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Snowmobiling Is Good For Your Health

Press Releases

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11 December 2017

The Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations (CCSO) is pleased to receive initial findings that recreational snowmobiling can assist in the accumulation of the total recommended physical activity time needed to maintain a balanced lifestyle. Study data suggests that the activity level of snowmobiling has traditionally been underestimated.

This according to preliminary results from a yet-to-be published University of Guelph study entitled “The Physiological Assessment and Analysis of the Physical Demand of Riding a Snowmobile”.

“This news will come as no surprise to snowmobilers across Canada who ride all winter,” commented CCSO President Dale Hickox. “Snowmobiling gets you outdoors, breathing fresh air and being active with friends & family – and that simply makes you healthier and better able to cope with life’s challenges.”

But the fact is that many North Americans fail to get at least 150 minutes weekly of moderate to vigorous activity as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. This deficiency is compounded in the winter as North Americans burn 15-20% fewer calories in weekly recreational activities. It should be noted that physical inactivity accounts for 15% of the 1.6 million chronic health conditions diagnosed each year. Typically, chronic health conditions consume 67% of all direct health care costs and cost the Canadian economy $190 billion annually in treatment expenses and lost productivity.

This snowmobiling health study indicates that participating in snowmobiling is one good way to achieve the better physical conditioning that keeps people healthier and helps prevent chronic health conditions. Conducted in 2016/17, the study evaluated the physical demand of snowmobiling, considering both cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal demands. It also examined if activity location would play a role in the physical demands.

Considering early results researchers compared the snowmobiling health study results to the American College of Sports Medicine’s Compendium of Physical Activities. This tool defines activities by their aerobic demands as a metabolic equivalent (MET). A MET is a unit that represents the amount of energy required to maintain human function while sitting or lying awake at rest. Therefore, an activity of 3 METs would be 3 times more demanding than rest.

Moderate intensity activities range between 3-6 METs. Snowmobiling falls into this category, as the average METs for groomed trail riding scored almost 4 METs, while mountain riding came in closer to 7 METs. All in all, this puts snowmobiling in the same physical activity range as other winter activities like chopping wood, snow shovelling, and recreational ice-skating and snowshoeing.

A balanced lifestyle also includes good mental health. According to a major depressive disorder study by researchers at Duke University, physical activity is also effective in beating those winter blues. Together, these findings suggest snowmobiling is good for both body and mind.

The CCSO and its snowmobiling health study funding partners: the International Association of Snowmobile Administrators (IASA), Arctic Cat Industries, Ski-Doo (BRP), Off Road Business Association (ORBA), Royal Distributing Inc., Colorado Snowmobile Association (CSA), Snowmobile North Dakota (SND), Glacier House in Revelstoke BC, Haliburton Forest Wildlife Reserve in Haliburton ON; are committed to winter family recreation and the healthy, active lifestyle benefits associated with recreational snowmobiling.

TOP 4 THINGS ARCTIC CAT’S DOING RIGHT!

Features

Kent Lester

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8 December 2017

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1. KEEPING THINGS THE SAME

Since the investment by Textron earlier this year, the company has chosen to keep all the nomenclature associated with Arctic Cat snowmobiles the same.

Although this was not the case with Cat’s Off-Road Division, the snowmobile identity is deeply ingrained in sled culture and Textron is well aware of it.

You need to read the interview with new Arctic Cat leader, Craig Kennedy, in the upcoming issue of Supertrax to get all the inside details.

2. INVESTING IN CUTTING EDGE 2-STROKE TECHNOLOGY

Although the new C-TEC2 800 didn’t happen overnight, the fact Arctic Cat has developed durable, high performance DSI 600 and 800 2-strokes is a big factor in the company’s future success.

Not only is the new 800 no longer built by an outside company, Suzuki, but, Cat is assembling them in its own plant in St. Cloud, Minnesota, right beside the 600.

This means complete control of the process and, when it comes time to make changes, they can respond super-quickly to the market.

3. FORMING PARTNERSHIPS TO SUPPLY 4-STROKES

Perhaps partnership is the wrong word to use here but the manufacturing agreements Arctic Cat has with Yamaha and Kymco are a big deal and very smart.

Why? Cat’s whole 4-stroke program was pulled off without having to do much hyper-expensive development and tooling to offer complex 4-strokes that fill all the gaps in the marketplace. Other than Ski-Doo, Cat has the most comprehensive line of 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines in the biz.

4. KEEPING THE BRAND IN THE USA

What can we say? Arctic Cat loyalists are faithful North Americans and although they respect the nature of some off-shore-built components, there’s an element of pride in the fact these sleds and many of their engines are built in Minnesota!

Frankly, the more USA-built Cat is, the more acceptance there is with the snowmobile public.

2018 ARCTIC CAT M8000 SNOPRO 153

Features

Luke Lester

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7 December 2017

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The introduction of the first ProCross based M-Series Arctic Cat mountain sleds was an important one. Those first new mountain models definitely did outperform their older counterparts, but they were still a long way behind their competition.

Since then, Arctic Cat has continued to tweak its ProClimb chassis, making both small and large changes that have culminated in a very competitive mountain sled capable of climbing and carving with the best of them.

This year the last big gripe we had with the M8000 was finally addressed with the addition of Cat’s much anticipated, C-TEC2 800 twin. This single change alone completely transforms the M8000 into a more capable, easier-to-ride mountain sled.

Every one of the things we didn’t like about the old Suzuki 800 had been addressed: Bottom end is stout, the engine runs smooth and clean, throttle tip-in is crisp and immediate, it starts easily and power is easy to modulate smoothly. We had always liked how the former 800 pulled up top and the new one performs very much the same in its upper RPM range.

So, under the hood the 2018 M8000 Sno Pro is all roses and sunshine – but what about the rest of the sled? Yes, the 2017 model was better than the 2016, which was better than the 2015 and so on. But, was a new engine all the news for 2018? No… definitely not. Arctic Cat has incorporated a number of additional changes to the 2018 M8000, labelled the “Ascender platform”.

The first and most obvious change is new bodywork. Very similar to the body panels on the turbo models, this new bodywork is 10-percent narrower. The side panels are shaped in a way that positions the rider’s feet 2 inches farther forward on the running boards, which are one-inch narrower than last year. When the narrower running boards are combined with the new body panels, you get a sled that sidehills easier and doesn’t panel out on steep sidehills.

Another big change is the driveshaft location. It’s been dropped 1.125 inches which results in a nearly 10-degree drop in the approach angle of the track. Approach angle is something manufacturers have starting talking more about the past few seasons and, according to the experts, it plays a far greater role in how the sled climbs up on top of the snow than anyone had previously believed it did.

The new approach angle on the M8000 does, absolutely, make a noticeable difference, especially when the snow is deep and light. The sled wants to climb up on top, as it’s supposed to, instead of trenching downward.

These are really the biggest changes to Cat’s 2018 M8000 Sno Pro. The rest of the sled remains very similar with excellent ergonomics, a decent list of features and a light, but otherwise disappointing set of Fox Float shocks all the way around.

Last season, we liked this sled. But there was no way we could keep up with the others line for line. This season, the new Ascender platform with the 800 C-TEC2 under the hood has taken a good mountain sled and transformed it into a great one and it’s a strong competitor in any track length!

Timmins to Chapleau Snowmobile Loop

Tourism

John Arkwright

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6 December 2017

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In the late nineties Northern Ontario was rockin’ and was quickly becoming a premier ride destination for thousands of snowmobilers across Ontario, the US and Quebec.

One of the missing pieces of this vast trail system was a link that would provide snowmobilers with a long distance loop. Knowing this, the hard working folks and businesses in Chapleau, Foleyet and Timmins invested two years and endless man-hours and developed a 200-mile super trail that linked Timmins to Chapleau.

I took part in the Grand Opening Ride and in the fall of 1999 I penned an article entitled “Chapleau Gets A New Winter Highway”. The lead-in to this editorial was a famous line from the movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it they will come” and for the better part of 10 years snowmobilers came from all over to ride this incredible loop.

The recession of 2009 really put a damper on snowmobiling in North America and eventually with dwindling permit sales and a lack of financial support to the clubs, the loop from Timmins to Chapleau was sadly shut down.

As the economy rebounded, permit sales began to rise and after several years of being closed, C101F was reopened as C101D last winter and in early March, 2017 I along with my good friends Richard Hiley, Jim Brogan and Harold McAdam had the pleasure to ride the complete loop chalking up 1,100 miles of great Northern Ontario trails and hospitality.

We started our trip with an overnight stay in Timmins (Microtel Inn and Suites), Chapleau (Moosehorn Lodge), Wawa (Wawa Motor Inn), Hearst (Companion Hotel/Motel), Cochrane (Cochrane Station Inn)

It had been years since riding this loop and I’m quite sure the trail has a lot fewer corners due to logging and improved trail base. Make no mistake about it; many of the trails up in this area of Ontario are thanks to logging operations making these super snow highways. No complaints here.

With Trail F being closed from Chapleau to Missinabi has lead to a new section of trail south out of Chapleau connecting to D Trail south of Half Way Haven. This new trail is just Smoking FUN to ride!

When you intersect with D trail your first stop going North is Half Way Haven, which should be on any snowmobiler’s Bucket List. Owner Sean Frawley is the perfect fit for this remote lodge. Get ready to have a great time.

In keeping up with the times there are more opportunities for off-trail backcountry riding as well. Wawa is quickly becoming a sought-after destination for boondocking and let’s not forget Extreme Tours out of Cochrane offering guided tours of the Abitibi Canyons all the way up to Moosonee on James Bay.

Another player in the game is Mike Brazeau owner of Horwood Lake Lodge off Trail C101D between Timmins and Foleyet. Mike has his own groomer and maintains 180 kilometers of groomed trails with 600 kilometers of logging roads to play on and if you’re up for something different, they you can spend the night in one of their 4-person tepee tents!

It’s time to head back up to this part of Northern Ontario and rack big miles on this newly re-opened and improved trail.

Resources:

– Microtel Inn and Suites

– Moosehorn Lodge

– Wawa Motor Inn

– Companion Hotel/Motel

– Cochrane Station Inn

– Horwood Lake Lodge

– Extreme Tours

Snowmobiling with QuébecOriginal

Tourism

Vern Putzer

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5 December 2017

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Get ready to discover snowmobiling in the land where the snowmobile was born – beautiful, breathtaking Québec.

It’s only here, where you can chart a course of unlimited adventures down 33,000 km / 20,500 mi. of interconnecting trails that wander through pristine forests, over frozen lakes and along the sea as they give way to breathtaking snow-sculpted landscapes.

With eight destinations to choose from, endless touring opportunities await you. The 200 member clubs employ over 490 groomers and the 4,500 volunteers dedicate over 800,000 hours ensuring the best snowmobile experience that a die-hard enthusiast can have.

Balancing the thrill of the sport with well deserved R&R and the utmost in hospitality is yet another aspect of Québec snowmobiling you’ll discover by visiting the classy lodging, luxurious spas and many great restaurants the province offers. Whether it be riding through meandering sugar bush trails or witnessing the majestic views of the St. Lawrence River, when you ride in Québec you’re always greeted with freshly groomed trails and an unforgettably warm welcome.

Whichever kind of snowmobile adventure you’re looking for, Québec has something for you, your friends and your family. To enable you to best plan your trip, Québec has grouped some of the most popular trails into categories that best complement the experience you may be looking for.

* Friendly Expedition:

Settle in at a popular destination, explore surrounding trails at your leisure, then hang with locals and friends at great restaurants and bars in the evening.

* Curious Exploration:

Discover regional trails at a leisurely pace and after an incredible day out, kick back in front of the fire with a delicious meal.

* Marathon Adventure:

Wide open spaces, long distances, and the thrilling rush of adrenaline that comes with serious snowmobiling expeditions.

One of our most memorable tours of recent history was in the Bas-Saint-Laurent – Gaspésie Snowmobile Tour in the maritime regions of Québec. This marathon adventure spans 1920 km / 1194 mi. and takes you along trail #5 (TQ5) which is known for excellent snow conditions and breathtaking scenery.

Along the way you’ll enjoy stunning views of the St. Lawrence as you run along the edge of the Chic-Chocs Mountains, which eventually gives way to the legendary Percé Rock. Click to read the full article.

Perhaps you’re interested in some shorter tours you can complete in a few days or less. Here are some other popular tours by region that would be worthwhile to explore and are guaranteed to satisfy your hunger for winter adventure:

Abitibi-Témiscamingue Region – The Prospector 900 km / 560mi.

You’ll love the friendly atmosphere of this region and visiting its varied accommodations, restaurants, bars and microbreweries. Blessed with a gorgeous trail system, this area connects an assortment of cities, towns and villages along the way and innumerable lodging facilities.

Lanaudière-Mauricie – Rivières Trail 386 km / 240 mi.

Legendary Trail 360, located just north of the Mastigouche wildlife reserve and La Mauricie National Park and routed alongside the scenic Rivière Matawin, provides breathtaking scenery and impeccable trail grooming.

You can choose from a variety of memorable inns and eateries both rustic and gourmet along the way. Try these: Auberge du Lac Taureau, Sacacomie, Pourvoirie du Lac Blanc, Hôtel Marineau, Auberge le Cabanon, Relais Koubek

Charlevoix – Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean – Québec City & Area – The Big Loop 954 Km / 593 mi.

Here you’ll find proof why these are some of snowmobiling’s best-known and most frequently visited destinations. Snowfall? You bet there’s snow! How about 7 meters of it on a yearly average basis. No wonder there are over 5,300 kilometres of pristine groomed trails with your name on them.

You’ll be dazzled by the amazing snow-covered vistas along the St. Lawrence River and in the Monts-Valin area. While in the area, we also suggest taking in the Casino de Charlevoix or the world famous Québec Winter Carnival in Old Québec.

The popularity of riding in Québec continues to grow and the annual Snowmobile Trails Open House Event has contributed greatly to its success. In 2017, there were over 18,000 registered riders on the trail who took advantage of the free ride weekend. This represented an increase of over 4,000 from the previous year.

For 2018 the Open House Event falls on January 20-21 and the website will be open for registration in early December.

For those of you who simply can’t wait that long to experience Québec, you can still benefit from discounted annual trail permits saving you $75 off the regular fee up until December 9, 2017.

For more information on snowmobiling in Québec go to snowmobileinquebec.com. The website acts as the perfect ambassador to the region and assistant in planning your ultimate snowmobile adventure.

SKS PROJECT SLED

Features

AJ Lester

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5 December 2017

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Each season on SnowTrax Television I try to pick a sled I’m going to do a little sumthin’-sumthin’ to, and last year’s rebirth of the Polaris SKS RMK drew me in.

Since off-trail riding in the flatlands had been growing in popularity, I knew the extra bulkhead cooler and wheels in the skidframe would make for a perfect flatland off-trail shredder, and so to the chopping block I went.

The SKS weighed in significantly heavier than the basic 155 Pro RMK, which was just shy of 410 pounds. The SKS’s extra 30 pounds is due to the extra cooler, coolant, rear skid wheels, piggyback shocks, traditional chaincase drive system as well as other parts and pieces. Would I have liked the RMK Pro? Yes. Would it have been the right sled for the flats? Nope!

MBRP offers two exhaust systems for the SKS and both see huge weight reductions as well as solid performance gains. The trail exhaust system reduced the weight of our project sled by ten whole pounds and because of the reasonable decibel level is trail legal in most states. The race version is a little louder, but does save an extra three pounds.

When it came to suspension, the stock Walker Evans shocks were okay, but okay wasn’t what I was going for, so I opted for the Stage 5 Elka shock package allowing nearly limitless adjustability via wide-range clickers in the high and low speed compression department as well as a wide range rebound clicker and a true dual rate spring set up. While the Elkas are a little heavier than the Walkers, I was more than happy to sacrifice a pound to gain the superior suspension compliance.

Style is a big deal in off-trail riding, everyone wants to look like they slay powder for breakfast, lunch and dinner and bring the message home with a crazy wrap or something that says they’re the shiz-nit. Personally, I’m more into the sexy approach, so I drilled the powder track stock orange running boards off and a few pop rivets later had a sweet set of black Powdertracs installed, which look great and got a lot of attention throughout the season.

The skid needed some additional help for the days a bit of trail riding was required to get to the best off-trail play areas. Because I had the 2.25 competition track on the SKS I knew there would be some sliders hungry for a little snow to cool them down. Ice scratchers from Polaris go on pretty easy and are that extra bit of insurance for when you’re done getting stuck for the day and have to cruise 30 miles of trail back to the truck. You’re going to stay slippery with these without giving off the pungent smell of Hyfax.

While I’m talking about added protection I opted for a Polaris skid plate covering the front bulkhead and belly area so when you hit something buried in the powder, and we all do, you’ll be able to save the important bits from too much abuse.

Increasing wind protection was another answer from the Polaris catalog with a cool flat black windscreen that added some important protection. Polaris screens go on with just a few push darts and if you roll your sled over when getting unstuck, they seem to stay put very well, not popping off like some other brands do.

Hidden behind the Lexan was a handy goggle and glove storage bag from Pure Polaris. It’s an easy install and holds your goggles and an extra pair of gloves so you’re not pulling your backpack off to get some clear vision. The design causes zero interference with the handlebars or grab bar and it’s nice to know you’ve got some extra space to store stuff.

There’s never a doubt you’re going to get stuck when you’re haulin’ the mail off-trail. It’s gonna happen and if you can get yourself out quicker and easier, well that’s more energy for getting stuck again. The AXYS extreme rear bumper was a must-have for my project. It not only stiffened up the tunnel, but also provided a much larger area to plant my digits when grabbing a handful of backache to get the SKS unstuck. It’s also all-black like the runningboards and looks killer against the orange tunnel.

It was a no-brainer to plan to carry extra fuel out back with the incredibly simple, adjustable fuel can holder from Pure Polaris. It fits a bunch of gas can designs and uses the T-slots in the tunnel to mount. A couple of thumb screws and an adjustable buckle strap and voilà, there’s the insurance plan strapped down and ready.

I like to bring some stuff with me when I ride off-trail. In the mountains it’s really important to be prepared, even if you’re not expecting to be stuck overnight. Having some extras could be life or death and the Burandt Tunnel Bags give you the space you need to store food, water, safety gear, a shovel or just about anything you could imagine. Like the fuel can holder, this install uses the T-slot tunnel mounts and goes on in 30 seconds.

Finally, a handlebar-mounted Pure Polaris storage bag gives you a great place for your phone, an FRS radio, a bottle of water that’s easily accessible and anything else you might need that’s usually in your pockets allowing you to be free to move around on the sled unencumbered by bulky items. Plus, when you hit the “ejecto” button and find yourself pine tree fresh, your phone won’t be busted and your pants won’t be wet from a leaking bottle of water. However we can’t guarantee they won’t be wet from something else in a situation like that.

All things considered, the SKS was one of my favorite projects. Sure we didn’t hack and cut and weld anything onto it, but that sled worked so incredibly well with just a few minor adjustments, it’ll have a special place in my mental garage for some time.

Polaris SKS Project Sled: PART 3

Videos

SnowTrax TV

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5 December 2017

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AJ’s back in the TRAIL TECH shop with his 2016 Polaris SKS project sled build adding some finishing touches that’ll get it ready to ride.

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2018 SKI-DOO RENEGADE X-RS

Features

Mark Lester

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4 December 2017

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Okay, that might sound a little harsh. Of course you’re not wannabes; you are highly discerning, critical, talented, fully deodorized titans of the sport – individuals with riding talent rivaling pilots with last names like Hibbert, Haikonnen and Morgan. But I digress.

The reason Ski-Doo loves the archetypical XRS buyer is simple: You purchase the highest MSRP model in the brochure and you buy them almost every year.

WORTH WAITING FOR?

So, for the record, are the new X-RS G4 MX-Z and Renegade worth the wait? After all, last season complaining from this demanding buyer demographic could be heard all the way from the Black Hills to Valcourt when Ski-Doo left the X-RS designation on the XS based, 800 E-TEC powered MX-Z and Renegade in MY 2017.

NO ROOM LEFT FOR POUTINE

Frankly, I have to admit the look of the new G4 X-RS twins is stunning. Showing up at Larry’s Burger Pit with one of these rides could be so ego-inflating you may have to order a small fry instead of your regular Poutine Extreme Platter.

Okay, I’ll leave the kidding aside for a bit. The X-RS is mostly an appearance package, however there are some genuine cool pieces included. In the event you’ve consumed copious quantities of the aforementioned poutine you may appreciate the RS reinforced running boards and the race-style far-forward handlepole orientation.

As well, you’ll definitely be pleased with the lack of a windshield. We literally mean no windshield – zip, nada – so you can dry perspiration generated after clearing 70 footers.

ALL STEAK, ALL SIZZLE

A full set of Easy-Adjust KYB gassers is the steak in the X-RS package. These shocks are the real deal, beautifully crafted and infinitely adjustable.

They will deliver exceptional ride quality over any terrain with any sized rider on board, provided you have the patience to fiddle with them. Keep in mind Ski-Doo delivers the X-RS package with trail oriented, median damping which works well for a large range of riders.

EASY TO ANSWER

When it comes to my question regarding “worth the wait?” for the X-RS to show up in the G4 platform – that’s easy to answer. Yes, it was worth the wait. The G4 brings so much new tech to the sport, it’s mind-boggling. The 850 E-TEC is imposing in its delivery of raw, ski lifting, arm stretching thrust and it hauls like no other production 2-stroke you’ve squeezed the trigger on.

The 850’s durability enhancements are icing on the cake. The new pDrive roller tower primary is 100-percent revolutionary and will ultimately send everyone back to the drawing board in an effort to reduce torque tower friction. pDrive delivers more power to the track as a result of its huge decrease in torque button friction.

THE STANDARD

The right to left centralizing of mass on the G4 makes sense and as a result it delivers nimble, well balance handling. Ergonomics are excellent and more importantly, adaptable to the largest range of riders.

The X-RS (and X package) inclusion of an adjustable riser is genius allowing individual riders to tune their riding style and body size to the sled’s ergonomics.

The sandwiched tunnel eliminates the need for extruded coolers and rMotion needs no introduction – in MY 18 it is still the standard by which all snowmobile trail suspensions must be measured.

WORTH THE JING?

I’ve answered the “worth the wait” question as a result of the one-year delay buyers had to endure for the G4 to carry the X-RS designation.

Knowing there are lower priced G4 variations in both MX-Z and Renegade clothes, here’s a question you need to answer. Can you live with anything less than a G4 X-RS?