zoso Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Do you do it? I do the odd time. Not talking about running late from a day ride, but actually suiting up and heading out after dark. I enjoy it, but only do it from home, usually alone, and only for a short run. I like to stop in the bush at night and just be. I know many think that no good comes from night riding, but that only applies to those that decide to become impaired or run lakes at high speeds etc. There is lots of good after midnight if you are a responsible adult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Used to do evening runs if it was a nice night, but always home before midnight. Now night time runs are in the groomer instead. Also warmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy JR Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I like a good rip with the neighbor once in a while after the kids are down for the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreyboater Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Personally I prefer to finish my ride on sun set and stay at warm place with cold beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poo Man Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Like you I will do it once in awhile on local trails I know well. I also feel it can be safer as usually you can see oncoming headlights. Always nervous shouting the sled off though. Just my luck it would start again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfish Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 20 minutes ago, andreyboater said: Personally I prefer to finish my ride on sun set and stay at warm place with cold beer I do as well, although a scotch would be my choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulslund Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I love being out at night, but also only do it on local trails. I've been known to get the itch and head out around 11pm and back at 1 am. I'm lucky the trail is a few doors down the driveway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I enjoy night riding and feel that it is safer because you can see oncoming headlights. To be safe, you need to slow down a bit to not overdrive your headlights. Like others, I don't do much because there is not a long season at home and when I am away, I will have ridden a full day and am not interested in continuing to ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pt3189 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 When I think of snowmobiling I always come back to riding with my high school buddies on a week night after school. it was the seventies with lots of snow and you could go anywhere you want. Freedom for a 13 year old for sure. i Should do it more often, maybe I will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-crz- Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 All the time. With the demands of a young family and operating a groomer, I squeeze in rides whenever I can. Usually that means a week night after kids are in bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 We used to ride after supper out towards Copper Lake on the old Rathburn Trail. A couple of nice lookouts to check the sky. The official trail has been closed for a seasons now so we havent bothered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyIan Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I agree with seeing the incoming headlights. Living in the GTA, by the time I get to the cottage or riding spots it's dark, and can't wait to get out. I find I can see the terrain of the trail much better, and almost always can see the incoming sled before they are coming straight at you in a corner. Less traffic at night also, but always have a full tank of gas, especially in northern Ontario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoney Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Used to always do them with the group, usually the first day arriving at cottage, second night was hit or miss due to influences..... Biggest concern was having gas for that night and getting to gas station the next morning.....most northern gas stations shuts down around dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Techdenis007 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Totally agree on the visibility thing. I always preferred a nice evening ride after supper. Easy to pull off a nice 100 km ride close to home, never anyone else out. I'm more cautious when it's snowing, flying the Millenium Falcon with the high beams on .... lol ! But I prefer the darkness. I love stopping on a clear night on a hilltop and pulling out the phone with a star map app, out in the bush ... awesome looking at the stars in winter because there's no humidity in the atmosphere due to the cold temps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Voyant Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 LOVE night rides. When we volunteered for the Moonbeam club we would ride our sleds to Kap for the evening District meetings. Had a really close moose encounter one night on the way home. One winter we organized a "Full Moon" ride in Moonbeam: rode down the L129 to the southern most spot and set up a small generator, table and campstove. Had Christmas light decorations, a nice bonfire, hot chocolate and cigars; then back to the clubhouse for chicken wings and natchos. Unfortunately, we had only had a total of 4 other people participate. But what the hell....gotta try, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedy Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Night is the best. Usually find yourself on freshly groomed trails plus the headlight thing already mentioned..and the traffic is gone. Can't beat a night ride for making good time. In previous years we leave around noon from Fenelon and have dinner in Barrys bay. No rush, stop to take in the scenery sort of ride. Easy 4-5 hours. On the return leg 2.5 hours especially if you can hit the newly groomed trails for a good piece of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Claire Voyant said: LOVE night rides. When we volunteered for the Moonbeam club we would ride our sleds to Kap for the evening District meetings. Had a really close moose encounter one night on the way home. One winter we organized a "Full Moon" ride in Moonbeam: rode down the L129 to the southern most spot and set up a small generator, table and campstove. Had Christmas light decorations, a nice bonfire, hot chocolate and cigars; then back to the clubhouse for chicken wings and natchos. Unfortunately, we had only had a total of 4 other people participate. But what the hell....gotta try, right? Too bad it was such a small turnout. That would have been awesome! L129 is a really nice trail. I believe it was Gaston (late past president of Moonbeam) who recommended it to us as his hunting area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Voyant Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 44 minutes ago, sledjunk said: Too bad it was such a small turnout. That would have been awesome! L129 is a really nice trail. I believe it was Gaston (late past president of Moonbeam) who recommended it to us as his hunting area. Well, we had fun! Before the lights & fire we took a few minutes to enjoy the moon and try a few wolf howls...Lol Gaston was a true gentleman. We miss him. The L129 is one of my favs. There was a reason Gaston and his crew hunted there. Don't think think I've ever NOT seen moose tracks down there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carman80 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Tight twisty trails are the best at night as long as you slow down a bit. I love riding at night, especially when you find freshly groomed trails, I have encountered moose a number of times while out for a night ride. There is nothing better then being in the middle of a lake on clear night, turning off the machine and laying back and looking at the night sky with no light pollution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoney Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 1 hour ago, carman80 said: Tight twisty trails are the best at night as long as you slow down a bit. I love riding at night, especially when you find freshly groomed trails, I have encountered moose a number of times while out for a night ride. There is nothing better then being in the middle of a lake on clear night, turning off the machine and laying back and looking at the night sky with no light pollution. Or listening to the ice talk....makes some very strange noises on those frigid calm nights! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 10 hours ago, pt3189 said: When I think of snowmobiling I always come back to riding with my high school buddies on a week night after school. it was the seventies with lots of snow and you could go anywhere you want. Freedom for a 13 year old for sure. i Should do it more often, maybe I will. Oh yeah - back-in-the-day, in our tiny wide spot in the road, there was a ride going on every night! Anyone that wanted to ride would gather behind The Sports Shoppe uptown at 6:30. That was "uptown". Not that our town is big by any means, but LOTS of folks had sleds, and you could ride from your house to the uptown, and then off we would go. We had trails in many of the connecting woods' around the county. Kan't imagine any of that flying these days. Heck, seems like about anytime I have taken a sled off the section, someone is fussing.... Not that most winters we git that kind'a snow anymore, but prolly the better half of you can remember those days too. Quote Totally agree on the visibility thing. I always preferred a nice evening ride after supper. Easy to pull off a nice 100 km ride close to home, never anyone else out. I'm more cautious when it's snowing, flying the Millenium Falcon with the high beams on .... lol ! But I prefer the darkness. I love stopping on a clear night on a hilltop and pulling out the phone with a star map app, out in the bush ... awesome looking at the stars in winter because there's no humidity in the atmosphere due to the cold temps. I have recently heard aboot that phone app thing. That one night 5 yrs ago when we were out to Anjigami (Wawa) at O'Dark:30 one night - the sky was so clear that there was so many stars out that you couldn't see constelations. I wonder if the phone could have then? -------------- Have gone out playing after dark in recent years with the help of a Lead Dog light. No flat light now! ---------- Years ago my chum blew out the trailing arm and rad rod(s) on his RMK on a land mine. We fixed what we could with what Gordy had available at the time,. I think that he had the trailing arm, but he had rad rods for trail sleds, not RMK rods. We was planning on being in Chapleu (sp?) that night, but when the sun went down, we were in Gordy's parking lot (Wawa again) and it was Fishing Derby weekend, and if anyone's ever been to Wawa on F/D weekend, you know there's "no room at the inn". So we called down to Halfway, and they had room for us there, so we unloaded at Anjigami and headed south well after dark. Only for the bent rad rod to give up completely when we was on the trail - in the bush. Shut the sleds down to "contemplate our situation" (not that there was anything to contemplate, nor that we really discussed it at all, but...) and it was pitch black. I waved my hand in front of my face, and could not see it. Not too often that you can honestly say that... And while we sat there, just taking it in - some fussy hoot owl kept yukking it up at our expense.... We loaded back up and went home.... Pic from that day: My chum calling Gordy on the sat phone. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 4 hours ago, sledjunk said: Too bad it was such a small turnout. That would have been awesome! L129 is a really nice trail. I believe it was Gaston (late past president of Moonbeam) who recommended it to us as his hunting area. The rest were probably stuck in the mashed potatoes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 After reading Ox's post it reminded me of a late departure from Ernies to go to Valentines in Chapleau. We had got a sled repaired & we were off. After one of the guys missed a corner and ended up buried in the snow, his brother told him to slow down or we'd be all night getting to town. I think we rolled in around 10:30 or 11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneaks Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 I regularly ride at night. many times locally but also when I've been out at buddy's cottage etc. Lots of solo trips too. I enjoy both day and night riding (and have had many day to night, but I know that's not what you're asking). nice at night to be able to see headlights as mentioned, and often less traffic. Basically really what it's come down to is subscribing to the I go out when I can and conditions allow. It can be such a short season (especially recent years) that you take what you can get when the goings good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volunteer2 Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 us young guys have to ride at night since we are still workin LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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