From the Editors

The SnowTime Tourism Awards Are Back

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Where is the best trail riding destination in the snowbelt? Which trailside restaurant serves up the best grub? Which hotel or resort best serves the need of snowmobilers? Where is the best place to go powder riding?

These are important questions, indeed, and who better to answer them than the readers of Snow Goer magazine and the visitors to SnowGoer.com? With that in mind, Snow Goer is proudly bringing back the SnowTime Tourism Awards, sponsored by Hi Performance Engineering.

The SnowTime Awards date back to the early 1990s, when they were a staple in Snow Goer magazine. Then, the magazine used to mail out 2,000 ballots to a random cross-section of readers, who would name their favorites in a number of categories.

“We’re bringing the SnowTime Awards back to celebrate all that is great about snowmobiling,” said Snow Goer Editor John Prusak. “Snowmobiling is such a social sport – riders love to share their stories and talk about their favorite hotspots. Now, by utilizing our websites, more people can participate in the SnowTime Awards and truly select the best of the best. And, thanks to Hi Performance Engineering’s partnership, we even have a carrot to encourage voting.”

Randomly participants will be selected to win $25 gift certificates from Hi-Performance Engineering during each balloting period. Through the rest of January and February, categories for voting will appear each week to 10 days, with a new set of categories.

Starting today, readers and viewers can vote on the “Best Trail Riding Destination” and “Best Trailside Pitstop,” with a pitstop defined as a casual bar or restaurant with a friendly atmosphere and decent burgers, chicken fingers, pizzas or other inexpensive foods.

On January 23, the next round begins, with balloting in “Best Snowmobile Hotel or Resort” and “Best Powder Riding Destination.” Future categories include “Best Area For Nightlife,” “Your Dream Snowmobiling Destination,” “Best Trailside Restaurant (serves high-quality food)” and several more.

Click HERE to vote now, and keep checking back and voting in future categories. You’ll have your voice here in picking the sport’s best of the best, and you’ll have a new chance to win for each category in which you participate.

Fresh Powder At Lake Gogebic

Better late than never? Well sure – any snowmobile ride is a great day spent outside, even if it happens a solid month after I had originally hoped to be riding.

.    On New Year’s Day, instead of sitting at our respective homes watching football , digesting food and grumbling about the mild weather close to Minneapolis, Associate Editor Tom Kaiser and I loaded up sleds, jumped in the truck and pointed it toward Michigan’s U.P. with two brand-spanking-new snowmobiles in the trailer. We experienced some of the worst winter driving conditions I’ve experienced in several years (including one extended stretch of white-out, near zero visibility, where we could feel rumble strips beneath the tires, but couldn’t tell if we were in the center or at either edge of the road). By the time we got to the homey cabin we rented on the western shores of Lake Gogebic, we were each both wired and tir

We were living the dream on the south side of Lake Gogebic.

ed at the same time. Overnight, the wind continued to whip and snow continued to fall – I don’t know if the poorly insulated cabin ever got above 55 degrees.

.     Monday morning we were greeted by still powerful winds and what most folks would consider miserable weather. There was a lot of fresh snow, however, so there was no holding back.

.     We pulled our 2012 Polaris 600 Rush and Yamaha RS Vector out of the trailer and hit the trails, dropping south on weaving Trail 1, then transitioning on East 100 before catching one of my favorite trails on earth – No. 13 on the east side of Gogebic, and working our way north.

.     This was true “riding in a postcard” conditions. The trails were neon white with all of the fresh snow (maybe 8 new inches?) and every single branch and every tree held some of the powder as well. It seemed like life couldn’t get any better by the time we worked our way up to the north side of the lake for a late breakfast in Bergland with about 45 miles under our drive belts.

.     Soon we were proven wrong, however. Kaiser had never been to the Lake Of The Clouds lookout in the Porcupines, so I said, “Follow me, I know the way.” We quickly cleared the greater Bergland area and hooked up with Trail 102 for some of the best Upper Midwestern trail riding I’d done in awhile. The tracks indicated that just two sleds had beaten us to the fresh powder on this trail, which I’d say easily topped 10 inches. With attacked it with spirit, but rarely needed to use the brake. You see, the riders before us appeared to cut to the inside of every corner (which is scary – I’m glad we didn’t meet them!), but it left a lot of powder still on the trail on the outside of left turns. Letting the sled drift out there, snow literally came over the hood in many turns and notably slowed the sleds – it was a blast.

.     The groomer beat us to the high-speed, super-wide Trail 11, and we made fast time north. Snow started getting more thin as we got close to Lake Superior, however.

Lake Superior on a blustery winter day

.     When the famed lake the Native Americans called Kitchi-Gummi came into focus, it was thrilling. Huge white-capped waves rose, fell and crashed on the shoreline while near hurricane-force winds tugged at our jackets. We took it in for a few minutes, then took the climb up to the always-spectacular Lake Of The Clouds overlook. With snow falling and low clouds, we couldn’t see as far as usual, but the big rocky cliffs were still beautiful, as were

t

he lake and river far below.

.     After fueling up in White Pine, we headed back toward  Gogebic. Back at the truck by mid afternoon, it was time to load up and head for home. In all, we burned 133 miles on each of the sleds, about 600 miles on the

tow vehicle and made it home 28 hours after we left. To non-enthusiasts, that may seem like a lot of hours in the truck for one day of riding, but it was worth every mile.

Even on a cloudy day, Lake Of The Clouds doesn't disappoint.

.     If you haven’t gotten out riding yet this year, take a serious look at a map and find the nearest snow – you’ll be happy you did.

Would You Rent Out Your Snowmobile?

Would you rent your sled to a complete stranger if it would help cover some of the costs of owning a snowmobile? I asked myself this question after I received an e-mail today from a company that enables owners to rent their powersports vehicles to “qualified, insured parties.” Read the rest of Would You Rent Out Your Snowmobile? »