CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE!!
Chasing the snow storms was how we rolled 9 years ago. We had been in the sledboard game for 3 years, with 10 years of snowboarding under our belts, we kept pushing the bounderies.
Back in 1999 we started to head to the mountains from the Midwest. By 2002 we had taken an avalanche course in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The backcountry was our drug, best served with storms and driving through blizzards that just added to the adventure.
The town that caught our attention early on was Steamboat, Colorado. This was a big resort town, but also the appeal was the main town which still felt like a cowboy town. Nothing beats a good snowstorm in Steamboat.
The goal 9 years ago was to hit the early season storm as it was dropping fresh powder in the surrounding mountains.
We went all in with the sled part of the backcountry adventure, 2 long track mountain sleds, enclosed trailer and 3/4 ton pick-up. 3 years into this adventure, we had replaced one of the sleds with a new 2008 Polaris RMK with a 155 inch long track. We still had the original 800 Polaris RMK 159" track.
The system was to have both sleds, ride both down the mountain and park 1 sled. Then Weez would sit in front and hold onto the bars while I stand and drive back up the mountain. Unload the boards and the snowboard down the mountain together. arrive at the parked sled, load up and roar back up. Sometimes we would use a waterski rope and I would pull Weez back up the mountain behind the sled.
The White Room... look close and you can see Weez in the trees.
Riding the Polaris Mountain Sleds... awesome terrain and scenery... fresh powder.
Living the rock and snow life... Our own mountain for the day, nobody else out there... Yee Haa!!
Backcountry mountain weapon, Polaris 700 RMK 155"/2.4" paddles.
Took a break from the backcountry 1 day and hit the Steamboat Resort on the boards.
The trip was all part of the big Adventure...East of Omaha heading into Des Moines, Iowa.
Brapppp On!!
5 comments:
Great story and pics! Any adventures planned out West this Season?
Yes, planning a road trip to chase the snow... would do a combination of resorts and some snowshoe into backcountry. Possible trip to Wyoming and rent sleds to do some backcountry snowboarding. Plenty of fat tire mountain biking... Are you doing some traveling this winter? Mike
Not sure if I'll be traveling this winter out of state. I spent a week out in Colorado last October visiting friends and mountain biking. My next trip to Colorado next summer might turn into a permanent move. My last trip out to Montana was a very memorable ski vacation to Whitefish Mountain Resort. Safe travels Mike!
Chris
Thanks Chris, Colorado is a good choice, I have thought about the Steamboat area. Last time out to Whitefish Mountain Resort for me, it was still called Big Mountain...
Mike
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