20 years of mountain riding

[RGM]

Wait a sec, gotta do some math here. Winter of '68.....brand new '69 MotoSki Zephyr.....hmmmm, this will be my 51st year riding the mountains of BC. Back in '68 we followed BC Tel's snocat to the top of a couple of local mountains. Would never have gotten there otherwise. They serviced their microwave sites 3 times a week back in those days. Amazing how things have changed.

About the same for me. my Dad had an Evinrude I think it was 25HP, got stuck in about 6" of fresh on the flats LOL.

 

[NoBrakes!]

definitely don't have the years some of you do...

Sno Scoot 80
Ovation 340
Exciter 570
06 renegade 800
08 Summit X 800 154
14 Summit X 800 163
19 FreeRide 850 165

 

[gibsons]

won't list the older beaters
93 Cat EXT 550
93 XLT
95 XLT
00 powder special
07 M7
08 M8
10 M8 turbo
10 M8 turbo
13 summit
13 summit
15 T3 174"
17 sidewinder

 

[FastFarmer]

I still remember the Johnson with the push in cigarette lighter...

 

[kanedog]

76 John Deere 340 liquifier
91 phazer
92 Arctic Cat Wildcat
95 thundercat,
96 thundercat, hooper 1050
97 Polaris 700
99 Polaris Xc700, psi 925
2000 Xc psi 995
2004 Kingcat
2005 Doo Rev
2013 Cmx turbo
2016 Doo 174’
2019 Alpha Cat
2001 Snowhawk
I’m old.

 

[TROLLCAT]

1967 olympic dads
1969 tnt dads
1972 kitty cat - me first ride
a whole pile of trade in sleds (dad was a cat dealer in GP) I was test pilot
1972 panther
1978ish lynx II
1980ish 9500+ blizzard
1990 prowler
1998 powder special
2000 ZL
2001 powder special 720 D&D
2007 M8
2009 bearcat
1973 Z cat nitrous mod 500' dragster
2014 proclimb

first ride in mountains was 1987 .......... holy

been a couple of years, shoulder is healing up need to get back in the saddle

 

[SHREK1]

This year is 20 for me, not a long list of machines, a little more sentimental i guess. Hoping for a few more. Still ride with lots of the same group and tell alot of the same stories, good memories for sure. First machine was a 2000 summit 136, came off a 500 fan. On a freeride now

 

[The Kickass One]

2000 700-151” Doo
2002 800-151” Doo
2003 600 ZX Doo
2004 800-144” Doo
2005 800-151” Doo
2006 800X-151” Doo
2006 600-144”Doo times 2
2007 800 XRS-151” Doo Times 4
2007 M1000 Turbo 162”
2008 800-151” Doo
2009 800-151”Doo
2014 800-154” Doo
2014 800-154” Turbo Doo
2014 800-162” Turbo Doo
2014 800-162” Doo
2016 800-154” Doo
2017 850-154” Doo
2018 850-154 Freeride
2019 850-165 Doo

Been a good run... hope to get another 20 years in!!

 

[Bnorth]

76 John Deere 340 liquifier
91 phazer
92 Arctic Cat Wildcat
95 thundercat,
96 thundercat, hooper 1050
97 Polaris 700
99 Polaris Xc700, psi 925
2000 Xc psi 995
2004 Kingcat
2005 Doo Rev
2013 Cmx turbo
2016 Doo 174’
2019 Alpha Cat
2001 Snowhawk
I’m old.

Is there a chance you sold that BB T-Cat to a buddy of mine at the coast?

 

[kanedog]

Is there a chance you sold that BB T-Cat to a buddy of mine at the coast?

It went to a buddy in Saskatchewan.

 

[Bnorth]

It went to a buddy in Saskatchewan.

That's good cause otherwise it got ran over by a runaway grader a few years ago

 

[kanedog]

That's good cause otherwise it got ran over by a runaway grader a few years ago

Arctic Cat Thunderflat.

 

[Quicksand]

That's good cause otherwise it got ran over by a runaway grader a few years ago

where's the pics?

 

[Dutchman]

Dam these thrds bring back memories...I must be old, since I was mountain riding back in the 80's. Not planning to quit anytime soon. I do get a laugh out of the young bucks that started on 2000+ machine. If you ever get a chance to jump on a leaf spring sled, no suspension, a 36" track with 1/2 lugs, give it a try.

Anyways, I bought my first own new machine back in 81. Purchased 2 TXC-340's still in the crate. Took them home to assemble. Ooh and they came with matching one piece Polaris suit and helmet. That was my starting point and have never looked back. At that time we cut tunnels, turned tracks around, tried anything to make them go better in the deeper stuff.

My sled history looks like this;
1980 TXC 340 (new)
1989 Indy 400
1991 Indy 500 SKS
1998 Yamaha MM600 (new)
1998 RMK 700
2003 RMK 700
2013 Pro RMK600 (new)
2015 Pro RMK800 (new)
Here are a few pics, mostly in the Kakwa area. No action pics but that was probably too difficult at the time. Spent quite a few nights either in old cabins or a wall tent. Hah, now it's a hotel with a cumfy bed and a hottub.

 

[Machomachoman]

I still remember the Johnson with the push in cigarette lighter...

was the golden ghost.

ive still got the evinrude equivalent, "the quite flight". anything but quiet, and their claim to fame was "the heaviest production sled of 1973, tipping the scales at 567 lbs"

the cigarette lighter is awfully handy.

 

[SUMMIT TREE]

I started on a john deere 340 trailfire, then moved on to a 500 AC cougar Fan with bolt on plastic paddles, i have yet to see a roost as awesome as that thing lol. Then was outta the scene for awhile, and come back, on a 2012 summit 154, then a 2014 163 xm, then 872’d it, now a 2017 King cat. The one thing that amazes me is looking at old pics and thinking wow how did that old junk get anywhere, then realizing someday this current stuff will look like “old junk”. I remember drooling over my cousins brand new powder special 136 2” 600 when it first came home , now that same sled is an “ old beater”. Lol.

 

[cdnredneck_t3]

I'd have to get Mom look back in her notes to see the first time Dad took us to the mountains but I'm thinning it was 98-99 or 99-00. Lots has changed that's for sure. I remember being 16 or 17 and having a hard time going up the stairs in the hotel after riding mougels on all of the trails for the day on my 96 Powder Extreme. I'm happy to spend the money on a membership now. I remember parking at the yellow gates on Corbin Rd and there being only 2 or 3 other trucks. Now yellow gates, tin shack, Corbin, coal creek and Morrissey are each packed on the weekends.

Sleds were:
96 Arctic Cat Powder Extreme 600 triple 136
04 Rev 800 154
09 XP 800 154
13 Pro RMK 800 163
17 Pro RMK 800 163x3 SLP pipe and can, Clutch kit
20 RMK Khaos 162x3 Powerclaw, Ice Age Khaos rails, Avid 7T-3P, Anti Stab, Kurt's Geardown, Altitude Powers ports Clutch Kit, Titatinum Can.

 

[Dazzler]

I grew up in the foothills NW of Calgary, we had miles and miles of country to ride around so really didn't have any desire to go to the mountains, as well I had a couple brothers in the race circuit so spent a lot of time at the races.. So for the first 28 years of my sledding career I didn't know what I was missing.. My first trip to the mountains was to Cherryville in 1999 and I have not looked back, so 20 years mountain riding this year...
My list of sleds is rather long I'm afraid!!

It all started when my dad bought a brand new 1971 Skiroule RT 500, that POS had as many miles on it behind one of the work horses pulling it home as it had under its own power.

1971 Skiroule 500 (dad bought) junk
1973 Polaris 530 custom 11 (dad bought to give work horses a rest from pulling skiroule home) awesome machine..
1972 skiroule 250..used (my first sled, traded my calf for it, should have kept the calf!!!)
1977 Polaris 340 wide track..new
1978 Polaris 440 wide track..used
1980 JD 440 liquifire...used..fast sled
1985 500 Indy trail...used..eldest son destroyed
199? XLT 600...used..eldest son destroyed
1996 thunder cat 1000 (Tank but fast)
1999 RMK 700...used..(first mountain sled, and **** went sideways from here)
2003 RMK 800...159 Vertical mistake...new SC
2003 RMK 800...159 Vertical mistake...used (for eldest son)
2003 RMK 800...159 Vertical mistake...used (for youngest son)
2003 RMK 800...144...new holdover.. (for daughter)
2007 RMK 700..151..new
2008 Dragon 800...new (awesome sled)
2009 Dragon 800...163..new (not so awesome)
2009 Dragon 800...155..new (even less awesome)
2011 Assualt 800 turbo...new SC (one of most favourite sleds)
2013 RMK 800 163 turbo...new SC (still have)
2015 RMK 800 163 turbo...used
2018 Axy 163 turbo...new SC (still have)
2019 Axy 850 163...new SC (still have)
2019 evo...new (still have)
2020 Khaos 850...still in box
I also have a line up of 340 yami's and Polaris 120's for the 7 grandkids ��

 

[Luke The Drifter]

Going on year 15 in the mountains, started out in the prairies like most here and then got the mountain bug. Its amazing how far the sleds, gear and industry have come since I first started riding in BC.

1972 Arctic Cat Pantera? 340, my old man bought for me and I learned to value suspension and fuel injection haha
1993 Arctic Cat 550 EXT Mountain Cat EFI, 136" track with neon pink bolt on paddles
1995 Arctic Cat 580 EXT Powder Special, 136x1.5" track
2001 Arctic Cat Mountain Cat 600EFI (dad's sled)
2002 Arctic Cat ZR440 Sno Pro (took this heap to Valemount for my first trip in the hills, learned real hard and fast that short, narrow track sleds aren't meant for mountains, when it ran right, it was a blast on the flatlands though)
2004 Arctic Cat 1M 600EFI (dad's sled)
2006 Arctic Cat M7 EFI 153
2010 Arctic Cat M8 EFI 153
2015 Ski-Doo Summit T3

 

[LUCKY 7]

you can still find snow around here if you hit it right.

I'd have to get Mom look back in her notes to see the first time Dad took us to the mountains but I'm thinning it was 98-99 or 99-00. Lots has changed that's for sure. I remember being 16 or 17 and having a hard time going up the stairs in the hotel after riding mougels on all of the trails for the day on my 96 Powder Extreme. I'm happy to spend the money on a membership now. I remember parking at the yellow gates on Corbin Rd and there being only 2 or 3 other trucks. Now yellow gates, tin shack, Corbin, coal creek and Morrissey are each packed on the weekends.

Sleds were:
96 Arctic Cat Powder Extreme 600 triple 136
04 Rev 800 154
09 XP 800 154
13 Pro RMK 800 163
17 Pro RMK 800 163x3 SLP pipe and can, Clutch kit
20 RMK Khaos 162x3 Powerclaw, Ice Age Khaos rails, Avid 7T-3P, Anti Stab, Kurt's Geardown, Altitude Powers ports Clutch Kit, Titatinum Can.