skidooboy

Havent heard of them. Come play in the snow, (Bryan) used to be a trusted touring company. Ski

make sure you check these, I know for a fact, Jone's in Wawa does not rent sleds any longer. I doubt the soo and searchmont do anymore either. have not heard of them renting, recently. your results may vary. Ski

Ordered 2 full and one classic yesterday. Ski

hopefully it is a fuel mileage reasonable solution. there will be almost no way to start from the soo, heyden, goulais, with that kind of trail mileage, and make it to Wawa, or Chapleau. not sure if you could make it to Chapleau from Aubrey Falls/Black Creek outfitters or not. when the old F trail was close to hwy 129, that run was 110 miles (miles not km's). I am doubting anyone can make it from Searchmont to Wawa without a large fuel caddy. it was 90 miles to halfway from Searchmont, and another 70-75 miles to Wawa. It will still be a good poke to go from Chapleau to halfway (60 miles), and then on to Wawa (another 70-75 miles). not many sleds will do that in good conditions, let alone fresh snow, super warm or cold, that would affect mileage. cant wait to see the solution. Ski

you both are right, MAP means: Manufacturer Advertised Price. sell below it, get your hands slapped. keep doing it in the open, lose your retailer agreement, and product. most online retailers work around this buy not advertising lower prices but, making you "add to cart, or check out" to get the best pricing. Ski

talk to Ken at the Big Bear in Hawk. he and Trudy went to Halfway hunting in the last few days. they are closed monday and tuesday so, he was there in the last 48 hours, could give you some insight. Ski

I wish you luck. hwy 101 was closed between Chapleau and Wawa today for road conditions. snow, ice. I too am going up Friday. have an appointment to have the new fibre optic internet installed at the house on Saturday. Ski

might be gone sunday, monday for sure. saturday... I wouldnt bet it is all gone. https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/weather/ontario/chapleau Ski

and so it begins! ski

if you have holes in the wheels, just buy a cable and lock. run it through a wheel or two, and around the frame/axle. it will keep the "honest people, honest" real thieves will do everything and anything to get what they really want. good luck, glad we dont have to deal with this, much anymore. Ski

Layering is the only way, for me. I cant stand to be in a puffy full on insulated coat/pants combo. thin base, mid, and another mid when really cold, under shells. Ski

The first time you have a trailer swap ends or pitch sideways on you in a crosswind, and you know you could have a lot better chance of saving it, and not have the whole mess end up in a ditch, or rock cut... you will be glad you have trailer brakes. In the states, it is mandatory for all trailers with 2 or more axles, to have brakes, on both axles. most higher end single axles, also come brake equipped. But, yes... towing with the proper sized towing vehicle is paramount, in having good towing experiences. Ski

the Dubreuilville re-route, will get us off the Simpson, and Drey roads, permanently (crosses fingers). the current trail, from town to the tracks going north to Hornepayne (on the long side of the old, 100 mile loop) is in place, and has been for a few years now. the reroute is from the tracks to the big Kabi river (halfway point to Hornepayne). the MNR, and Logging groups gave the club 3 years, to find a solution, letting the club know, they could no longer use the roads. this all took place shortly after the bridge over the Kabi for logging was built. once that bridge went in, you could see the writing on the wall. this re-route actually utilizes the original trail the club had, prior to the roads coming into use for the winter for the club. Patrick Bouchard put forth a HUGE effort of planning, getting estimates, applying for funding several times, and doing everything in his power through the club, district and ofsc to get this project funded and underway. he has been working his butt off mentally and physically to get this done, to avoid closing the trail altogether (which almost happened). he, Patrice Dubreuil, Raymond Dubreuil, Junior from the bait shop, and logging community, and Patrick's wife, and kids, have been walking and flagging the new trail, so the 3 excavators he has lined up, can get in there and get the trail cleared before the grooming season is upon them. they have lots of obstacles to overcome... several wet areas, and beaver pond issues, crossing the Simpson road 3-4 times between the tracks and the Kabi. it wont be easy but, they have a great team, and great game plan. This is a GOOD THING!!! hoping Lynne and I can help out at some point too. just hard to do 500 miles away, and only being up there a few days at a time. if any of you have time, and want to help, let me know, and I will put you in contact with Patrick, and the club. thank you all in advance. Ski

and bad stock skis (18 and older models. the new G2 Mountain ski is pretty good on the M, and High Country), and narrow front end. we pull our sway bars off too, on our High Country's, that doesnt help trail manners but, it doesnt make them unrideable, unless you are trying to set a new point A to point B record time. the problem I see with the procross, proclimb, and ascender chassis as seen as steering issues is, where the middle of the ski turning carbide sits, apposed to where the center of the bottom of the spindle, and where all the sleds weight presses down. most skis stick way our front of this, and does not allow the keel and carbide to turn the sled very well. this is a trade off because, that is what makes this platform so darn good offtrail. it is all a trade off, decide what you are willing to live with. I understand what you are saying, not poking at you. some people really are sensitive to steering issues, and it drives us nuts, to try to find a solution. Ski

My first winter winter season up there started december of 1998, had a brand spankin new zx chassis doo 600. so to clarify... winter of 1998-1999. our groups first trip through halfway was super bowl weekend of 1999. so, there you go. My apologies for the confusion, of dates. Steve and Gail were GREAT, what came after was the beginning of what we have now, which is closure, promise, open, excuse, closure etc... why do you think we stopped riding from the soo, searchmont, echo bay? just got tired of dealing with the not knowing if there would be fuel, lodging, or shelter. plus, you lose 2 days in the area, one day up, one day back. we can drive to wawa in 2.5 hours as long as the road is open. get to see more of the country, than a hydro corridor. again, only an opinion. my point was not exaggeration but, the need to find a viable solution for the issue, for traveling tourers. Ski

sorry to be jaded but, I have saw this play out several times since 1998. the clubs bank on this stop to be available, then for financial, and other reasons, they close down, mid season, or never open. wasting valuable time, money, resources and the faith of the volunteers. can you imagine the amount of ofsc/district money, put into getting that trail opened, signed, safe and groomed during years when it closed, or never opened? or after it closed for years, to get it reopened, only to close again? for me, I would rather see a route placed that can bypass this situation altogether, and stop depending on a place that of late, cannot maintain itself functional. yes, at one time with the right people, funding, and commitment, it could serve the public but, the condition of the buildings, property, location and infrastructure not in place, even though they are right below the hydro line, just isnt a good bet to bank on. this place's time has come and gone. (in my mind). I have utilized them, I respect what was tried and done. I understand we cant loop ride from the soo, chapleau, timmins wawa, without carrying big gas, without a stop like this in place. I understand some people really really like the place but, there are other routes, and options. just ask @AC+YAthere are viable routes in there, or around there. restore the Missanabbi to Chapleau trail. make a closer route from searchmont/aubrey falls, to chapleau. the last I heard the owners were from the USA, and were trying to get a grant from the Canadian Gov't to keep it running. being a Canadian property owner, and having some common sense, I cant see the Canadian Gov't giving money to a US business person, only to turn around and see the profits (if it makes it), go to a person of another country. or if it doesnt make it, just throw good money down a deep hole, with no chance for any return. Sorry guys, it is just time, to find another option, and stop trying to make this work. Ski

bought it last year. ski

he is on a doo now. ski

the main guillotine's are still up front but, they have a secondary system, which is on the sides of the cylinders. you can get at the outer ones but, the inner ones are impossible. Ski

the latest procross/proclimb chassis (changed in 2018) is now called the ascender chassis, narrower panels, new powerplants. other than the pain in the ass powervalve cleaning (must remove cylinders to get "all" of them) they are a nice riding chassis. at least you only have to clean the PV's every 3500 miles. just in time for a top end. I am not a big rider forward guy but, I meshed with the ascender from day 1. Ski

short or long shaft? Ski

I have saw all I need to on the forums with broken/damaged rails, very few track options, track failures, tunnels buckling, and the reports of terrible trail manners. with as much trail as we ride to get to our play areas, balancing on a single rail doesnt sound appealing. I will stick to my dual rails, thank you. Ski

as Bartles & James used to say... "Thank you, for your support". Ski

non riotX has trail spindles skis, and track too to get the offtrail front end geometry, track, gearing, chaincase, you have to go with the alpha rail set up. hence, my statement. Ski

Been on Cat's since 2009, have had good luck with them, for the most part, unless it was self inflicted. once they took their Mountain, and then Crossover platforms, to the single rail (Alpha) suspension, I was out as a new sled buyer. just not a fan. I will probably ride and rebuild my 2018 XF High Country, until the dual rail comes back, or I quit sledding. Ski