What I wear on my head... and what I think about it.

This season ive put on just about 3000km so far. Ive ridden in some of the harshest conditions (aka: COLD) ive ever ridden in. And, when so many of the guys I ride with are switching back from their open face to full face helmets on the coldest of days to avoid frost bite. Ive stuck with my setup with no problems. I was thinking about why my system works so good. Heres what I came up with.

My Helmet:

I wear a Z1R Rail. This is not what most would consider a super high end helmet. Its well priced, not cheap, but not unrealistic like so many others. But, I dont buy my helmets. So price is not a issue for me. What I do care about, after wearing every other brand of helmet you can get at one time or another, is how a helmet feels and functions. My Z1R Rail fits perfect in size XXL. (yeah, big melon, I know) It looks amazing in the blue and white color scheme I picked. It has just the right amount of ventilation for a warmer riding day, but not too much for a cold day. Its built extremely well. I take head protection seriously cause its the only one I got. Ive torn this helmet all apart and found it to be made extremely well, of high end materials and with no flaws. Ive also tested my helmet on a number of occasions I wont go into here. The end result is that I am, still here. So, im convinced this helmet is safe. 

My Goggles:

Like my lids, Ive had the opportunity to use pretty much every goggle brand you can get your hands on. From Dragon, to Oakley, Thor, Scott, Answer, Spy and many others. I have a collection of them in my basement. Furthermore, and I dont want to sound like im bragging, but I get to use these products for free. Yay! What im trying to get across is that at the end of the day, when I say Ive found something I like its because I HAVE tried many different option and its NOT because Ive spent my money on one or the other. Of all the choices I have, the goggle I keep coming back to is Snow Warp from Smith Optics   For some reason this goggle has managed to keep me warm and fog free on the coldest, snowiest, sweatiest, rainiest days on the snow. From the mountains to the flats, in all conditions this goggle works. Ive had Snow Warp goggles last for so long the foam has started to deteriorate. They are durable, good looking and easy to disassemble and clean. You can find lenses for them anywhere. I think the

 reason they keep your face so warm in the snow is the super wide foam. It fills in the gaps between your goggle frame and your helmet. Like a seal, that keeps out the cold. No other goggle does this good a job in this varied of conditions. To illustrate how much I like these goggles, Even though I have received a couple pairs for free from smith this season, I wanted to make sure I had enough to cover every different lighting condition. So I actually paid for a couple more pairs. I could have bought any goggle I wanted. But, I chose to buy goggles I already have, because they are so good I wanted to have more of them. Dont even think about it... just go buy them. 

Anti-Fogging:

I wear a No-Fog Mask under my helmet. I dont wear a no name brand knock off model. I bought the brand name No fog because its the best. Because no other mask protects your face from cold and your goggles from fogging like a No-Fog. When I did finally find one (they can be hard to get ahold of mid season) I bought both of the ones the dealership had in stock. I never want to be without it. I know the people at No-Fog. They sponsored me all the years I raced. They know what they are doing and make a great product that works. If your wearing an open faced lid, you should also be wearing a No-Fog.

So thats it. Thats my story. 

Until next time...

Serious E-Tec thoughts.

Yesterday I was riding the Ski-Doo MXZ 600 E-Tec Renegade and I just happened to be flipping through the digital gauge and saw that the sled has over 1700 miles on it So, I flipped through the gauges of the other 3 E-Tecs we have between Snowtrax and Supertrax and found out that each of them has between 500 and 1500 miles. Combines, they have about 4500 miles. So far not ONE has giving us even a minor problem. They all start and run perfectly every time, even at -35, which was the temp here all week last week. 

As I was riding I got thinking about how much I really like the Renegade. Most of the miles on this particular sled are mine. Throughout the day I was switching back and forth between the Renegade and the TNT, both E-Tecs and I was critiquing how I felt about each of them. Overall, Ive decided that I just, plain and simple, REALLY love the MXZ Renegade, Adrenaline Package, E-tec. I just love that sled. Its warm, its really fast, it starts and runs PERFECTLY every time. It rides amazing, handles spot on and is extremely comfortable to both sit on, and ride for 145 miles, like I did yesterday. 

Just a note: it was -24 when we left in the morning and -18 when we got home. We rode 145 miles through 4 different clubs trails. Some were great, and id like to send a big THANK YOU out to the crew and volunteers from the HCSA (Haliburton County Snowmobile Association) for the amazing trails. They were near perfect all day. Considering that we met 201 sleds in 145 miles (I kept track all day) and their trails were still perfect, they deserve alot of credit.

Some of the trails we rode were the worst ive ridden all year. This is where the Renegade really showed how comfortable it is, no matter what the conditions.

Part way through the day I stopped on the trail along side my dad, Mark, of Supertrax Magazine. We had been switching back and forth all day. My comment was something to the effect of the Renegade being a lazy mans snowmobile. He asked me what I meant and I simply explained that for me, the Renegade allowed me to ride faster, more easily, for a longer period of time while keeping me more comfortable than almost any other sled ive ever ridden. We switched off and about 40 minutes later we stopped again and he agreed. 

Now, I could choose to ride just about anything I want this season. And I have put big miles on a number of other sleds. Some ive like, some ive very much disliked. But, on this day, on these trails, the E-Tec Renegade was doin it just right.  

Do 3 E-Tec's make a 3-Tec?

So the goal for today was simple. Shoot the ride footage and component shots for a co-operative test ride between Taera and I on the 2009 Ski-Doo MXZ 600 E-Tec and E-Tec Renegade. Sounds simple right. Let me tell you my friends... nothin is simple when you've got monkeys like us doin the work. 

First, Taera decided it would be a good idea to lock the short track E-Tec in her trailer and loose the keys. Not a big deal. Just cut the lock... with no bolt cutters. Solution 2, cut the lock off with a Sawzall... not gonna happen. So, finally, I ran home, got my Makita cordless grinder and chopped that sucker into little pieces. BAM!! Trailer is open! Luke = 1, Lock = 0!!

Then, we headed out on the trail. Things were going smoothly. Lots of test ride footage was being recorded by the ever intrepid Camera Guy Doug.

Then... it happened. We passed a section of trail I have ridden by a million times and we have shot almost as many. A cliff on the side of the trail. Maybe 15 feet tall, straight down to the trail. Ive looked at that cliff so many times and though... "I bet I could drop off that" but Ive never done it. Today was different... today was the day. 

So, I fired up my Ski-Doo MXZ 600 E-Tec Renegade, picked my way through the trees to the top of the cliff... took one look and just drove off. Needless to say... it went well. Nothing broken, no problem. 

After that we continued on shooting more test ride footage. Then we hit the lake. It was all powdery and smooth... just gross. I had to do something about it. So, it was time for some pow turns. Pow turns are great... everyone love them. As Ron Burgundy would say "drink it in... it always goes down smooth" and so do pow turns. 

The rest of the day was filled with other stuff. We didnt break anything. So thats good. 

Make sure you stay tuned to Snowtrax TV to see the full review of Ski-Doos MXZ 600 E-Tec.

Until next time... 

Moms Birthday Celebrated LESTER style

They say "the family that plays together, stays together". I come from a family that plays together. And, fortunately for everyone involved. We all love to play in the snow. Especially when its on sleds. So, for Moms birthday this year, the whole family, including my brother A.J., sister in law Lindsay, mom, dad and my wife Emmy all suited up and headed for Dorset, to The Fiery Grill for a bite, which by the way was PACKED. And, just so were clear, this is THE place to go if your in Dorset. 

Now, my wife, Emmy, loves to ride sleds, as does A.J.s wife, Lindsay. But they like to go at a bit more moderate pace. My mom on the other hand can keep up with anyone. So, for this trip, A.J. and Lindsay rode the Ski-Doo GTX 1200 and Emmy and I rocked the Arctic Cat TZ1 Turbo. 

Mom rode the Ski-Doo GSX 1200 and Dad was on the Yamaha Vector. Needless to say, we all had a great time. The girls all did a superb job of either driving or riding and mom had a great B-day with her kids.  

P.S. We had to borrow the hood of the Supertrax Z1 Turbo Sno Pro for our TZ1 cause we didnt have a permit yet. But dont be fooled, the TZ1 Turbo should have a black hood on it. 

Shooting the Arctic Cat Z1 Turbo... in a Blizzard

So camera guy Kyle and I shot this epic test ride of the Arctic Cat Z1 Turbo Sno Pro a few weeks ago. The day we shot the test ride was COLD so I was wearing a number of layers I dont normally wear. What I didnt realize was that on one of the under layers I had found in my old, pre-snowtrax gear bag had a logo on it that was of a company NOT associated with the show. In TV land this is a BIG no no. Snowtrax TV is extremely proud to be associated and supported by some of the best and aftermarket companies in the industry like Arctiva, Parts Unlimited and Baffin. Having a conflicting sponsors logo getting air time isnt a good way to show appreciation for that support. So, basically, what all this boiled down to was that Kyle and I needed to reshoot the entire test ride. So, we headed back out on the trail. This time though, it was snowing like crazy. But, we got 'er done, as they say. As you can see in the last pic... kyle was pretty impressed with the whole "doing it over" thing. 

Up the lakes without a belt.

Put on 140k this afternoon. My brother A.J., dad Mark and uncle Jeff all came along for the ride. A.J. and I ripped the ditches out of Minden, then up the lakes to Dorset. The lakes were good, but the ditches were better. No powder but when the snow is frozen like it is now, everything becomes a launch ramp. 

A.J. was out on the Supertrax Magazine Project sled for the first time after bending the tunnel and skidframe after coming up short trying to clear a driveway a few weeks ago. The sled is an 09 Arctic Cat Crossfire 800. Its had some motor work done by the guys at Birch Point Cats in Bobcaygeon. It now puts out 160ish HP. Unfortunately, on the way back down the lakes I guess it got hungry and ate a belt... and not in a civilized way either. Good thing the Nitro had a tool kit cause it seems the Cat ate its tool kit also. 

500km on an 800R and a Nitro XTX

Over the past 3 days I've logged just over 500k. My season total last year was 6000k and Id really like to beat that. The 2 sleds I rode this past weekend were the Ski-Doo Rev XP 800R Renegade and the Yamaha Nitro XTX. I have to say, these were 2 sleds I really wanted to like last season, but in all honesty, didnt like very much.

After 2 long days and 340k on the Renegade I gotta say... big pat on the back to Ski-Doo. Least season all XP chassis sleds with the exception of the GSX rode like crap. This season every XP chassis sled ive thrown a leg over has been among the best riding sleds this season. The 800 Renegade is no different. It rides AMAZING. Handling is still a little twitchy on frozen snow in my opinion. But, if its rough... id ride this sled all day. 

Next, is the Nitro XTX. Man, I wanted to love last seasons Nitro so bad. I liked everything about it except its less than stellar handling. Im gonna just throw this out there... but "way to go Yamaha". The new chassis changes and suspension geometry have turned a poorly handling snowmobile into a very good handling snowmobile. One id again, be happy to ride all day. I think part of the difference can be attributed to the 144 inch skid on the XTX. A track this long gets massive traction and will numb the handling of a sled significantly. In the Nitros case, this is a good thing. Doesnt matter how it happened though, I love this sled. Ive fought and fought with jeff about it but because he's the boss he gets to do the test ride on the XTX. Know this though, when hes done testing... im stealing this thing.