Well, I may have missed the Vegas Shoot this weekend, but I think I may have done something more fun. Actually as much fun as I've had with my clothes on, a lot of clothes in a lot of layers. Huge thanks to my coworker Barb Dyer for inviting me to go snow machining (yes it's Alaska, they're snowmachines, not snowmobiles, don't ask just go with it) on the Chinkaloon Trail. First goal of the day met, not becoming a patient in my own trauma center. Second goal of the day was met, one more box checked on my list of things to do in Alaska.

I've never had so much fun being scared so shitless. We're talking Corvette levels of acceleration with no seat belts, no air bags and no crumple zones. Trying to modulate the throttle on a 2 stroke engine is a challenge, no low end torque and it's like a light switch - all or nothing. Give it a little gas - putt, give it a little more - putt putt, give it a little more - BAAAAHWAAAHFUUUUUUUUUUCK!

One doesn't sit on top of a snowmachine and simply steer where one wants to go. The back end has to be muscled around with lots of body english. It seems counterintuitive, when sliding towards a tree, don't stop, give it gas, steer it with the throttle and hope for the best. It seems counterintuitive if you hit the edge of the trail and start sinking, don't stop, give it gas, steer it with the throttle and hope for the best. It seems counterintuitive when having to make a tight turn, don't go slow, give it gas, plant the inside foot, steer it with the throttle spin the back end around and hope for the best.

There were a few hill climbs that were, "Interesting". I found it's a difficult balance to obtain placing body weight over the back end to maintain traction and not unweighting the front end and losing control of steering. There were a couple where I was spinning the rear track all the way up and I had Jeremy Clarkson's voice in my head, "MORE POWWWWWER!"

A few other realizations. When having to make the choice of raccoon eyes and the risk of frost bitten eyebrows from riding with an open visor or closing the visor and hitting a tree because I can't see through a fogged up visor, I'll take frost bitten eyebrows for $500 please Alex. When riding across a frozen river I realized, "Oh shit, if I fall through, I'm dead." When riding on a shelf trail and looking over the edge at the river down below I realized, "Oh shit, if I hit the soft snow on the edge and roll the machine, I'm dead."

So after 42 miles on a snowmachine for my first ride, my back hurts, my thighs are on fire, I reek of two stroke oil, my white ski parka is no longer white, I have a cramp in my right hand from all the throttle modulation and I just don't care, one of the funnest and most memorable days I've had.

My snowmachine after the first 10 minutes on the trail, yeah it's stuck.


My snowmachine after the second 10 minutes the trail and a lot of shoveling. I went from stuck to, "Oh shit!" Almost rolled it, I bailed and landed in waist deep snow. I'm still trying to figure out how I got snow in my butt crack while wearing so many layers.


Just some of the incredible scenery. It's a fine balance between looking at the scenery and watching the trail.


Me on the machine that Barb lent me.


Me trying to look studly with a head sock and a frozen mustache.


Barb dumped her machine into the creek on one of many crossings.


Networking, Alaska style.


Looking back on our way back out.

Am I drunk, or are the pictures upside down?

Glad you had fun and came back in one piece

Weird. They uploaded to Picturetrail upside down, I edited and rotated them and they're right side up when I pull up this thread.

Ton of fun, we rented a couple in N Idaho a couple years ago. Ran them hard & long.

I don't recall the make/model of the ones we had, but I think the one I had the most fun on was a Polaris of some form, it sat pretty low & was more like a jet-ski on snow.

We had a high-power model that sat a lot higher & had a lot of tendency to lean out when turning & was more like a motorcycle. Way faster, but a lot more work.

That looks amazing.

Alaska, China?

Did it a few years ago in upstate NY, lots of fun!!!

That does look like fun. Keep threatening to do that as an off day during a long ski trip.