Established in 1966, Snow Goer magazine has assembled a collection of thousands-upon-thousands of snowmobiling photographs. Whether looking for shots of classic snowmobiles like Ski-Whiz or Scorpions, action photos of racers Gerard Karpik, Jacque Villeneuve, Kirk Hibbert and Blair Morgan, or tech shots of variable exhaust valves, suspension technology and more, it’s easy to lose track of time while sifting through old slides in the Snow Goer photo vault. But compared to the early days, today’s digital photos are easier to store and catalog, which makes finding the right shot of a trail sign or clutch component, for example, much faster. Here are five of our favorite photographs from the digital archives at Snow Goer magazine.
1. Vintage Snowmobiles — This photo was taken about five years ago at a vintage snowmobile ride in International Falls, Minnesota. Watching more than 50 leaf-spring Skiroule, Evinrude, John Deere, Moto-Ski and other vintage snowmobiles roll out of the staging area and head out to the trails was a comical, hazy sight. Most of the machines completed the trail ride that included a hot dog roast at a club’s trailside shelter.
2. Snowmobile Speed Testing — Even though the snow was gone, there was still plenty of ice to conduct radar testing on our 2009 Arctic Cat Crossfire R 800 demo sled. Holding the radar gun is Jeremy Houle from Speedwerx. We were recording acceleration curves in order to compare the snowmobile’s stock performance to modified.
3. Icy, Muddy Truck And Trailer — A breakdown a few years ago meant that we had to meet the rest of our riding group at a tavern deep in the woods of northern Minnesota. It was mid-March and we had to travel about 20 miles down a twisting forest road. Thank goodness for the enclosed trailer because snowmobile covers would have been no match for this icy, gooey mix of snow and mud that was several inches thick. Sadly, that trusty Snow Goer Suburban went to the junk yard last summer after being rear-ended by a city bus.
4. Alaska! — This dramatic photo is the lead to a feature story in the February 2013 issue of Snow Goer magazine. It was shot on our way out to the Hayes Glacier in March 2012 using a Canon G12 point and shoot. Click the links to read the story about our adventure or to see more Alaska snowmobiling photos.
5. Have A Cigar — No doubt that snowmobiles are an important element of snowmobiling, but it’s the people who motivate other people to go on snowmobile trips. Ace, shown here enjoying a cigar on his Arctic Cat, is one of those guys who never takes things too seriously, and people enjoy hanging out with him during a trailside break. Find out what else makes for a great snowmobile trip.
First racer injured in the I 500