BY JOHN T . PRUSAK / EDITOR

Groups of riders we came across in the U . P . with broken down sleds . In each case , master tuner Oberg was able to diagnose and patch up their issues .

people who watched our first official Snow Goer Live videocast on Facebook and YouTube in the first 24 hours . Join in on the fun on Thursday nights this winter .

BREAKING TRAIL

Names of companies that I saw people namedrop online that are allegedly interested in buying Arctic Cat . You ’ ve gotta ’ love the rumor mill !

The locals reported “ early-season riding conditions , at best .” The weather forecaster called for caution . Friends and family said we were being impatient – and maybe a bit loony .

But we had sleds to break-in , goshdarnit , and some snow had at least fallen in Michigan ’ s Upper Peninsula . So , despite the warnings , we made the drive anyway .

After a virtually snowless season last year , we ' d made a decision to not turn down any chances to ride snowmobiles this year . So when our first opportunity arrived in early December , we didn ’ t hesitate . We ignored the naysayers and made the five-hour drive on a day that started with an empty trailer with non-functioning lights .

After trailer repairs , I picked up our 2025 Ski-Doo demo sleds – a Backcountry X-RS 850 E-TEC Turbo R and an MXZ X 850 E-TEC – and then met my co-pilot for the day , frequent Snow Goer contributor Jeff Oberg .

Noting that the popular U . P . was the only spot with snow and therefore may be overrun with riders , he asked , “ Did you have trouble finding lodging ?”

“ Ahhhh , no ,” I replied . “ In fact , we may be the only people renting a cabin at the Timbers tonight . Maybe everybody else is a lot smarter than us ?”

While he contemplated whether that was even a mathematically possibility (?!), we crossed into Wisconsin and passed miles of brown ditches . We started to see a little roadside snow by Ashland . And despite reports from the previous week that lake-effect events had dumped multiple feet of snow in the area , the Michigan border town of Ironwood only had shallow snowbanks as we passed .

Things got better as we approached Lake Gogebic . After unloading , we were pleasantly surprised to discover decent conditions during a concise 42-mile night ride . The next morning began with freezing rain – another ominous sign . But once that dried up , we rode to Houghton and back , spinning the tracks for another 160 miles before heading home . There were a few wet spots to avoid and assorted bumpy sections . But the locals were getting everything worked into fine shape and , overall , it was a fantastic trip .

Then the holidays brought warm temperatures , fog and rain . Similar reports of “ early season at best ” conditions were coming out of Northern Minnesota , but the Michigan trip was so enjoyable that my buddy Dave and I took another risk . Besides , now I had a 2025 Polaris 850 Indy VR1 and a Lynx Rave GLS to break in .

Our drive was “ only ” four hours in each direction on this adventure . Even more so than two weeks earlier , though , the roadside ditches were completely snowless during 95 percent of our drive . We found snow in Finland , Minnesota , however , and quickly unload the sleds and geared up in anticipation of a fun day .

What we got instead was a daylong wrestling match ! There was enough snow , but riding there after three warm , rainy but high-traffic days proved to be painstaking . The riders who were there before us had cut big grooves and deep moguls into the trails ’ mushy snow . Then everything froze in that state , leaving us with chunky , hard , rutted snow to navigate .

When I arrived home that night , my wife took one look at my tired eyes and aching posture and simply asked , “ What ?”

“ Those were some of the roughest conditions I ’ ve ridden in years ,” I answered on my way to the ibuprofen bottle . “ Oh , that ’ s a bummer . Are you sorry you went ?” she asked . “ Nope , we still had a good time . But it ' s time for a long , hot shower ," I replied . It ’ s true : Even a bad day of snowmobiling is better than a boring day on the couch . But early season rides certainly can be a crapshoot . So maybe it helps to be a little bit loony .

VP / EDITOR : John T . Prusak

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