tricky

X2. I am hoping that someone riding KL to Hearst this extended weekend can report on Monday what conditions still exist, if anything?

Thanks, Mark. We all need a boost, or therapy, as I forget who suggested, after this winter. Discouraging, but not the end of the world. Enjoy the 'off' season. 2025 can only be better.

400 km over 3 short days for me this season, and I think my season is over when it has barely started. On the up side there are plenty of 2 wheelers in my garage hoping to get more use this season.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to report. WOW, that is crazy! Where did you stay in KL? Good luck with the rest of your trip.

Did you stick with this plan? If so, could you give us and update or two from your trip?

I can accept when I am beat, and that is now. My original plan was drive north today, sled 4 days and drive home Sunday. The extreme weather swings are creating a forecast whereby I could only enjoy sledding of Friday. Now I have my eye on NEXT Wednesday thru Saturday, if the trails survive until then. If this is the new weather reality, one good thing about it is that my current sled will do me until I pack it in! Hope the rest of you can get at least one more ride in.

We need snow to fall and stay in more of Ontario. Doug Ford couldn't give us 'buck a beer'. I doubt he can give us more snow. No point in the province spending money on organized sledding that involves southern Ontario. OFSC must revise its model to reflect the reality of 'climate change'. I am not yet convinced that we humans are responsible for the change, but I see the change. Sucks to be us!

I just received the bail out email from my buddy. My Wife(she who must be obayed) says I can't go alone. Will somebody heading north in the next 2 days allow me to tell her that I'm riding with them, in case she wants 'proof' that I am not riding alone? The ruse is more important than actual riding partners, but I would try to ride with another group, if available. I am neither fast, nor slow, and neither a party animal or a wall flower. I feel the season slipping away.

Did you guys change your staging town to something more north? I see New Liskeard is closed.

Access is actually not that bad if you follow the prescribed trail - right into/out of their parking lot. Don't expect to find any MacDonalds there but nice south Asian family will look after you. Best to order food in unless there has been recent snow. Restaurant is a few city blocks away. We have always had the option of indoor sled parking. Beer store is very close.

I hope to get back to KL Saturday afternoon. She who must be obayed says I can't go solo next week, so I may not even get away. Won't get a definitive answer from riding buddy until Monday so haven't booked anything yet. PITA!

Man that sled can carry a lot of beer!

I would recognize the shirts. Hope to see you up there somewhere.

Not this time. Scot. Big Paul L. Will let me know Monday???? Jeff and Jen were good enough to say up front that they weren't going away for that long. They may be going up Monday and back Thursday or Friday.

My tentative plan was KL to Cochrane (or Kap)on Wednesday. Thursday, Cochrane to Hearst. Friday, Hearst to Cochrane or Timmins. Saturday, back to KL. Drive home Sunday. Buddy that might join me is flakier than this winter's snow.

9/10 on the weekend has to equal 10/10 thru the week - pretty high praise. If we are both in the area next week, it would be great to meet up for a evening beverage. At a generation older and half the HP, I couldn't ride with you and keep up, but maybe at a bar?

Anyone riding Kirkland Lake to Hearst area next week? Anyone riding there now? Conditions? I was hoping to ride northeast side of the park out of Mattawa next week, but looks too warm now. Might have to go solo after my buddies went to PQ this week.

Didn't you put her on (through) a Viper before that? Maybe that was someone else. Most, but not all the sledding wives, I have ridden with were very happy when they finally got a 600 class sled after years of 800s. This is even more so true for anyone now on a Poo 650 - all most will need. Lots of women were on 800/850 sleds because the male partner bought the sleds and he wanted a back-up to his sled.

Fits my theory. Do what you can do, don't whine over what you can't. Wine, but don't whine!

Hope it works for the sake of all sledders.

Lots of white this AM, but it's just frost. Haven't seen that for a while.

There is no doubt that "leftover pricing" or "no snow season" pricing is not just returning, but is already here. Dealerships are swamped with unsold 2024 (and some '23s) inventory and Polaris, for one, has lots of '22s still to move. The opportunity to pick up a non-current sled at a great price is about to be like we haven't seen in a more that a decade. One has to be really dedicated to the "new and improved" models to spring order a 2025 model. The rational approach is to spend as little as you can get away with on this disappearing sport, and spend your money on something that will give you more bang for your buck. The shorter the sledding season, the longer the boating, ATVing and motorcycling season. Notice I didn't advocate for getting out of sledding, but rather spending less so that you aren't so devastated when a season like this one hits. We will have snow again, but we aren't going back to what most of us remember as "winter". Be happy, whatever your spending strategy!

Today, we pulled the plug on the Northern Corridor trip. Too far to drive to SRF or Kap for a couple of days sledding, especially for 2 guys who have ridden those trails more than we can remember. If the original group of 4 were going, we likely would have made the effort. Hoping winter comes back with a vengeance in the near future.

Yes, Scott. We just got off the phone. We decided to shyte can the original 4- day ride, and decide tomorrow whether to can the whole idea. If we go, we will be following Mark's advice and stage out of S-R Falls or Kap. We would then sled 2-3 days and drive home. We have done that twice before and had very good luck getting a decent ride in when Cochrane was pooched. It would be nice to hear from some weekend riders what their experience was in the Kap to Hearst area. I refuse to let this defeat me as a sledder, but I have to admit, this winter (or lack thereof) is starting to wear thin on this grumpy old man.

Thanks guys for the info. We will decide today whether to pull the plug altogether, change staging sight or maybe even hold the course. There are only two of us and we are both stubborn. One good thing about the weather is we should be able to find rooms.