AmSnow Blogs

Mid-Season Maintenance

Amsnow — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:18:00 GMT

Adam Heath, TJ Fitzgerald and Mitch Weber get ready for a day of riding.

By Mitch Weber

It's a little more than half way through our winter season, and believe me, I have ridden every chance I've had. Riding takes its toll on your sled though.

If you don't properly maintain your machine you could get yourself into trouble with expensive repairs. Like most kids, heck, most people, I can't afford that, so I try to do my own repairs. I guess that's why some people call me the "fix it" guy.

Well, last weekend I learned even more about snowmobile maintenance.

My neighbor and riding buddy happened to notice my carbides were very worn down while were out on the trails on Saturday. We decided Sunday morning was the day to replace a few things. We had purchased all the parts we needed at the beginning of the season so that made the job go quickly.

After breakfast, my dad and I changed the carbides on both of our sleds. We did it in about 45 minutes. Not bad, but it did take a little longer than I thought it would. While we were tightening one of the nuts on the upper side of the ski, the whole bolt snapped off. We tightened it too much and it broke in half. Since it was bolted down in three other places on the ski, it turned out to not be that big of a deal. We were good to go.

It's a good idea to do periodic checks to your sled before each ride. You don't want to break down on the trail like I have.

A couple of other things we checked were the belts, bogie wheels, track, carbides, and studs. As I learn more and more about snowmobile maintenance I feel more confident about riding without an adult. Now I know there a few problems I can fix. Like anything there is always more to learn, but I am on my way. And, a lot of the maintenance is pretty easy.

It's good to learn these things as I go because someday I might not have someone as special as my dad to teach me what to do to my sled. I have to learn from him while I can. I plan on riding for many years, which means a lot of new parts! So, let it snow!

Z-Broz Racing raffles a tricked-out HCR for Shriners Hospitals

Amsnow — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:25:00 GMT

Story and Photos by Stephen W Clark

Anyone who attends the Jackson Hole Hill Climbs is treated to an incredibly entertaining time, full of action-packed racing and a fair amount of carnage. But this year some lucky fan will be coming home with more than just good memories.

Z-Broz Racing has teamed up with Arctic Cat, Cutlers Performance, Arctic FX and The Jackson Hole Snow Devils to raffle a tricked-out 2010 M8 HCR. Some lucky person will get to take this machine home with them, but everyone who buys a ticket will be contributing to the life of a child.

All the proceeds will go to Shriners Hospitals for Children, this organization provides specialty pediatric care for children younger than 18 who suffer from orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. This care is provided at no-cost to the child's family as long as there is a reasonable possibility the child can benefit from the hospitals' specialized services.

The snowmobile that's being given away comes with a race ready setup similar to the M8s that Arctic Cat / Z-Broz racers like the Zollinger's and Tapios will be racing up Jackson Hill. It comes with a complete Z-Broz suspension package consisting of Ars-Fx 43-inch front A-arms and EXIT shocks on the front and rear. There also are vented side panels and adjustable clutch weights from Cutlers Performance. Plus this M8 has a very cool looking custom wrap from Arctic FX.

We had the chance to ride this machine the other day while on a ride with the guys from Z-Broz Racing. Riding this machine back to back with our M8 Sno-Pro it was clear that the improvements on this machine really work. The suspension is plush and soaks up the rough terrain well, in the small bumps the difference wasn't much, but when hitting larger bumps and jumps the Z-Broz modded HCR was a lot more stable and predictable. Whoever ends up with this sled in their garage definitely won't be disappointed.

The raffle tickets cost $5 each and will be available at the Jackson Hole Snow Devils booth during the Hill Climbs.

For more info: www.zbrozracing.com or www.snowdevils.org or www.shrinershq.org

AmSnow snowmobiles with BoonDocker Performance and Bret Rasmussen

Amsnow — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:56:00 GMT

Thrown in at the deep end with some of the fastest sleds and best mountain riders

Story and Photos By Stephen W Clark

Yesterday I went riding with the guys from BoonDocker Performance, www.boondockers.com. BoonDocker specializes in turbo systems and are one of the leaders in this field.

Its fun riding with mod guys like these but it is tough because you really need to ride a turbo to be able to hang with them. From the beginning I knew I would be at a big disadvantage on a stock machine but decided to take the M8 Sno-Pro from our media fleet as it's a fantastic mountain machine and the snowmobile I am most comfortable riding. I was a bit nervous about the ride as for one, I knew the BoonDocker guys would have some mean snowmobiles and both the owner of BoonDocker, Rocky Young, and chief technician, Jared Sessions, are both very good riders. Also along on the ride was BoonDocker technician and former hillclimb racer Justin Moeller and Bret Rasmussen, http://www.riderasmussenstyle.com. Bret is one of the best technical mountain riders around and he was also riding a turbo Arctic Cat. A few BoonDocker customers also came along to have some tuning done on their machines.

Avalanche danger in our area is very high at the moment so we decided to ride in an area just outside of Alpine, Wyo. where there are hills with lots of trees. The snow can still slide in the trees but the chances are much less than on wide-open hills.

Jared Sessions was just putting the finishing touches on his new M8 turbo when we arrived at BoonDocker's facility in the morning. This M8 has one of the brightest color schemes we have seen in a while. Under the hood a bunch of the components have been powder coated different neon colors and the hood is wrapped in a bright BoonDocker RTR design. Jared's machine is equipped with their race gas turbo complete with the new BoonDocker electronic boost controller (EBC). Jared let me ride his M8 for a bit. What a hoot that machine was to ride. The combination of the relatively short 153-inch track and big power from the turbo made it wild in the powder. This sled turned so fast in the powder that it went sideways. It is amazing how much more capable a turbo makes a snowmobile, that extra power just makes the machine so much easier to maneuver on the mountain. For example, there were sections of the hill where I had to side-hill across on the stock M8 because if I tried to hit the hill at a steeper angle I would have gotten stuck. On the turbo M8 you can side-hill and then point the sled straight up the hill and it will go up without any objection.

The snow was nice and soft up in the hills and while there wasn't a lot of snow, there wasn't much for a base so it was soft all the way to the dirt. Toward the end of the day Bret suggested we ride down into this little valley and play around for a while. It was getting a bit late in the day though and a few in our group needed to be back fairly soon.

"It's not bad down there, and we can be back here in half an hour easily" said Bret and we followed him down through the trees.

An hour and half later we were still down in that valley and by this time there were machines stuck all over the place.
In hindsight we should have known that following an amazing tree rider like Bret was a silly idea. Down in the bottom of that valley the trees were very tight and only barely wide enough to ride a snowmobile between. And to make things worse there wasn't quite enough snow to cover all the dead fall.

I tried climb back up the hill the way we came in, but the stock M8 just didn't have enough power and I ended up getting stuck behind a tree. I had to dig myself out and lift the snowmobile around the tree; it took over half an hour of constant digging and pulling to get the snowmobile out of that predicament. Finally, I was able to follow Bret and climb back through the tight trees and get back to where we started.

It was one of those rides that I came home exhausted but had a great time. Riding with guys like Bret, Jared, Rocky and Justin pushed me to the limit of riding abilities but it forced me to try maneuvers that I wouldn't normally consider. I didn't try these things just for fun but more out of necessity, as they need to be done to keep up and get off the mountain. While it was tough I am sure it pushed me to become a better rider. Fun times that's for sure! And I can't wait to do it all again soon.

Maintenance: The go-to guy!

Amsnow — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:53:00 GMT

By Mitch Weber

The other night, I was riding with a couple of my buddies. A half day at school meant more time to ride as we got a mid afternoon start. Awesome!

Three hours into our ride, I noticed Derek was not behind me. Weird, I thought. I spun around. A mile back, there he was sitting on his sled with his arms folded. He wasn't smiling, but he knew sooner or later I would be back to check on him.

After a quick look under the hood, we saw Derek's sparkplug had fowled. Luckily, I had a few spare plugs in the back of my sled. I gave Derek a new plug, we installed it, and his sled fired up like a beauty. We continued on our way and were able put on 100 miles that night. Great ride!

I'm not quite sure how this has happened, but I've turned into the fix-it guy in our riding group. I've learned the cold way (out on the trail) how to change a plug and replace a belt, both good things to know so you don't get stranded.

Here are a few things I've learned from our breakdowns. When performing a change on your snowmobile at night, have one of the people in your group keep their snowmobile on the trail and keep it idling so the other snowmobiles on the trail see and acknowledge you. You don't want to get run into it. Ouch!

Also, make sure you have extra sparkplugs, a belt, a flashlight and your cell phone if you have one. Another good thing to carry is an old towel. If you're under the hood, chances are you'll get dirty.

I know I have a lot more to learn about snowmobile maintenience but it's nice to know I can fix a few small problems in order to keep our group moving. Of course when all else fails, I can call my dad and I'm sure he would be willing to rescue us. Right dad?

Trail Access Etiquette

Amsnow — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:07:00 GMT

By Mitch Weber

Winter is finally here for good. Trails are open and all is well. Or, so I thought.

On my second day out I crossed our driveway and headed through the ditch to hook up with the trail system about 1/2-mile south of my house. I headed toward my neighbor's ditch and was shocked to see a sign posted, "No Trespassing Private Property." I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

Up until now, I always rode the ditch because I didn't want to wear down my carbides or picks. I guess my neighbor was not too fond of my route.

That night, I did some research and found out that in our township it is legal for me to ride within 30 feet of the center line of any roadway. We informed our neighbor of the law and he took down the signs. Now we have come to an agreement about my riding.

It's important to make sure that your neighbors, or other people on your route, know these laws and make sure they know you mean to do no harm to their property and will be as polite as possible while on their land. Self-enforcement of good trail etiquette is important these days. I now try to keep the noise level down in our neighborhood and when riding by people's houses.

In the eyes of my neighbor, snowmobiling is a dangerous sport and is an activity he does not like. Fortunately we have come to an agreement about ditch riding. I have said I will ride with courtesy and respect and so far he has been allowing me to do so.

It only takes a few "bad apples" to ruin our roadway right of way. Be polite, for all riders' sake!

Have you had any incidents regarding trail access that you would like to share?

Post your experiences on this blog or email us at cgreen@kalmbach.com

Adirondack Shootout Extra!

mboncher — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:30:00 GMT

We certainly had plenty of snow for this year's Adirondack Shootout in Woodgate, NY and 'plenty' is an understatement. When you start counting the inches of snow piling up on your hat, you know you are in a real snowstorm!

Even with all the snow hampering the usage of our timing equipment we were still able to run a handful of stock 600 sleds down the 1/4-mile as well as all of the trail mod and lake racer sleds through 660-feet. The fastest and quickest trail mod sled was the CJ Motorsports/Full Power Performance Ski-Doo 1200 Turbo that went 660-feet in 6.80 seconds at 101.58 mph. The fastest lake racer was a Z1 Turbo prepared by D&D Racing that went 110.03 mph and finished 660-feet in 6.396 seconds. Now that's smokin' fast!

Subscribers can see all of the stock dyno stats we collected as well as the 600 Class acceleration numbers and all the trail mod and lake racer data in the full article here. Non-subscribers can click here to subscribe.

Shown below are some exclusive additional photos from the event that are not shown in the article. Check out all the snow!

Watch Excell Motorsports race its' 2009 Yamaha Nytro Mod

Check out additional photos in the exclusive gallery

AmSnow Visits Avalanche Seminar

mboncher — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:33:00 GMT

If you ride out west, you NEED to take this class! Being Wisconsinites, we don't get to spend as much time in the mountains as those who live in the Rocky Mountain states, but even those who only take a few trips out west should have basic avalanche knowledge.

Last week we attended an Avalanche Awareness, Avoidance, and Rescue class for snowmobilers put on by instructor Mike Duffy at The Englehart Center in Madison, Wisconsin. You may recognize Mike's name as he is AmSnow's resident avalanche expert, has written avalanche articles for the magazine, and has more accredidations than we can count. Owner Robert Hintz and his crew from Engelhart's teamed up with Mike to offer this class after the crew took several trips out west and realized midwest guys often don't have the mountain knowledge that the locals out west do.

Mike's class is something everyone should take as it covers numerous important topics such as the International Avalanche Danger Scale, avalanche reports, signs of instability/stability analysis, choosing the right equipment to carry, avalanche beacons, rescue methods, terrain evaluations and more. The most important thing we learned in the class was that avalanche knowledge is the most important tool you can have when riding out west. That, and never travel somewhere that your gut tells you is unsafe. Take it easy, and play it safe. No hillclimb, or sidehill thrill is worth dying for.

One important take-away from the night was recognizing the 5-signs of instability which are listed below.

- Significant snowfall in the last 24 hours, recent natural avalches on the same aspect, wind and windward and leeward slopes, collapsing or cracking of the snow, and rapid rise in temperature.

For more information on avalanche classes and avalanche topics visit: www.avalanch1.com

To visit one of the midwest's premier motorsports, accessories and apparel centers visit www.engelhart.com

AmSnow Goes To Yamaha Tech School

mboncher — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:39:00 GMT

Ever wonder how the Engine Braking Reduction System on your Yamaha 4-stroke works? Do you know the exact increase in wattage that Yamaha has made to the electrical system on their Nytro sleds and the increase to the now warmer hand-grips? Have you actually set the correct sag or ride-height on your Yamaha's rear suspension correctly? Did you know that Yamaha changed where their track-tightening adjustment bolts are on the Vector and Apex rear suspensions?

These are all topics that the tech gurus at Yamaha covered as well as new fuel and oil specifications and hands on lab-work when we visited their snowmobile headquarters in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin last week. Both Editor Mark Savage and Senior Editor Mark Boncher took the 2-day course again this year along with just a handful of other industry and media types. Check out some of the photos from the week.

In addition to lab work, us media reps were given a test to determine if we had been paying attention in our tech school. Below are a few questions from the test... Do you know the answers? Try your hand and don't look at the answers on the bottom until you are done.

1.) What is the primary difference between the RS Venture GT and RS Vector GT engine packages? A. fuel injector angle B. ECU mapping C. cam timing D. displacement

2.) What is the output of the new larger stator on the Genesis 120FI engine? A. 220 watts B. 511 watts C. 670 watts D. 1000 watts

3.) How much power does the new ECU configuration put to the new hand warmers at idle? A. 30% B. 50% C. 60% D. 80%

Note: Answers below image

Answers: B,B,D

TOTS Extreme Ready To Customize!

mboncher — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:42:00 GMT

The Outdoor Toy Store in Hood River, Oregon has made a name for itself as being a one-stop mountain performance shop. Powder coating while you wait? Yep, they've got that. Zbroz shocks, E-Z Ryde suspension, Boondockers pump gas turbo? Yep, they've got those too. BOSS Seats, Speedwerx aftermarket parts, and years of experience? Ok, we think you've got the picture now as far as what these guys can do. BUT, not only do these guys build custom mountain rocket sleds, they also personally test all the machines to make sure that they are the best sleds on the snow.

TOTS owner Aaron Kreps has been slicing up mountains for years and knows performance, but recently Kreps turned us on to something else that he and the boys at his shop have been working on. A new custom sled design option on their website! The guys at TOTS Extreme can graphic your sled with whatever you would like AND do all of the suspension and performance upgrades you can imagine. It's one-stop shopping!

Kreps sent us several of their new sled concepts for you to get an idea of what they can do. Also, check out their website www.outdoortoystore.net for more info.

Get an up close look at the detail work in these snowmobiles in our photo gallery.

Woody's Carbide Quick Change Challenge At Martin

mboncher — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:53:00 GMT

Robbie Malinoski and Andrew Johnstad participate in the Woody's Carbide Quick-Change challenge at Haydays September 12.

The highly successful Woody's Carbide Quick-Change Challenge that debuted at Haydays this last week is coming to the AmSnow Super Sled Shootout in Martin, Michigan on the 26-27th of September. That's right, this next weekend stop by the Shootout at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan for your chance to win one or more excellent prizes from several great sponsors.

Review of the Rules: The contest will require one person to change a carbide runner on a look-a-like Scheuring Speedsports/Amsoil Polaris race sled. Contestants will be supplied with a set of Klim gloves at the start of the competition and a cordless Makita impact drill. The person will then have to take off all four nuts on a Woody's Carbide Snowcross runner, remove the runner from the C&A Pro ski, then replace a new runner and put all four new nuts on. Once the new runner is on the ski, and the contestant removes the gloves, time will be stopped. The elapsed time will be recorded and the Top finishers of each day will receive a bag of schwag from the Scheuring Speedsports Sponsors.

Brought to you by: Woody's Traction Products/ Makita Power Tools/ Klim/ Scheuring SpeedSports

Polaris Champion Killed in Auto Accident

mboncher — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:48:00 GMT

Rick Ward, the much beloved 47 year old retired hillclimb champion from Teton, Wyoming was killed Tuesday September 2nd on his motorcycle. The accident occured at an intersection when a 17-year-old driving a van pulled out in front of Ward and he could not stop his motorcycle in time. The local sherrif's office in Madison County Idaho, near Sugar City where the crash occured, is investigating.

Ward was an amazing person and snowmobile racer. He raced for 34 years, was an 18-time world champion at the Jackson Hole hillclimbs, the Polaris team captian, a member of RMSHA, and a soft-spoken potato farmer who certainly knew how to ride a snowmobile. Rick was the winningnest man in western hillclimb history and has enough trophies in his shop, from all kinds of sled racing, to fill a semi-truck. Rick worked closely in his younger years with Jim Nobel, the founder of Starting Line Products, and Rick passed on a lot of Jim's knowledge to up and coming racers.

"This is a tragic loss of a great friend and an amazingly talented snowmobile racer," said Polaris Racing Manager Tom Rager, Sr. "He was a tremendous asset to our racing program and he set an outstanding example, particularly for Western racers."

Scott Swenson, Vice President of the Polaris Snowmobile and PG&A Division, said the entire Polaris family of employees, dealers and snowmobilers is saddened by Ward's death. "Rick was a tremendous hillclimber and a great leader for our Western program," Swenson said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Michelle, their three children and his entire family."

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Sugar City LDS Stake Center. Visitation is Friday, Sept. 4, from 6-8 p.m. at the Flamm Funeral Home in Rexburg, and Saturday at the Stake Center from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Additional details are available, and online condolences may be sent to the Ward family, at www.flammfh.com

Rick will be missed.

Polaris 600 CFI Changes and 800 Service Bulletin

mboncher — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:18:00 GMT

Polaris recently announced that all 2010 snowmobiles with the 600 Cleanfire engine will come with the 4-injector fuel injection system, not the 2-injector system as previously stated. This update includes the all new Rush model and the all IQ models.

In addition, Polaris has released a Service Bulletin to its dealers and customers who bought an early build 2009 IQ (otherwise known as a 2008) or full season 2009 Polaris with the 800cc engine in it. Sleds that are covered by the bulletin include the RMK, IQ and the Switchback. The RMK gets a new head, 2-ring piston, and revised fuel injection software (ECU calibration/fuel map). The IQ and Switchback 800s get a new head, 2-ring piston, silencer, and fuel injection software (ECU calibration/fuel map). The update is also compatible with the PURE Polaris SLP silencer, so if you have already installed this as an accessory you will not need to install the new silencer.

The new silencer for the IQ and Switchback has been designed to replace the original, stock silencer for snowmobiles that are engineered for, and primarily operated at, low elevations. For the majority of engine updates that will be performed, cylinder replacement will not be necessary. However, it is important that dealerships hone the cylinders as part of this update or, if that is not possible, the cyclinders will be warrantied.

Customers with affected units should contact their dealer at their earliest convenience to schedule an 800 update appointment. Once customers receive notification from their dealer that the engine update is complete, Polaris will send a communication confirming that a new limited factory engine warranty has been extended to June 1, 2010. This engine warranty extension is a thank-you, and demonstrates Polaris' confidence in this product.

Customers should also be aware of the importance of using high-quality, clean fuel and know how to use the fuel
selector wires correctly. Always remember that if there is any question to quality or ethanol content of the fuel in the tank,
the fuel selector wires should be unplugged. The fuel selector wires should only be connected when the fuel in
the tank is non-ethanol-premium (91 octane or higher) grade. These wires are on the wiring harness on the clutch guard. The detonation elimination technology (DET) introduced with the new ECU calibration will also be re-calibrated to be more aggressive in not only detecting detonation, but also eliminating it.

Curve XS Skis Sneak Peak

mboncher — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:34:00 GMT

Here's a little taste of some things the boys at Curve XS skis have been up to. This is new ski has all the same performance you've come to know from the Curve XS brand, but in a new more colorful package.

Paired with this custom Yamaha Attak, we think the skis are smokin hot!  For more information go to CurveXS.com.

Chris Burandt's Backcountry Adventures: Vol II... BUY IT!

mboncher — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:50:00 GMT

Seriously, I just got done watching this video and if you missed the first volume of Backcountry Adventures, the second is even better! It's not just because I'm a big fan of Burandt, but you've got to hand it to a guy who backs up everything he says in this video. 5 minutes into watching him ride and you'll agree he IS the best backcountry rider in the world, period. Check it out here http://www.slednecks.com/

If you want a chance to learn from the best, you can book a time this winter to take a 'tour' with Chris and stay at his lodge. Check it all out here on his website www.burandtsbackcountryadventure.com/. While I say it's a 'tour' I would suggest bringing your 'A' game because this aint no 2-up trail ride! Plan on getting tired, sore, sweaty, stuck, but having the time of your life!

Return clients to Burandt's operation will be getting 5% off this winter and a new VIP welcome gift upon arrival. If returning clients bring two more clients with them, the original client will get 25% off his or her entire package. Check out the website for more details.

Finally, AmSnow would like to send a congrats out to the Burandt Family as the first little 'Big Air Burandt' will be arriving soon. We hope to see the young Burandt out in the snow soon. No doubt the baby will have some type of ramp and motorized vehicle in his crib to start practicing on early.

Asphalt Snowmobiles on 'Pinks' in Martin, Michigan

mboncher — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:45:00 GMT

Fish getting his airtime with pinks camera crew

Last weekend the popular Speed Channel television show 'Pinks' came to US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan and several daring asphalt snowmobile racing teams got in on the action. The four teams consisted of Bellman Racing, Sled-X Racing, Louie Bilt Racing and Jeff White Racing. Drivers for the teams were Brian 'Fish' Finlinson, Tony Morabito, Edwin Wirbel and Greg Thomas respectively.

Tony and his sled-x.com Mach Z charming the pinks girls.

This was the biggest crowd that US 131 has recorded with over 50,000 people cramming through the doors to try and get a good spot to watch the snowmobiles and other fast drag-racing machines. According to Jamie Bellman (owner of Bellman Racing) "The crowd was 10 people deep along the fence all the way to the finish line! The snowmobiles were a huge crowd favorite and were asked to make several passes after their exhibition run."

Fish and Tony on the starting line pumping up the crowd with some added wagers. The 50,000 people and the entire pinks crew went crazy.

Edwin Wirbel and Louie Bilt Racing set the pace with a 8.24 second pass at 155mph.

Edwin Wirbel and Louie waiting the competition before another blistering pass down the 1/4 mile.

You will be able to see several of these sleds and teams at AmSnow's upcoming Super Sled Shootout at US 131 Motorsports park on September 26-27. For more information contact mboncher@amsnow.com

Tony staging for his first run in front of a full house.