Get ready for Polaris UpsideDowntown! Professional snowmobile racer, Levi LaVallee will be doing a insane backflip over Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 3 at 1:30PM at Super Bowl LIVE!
LaVallee holds the current world record for a long distance snowmobile jump and is a seven time gold medalist at the ESPN Winter X Games.
The United States and Canada share a continent and many common interests. Not least is a passion for snowmobiling.
When it comes to trail riding, many of the most popular areas are within a snowball’s throw on either side of our shared international border. That makes them easily accessible to any American or Canadian snowmobilers in search of cross border sledding adventures.
For Ontario riders, prime stateside choices from east to west include New York’s Tug Hill or Old Forge, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Northern Minnesota. U.S. snowmobilers coming to corresponding areas of Ontario can be on the snow in Eastern Ontario, The Grey Bruce, Algoma Country or Northwestern Ontario in no time.
AmericanS choose Ontario snowmobiling for many good reasons. This English-speaking province has a world class trail system operated by the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC).
There’s generally way less traffic on its almost 19,000 miles of trails. Signage, mapping and services are plentiful. U.S. riders can save about 25% on everything thanks to the high value of their dollar and if you visit Ontario on the Try Our Trails weekend of February 3 & 4, you can pre-register online for a no-cost, two-day permit (and to extend your stay, supplement it with an inexpensive two-day permit).
Getting back and forth either way by road across the international border at designated checkpoints is straightforward if you’re properly prepared. For identification, adults need a passport and kids need birth certificates. You’ll also need your driver’s license, plus registration and proof of insurance for your tow vehicle and trailer.
Sled owners need registration and proof of insurance including third party liability coverage. It’s also good to have a specific destination (maybe even an advance reservation) and know how long you intend to stay.
That being said, here are four popular Ontario snowmobiling destinations that are handy for American riders trailering into Canada…
EASTERN ONTARIO
Ideal destination for riders from Eastern New York & Pennsylvania
Now known in sledding circles as the Upper Canada Snowmobile Region, this area is located across the St. Lawrence River from Upper New York State. It offers almost 2,500 miles of excellent trails that wind through farm country, woodlands and rural villages.
Recommended Border Crossing From Eastern New York: Alexandria Bay, NY (Thousand Islands Bridge)
Distance From Border to Nearest Trail: Under 5 miles.
Where To Ride: Do your own self-guided ride or follow the signs for one of the region’s three OFSC-promoted Snow Tours – the French Connection Loop (186 mi), the Upper Canada Circuit (162 mi) or the Rideau St. Lawrence Run (150 mi). You can add distance to each of these established circle tours by exploring some of the many side trails or mini-loops along the way.
Get Info: Upper Canada Snowmobile Region – district1ofsc.ca
MIDWESTERN ONTARIO
Ideal destination for riders from Western New York, Eastern Ohio & Michigan
Positioned on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, Midwestern Ontario is blessed with abundant lake effect snow and criss-crossed with over 1,800 miles of groomed trails through rolling farmland, backwoods bush and welcoming villages. This snowbelt area is home to the popular Grey Bruce Region, including the famous Bruce Peninsula.
Recommended Border Crossing From Southern Michigan: Port Huron, MI
Distance From Border to Nearest Trail: 75 miles
Recommended Border Crossing From Western New York: Lewiston, NY (Lewiston-Queenston Bridge)
Distance From Border to Nearest Trail: 92 miles.
Where To Ride: Navigation is easy on this region’s six OFSC-promoted Snow Tours – Aprés Harvest Tour (134 mi), Bruce Peninsula Tour (120 mi), Huron Gateway Tour (110 mi), Queens Bush Tour (115 mi), Saugeen River Tour (163 mi), and Walters Falls Tour (88 mi). These self-guided tours are adjacent to one another, so you can ride them individually or in whatever combination fits your available time and distance.
Get Info: Midwestern Ontario – ofscdistrict9.ca; Grey Bruce Region – snowmobilegreybruce.com
ALGOMA COUNTRY
Ideal destination for riders from Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois
With 2,000 miles of groomed trails sweeping through the rugged terrain and ancient growth forests of the Canadian Shield, Algoma Country stretches from the north shore of Lake Huron into the northern wilderness. Built on many old logging & mining roads and utility corridors, Algoma’s snowmobile trails are perfect for big milers in search of two to five-day epic rides.
Recommended Border Crossing From Northern Michigan: Sault Ste Marie, MI
Distance From Border to Nearest Trail: Under 6 miles
Where To Ride: Weekenders need look no father than the OFSC-Promoted North Shore Loop (277 mi + 93 mi when staging out of Sault Ste Marie). For a longer ride, head north to Chapleau, Dubreuilville & Wawa (home of Top Secret Boondocking).
Get Info: Algoma Sno-Plan Affiliation – algomatrails.com; Algoma Country – algomacountry.com/sledalgoma
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
Ideal destination for riders from Minnesota & Wisconsin
Everything about Ontario’s Northwest is larger than life. It’s a pristine wilderness of boreal forests and scenic lakelands where snowmobiling is what winter’s all about. With TOP trails connecting every community and services aplenty, this is the place for riders looking to experience a new kind of sledding adventure.
Recommended Border Crossings By Trailer: Baudette or International Falls, MN
Distance From Border to Nearest Trail: Under 5 miles.
Where To Ride: This destination’s premier ride is the OFSC-Promoted Snow Tour known as the NWOSTA Wilderness Loop (563 mi), which takes in 13 of the region’s most snowmobile-friendly towns. Visitors should also check out the White Otter Loop (126 mi) north of Atikokan.
Get Info: Northwestern Ontario Snowmobile Trails Association – nwosta.ca
OTHER RESOURCES:
* Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs: ofsc.on.ca
* Border Info – ezbordercrossing.com
* Ontario Tourism – ontariotravel.net
Widely known as The Intrepid Snowmobiler, Craig Nicholson is a powersports journalist and blogger specializing in snowmobile tours and riding tips.
Luke is here to unbox and review the new series of FXR’s Elevation LITE PRO Dual Zone BOA Boot.
Although I don’t think there are any bad sled choices this season, there are certainly a few I’m more excited about than the rest. Here’s another I’m really looking forward to riding this season:
Ski-Doo’s 2018 Renegade X-RS with the 850 E-TEC engine is a hot rod, so obviously it’s going to be exciting.
I’m excited about this sled for more reasons than just its macho, cool-guy essence though. The X-RS features the highest end shock package in Ski-Doo’s lineup and given our criticism of the non-adjustable shock packages on the front of other high end Ski-Doo models I’m most excited to get the opportunity to see what the G4 front end is truly capable of when its properly suspended.
Our biggest complaint about the G4 chassis since it hit the snow has been that the front end can get overworked quickly when the bumps get big and the speeds climb.
With no ability to adjust the front shocks, this has been something we’ve just had to live with.
Now though, with all the adjustments the high-end KYB piggybacks on the front of the X-RS have, we’ll be able to tune this baby right up and see if the complaints we’ve had so far are shock or chassis-based and if the front end can be set up to ride as incredibly as the rear end.
AJ Lester presents another Behind The Scenes video as he discusses the 2018 Polaris 800 Titan Adventure 155.
I say this a lot and I mean it ever time I say it: These days, there really aren’t any “bad” choices when it comes to new snowmobiles.
All the fresh new 2018 sleds really are great when used in their intended way and I think this is where many people get it wrong and end up with a bad impression of a snowmobile.
They use a sled out of context. Sure, you CAN do all kinds of things with all different sleds. But they’re going to work best for the purpose they were designed and intended.
So, no, I don’t think there are any “bad” sled choices this season. But there certainly are a few I’m more excited about than the rest. So, in no particular order, we’re going to post the sleds I’m most excited about riding this season.
Obviously, everyone is excited about Arctic Cat’s ZR 8000 with the new C-TEC2 800 DSI engine. It’s what we’ve been waiting for and initial impressions are it’s better than expected.
However, initial impressions are just that and before anyone can make any sweeping claims about how a sled performs, they need to spend a good amount of time riding it and as far as jobs go, that one’s not too shabby.
While the 2018 ZR 8000 is most exciting because of its new engine, there are a few other things about this sled I’m excited about testing.
This sled has all new bodywork and it’s pretty sexy, if I do say so myself. Better wind protection, better design of the key panels in front of your knees, better fasteners, better oil tank access.
Sure, this stuff doesn’t sound nearly as exciting as that sweet new mill, but these are the things you have to live with after the excitement of the new engine wears off and I’m betting those features are going to vastly improve this sled over last season’s model.
We recruit one of our enthusiastic youth test riders to get their honest impressions on the 2018 Yamaha SnoScoot.
I just finished riding 160 km (100 miles) on the coldest day in years. I decided I wouldn’t let cold weather, something we need, deter me from enjoying my favorite sport.
Luke was going to ride with me but ended up taking his kids swimming and promised to ride with me the next day when it warms up to minus 9 Celcius.
AJ was on a getaway with his wife and therefore had an excuse. Vern was in Minneapolis at the ISOC Canterbury race and I think he would have ridden with me. He’s into challenges.
However, it was pretty obvious a lot of riders in Central Ontario decided to stay indoors on January 6th 2018 even though the sun was bright, trails had been improving every day and the snow base was solid.
Yet, I probably met less than 20 sleds on a ride that would normally see a Saturday number of 200 to 300 sleds on the trails.
So here’s my point: We are northern people. I mean you and I, the people who ride snowmobiles in the US and Canadian snow belts.
We are built for cold weather and are blessed with the knowledge and equipment to conquer it. Today I rode at temperatures ranging from minus 30 Celcius to a daytime high of minus 22. Was I cold? A little. However I had the luxury of choosing a sled with an enormous windshield, a Polaris Titan Adventure.
This was without a doubt the most important component in allowing me a pleasurable ride. If I had picked a sled with any lower windshield I would not have been able to stay warm, particularly when I was running lakes at high speeds.
We are fortunate to have a sponsorship relationship with a quality clothing supplier. FXR makes quality snow-mo-clothing that’s innovative and exceptionally good looking.
They also produce a new item that made my cold weather ride pleasant. FXR’s new electric gloves are quite simply the best idea I’ve seen in years and this year, with over three weeks of record-breaking cold, they’ve proven 100-percent effective.
If you struggle with cold hands, get a pair of these quality fingered gloves. They are not cheap but one hour into a ride at minus 18 Celcius (zero Fahrenheit), all of sudden, they’re cheap.
This isn’t a commercial, it’s a statement about snowmobiling. I actually rode areas today at speeds generating wind chills close to what NASA astronauts on a space walk are subject to.
I remember a winter like this one with minus 30 Celcius temps. It was about 35 years ago and it was at a time when many sleds didn’t come with hot grips. We rode then, too.
One more thing: I did this ride because I can’t do this in July.
BRP (TSX:DOO) solidifies its leadership position once again with the introduction of two new Ski-Doo snowmobiles and a next-generation Rotax E- TEC engine.
The new models are part of BRP’s obsession to continually improve the rider experience with world-class products. A limited-build MXZ 600R E-TEC features a new high- performance, lightweight Rotax E-TEC engine, and a new Expedition SWT directly addresses the need for a greater balance of capability and comfort for better days out on the snow.
LIMITED-BUILD MXZ 600R E-TEC
A new highly responsive Ski-Doo MXZ 600R E-TEC brings together the innovative Ski-Doo REV Gen4 chassis with 600-class efficiency and reliability. It features an all-new 600cc Rotax powerplant with 125-hp, along with premium shocks, upgraded track and high-performance steering for an extremely agile and fun ride.
“Ski-Doo MXZ models continue to set the bar with innovation and provide riders the best trail performance experience,” said Bernard Guy, BRP senior vice-president, Global Product Strategy. “The new MXZ 600R E-TEC is designed to establish a new standard with exceptional performance and great value.”
ROTAX 600R E-TEC
The all-new, advanced Rotax 600R E-TEC keeps BRP at the head of the class as the leader in lightweight, high-performance snowmobile engines. Development goals were lofty: improve the ride experience by increasing 600-class power and delivering exceptional dynamic response and reliability while maintaining the best-in-class E-TEC reputation for efficiency and durability.
Based on the same square engine principles (bore and stroke being equal) as the 850 E-TEC, the 600R E-TEC succeeds across the board, giving riders a precise and dynamic response at any throttle position for instant acceleration and an impressive fun factor.
It has a 30 percent improvement in throttle response (matching the improvement of the 850) compared to the previous generation, and its central layout within the REV Gen4 platform gives the MXZ 600R E-TEC incredibly precise handling.
EXPEDITION SWT
People have used the word “unstoppable” to describe the new Ski-Doo Expedition SWT, which is equal parts comfort and capability. It combines the outstanding traction and floatation of a 24″ (60 cm) track with the comfort and stability of an adjustable 38.4 – 40.2″ (97.5 – 102 cm) front suspension.
The result is an improved rider experience so people can conquer more terrain more easily and more comfortably whether for work or for play.
BRP (TSX:DOO) is a global leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of powersports vehicles and propulsion systems. Its portfolio includes Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Can-Am off-road and Spyder vehicles, Evinrude and Rotax marine propulsion systems as well as Rotax engines for karts,motorcycles and recreational aircraft. BRP supports its line of products with a dedicated parts, accessories and clothing business. With annual sales of CA$4.2 billion from over 100 countries, the Company employs approximately 8,700 people worldwide. Ski-Doo, Lynx, Sea-Doo, Evinrude, Rotax, Can-Am, Spyder, MXZ, Expedition SWT, E-TEC and the BRP logo are trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For additional information and technical specifications on these new Ski-Doo models, visit ski-doo.com.
The New Year started off on a high note for Christian Brothers Racing with its riders claiming three wins at one of the biggest snocross races on the National schedule this past January 5-6.
Sub-zero temperatures meant riders had to deal with clouds of snow dust and an icy, unpredictable track at the event held at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota. Despite the weather, race fans persevered with a “sold out” crowd.
Coming off a podium weekend before the holiday break, Logan Christian (doc/AMG Peterbilt/Arctic Cat) continued to be a force in the Pro Class, despite a touch of the flu. Taking Top 3 finishes in all his heats and two Top 5 finishes in the finals while narrowly missing the podium with a 4th place result on Saturday.
“I had a touch of the stomach flu and lack of energy, so we didn’t get back on the podium like we wanted to,” said Christian. “The team worked really hard all weekend, battling the cold temperatures the whole time. We stayed comfortable in points but we for sure want better results at the next race in Deadwood.”
Jacob Yurk (Country Cat/TDS Equipment/Arctic Cat) was looking to add another win to his already successful season and he did just that, leading flag to flag in Friday’s final. It looked like he was going for a repeat performance on Saturday when he swept his heats, but he had to settle for the 3rd step on the podium, capping off the best weekend of his career so far.
“Canterbury went very well for us,” said Yurk. “My mechanic Brian and I are starting to figure things out on and off the track. My Arctic Cat was fast and performed well. I had a lot of confidence which allowed me to use the whole track to navigate through snow dust and traffic. We’re looking forward to Deadwood, where we’ll have the red plates on the sled!”
Anson Scheele (Country Cat/Speedwerx/Arctic Cat) continues to take the Junior classes by storm. At Canterbury he made it a clean sweep, winning Jr. 14-15 and Jr. 16-17.
Christian Brothers Racing gave away their third Troy Lee Designs Helmet. As the drawing winner, Cason took home a Troy Lee Designs SE 4 Youth Factory Helmet. In addition to Troy Lee Helmets at every event, race fans also have the chance to enter to win an Arctic Cat ZR 200 snowmobile.
The giveaway is open to fans 17 years old and younger and they must be signed up by a legal parent or guardian. Only one entry will be allowed for each eligible fan per event. The winner will be drawn Saturday, March 17, 2018 at the ACS Lake Geneva Grand Finale in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and need not be present to win.
Next up for Christian Brothers Racing snocross team is the U.S. Air Force Snocross National in Deadwood, South Dakota, January 19-20. The Christian Brothers Racing cross country team will be back in action January 13th in Manvel, North Dakota.
For more information on Christian Brothers Racing visit christianbrosracing.com.
*Subscribing indicates consent to receive newsletter content to the provided email. Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
SNOWTRAX has established itself as the most watched snowmobile TV series in North America.
Each season, the SNOWTRAX crew guides viewers through informative and entertaining content; revealing the inside scoop on the latest snowmobiles, accessories and riding destinations that make snowmobiling winter's greatest adventure sport.
SNOWTRAX can be viewed weekly during the winter season in Canada on City TV, Wild TV, REV TV and Sportsman Channel Canada and across America on Sportsman Channel.
© TRAX MEDIA INC 2022
