Saturday, March 28, 2009

2009 Spring Ride, Gaspe

As I've mentioned before, I'll never try to run the Gaspe in February again. Last year we skipped it all together, and this year we were able to get in a perfect January ride. Since Gaspe conditions were excellent for late March, I struggled to get something together to run the Gaspe again. After going back and forth, I was lucky enough to meet and ride with lonriderss [Bob] and smclelan [Steven]. This was my first time riding with them, and my theory of if you ride more than 2500 miles in a year, you're probably a good rider, held true. Since Bob and I are in Southern NH, we decided to take his trailer and drive up through Maine and start from Pointe-a-la-Croix, a 9-hour drive for us and 4-hour drive for Steven. Since this was only going to be a ~3 day ride, we couldn't start from the North shore. After a ~9 hour drive Friday, we arrived at the Selectotel at about 11:30pm, just as the front desk was closing. Steven was up earlier in the day and did a few miles to run up to see Groomer. I was running the Etec, with the stock 1.25" track and 96 studs, newly installed. Of course, new hyfax also. Bob had an '07 500ss, newly rebuilt again, and Steven had his '09 Artic Cat Turbo 144".

Day 1: Pointe-a-la-Croix to Mont-St-Pierre
Conditions: +14/30F, Sunny. Very hard, flat trails. Plenty of snow, except Parking lots.
Trails: 5, 595, 5. 302 miles, 15.4 mpg, 40.6 mph [avg]. 7:30am-5:30pm.

A beautiful start to the trip, perfect weather...
and perfect trails...

After the hyfax problems with the 1.75" ripsaw in late February, it was refreshing to have new hyfax, with the 1.25" ripsaw, for these conditions. Till we hit 595, the trails were freshly groomed, flat, and very hard. 595 had some loose snow on top and was excellent. This time though, there were very few deer on the 595 New Richmond reroute, that was a surprise. After gas at LaCache, it was my first run up the North side of 595. What a great stretch, wide, flat, scenic, and two regions of extremely high moose traffic. Once at the relais at the top [which was packed], I decided to take a quick look at the hyfax...what a surprise, the section under the front wheels was down probably 3/4. Loose snow was a little scarce to start, but were fine after LaCache. I'll have to keep and eye on them again. The ride to Mont-St-Pierre was excellent again...

It was another beautifull day, with a great stop at Motel MSP. We were the only ones there on a Saturday night.

Day 2: Mont-St-Pierre to Murdochville
Conditions: +28/30F, Sunny with isolated flurries. Trails were hard and flat.
Trails: 5, 597, 5, 597. 300 miles, 16.7 mpg, 40.9 mph [avg], 7:30am-6:00pm.

Another beautifull start to the day. We started with a run past Riviere-la-Madeliene to see a waterfall Steven had found. It wasn't that exciting at this time of year. However, we were reminded of some of the other benefits of riding the Gaspe...

We took a detour to Haute Madeleine. No one was there, but it looks like a great stop. We then continued through Murdochville South, on a relatively rough stretch of trail. We then turned off to the local trail towards Douglastown. That trail is always excellent, so much so, Bob tried to make his decision on buying a new sled for next year, a little easier. We then continued on to Perce...

The ride up to the top was easy this time of year and conditions cleared/warmed up...

The ride up piston alley was perfect, and for some reason, my 2000+ mile belt didn't go. The isolated flurries started to add up around here, 3-4". We stayed at the Motel Copper, the first time for me.

Day 3: Murdochville to Amqui
Conditions: +24/30F. Cloudy to partly cloudy. 0"-10" of fresh powder over hard, flat trails.
Trails: 597, LT, 595, 5, 591, LT, 5. 263 miles, 15.4 mpg, 39.6 mph [avg]. 7:00am-6:30pm.

Not much new snow in the morning, but nice and cloudy. The 4" of snow to start, varied from 0-6" on the Chic-Choc trail to LaCache. An early morning fill up at LaCache, and it was back on 595 North. We saw 2 moose in the first stretch, then 3 on the second stretch, but one wouldn't get out of the way. Much like the 100-lacs experience, we keep following him for a few miles, but this guy was in better shape and didn't get tired. This went on for 3 miles or so, till the trail opened up and we were able to pass off-trail. He was flying on that trail, and it was down hill, who knew a moose could run that fast. A short ride, then we were the only ones at relais Saint-Paulin this time. On the North shore, it was still snowing, and we had maybe 10" of snow in some regions...

While heading to the gas stop in Matane, I hooked something with my carbide in a parking lot. I was riding near the snow bank, since the lot was dry pavement, then bang...I didn't see or find what I hit, but it hit good...

I removed it, and since it was on the outside, I didn't worry about it. The lower A-arm was bent back an inch or so, but seemed to have little effect. I've never liked how the carbides mate to the ski on the Simmons. I usually hammer the ends, but now I'll take more care.

After gas and lunch, we took some of the local trails around Amqui to get to Albertville to meet up with groomer. As always, the trails in that region were excellent, and snow totals were as high as any in the province. After meeting Groomer, we were off to Amqui for the night. The day ended seeing 5 moose on the trail, a few deer, a van with balloon tires/tracks, a pickup with tracks, and no sleds.

Day 4: Amqui to Pointe-a-la-Croix
Conditions: +26/32F, Sunny. Hard and flat trails.
Trails: TQ5. 70 miles, 15.5 mpg, 44.5 mph [avg]. 7:00am-9:00am

This was just a quick run back to the trucks, for the long drive home. Another beautifull start to the morning...

then up to another look out at PLC, much like we started the trip, and a great way to end the trip and season...

Another great late season ride. The Gaspe is a great place to end the season, and PLC is also a good starting place for a short ride. Hyfax on the XP appear to be a big problem in thinner snow. The snow conditions on this trip were better than the season ender where my 1.75" ripsaw was the blame for the hyfax. However, after ~950 miles, with one hard/icey half day, and a 1.25" studded ripsaw, they ended up being completely shot. Since they wore so fast, half way through the trip, I made an adjustment to the center shock and coupling blocks. Handling and the ride were much better, we'll have to see how it effects the hyfax. With early season conditions, and a 1.75" ripsaw, the hyfax made it to 3800 miles. In any lower snow conditions, they don't hold up, especially when compared to the SC-4 suspension. In all cases, I never had any heating issues, and could always see plenty of snow dust in the mirrors. Statistics for the trip were...935 miles, 15.8 mpg, 187 mpq [of oil], gas was $1.00 [CA] per liter mostly super, $1.24 exchange rate, fuel cost of $174 [US], using 59 gallons of gas, and 5 quarts of oil.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

2009 Season Ender

Due to the other shortened rides this year, we decided to try to make this season ender an 8-day ride. This is usually the best trip of the year, since days are longer, we now turn the clocks back early, and trails aren't nearly as crowded as February. Since we had Marty [aka Mary] with us, we had to break-up the trip at the mid-point, since he can't handle a real ride. We started in Shawinigan with four of us, John, Marty, Tom, and I. The initial plan was to head out West, and cross back to drop off Marty, and loop around over Lac St-Jean. There was plenty of snow, with a snow/rain mix for day one, then colder temperatures till day 6, with more rain, then a deep freeze. I had my '09 Etec, with 1.75" track, new hyfax, and all exhaust bolts. Starting mileage was 3672.

Day 1: Shawinigan to St-Felicien
Conditions: +30F, Snow changing to rain. 10" of fresh powder to start.
Trails: 318, 73, 83, 373. 289 miles, 13.0 mpg, 36 mph [avg]. 7:30am-5:30pm.

The site everyone likes to see in the morning...
much more snow than the forecast. Past LaTuque, it turned to rain, which everyone hates...

In case anyone ever wondered if the railroad bridge on the powerline [355] was still active, here's the answer...

We broke trail most of the way to LaTuque. The run from Relais 22 to Roberval was excellent. We ended the first day at Hotel du Jardin, usually an excellent stop, but the food has gone downhill over the years. Unfortunately, Friday was also the Chinese buffet, don't try Chinese in Canada.
Day 2: St-Felicien to Matagami
Conditions: +28/42F, overcast. Flat trails, with new snow, later wet snow mush.
Trails: 373, 93, 396. 404 miles, 10.5 mpg, 48.2 mph [avg]. 6:30am-7:00pm.
We never like to plan on a 400 mile day, but today we did, so we skipped breakfast and hit the trails at 6:30am. LaDore to the Sawmill was 59 miles, so there's no need to get gas at LaDore when leaving from du-Jardin. Marty had more electrical problems, then Tom did a snow depth test, followed by Marty, it was something like 4'. On the way to relais du Nord, my right ski slid off the shoulder and I was sucked into the powder. While shifting over to the left side, trying to stand, my gauntlet hit the kill switch, and it was game over...

a little shoveling, then leveling the sled, and off I went...no help of course. Some people don't like shovels, I think they're priceless, especially when Marty is around. After gas in Chapais, it was time for the 80 miles of railroad bed, at least it was warm this time...it was about -20F a few years ago. Like then, I also blew a belt at 4181 total miles, about right, since the first blown belt was on piston alley at ~1900 miles. I kept the throttle at about 80mph for the entire run. I was out of gas at 73 miles. Within 3 miles, the SDI and 800 were also out, while the Yamaha was already at the gas stop. We didn't run out a few years ago, so the warm conditions and mashed snow must have had a lot to do with it. We stayed at the Motel Matagami, a great stop, everything you need in one place, and breakfast at 5am if you want it.
Day 3: Matagami to Senneterre
Conditions: -10/+16F, mostly sunny. Hard, flat, some icy trails.
Trails: 396, 93, 83. 318 miles, 13.2 mpg, 45.7 mph [avg]. 7:30am-5:00pm.
After a good freeze overnight, the trails were solid, and flat. We took 396 out West, and took the opportunity for a 10 mile detour to Ontario...

of course, it's at this point, the farthest from the trucks, that Marty cries he wants to go home. Oh well, no choice now, we're already planning a direct route back of over 500 miles. Soon out of Ontario, trails on 83 turned to near ice, with enough powder for cooling, but little for traction and hyfax on my 1.75" ripsaw. After easing my sled into Senneterre, the new hyfax at the start of the trip were gone. John who had the 1.5" ripsaw, had no hyfax wear. We stayed at the Motel Senabi, essentially a room only. You need to take a cab for dinner, and can ride a few blocks to a good breakfast stop.
Day 4: Senneterre to Kanawata
Conditions: -2/+28F, mostly cloudy to clear. Icy trails to hard pack with snow.
Trails: 83, local 369. 321 miles, 15.6 mpg, 39.8 mph [avg]. 3:30am-7:00pm.
The day started with a hyfax change, more oil, and a replacement trail pass that fell off. This was my first run on this part of 83. The ice trails ate into the new hyfax again, till the trails loosened up later. Evidence of the fire was obvious, as was this dead groomer...
After gas a Balbuzzard, more bad trails and fire damage. It's amazing how they made it through the fire. Across the lake, was all fire damaged and on their side, it was untouched... A few miles later, the trails opened up and were good. The major reroute before Clova was good, and the gas stop at Monet was informative. Apparently, this reroute may become permanent. The rest of 83 was great, and the burned groomer from the last trip was still there. The local trail to Kanawata was freshly groomed all the way. We got a minor tongue-lashing at Kanawata for not making reservations. They also informed Tom not to start his sled before 7:15am. There were about a dozen or so people there on Summits. They had come from Beauregard using only about 15 miles of trail, that was an interesting conversation.
Day 5: Kanawata to Roberval
Conditions: -2/+29F, mostly sunny. Hard pack with snow, some excellent.
Trails: local 369, 83. 222 miles, 16.4 mpg, 40.0 mph [avg]. 8:00am-2:30pm.
The newly groomed trails from last night were frozen solid and continued to eat at the hyfax. Marty headed South, to go home. The run to Wemo was better than the February trip. The road out of Wemo had plenty of snow, and the trail to relais 22 was excellent. Out of relais 22, we planned a stop in Roberval for hyfax and exhaust bolts. After a quick hyfax change [they were about half gone], John noticed a busted suspension on Tom's yamaha, so he was off to Chambord while they fixed John's exhaust bolts, brakes, and chain problem. Given the problems, we decided to stay at Chateau Roberval. The new restaurant was excellent, much better than du-Jardin. All sleds were fixed and we were in the rooms by 5:30pm.
Day 6: Roberval to Jonquiere
Conditions: +30/40F, Cloudy, with light snow changing to light rain. Perfect trails.
Trails: local 373, 93, 367, 267. 337 miles, 13.5 mpg, 42.0 mph [avg]. 6:30am-4:30pm.
With a short day yesterday, we decided to get an early start and head to Monts Valin. Trails were perfect till Tom had a problem with a road crossing near 367. If it's not the yamaha, it's the driver. After regrouping, we headed to Jonquiere to get Tom into the shop. After checking in to the hotel, John and I headed to Chappelle for lunch. Once past 328, all the trails were perfect, including the run to bras-louis...
on the way back we tried 328, but it was junk, so we took 93 back to the rooms. Later, we had a chance to say hi to Bill and saw our friends from Maryland again. After the warm temps, it was back to a deep freeze again.
Day 7: Jonquiere to Shawinigan
Conditions: -2/+18F, Sunny. Hard packed, Ice trails.
Trails: 83, 355, 318. 294 miles, 17.1 mpg, 37.2 mph [avg]. 6:30am-5:30pm.

More hard packed and icy trails to start...

Then we passed this kayak course, that we've seen for years... but earlier in the trip, we saw people running the course this winter on TV, crazy stuff. Trails near Lac St-Jean were ice with little snow, causing some heating issues. Once to 355, it was freshly groomed all the way to Lac Edouard. The problem was, the trails were ice near the sides, and chopped up ice balls in the center, making for a very interesting and mostly rough ride. In addition, the trail was rerouted, adding about another 20 miles of junk. After Lac Edouard, trails were hard and good till after the pipeline. Then the lack of snow and warmer temps did a number on the trails, especially the roads. The 2-miles of dirt/mud on a logging road is just another problem to deal with this time of year...


Overall, a good trip, that actually lasted 7-days for some of us. Another two big warm ups that were unfortunate. The big lesson learned here was the track. After great luck with the 1.5" ripsaw last year, I tried the 1.75" ripsaw this year. After a great start to the year and 3700 miles with the first set of hyfax, I went through 3 sets during this 2180 mile trip, while John's sled with a 1.5" ripsaw barely wore the hyfax. As a result, I will be using the 1.75" track till February, then I'll swap to the stock 1.25" ripsaw, with a few studs. Statistics for the trip were...2179 miles, 13.5 mpg [avg], 155 miles per quart of oil, gas was $1.06 [ca] per litre for a mix of super/regular, $1.27 exchange rate, and total fuel cost was about $500 [us], using about 3.5 gallons of oil.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

2009 Mid-Season Ride

This was supposed to be a full week trip. The first 5-days with Marty, the last few with John. We met in Shawinigan on Valentine's day. The rough plan was 100-Lacs, St-Felicien, La Malbaie, Chicoutimi, Shawinigan, then a yet to be determined weekend ride out of Shawinigan. We arrived after the 2-day warm-up and rain. Everything was ice, and trails were near ice. The secure parking only had a few rigs in it, strange for this time of year. After dinner at Pub 57, we ran into Don who just returned from a weeks ride with Tom, and was headed out later Sunday for a 2-week ride with Phil. On this trip, I had my newly repaired '09 with 2700 miles on it, and Marty had is '08 with about 3800 miles.

Day 1: Shawinigan to 100-Lacs
Mostly Sunny, +25F. Trails were near ice.
318, 360, M20, 345, 33, Local trail. 270 miles. 39 mph [avg]. Trail time 6:45

The plan was to ride to Repos, and decide whether to stay at Kanawata or 100 Lacs. Trails were fairly smooth to Repos, but extremely hard, so you felt each bump. Trails were near ice, but had some grip and kept the sleds cool. They were a little slick in the corners [w/o studs] and ate hyfax, especially with my less than ideal setup. Repos was packed, and took an hour for lunch. We decided to head out to 100 Lacs...big mistake. Not far out of Repos came logging, re-routed trails, and poor conditions. The trail to 100 Lacs was also one-way this year, so it was about a 25 miles back-track for the next day. We were the only ones at 100-Lacs. What a great stop, a typical outfitter, with nice food and people.

Day 2: 100-Lacs to Relais 22
Mostly Sunny, +25F. Trails were near ice.
TQ33, 13, 83. 290 miles. 39.6 mph [avg]. Trail time 7:27.

On day 2, the goal was to head to Roberval since there was a doo dealer there...we both needed hyfax with these conditions. To start, we back-tracked to the old TQ33, and had to head to Club Scott at the 33-13 intersection. This trail was fairly decent, but it didn't take long before we saw a moose on the trail. We've seen many moose over the years, and the usual technique of chasing them down for a bit, then stopping so they'll head off the trail has worked fine, but not this time. This moose was big, and since he only had one antler left, he was probably mean. We went off and on for about 5 miles. The moose was getting very tired, struggling up the hills, and tongue hanging out. He wasn't going to stop till he collapsed. Here's a short clip...



At this point, we decided it was time to pass him...he was near death and we were a half hour into this game. For the most part, he was all over the trail, much like Canadians on a 2-up. Marty found a good spot and got a clean pass. That spooked him onto the side of the trail and a stumble, but he kept going. I followed a bit and found a good time to also pass. I'm not sure how many have passed a moose, but it's not recommended. This guy was huge, and easily outweighed the sled and I combined. Once I caught up with Marty, we talked about the passing and soon after, our friend kept coming...
Once we started the sleds, he stopped and turned around...you can tell from his breath, he's clearly tired. We quickly arrived at Club Scott, and continued through many trail changes to Fer-a-Cheval for gas. There we learned a groomer caught fire south of Parent, explaining the poor trails. I guess that wasn't a story...

Shortly after that, Marty had a repeat of his electrical problem from last years season ender, but this time it was the other wire, but we were able to patch it this time. Trails from Parent to Wemo were crap as usual. Out of Wemo, luckily the 20 miles of road were well coated, but plowed. This stretch to Relais 22 was the best of the trip. Clearly, once you get North, there was less rain, and trails were as good as they get. After a quick lunch, it was off to Roberval for a quick 80 miles. After 15 miles, Marty's sled which had been problematic all day was much worse. Turns out some tower bolts were gone and the brace cracked, so we headed back to Relais 22 for the night. I've never had a chance to stay at Relais 22. They have a nice bar/restaurant, and the rooms are basic...mattress on plywood and common bathrooms.

Day 3: Relais-22 to Shawinigan
Sunny, -4F to +30F. Trails were near ice.
TQ73, 355, 360, 318. 182 miles. 36.8 mph [avg]. Trail time 4:59.

A surprisingly cold morning. Marty had a truck lined up to take him to the doo dealer in LaTuque ($150 [ca]). Except for the trail changes, the ride to LaTuque was good. You've got to love the local aromas...

How people can live there is beyond me. The doo dealer did a patch to Marty's sled and we headed back to the trucks. The weather warmed up, logging roads were dirt, and there was some signs of dirt on the trail. Conditions were more like mid-March.
Overall, trail conditions were poor for Quebec and traffic was surprisingly high. Out west was a mistake with all of the logging and trail changes. As proof conditions were poor, gas mileage on the Etec was 15.8 mpg and oil was 185 mpq, compared to 11.6 mpg and 140 mpq on the Gaspe trip. The old belt made it through the trip, and I changed the original hyfax after the trip, at 3478 miles.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

2009 Gaspe

After learning from the last two Gaspe trips, we decided the next one should be early in the season, if conditions were good, to avoid the traffic and a rough TQ5. We also decided to start from Montmagny instead of RDL...less truck miles, more sled miles. We started from the Florimay, since the other two spots were full on a Saturday with short notice. The Florimay was nice, but didn't have a restaurant or bar, and had a small parking lot. Oiseliere or 232 would be much better. Only John was available for the trip, so we should make good time, 6-days was the plan…the forecast and snow looked good. John rode his rebuilt '07 SDI, and I had my '09 ETEC with ~1200 miles on it.

Day 1: Montmagny to Amqui
Mostly Sunny, windy, -15F. Trails were hard packed.
TQ5, 35, 548, 5, 579, 587. 291 miles. 39.7 mph [avg]. Trail time 7:24.

Most trails were perfect and freshly groomed. Only 587 near Amqui was poor. This was my first time past relais 540, which didn't look too busy early on Sunday morning. ..

We continued on to Cabano for lunch. Closer to Amqui, we actually had the sled-cops check all our paperwork…that was the only time we saw them the whole trip. That night we stayed at the Ambassador.

Day 2: Amqui to Mont-St-Pierre


Mostly Sunny, -15F. Trails were hard packed.
TQ5 the whole way. 221 miles. 36.6 mph [avg]. Trail time 6:08.

Once again, perfect conditions, and a nice sunrise...

All trails were perfect till Cap-Chat, where we had lunch. The Mont-St-Pierre groomer was broken, so the rest of the ride was rough, but passable. Good thing this was a short day, the weather was nice, and this was a very scenic run...

Once the groomer's fixed, he's going to be busy...
Here's the view from the Mont-St-Pierre lookout, where hang-gliders jump from...

We stayed at the Motel Mont-St-Pierre that night. Surprisingly, we saw a tour group of 14, the only group we saw the whole trip.

Day 3: Mont-St-Pierre to Perce
Cloudy start, then Sunny, -4F. Trails were hard packed.


TQ5, Gaspe-trail, 597, 5. 230 miles. 39 mph [avg]. Trail time 5:59.

We started the day with more steep Mountain trails...

then one of the many nice bridges...

TQ5 was excellent most of the way, except for a stretch near the Vallee's. The little Chic-Choc local trail didn't look open on the way by. There seemed to be a lot more wind mills than I remember...

We stopped at Chez-Ron's for lunch [great stop], then took the local Gaspe trail to 597, always a good run. 597 was groomed, but not up to its usual standard. I don't know why they call it piston alley these days, it should be belt alley. I blew my first belt there, with the Etec at 1960 miles. There's probably more rubber along this stretch of trail, than at a Goodyear plant...

We then continued on to Perce for the night. Since Fleur-de-Lys wasn't open till February 1, we tried Le Cote Surprise, outside of town. In Perce, the trail up to the third lookout wasn't open, but there’s still a nice view from the first lookout...

Day 4: Perce to Pointe-a-la-Croix


Sunny, -1F. Trails were hard packed.
TQ5, Gaspe-trail, 597, Chic-Chocs, 595, 5. 319 miles. 40.9 mph [avg]. Trail time 7:54.

Once again, another spectacular sunrise...

The Chic-Chocs is always a nice trail...

Lot's of Moose on that trail, John has a few pics. We then had lunch at La Cache, spaghetti with moose-meat, makes sense I guess. 595 was smooth and fast. There was a reroute North of New Richmond which went through a region with more deer than I've ever seen. Around every corner, you'd see multiple deer in the trail, for several miles. It's got to be a dangerous stretch, but we made it through with no problems. TQ5 was excellent, till la Croix, most green and orange trails were groomed over the last week and smooth, but well traveled and had small drifting. We stayed at the Selectotel.

Day 5: Pointe-a-la-Croix to Riviere-du-Loup
Snow, +10F. Fresh powder over packed trails.

TQ5 the whole way. 265 miles. 34.4 mph [avg]. Trail time 7:38.
We were greeted with 10" of fluffy powder in the morning...

Breaking trail most of the day...

We had lunch at Auberge le Relais [not the one in L'Etape]. A great stop, and would also make a good overnight. After lunch, we found that the North shore got a lot more snow than the South, maybe closer to 18"...

notice the snow-spray, very deep stuff, but perfect for the 1.75" ripsaw. We also dug-out a Canadian couple from 3' of powder after missing a turn. Later, John set the record for distance from a gas station when running out of gas...

a record I previously held, and at the same gas station. I ran out [for the third time] about 2 miles back. That night we stayed at Hotel Levesque, a great stop, nothing new there, still no truck lock-down. That night, we decided to take the direct route back to the trucks, for a half day ride, so we could get home and deal with the 10" of new snow there.

Day 6: Riviere-du-Loup to Montmagny
Partly cloudy, +15F. Packed powder.
TQ5 the whole way. ~116 miles. 39.7 mph [avg]. Trail time 2:54.

Another perfect day, and the groomers did their work...

About 15 miles from the trucks, my sled started with an awful smell and shortly made funny noises. Seemed like it was something with the drive-train, the engine was fine. It was a short tow to a road near relais motoneigist. Then I drove John's sled to get my truck. Of course I blew a belt about 0.5 miles from the truck, then it was a quick drive to get the sled and end the journey, back at my dealer in NH...

In summary, another great trip, with one problem, that if it's going to happen, couldn't have been at a better time. Trails were mostly perfect, with little traffic. For the 5.5 days of riding, we covered 1443 miles, for the 38 hours we were on the trail. Average speed for the trip was 38 mph, well below the limit of 70 kph [42 mph] posted on many trails, so that was good to know ;). On average, gas was $0.914 [ca] per liter, a mix of super and regular. Each sled used a little over $400 [ca] in gas. The '07 SDI with a 1.5" ripsaw track, got 12.5 mpg on gas, and about 180 miles per quart of oil. The '09 Etec with a 1.75" ripsaw track, got 11.6 mpg on gas, and about 145 miles per quart of oil. However, I still think ski-doo is correct...the Etec gets much better mileage and uses much less oil than the SDI [while at idle]. The '09 XP is by far the best sled I've ridden. The difference from the previous generation is amazing. The combination of Simmons skis and the 1.75" ripsaw track is amazing in all conditions. I installed ice scratchers for added protection on this trip, but at 2700 miles, I'm still on the original set of hyfax. The extra weight of the track is probably similar to a studded factory track, just watch out for ice! The Etec engine is amazing. Throttle response is instant and the power is amazing in all conditions. Clutching is excellent, even with the new track. Gas and oil mileage is nowhere near what skidoo claims, but still adequate, I guess. Hopefully reliability wasn't traded-off for the light weight, but that may be the case, I guess I'll find out...

Thursday, January 1, 2009

2008 xMas Ride

With no Thanksgiving ride, and a two-week shut down at work, xmas week was the ideal time to head up North. The initial plan was to ride out of various places around Quebec for the two weeks, but I didn't get to Chicoutimi till Tuesday, 12/23. At home, we had two big storms before leaving, resulting in about 15" of snow. Most of New England had above average snowfall for this time of year.
On the drive up, Drummondville didn't have a large amount of snow, but it never does. Once I got into the Mountains, the snow was much better. On the way down to Chicoutimi, conditions began to thin-out again. Once I got to the Holiday Inn, I was the only sledder there, so I chained my sled to the truck for the night...

For the most part, all trails near the Saguenay or South, were short on snow and in poor conidition, even with occaisional grooming. About a mile North of the river crossing, snow conditions improved...


Eventhough snow conditions improved, 93 from 367 to Mountain was rough, but that's nothing new, it's always like that. Once you get to the groomer garage, conditions were fine, as usual. Once past Chapelle, there were no sleds, and the 252 loop was unbeatable. 12" of powder on a previously groomed trail...

Day 2 was cold, windy, and drifty...


Trails were poor and since it was xmas day, it was a short ride. On xMas eve, most things were closed, but around noon on xMas day, things opened up again, including Chapelle. Returning from the Mountain, I decided to take 328, which was open, but hadn't been groomed in a while, but it couldn't be worse than 93? Once past the Dam, it had a been a while since a sled had been through, and there was a lot of drifting, but it was fun to open, especially with the 1.75" ripsaw...

Day 3 brought out the groomers. Here, I caught up with the groomer part way up Bras-Louis, but since the trails ahead were poor, I turned around...


On the way back, there was an excellent Sun-dog, but the picture isn't that good...

Day 4, Darryl and Marty arrived, so we headed out for a ride. Some things never change, Marty getting stuck, blowing corners, and trying to ride where he shouldn't...


Later in the day, riding from Bras-Louis to Onatchiway [after another Marty burial] the freezing rains came. Freezing rain is the worst, since heated shields don't work. We decided to turn around and head home. Of course to prove things haven't changed, Darryl took the lead, and ignored riding etiquette and took a wrong turn, without waiting. Since we didn't know, we continued on and were too short on gas to turn around. Once at the Hotel, no signs of Darryl, no messages, and his cell wasn't on, although service was available everywhere. We thawed out for an hour, and with no signs, we decided to head out into the freezing rain to the estimated wrong turn. Once at the turn, we checked the cell, and had a message from Darryl that he was at the Hotel. That night the warm-up and rains came. In the morning, everything at almost a 1/2" coating of ice and temps in the high 30's. Everything was like a skating rink. With no snow in the forecast, we decided to head home. Marty thought it would be a good idea to meet his girlfriend in Montreal. I told him if he did, his truck and '09 sled would be gone. He assured me the valet would park it in sight and everything would be fine. Hours later, the whole package was gone. Security cameras showed two guys entering and driving off with it. Just another example of the organized nature of these crimes. I'll bet the valet received a kick-back for calling-in the target, and he still works at the hotel. Yet another example to take the appropriate precautions when in Quebec.
As for the ETEC, everything went well. The engine was awesome, much better than the SDI. Power was solid till 80, then it started to level off. Oil consumption was high during the break-in, but seemed to improve a lot, it'll take more miles to get some numbers. Gas mileage was poor the whole time, ending up at 13 mpg on the final miles, not much different than the SDI. The 1.75" ripsaw was awesome, combined with the simmons skis, was a perfect setup. The track vibrates a little, but the traction and braking were amazing. Surprisingly, at idle, none of the accessories are powered. They turn on at about 2k rpm, good thing the gps is wired to the battery.