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Spent the weekend in Temagami at the Polaris Ambassador meet and ride, had a great time meeting fellow riders and ambassadors from Ontario, with the support of the riders and sponsors we raised 4000 for the local snowmobile club.

Took my 8yr old Granddaughter for loop thru my 40 acre Sugar bush this afternoon, she loves to ask about the tracks she sees , ( rabbit, fox, coyote, turkey) and commented on the beauty of all the snow on the branches. ......and its those shared moments that make it worthwhile to keep the 1998 340 cat running another year !

I wish Blake and Turbo Doo would check back in sometime. A difference of opinion doesnt equal ill will in my opinion but to each their own i guess. Nunz has stuck around! Yay! Also Panther340 disagreed with some covid opinions too and it got heated a bit at times and he's still around. Always a great contributor and stuck by his opinion and respected others right to do so. Never met ya bud but i respect that and kudos to ya for that.

Always sad when people decide to leave the sport or just leave the forum. There are a few people on here that are less than friendly at times and the world has become more divided than ever. Its a sad state we are in, but we all need to come together in our common activity, snowmobiling, and focus on having fun, being safe and having a good laugh. Enjoy the trails, enjoy friends.

If you have the opportunity do it. My amazing (15 year old) son and I took a long weekend and headed to Revelstoke to sled this past Sat and Sun. rented basically brand spanking new 2023 850 summits 154’s from Freeriderrentals.com Was an absolute blast. Best time I’ve had on a motorized vehicle. heading back next year for sure (and in better shape!) Views: half the amount of snow this year that last year at this time. getting too hot and cooling down:

I just got back from 5 days in Quebec. We saddlebagged it to a different lodge/hotel every night. Trails were "good". Not amazing, but better than what we have in the South.

Todays ride was from shawinigan to kanawata, around 340km. Great day on the trails….most were fast and good, but some rough stuff too. Ran into quite a few Americans.

@UsedtoSkidoo and @oldslowsledder I don’t have the time, nor do I care to argue. It is hustle season. Working all day and then rushing around trying to get trails open every evening and weekend. The car is loaded for work part 2 today. Opened a little trail last night and hope for more tonight 🤞🏻

Rode out of Hearst last Friday through Monday. Great trails almost everywhere up there. The yellow section from the end of the Hearst/Hornepayne at Mooseland over to the west is the only issue. The snow is fine, but this section has not been given enough grooming over the last few seasons to successfully break the saplings off. When it is cold and the drag cuts into the trail a bit, they are broken/cut off. The current state is to the point of causing many to turn back to Hearst. My group continued and found the best trail conditions I’ve seen since its reopening in I think 2018-2019 season. We’ve ridden it every season except the 2020-2021. We met a guy trying to cut some of the growth with a homemade sled-knife he was dragging, but it really wasn’t working. Other than a few low areas (bottom of the hills) where water cut through during warm temps, the trail is real good once past the long bridge on Hwy11. The trail is green at that point. Really liked staying at the “Between the Bridges Inn” on Hwy11 in Geraldton. Park in front of your room. Moonbeam Clubhouse was cranking on Saturday afternoon and ran into Dennis and his group from Hearst. Too bad it’s such a long drive. Great 750 miles. Scott

If we look back to the beginning, we have lost allot of great contributors. This last deal, I don't really understand. I guess some are not happy and have left, I respect that. The last few years the whole world has changed, there is separation everywhere, it has no boundaries. It's up to each individual to either get along, ignore, forget or forgive. There have been many over the years I didn't think much of, no different then every day life, mostly I just let it roll off. I've been part of some heated discussions on here, it is what it is, at the end of the day we all love the same sport. I wish the others would just come back and get over their differences, but if they don't they don't. It's their choice, and I firmly believe we all have a choice, just as our charter of Freedoms and rights states. This is a tuff season province wide for our sport, I hope everyone finds happiness in what they are doing and gets to do some sledding, wherever that may be.

Hi Bill, sorry to hear this. I'm not too often on the forum and just saw this. Remember a few years ago 2015 or so I fought cancer and I'm still here and seem to be in remission. My last checkup will be this coming March. It was a long journey, the surgery, Radiation and Hormonal treatment has left its toll on me. I could have chosen any advance country in the world to treat me but I trusted the Canadian Specialists and looking back I made the right decision. I'm 70 now and still sledding with my buddy, the Yamaha Vector. Still rockets me around. Forsure life will change for you and some physical adjustments will have to be made, but it will never be the same. Through it all, with Radiation pellets in my left leg, I still sledded with Blake G, Glenn, Grizzly Griff and a lot of the members I met on this forum. However, I wish you the best on this journey. Cheers 🍻

Im glad the Monkey barrel forum was put in. Keeps everything else PG, and enter at your own risk if you want to. Made it a friendlier place again IMO.

Got back home today after a mini three night/two day trip out of Mattawa Golf and Ski. Our group of 6, for the most part, lucked out with the weather and the grooming schedules. Wednesday, we rode 290 km from Golf and Ski eastward via the A trail to Deep River for an early Timmi's lunch, and then back via the 130 series local North Renfrew and 190 series Missing Link trails. Most of the trail we rode had been groomed Monday or Tuesday, and even those that hadn't (the 'dead end" 137 and 136), were tolerable. That day's riding is about as good as it gets in Ontario. Every time I take a new person on that ride, they are super impressed with the scenery, and trail quality and variety. Thursday, we did the same 240 km route that gtowe referred to above, but in the opposite direction. From Golf and Ski, we went thru Mattawa via the A trail and A112A, unfortunately still via the downtown road bridge, then northwest toward North Bay on A112A, to the A trail, south on the A with a detour in/out on BF201 to the Dinner Bell for a delicious lunch. After lunch we carried on back to the A trail, south/east back to our hosts. The trails were in very good shape with 3-6" of fresh snow on top of mostly very smooth base. Sled traffic was minimal both days. Sadly we saw a broken down groomer on the A trail about 15 km west of Golf and Ski. With the colder weather this coming week, the slush should freeze on the Mattawa River, allowing that crossing to open. The hospitality for three nights was excellent at a modest price, which may be important to some, as the fuel prices for both sleds and trucks are still too high. If you haven't ridden this area recently, make the effort to go there.

DIY , as most rental companies didn’t want to rent a 160 hp 850 cc machine to a 15 year old for some reason???? 🤔🤔🙄 that being said , Saturday we rode by ourselves at Boulder to get use to powder and mountain riding (and the narrow ski stance and 2” tracks!) and Sunday the owner Mike , came out with us on his 850 turbo and took us to Frisby ridge to some spots not easily accessible unless your a local. Was the best day ever. Seriously. Note , my son is better at two things than me already. Fishing and back country snowmobiling !

Glad to see that there were enough sleds with the recall done to have the event...🤣

We put vinegar on fries only......and at 3 am , I am snoring or up for my nightly pee !!

And there hasn't been any problems in the Monkey Barrel. It's just a place where people post what ever they want and no one gets offended. It's more of a fun place than a political thing. Think of it as a safe place within a safe space. It's nice to have place where we can post without being attack for our belief or just our bad sense of humour. It's not the first time we had a revolt by main posters and I'm sure it won't be the last. It's the other 99% of forum members that enjoy the forum that still makes it a great place imo. Imagine a forum started to make friends and riding buddies turned into a place of hate and like always it was egos that made thing go bad. I was asked by many people to try and fix the fighting/bickering that had festered for a longtime. The problem was solved and everything went back to normal again but for some reason that wasn't enough for some people.

Freedom Rippers are planning a trip leaving from Wawa to Cochrane and back Feb 26th to March 3rd. We have stops in Hearst, Kap, and Cochrane....stay tunes for trip pics

Landed in lebel sur quevillon today, no pictures but man is trail 93 ever a fast trail with lots of rollers! Looking at all the other posts sounds like many folks are finally getting some miles on or will be soon. Great to see all the sledding updates! Seeing a lot more colour on the OFSC map too, should be a great February!

Always ! My garage is stocked with Sleemans .

The polarization of society in past three years has even gone so far as dividing families ( including my own) One of the best things this site did was separating those sensitive topics to that Monkey Forum. I am purposely not a member there because when we didn't have it , even though I would say to myself I would ignore or not read certain posts.....I am too passionate ( and well informed ) and would be tempted to read and reply.....so now with it separate in Monkey section, I can avoid easier. So as long as Moderators keep that stuff over in Monkey, I think we all , in the rest of the forums, can get along with other common passions like the outdoor sports , or technical helps , non political jokes.....etc.. so I consider you all people I am confident would be friends if we met in my garage with a beer.

I used to wonder why anyone would let internet chatter and/or a differing of opinions let them get so wound up to the point they would need to leave. But.....,I did vacate a site I frequented daily for several years a little over a year ago and have never looked at it again. I am glad I did - it was good for me, so I guess I can better understand now why some may choose to do what they do. In any event, I enjoy the members here and most importantly - really appreciate the valuable sledding information I get from here, see pictures of people out riding, or just talk about sledding ( since I don't get to ride much ) - that is the passion part and the reason I come here. Glad those that are here are still here.

Another awesome day riding just over 400km from Kanawata to Lac Faillon. Trails were fast and wide with a few bumps and fresh powder thrown in just for fun. Few pictures from the day.

So I personally do not know what all the drama is about but I can say this. While I’m not a regular chatty person Ihave been part of this forum for over 20 years.if I recall a crash or something back in the day that eliminated my profile once maybe twice. Recall this was started by LMV way back and rode with a number of members way back. This site at one time was where you needed to go to find trail conditions in Ontario as there was no ITG or anything close. There was a tight knit group of folks and back in the early 2000’s I likely posted far more regularl back then. Times change, people change and ideals change. I always enjoyed the snowmobile focus of the group. I believe it will survive, it’s the folks that remain part of the group that will ensure that. I continue to check in during the season and if I feel I can contribute in a meaningful manner will do so.

Why ask to have your account deleted? Seems childish to me?

missing it, monkey barrel didnt start until the "problems" and difference of opinion during covid. that was when several left, starting their own website and FB page to be sledding only, instead of a social club around sledding. was kind of I'm taking my ball and going home kind of theater. I miss the larger group, and the more threads, discussions, pics, reports, trip reports, the things people were building, working on. the fights were in the open, before the barrel was offered. Ski

I frequent a few forums and they all have the same or similar atmospheres. I really don’t understand why anyone takes a forum as offensive, take the good and / or bad from them and carry on. It’s not personal or shouldn’t be. But agreed though, many people bring different values and losing what some have to offer takes a bit away from any forum.

The complaining, infighting, and difference of opinion on the trails, clubs, districts, ofsc, govt, and covid handling, treatment, protocols, vax status, and conspiracy theory, mis, disinformation beliefs, really changed our site, friends, families, and world dynamics. It is sad really but, part of the information at a glance age. Welcome to our future, unfortunately. Ski

Just hoping that the temps stay low enough now until the end of the season 🙈

Not much riding, spent the day clearing trails for Tall Pines.

Has anyone else noticed that OC has lost 2 more long time contributors that added a lot of good information and humor to the forum? Blake has been absent from the forum this season. Turbo Turbo Doo has been absent with the exception of a couple of posts about 2 weeks ago. One of those was his request to have his profile deleted. Too bad we are continuing to loose great guys and worthy contributors. Not a good thing.

It is kind of sad the way this is going. I have been on here since way back when my farm neighbor Adam K. was helping with the sight IT. He and a buddy stickered my sled one night with an OC sticker. That is how i found my way here, The sticker still on my tool box some 25 years later! I have always enjoyed popping in and out. Check the trail reports, accommodation/restaurant reports, sled brand banter and all such things that snowmobilers talk about. I don't post a lot, but I have always enjoyed sharing a trail report, some humor, and talking to like minded people. We are a shrinking group of enthusiasts and sometimes we are our own worst enemies in many different ways. Last week we went to Sudbury with friends, to meet and ride with friends that we have met there snowmobiling, and met more new passionate sledders and friends. This is a big thing that my wife and I enjoy about the sport. There are not many places in Ontario that we haven't made some tracks, and have always enjoyed the comradery where ever we have gone. Respect others, help the sport when you can, Be it in the Clubhouse, on the side of trail, or on a Snowmobile Forum. Hammer down!

It’s fairly offensive if you happen to be female or many other types of humans. But if you’re too busy running a club, building trails, organizing groomer operators, working and enjoying life it’s kinda hard to care about the memes about women and the drama. I poked the bears for a while but moved on after one particular incident. I’ve only truly been offended by one person here, he showed me what kind of person he was and I believe him. Now I roll my eyes and am thankful that society is moving forward…for the most part.

i like the gas price back then

Just rode from the info center to Sunridge, back to edgewater for lunch and back to the info center yesterday. I'd say it was 70/30 fresh groomed to bombed out. We left the trucks at 8 am and got back at 2:30 for a total of 130 miles.

Wakomata Wilderness We were back on the Wakomata Wilderness for the first time this season. A scenic way of getting to Black Creek Outfitters.

Had about 25 sleds through my place today .All new sleds they pretty much have it packed . going out for a sign check tomorrow .

Not a jab at all, sorry that offends you. it was a anecdotal way to describe what happened. some didnt agree with others on certain items, dug their heels in, then just left, vs trying to work out differences, or ignoring the differences, or better yet, ignoring those they didnt agree with, or like. But to leave, start your own places (not the first time that has happened here either), then to invite people from here, to join their newly formed group, seemed to be a weird change of events. (at least to me). I dont wish any ill will, nor do I have bad feelings for the people that left. I just think it was sad that, it was just those things that made people turn on one another and leave. having the ignore feature turned on for the people that upset you the most, is a great tool to utilize on any media platform. and I am with Ox, I dont believe in deleting someones account fully. there are links, helpful tips, history, that help others. wanting all of your info you shared with others wiped from existence just doenst make sense. unless there was, is, some high security risk. Ski

I am a mod on another site, and we have had folks git pissed off and leave, and want all of their posts taken down. (informative site - machining) The Powers That Be have yielded to one or two and I find that complete BS. It leaves holes in threads, and also, there have been reports of links to other posts being wrong now doo to a post prior to it having been removed now. Personally - I'd say that if you want to leave, then just leave. Quit posting, and your profile will sink. One option that I can live with is that the profile is closed, and all posts are now under "Guest" moniker. You can't search much now, but at least the thread makes sense to go back and read. As a member/contributor, I hope that you never allow folks to delete posts, but then on a site like this - prolly not so big'a deal. Not likely searching form much tech info here anyway... .

Have been in to see Bill a couple times this week for parts, made sure to wish him all the best. He is in great spirits and determined to beat this. Positive attitude is everything and Bill has it 👍

Yup. 130 hp first 100k to today

Sad for sure, miss Revrnd very much as well as I enjoy posts of his daily projects. I spend some time on other forums and have to say this is the nicest by far

The clubs are out working hard at it.

I realize it may not be conveniently local for everyone in the South, but if you're in the Muskoka area already, have a trailer and are itching to ride, I'd recommend the 1.5h drive to where the A101D and D meet in Powassan and start from there. Trails were good to excellent in that area on Saturday. Went east to Mattawa on A, then A112A west toward North Bay then A back down to A101D through Bonfield. 240km of mostly great conditions! Sorry, no pictures unfortunately. Not much traffic compared to what people were seeing in Whitney / Bancroft / etc. area.

He must have been watching all those SUV TV commercials. Next he’ll have his ski rack on and heading up the ski mountain instead of taking the chair lift!

Everyone just sticks to their circles now and that's it. Divide in everyday life has never been greater. You can be a great person with a difference of opinion. Just be good person - surround yourself with people who you enjoy and can make you laugh and that's the ticket.

Kleen Flo has a spray bomb product called Honey Goo. As the name suggests it sticks and stays. After 2-3 applications over a couple of seasons and given time for it to firm up before use, you won't have to do yearly coatings. It is a penetrating type product that goes on much thicker than Fluid Film . $11.99 at Canadian Tire and one can should do all the axle and steel mounts on a single axle trailer.

Six inches on the middle of the trail at my place.

Well then don't say it . Your on the same level as the local media weather forecasters . Bundle up going down to -2 feels like -3.

They use to have a link for Spot unit tracks. Not available anymore to the public due to OFSC Risk management policies..