Once upon a time I frowned on these loud, mechanical monsters as a hick-driven menaces, forever interrupting the perfect crystalline silence of a winter morning. My snootiness is dead! Long live the Fun! Due to the intervention of my charming A.D.D. boyfriend (LC) I have been riding for 2 seasons, and I just started my 3rd last weekend. W00t!
Snowmobiling is more intense than you might think, there is more to it than just bundling up, starting your engine and buzzing off through the snow drifts. Snowmobiling is physically demanding and is a ridiculously good workout for your legs. Because of the way that sleds are engineered, many models do not have optimal shock-absorption systems. This means that to maintain your sleds integrity (as well as your ass' comfort) you must use your legs a shocks:
Sledding (colloquial term for snowmobiling) can often turn into a high intensity cardio workout if you or one of your buddies gets "bogged down". When you go into snow that is very deep but not packed down, the "paddles" on your "track" will kick up the loose snow and dig deeper and deeper down. The only way out is to lift and move the sled, or have a friend with a tow-rope pull you out:
But before you head out into the great white north a word of caution.
Snowmobiling is fun and exciting but it can be very, very dangerous. The most important thing you can have is a buddy to sled with. Never sled alone.
The second most important thing is a helmet. No. REALLY. I fell off my sled onto plowed pavement this last weekend (thank you plows for creating a 7 foot drop...) and even WITH my helmet on I still suffered a minor concussion. A helmet can be the difference between life and death.
The last thing that is a necessity is warm clothes, preferably with an base layer that "wicks" sweat away from your body, and an outer layer that is wind-proof.
For more info on sledding check with your local DNR for resources.
Stay safe out there.
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