101 Ways To Prove You're A Snowmobiler: Part 4

A decade ago in our then-sister publication Snowmobile Magazine (may it rest in peace), we published a cover story called “101 Ways To Prove You’re A Snowmobiler.” Author Lynn Keillor quizzed the staff, regular contributors and many other snowmobilers to create this fun list. Starting on Tuesday of this week, we posted chunks of the story, and this piece wraps it all up. We realize nobody is going to get 101 out of 101 — some of these are whimsicle, others are in distant locations most people will never visit and yet others are borderline illegal. But most are items that are unique to the snowmobiling experience.

Read through the lists and, if you want, you can share your score in the “Comment” box below. To see the first three-quarters of the story, click on the appropriate box below. What’s your total score, out of 101?

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 (below)

Show Personal Flair…

#76 – Hit 2,000 miles in a season.

#77 – Stick duct tape across your nose to prevent face shield fogging (just don’t rip it off too fast).

#78 – Have an opinion on who really invented the first snowmobile. (a) J. Armand Bombardier (b) Carl Eliason (c) Edgar Hetteen (d) J. Dralsy & A. Dockstalder

#79 – Contact a legislator about snowmobile issues. Find your representatives and follow the issues at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

#80 – Wear your stinky snowmobile coat to a place you probably shouldn’t.

 #81 – Customize your sled in some way.

#82 – Admit that at least once you were totally lost and you should have taken the map along.

#83 – Get really stuck and have to unstick yourself — without a shovel.

#84 – Own (or have owned) a jacket with checkers.

#85 – Wear a balaclava under your helmet even though it makes you look like a dork.

#86 – Use the word “Ski-Doo” as a verb.

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#87 – Ride with your face shield up, even though it’s minus 10 degrees F.

#88 – Know how to correctly pronounce BOMBARDIER.

#89 – Know your annual mileage tallies from the past five seasons.

#90 – Have some sort of sled poster hanging in your home or garage.

#91 – Ride your snowmobile to work or school.

#92 – Sport a snowmobile-related sticker on your tow vehicle.

#93 – Sport a snowmobile-related sticker on your non-tow vehicle.

#94 – Watch a watercross event.

How long can a snowmobile ride on water? It depends on the gas tank size and the skill of the driver. Mark Maki, of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, lasted 67 miles on open water; Henry Bieda went 100.1 miles in Welland, Ontario. Bieda did the watercrossing stunt as a fund-raiser for a handicapped children’s camp.

#95 – Sit in an outdoor hot tub after a full day of riding.

 If geothermal is more your style, there are several hot springs in the Rocky Mountain area that are accessible by snowmobile. Popular snowmobile-accessible hot springs include those in Lolo, Montana; Stanley and Burgdorf, Idaho; and Jackson, Wyoming.

#96 – Stand outside while watching a winter snowmobile race.

#97 – Have something messy explode in your snowmobile trunk.

#98 – Spend an entire weekend at a snowmobile show.

#99 – Spend a Saturday morning at your local dealer in July talking sleds.

#100 – Introduce someone to the sport.

#101 – Sing into your helmet (it’s better than the shower!).

 While many songs put you in the right rhythm for snowmobiling, there are also songs for the right mindset. And some are more seasonal than others:

• Let It Snow, Let It Snow, (Traditional)

• On The Road Again (Willie Nelson)

• Ice, Ice Baby (Vanilla Ice)

• Born To Be Wild (Steppenwolf)

• Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)

• Take It Easy (The Eagles)

• Hazy Shade Of Winter (Simon and Garfunkle)

• Winterlong (Neil Young)

2 thoughts on “101 Ways To Prove You're A Snowmobiler: Part 4

  • Avatar for Merle Mueller

    Got 48 out of 100.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Eric Hanse

    I have accomplished at least 55 out of the 101.

    Reply

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