AmSnow Blogs

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.

AmSnow prepares snowmobile Buyers Guide charts

Amsnow — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:23:00 GMT

Is it Fall already?

Deadlines loom at the end of the week, so the AmSnow staff is working hard at completing this year's Buyers Guide charts and Best of the Best pages, plus a surprise, you won't want to miss.

Our popular charts were first laid out and edited a month ago to make sure that every snowmobile specification is ready for you to use this fall when preparing to buy a new sled!

We're also readying everything for the Interactive Buyers Guide on the Web site so you can get a sneak peek and get a jump on the season there, beginning July 16. You can only see the charts in the magazine, but on the Web you can line up four sleds and compare stats side-by-side. How cool is that?

As for the charts, this process started months ago with manufacturers giving us prices, studio photos and specifications. It continued as manufacturers changed some of their lineups - AND specs. Finally in the home stretch, the charts were edited and re-edited. All this is done early in the summer so that the glossy pages of the magazines can be printed in time to be at your door (or newsstand) in late August.

For the first time in two years a new manufacturer will appear in the Buyers Guide charts! This year Premier Recreational's Enforcer 200 and 300, which are new ¾-sized sleds, are included in the Guide.

Don't forget, registered subscribers can get an early peek at this year's Buyers Guide online starting July 16. Click on the Buyers Guide bar atop the Home Page and you'll see our Interactive Buyers Guide atop the first page that opens. There's also a Consumer Review area on that page, so feel free to add your own sled reviews while you're at it!

Stay tuned as we begin to switch gears for the November "Getaway Guide" issue.

What did AmSnow do on its Summer Vacation?

Amsnow — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:44:00 GMT

Mark, Savage, gets mic’ed as Boncher escapes the heat of the TV lights.

(Find out in this "exciting!" series of blogs)

You've got to be kidding, a vacation?

Summers are extremely busy here at AmSnow, and not just because we're fixing things we broke (or wore out) last season. Sheesh! When do you think we write and edit all these magazines?

After we churn up the snow all winter testing new equipment and taking pictures of everything we see and do, we head back to the friendly confines of our home base outside of Milwaukee. Here we sit at our computer terminals writing, ok typing, until our fingers bleed!

But we keep busy, trust me.

Senior Editor Mark Boncher gets lit up, for an AmSnow TV interview session by producer Brian Alberth.

In fact, just the other day our TV crew slipped into the office for a half-day of "filming" the two Marks, me and Boncher, to get our fascinating insights on the 2010 sleds, places we traveled to, races we attended and a load of other tidbits that our pals at Discover Mediaworks can slip into upcoming episodes of "American Snowmobiler TV."

We've got the pix to prove it ... and a few others showing that the dedicated TV crew of Brian Alberth and Scott Jaegar, also were out slogging through the snow with us, freezing their lens caps off!

Our erstwhile AmSnow TV cameraman, Scott Jaegar, will climb to any height, well, almost any height, to get good video for the show, which is produced by Discover Mediaworks.

Watch the Web and the Mag for TV show times and networks, as those details are still in the works. But we can tell you the show usually runs from October through December and has been on Fox Sports channels in many markets. We'll let you know the details in plenty of time!

Have a great 4Th!

Cameraman Scott Jaegar focuses in on Savage at taping begins!

Here Scott and our chief photographer, Kort Duce, line up some video/photos for the coming season while we were testing near Grand Lake, Colo.

Hill Climbing Tips, Professional Backcountry Guiding, British Columbia Views

mboncher — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:04:00 GMT

This last week, I had the pleasure of riding with snocrosser and mountain guide extraordinaire Carl Kuster at the Carl Kuster Mountain Park in Malakwa, British Columbia. The Park (CKMP for short) is located between Revelstoke and Sicamous along the Trans Canadian Highway and is smack dab in the middle of some of the best riding in the world. Carl created the park to teach people the correct ways to navigate the backcountry. From spotting potential avalanche areas, to learning how to climb and sidehill correctly, Kuster runs an all-encompassing operation.

We will have a full report on the CKMP, techniques of how to ride in the mountains, what Carl's operation is all about, and information on the surrounding areas in an upcoming issue of American Snowmobiler this fall. If you want more info on the CKMP pronto, check out the website at www.carlkuster.com

There's also plenty of places to eat, visit, and play in the Sicamous area of B.C. and our favorite spots were The Burner Pub and Moose Mulligans. For more info on the area check out www.shuswap.bc.ca

Hill Climbing Tip #1: Approach the hill with more speed than you think you will need to make it to the top. You can always back off on the throttle midway through the hill so you don't crest the top with too much speed, but it's much harder to gain momentum that you didn't have to begin with.

Hill Climbing Tip #2: Always have an exit strategy. Know where you intend to come down the hill even if you make it to the top, but more importantly, if you don't make it, where are you going to come down. Give yourself plenty of run-out distance and come down the hill as slowly as you can without continuously locking the brakes.

Check out our upcoming fall issues for more backcountry tips and techniques.

Test Ride: 3/4 Sized Snowmobiles From Premier

mboncher — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:50:00 GMT

Last week I had the fortunate opportunity to put some miles on the new 3/4-sized 4-stroke snowmobiles from Premier Industries. I spent a day in the far northern reaches of Michigan's Upper Peninsula test riding and talking with owner Chris Bell. Here's my initial thoughts.

1.) These 200 and 300cc 4-stroke sleds are extremely stable.

2.) The sleds have responsive steering on the trails.

3.) The front and rear suspensions are extremely capable even with a 175lb. rider like myself on them.

4.) Top speed with a 175 lb. rider on the 300 Enforcer seemed to be about 35mph, but was around 45 miles an hour with a smaller teenage rider on it and that's plenty fast.

5.) The sled was still in pre-production phase, but has all the bells and whistles on it that current full-sized sled come with.

6.) The fun factor is high on these sleds!

7.) The projected price range is well under 4,000 which means that these will be affordable machines.

Click here to watch these sleds in action!

Get the LEAD out!

Amsnow — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:47:00 GMT

Aw C'mon, we don't know anyone who eats sleds, ATVs or bikes!

As if we didn't have enough to worry about with the economy still in major meltdown mode, now we need to be concerned about kids getting lead poisoning from eating their sleds, ATVs etc.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is limiting sales of all "toys" that contain lead. Nothing wrong with that, but somehow that has expanded to include kid-oriented 120cc snowmobiles because they could have small amounts of lead in them.

I could go on a rant here ... I already feel my blood pressure rising, but reader John Suter already has written a fine letter that you may want to consider forwarding on to all your elected U.S. representatives and senators.

Here's what Suter, a resident of Chugiak, Alaska, has to say addressed to his senator, Lisa Murkowski.

    "Enclosed is a news article telling of the federal government stuck on stupid again. (Story is from Feb. 16, 2009 Anchorage Daily News, outlining how dirt bikes and other small motorized vehicles are to be banned)

    The kids' mini-snowmobiles, bikes and quad 4 wheelers sold in America must comply with the Consumer Product Safety Commission's new national limit on lead in children's products. This rule is for children's toys and the commission has extended it to kids' min-snowmobiles, bikes and quad 4 wheelers. The idea of the rule is to have safe toys for children so that when try to put these toys in their mouths, they will not get lead poisoning. However, there are no examples of kids putting mini-snowmobiles, bikes or quad 4 wheelers, or their parts, into their mouths and getting lead poisoning.

    This stuck on stupid ruling made by bungling government bureaucrats needs to be reversed. It does not do any good for business that cannot sell these products, or our economy, and does not provide any useful protection for kids in putting these products into their mouths, of which they do not do it anyway. It also serves an injustice to the American consumer who wants to purchase these types of products. This government protection of protecting us from ourselves shows that the bureaucrats have no common sense, thus they only provide disservice to our business and to the people of America.

   It is interesting to note that these government bureaucrats in the stroke of a pen, can overnight put a stop to the sale of kids' mini-snowmobiles, bikes and quad 4 wheelers, but can do very little in stopping the sale of illegal drugs to our kids.

   Sincerely,
   John Suter

Bravo John! Lets remind those in our government that they are here to serve us and while we're all for protecting kids, this is yet another giant overstepping of authority. Let them know what you think!

Mark Savage
AmSnow editor

Yamaha snowmobile warranty voucher ends soon

Amsnow — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:26:00 GMT

Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin - Who's got the most comprehensive warranty in the snowmobile business? Right now it's Yamaha and the easiest way to get that warranty is to register for the free Yamaha Advantage 4-Year Warranty Voucher before the deadline of April 15^th.

No deposit is required and there's no obligation to buy anything. All you have to do is register before April 15^th. It's a smart idea to sign up for the voucher program if you will be in the market for a sled by the fall. That free 4-year warranty on any 2010 Yamaha snowmobile will be good if you buy anytime before November 30^th. AND you can piggyback the free warranty on top of whatever sales promotion offer is in place when you buy in the fall. That's a sweet deal.
There are 2 ways to sign up for your warranty before April 15^th:
1.) Go in to your local Yamaha dealer and sign up, and you'll also get a free Yamaha hat.
2.) Go online and register at www.Yamaha-Advantage.com, but you won't get the hat if you sign up online.

The warranty offers full sled coverage for 4 full years. This isn't just engine coverage, but nearly everything on the sled (not counting standard wear items). The 4-year warranty is transferrable too with no transfer fee, so you can ride your 2010 sled with confidence for 3 seasons and then sell it on the used market with a full year of full factory-backed warranty.

There is also no deductible on covered repairs, and Yamaha offers towing and trip interruption coverage. That's nice.

Again, with no deposit required and no obligation to buy anything, if you're thinking about buying a new Yamaha we suggest you get registered for this program ASAP before it's all over on April 15^th.