3 riders on Ski-Doo 4-Tec 1200's embarked on a good ride with 13 days total to complete.
The 50 Year Anniversary Celebration and Grand Prix de Valcourt were the end goal.
Carrying approx 300lbs of extra gear and fuel each, we each packed our fair share of spare parts, tools and survival gear, plus our own personal items etc.
The trip planned out at approx 5000kms plus the black hole of TCT at Thunder Bay (approx 200kms) and other allowances, we planned for 5500kms in 11 days of solid travel and included a couple of buffer days for service/rest/other unknowns.
Some people here said we were crazy, we replied "We Know", some said we'd never do it, we replied: "We'll See".
We ran thru every variation of snow and trail condition imaginable, including a few Near-No-Go situations and on the flip-side some great snow and trails, and hospitality.
The sleds were flawless in performance and exceeded all of our expectations. With 3 extra gallons of gas, we could do well over 260kms per fill, power delivery was superb, suspensions easily linked up and firmed up some for the extra load, they carried us very comfortably thru all types of trail and terrain. Steering ski presure was spot on with accurate cornering bite, and not overbearing arm load; no darting, sliding, or quirks of any sort. Good Engine Braking was welcomed and well-used through the countless numbers of heavy slow-downs every day. Nearly 5000kms later, we arrived in Valcourt without changing so much as a spark plug or drive belt on any of the 3 sleds.
We used Provincial Club Maps supplemented with Garmin Nuvii 550 routing and detailed topo. We also thank our friends and long-distance riders Yves LeBlanc and Jean-Guy Charest for some very good detail advise in our planning! We also carried SPOT elt's and one sled was equipped with a Scorpio remote alarm system.
We rode hard, with all kms at or near the limits of safe riding, and had one rider clocking over 190km/h in good conditions with the full load on. If there was any alcohol, it was ONLY after the sleds were bedded down for the nite.
One suspension idler got whacked hard, loosened, was overlooked, and resulted in the need to change sliders, the other two finished on original hyfax, and all on original carbides. No other mechanical attention was required. They are all now due for their 5000k oil change & service.
3 tight weeks to plan, 10.5 days of solid sledding (= 475kms/day) across the Great Canadian Geography and Trans Canadian Trail (special thanks to the dedicated efforts of so many clubs that we didn't get to meet) , and then 3 days finale' of Festive BRP!Ski-Doo and Race events. An Incredible Adventure of a Lifetime for 3 solid and determined sledders from St. Paul, Ab.
The 50 Year Anniversary Celebration and Grand Prix de Valcourt were the end goal.
Carrying approx 300lbs of extra gear and fuel each, we each packed our fair share of spare parts, tools and survival gear, plus our own personal items etc.
The trip planned out at approx 5000kms plus the black hole of TCT at Thunder Bay (approx 200kms) and other allowances, we planned for 5500kms in 11 days of solid travel and included a couple of buffer days for service/rest/other unknowns.
Some people here said we were crazy, we replied "We Know", some said we'd never do it, we replied: "We'll See".
We ran thru every variation of snow and trail condition imaginable, including a few Near-No-Go situations and on the flip-side some great snow and trails, and hospitality.
The sleds were flawless in performance and exceeded all of our expectations. With 3 extra gallons of gas, we could do well over 260kms per fill, power delivery was superb, suspensions easily linked up and firmed up some for the extra load, they carried us very comfortably thru all types of trail and terrain. Steering ski presure was spot on with accurate cornering bite, and not overbearing arm load; no darting, sliding, or quirks of any sort. Good Engine Braking was welcomed and well-used through the countless numbers of heavy slow-downs every day. Nearly 5000kms later, we arrived in Valcourt without changing so much as a spark plug or drive belt on any of the 3 sleds.
We used Provincial Club Maps supplemented with Garmin Nuvii 550 routing and detailed topo. We also thank our friends and long-distance riders Yves LeBlanc and Jean-Guy Charest for some very good detail advise in our planning! We also carried SPOT elt's and one sled was equipped with a Scorpio remote alarm system.
We rode hard, with all kms at or near the limits of safe riding, and had one rider clocking over 190km/h in good conditions with the full load on. If there was any alcohol, it was ONLY after the sleds were bedded down for the nite.
One suspension idler got whacked hard, loosened, was overlooked, and resulted in the need to change sliders, the other two finished on original hyfax, and all on original carbides. No other mechanical attention was required. They are all now due for their 5000k oil change & service.
3 tight weeks to plan, 10.5 days of solid sledding (= 475kms/day) across the Great Canadian Geography and Trans Canadian Trail (special thanks to the dedicated efforts of so many clubs that we didn't get to meet) , and then 3 days finale' of Festive BRP!Ski-Doo and Race events. An Incredible Adventure of a Lifetime for 3 solid and determined sledders from St. Paul, Ab.
