowing if my daughter was screaming out of fear, or if she was hurt. In a matter of seconds I felt some of the pressure on my chest relieved, then hands grasp my pant legs and drag me out from under my wooden captor. When my vision and vertical alignment with the earth was restored, I could see that my daughter was uninjured but terrified, and I had busted the windshield, mirror, and hood of my snowmobile, and bent the ski. 

Our 2 youngest riders, Frankie and Logan

My dear, sweet little snowmobile forgave me for bashing her up a bit, and my beautiful, plucky daughter didn’t lose all faith in my maneuvering abilities, though she was quite nervous for awhile. She persevered, as did my sled and I, and we have seen many trails since my unfortunate Evil Kanevil stunt! Because of that, and one other crash I have done a fair amount of research and technique-gathering on how to handle a snowmobile. Most of it is from my own girlish observations on how to maneuver my sled around, with consideration toward the fact I always have a rider. Tune in next week, for what is now becoming my 3 part Snowmobile Blog to read about my advice on operating a 2 up (two-man) sled! Happy (snowmobile) Trails! :)