When did you start sledding in the mountains?

[scrfce]

these pics are sweet, those guys are pushing it-drops, jumps, climbs on those​ machines, mustve been a blast. The one highmarkin pic with the three guys stuck is the best, all three up the same track trying to push over the top. Thats when poaching tracks was necessary not frowned upon

 

[takethebounce]

Great pics! I envy those who grew up in or near the mountains. Being from the far coast our sledding wasn't anything near what you all had here. Once I moved away from the ocean's (lived on both coast's) I knew where I wanted to end up down the road. I think so many people take for granted what they have in their backyards somedays.

thanks

 

[goodngrubby]

Thanks for this thread and pics. Back then there was no retardnet to argue who's sled was better everybody was just out for some fun. My first mountain trip was in 92, some of my older friends took me to Revy. We were all on short track late 80s Phazers except one guy had a 90 Mach 1 short track. We made it all the way back to Turbo and to the far end of the ridge at Frisbee on .7" tracks. Then we hit the strippers in Revy....ah.... the good old days. Keep the pics coming they're awesome!!!!!

I might have been on that trip. '92 was the breakout year for all of us....I had a shiny new Formula Plus-X with a 121" band-aid track, couldn't do much highmarking, but made 6 or 7 trips to the hills that first year.

 

[justpinit]

these pics are sweet, those guys are pushing it-drops, jumps, climbs on those​ machines, mustve been a blast. The one highmarkin pic with the three guys stuck is the best, all three up the same track trying to push over the top. Thats when poaching tracks was necessary not frowned upon

That stuck pic is awesome!! Sometimes, with those old sleds, that's what you did ALL DAY just to get to the 1st cabin or above the treeline! First time in the mountains with my parents was approx. 3 yrs old (1971) on Mom's sled sitting in front of her & hangin' on to the gas cap. First time on my own sled was in 1975 on a new Elan 250 twin that my sister and I got for christmas.

Now I am doing the same thing with my wife and kids.....all of them are hooked....big time!! Youngest daughter (8yrs.) is now graduating from a 120 to full size sled.

 

[jpgmtech]

LOL, that stuck pic is one of my favourites too, makes me laugh every time! We call that a stuckfest, LOL. Crazy thing is that there are WAAAYYY more pictures than what I have posted so far (scanned 480 shots, hundreds to go by the looks of it), and I think I've pretty much dominated this thread. Would like to hear more of the old stories and see a few more pics from others.

We learned to ride at a young age, on a 340 Nuvik. Although we've lived in Alberta for the last 35+ years, we have regularly made the 5ish hour trip to the mountains, sledding Valemount, McBride, Golden, Revelstoke, Salmon Arm and a whole bunch of other places too.

 

[neilsleder]

1979 Moto-Ski Super Sonic 340 LC. This was the brother to the Blizzard 6500? if I remember right. Same as the Ski-Doo but with a Moto-Ski name/color. Kinda like GM/Chevrolet trucks. The last of that group of three Super-Sonics was still kicking around in someone's shed about 5 years ago, but I have lost track. The last time I actually saw it run in the mountains it had a 521 Rotax, 124x16.5" track and 2" paddles. Outclimbed everything else we had at the time, that was probably 20 years ago now. They did tons of mods to those things to make them reliable and work.

Super sonic was the same as a 7500 blizzard. We had one as a kid and it was crazy fast. I got a 9500 plus for sale now if anybody interested. All your pictures make me smile thanks for sharing! Bye far the best ones I seen on here!!!!

 

[fatguy1]

Hey JP! do you have any pictures of "the boys" doing overhauls on any of those old girls in the hotel rooms at the Sarak??? I've heard the legends and I'm sure you have pictures to prove it.:d:d:d

 

[jpgmtech]

Hey JP! do you have any pictures of "the boys" doing overhauls on any of those old girls in the hotel rooms at the Sarak??? I've heard the legends and I'm sure you have pictures to prove it.:d:d:d

ROFL!!! Dude I've done it myself! We were carrying new pistons with us all the way into the 670 Rotax days, LOL!

"the boys" had a 1/2" drill, some injection oil, and a honing fixture. I remember doing the honing in the hotel bathroom's sink, and that's to say nothing of the earlier stories. Chris there must have really liked us, lol.

 

[Scotty]

I was 15 when We used to ride Radium BC, Forster Creek a few times a year. For the next 10 years or so that was our favourite place! Heres a few shots from the 80's and one from the 90's... good old times. first pic me stuffed '82, second one me possing with the Mullet, third '96 with the plastic paddles!!, fourth pic me jumping my dads new 81 el'tigre... they landed hard?!, fifth pic staging area at forster creek, about '85.

 

[jpgmtech]

Okay, at it again here. Just one shot this time, an early example of an "avalanche safety course"... No riders died in these "cheap lessons."

 

[kenvb]

we lived in Clearwater BC in 1980...had a 1976 Ski-Doo 245 RV and a Moto Ski 440 supersonic that we used to oval race, these had race pipes, no mufflers at all... my wife and I rode those up the mountain near Clearwater..they were no good in deep snow.but we had fun anyway.,.,never took any pics ...regret that.

 

[fatguy1]

ROFL!!! Dude I've done it myself! We were carrying new pistons with us all the way into the 670 Rotax days, LOL!

"the boys" had a 1/2" drill, some injection oil, and a honing fixture. I remember doing the honing in the hotel bathroom's sink, and that's to say nothing of the earlier stories. Chris there must have really liked us, lol.

That's the story I've heard from more than one source (I love it, one of the best all time), funny there isn't a sink in that room anymore.....

I've helped pull a skid out of a sled and then changed sliders in the bathtub there before, but no engine work.

Thanks for sharing the great pictures and stories

 

[justpinit]

That's the story I've heard from more than one source (I love it, one of the best all time), funny there isn't a sink in that room anymore.....

I've helped pull a skid out of a sled and then changed sliders in the bathtub there before, but no engine work.

Thanks for sharing the great pictures and stories

Ha! You guys are great! I have similar motocross stories! Was actually easier.....you could roll the whole bike into the room when the owner wasn't looking

 

[d mills]

my first ride in the hills was 94. i was riding a 83 excel 340. atlas. climbed a hill. was determined to get up around a rock which turned out to be a xlt hood. wind blown snow is amazing....

 

[KatMan]

Groovy picts dudes

 

[jpgmtech]

Added all the photos to an album in my profile. Further pics will be posted there. Leaving thread open for more stories and photos!

<edit> added commentary to the pics in the album

 

[pistonbroke800]

Sometime in '02. I was a flatlander as a teen, not by choice

 

[jpgmtech]

Finally finished the pictures from about 1977-1980, all 257 of them! So I tried to upload all these photos to my album here on S&M, kindof overloaded the system somehow. So I have uploaded them to a private link on a web album.

Here is the link:

There is much more action: highmarking, stuckfests, avalanche's, lake racing, jumping, technical riding, beautiful scenery, and some showroom-fresh vintage iron.

I am at 610 pictures scanned, still have tons to go. The ones in the album are from 1980 and older, and are all the usable pictures I have from that time. Please ask for permission if you want to copy or use any of these photos. Enjoy!

 

[DonKiddic]

I love the vintage album.. Especially the panoramic shots!.. Sledding sure has come a long way.

 

[brian h]

we were talking about this last weekend while we were in valemount,winter of 87/88,riding a 86 formula plus was my first trip,other sleds were phazers,the next trip was citations,phazers,mxz,srv etc