Snow Goer Associate Editor Tom Kaiser and I are about to embark on a snowmobile ride with a fellow staffer who happens to be a newbie at the sport of snowmobiling. Today will be our co-worker John Galvin’s first ride on a snowmobile.
Galvin has been managing content on snowgoer.com, and other websites under the Affinity Media umbrella, for about five years now. He films and produces videos, determines when and for how long content will appear on the websites and works closely with Kaiser and me to come up with and produce non print-related content for this wonderful website.
We’ve been promising for about three years to take Galvin for a ride, but not until now have the planets aligned for us to make his first snowmobile ride a reality. The trails outside our suburban Minneapolis shop are in fantastic condition this year because the Twin Cities metro area has already received 49.9 inches of snow so far this season, which is the average TOTAL snowfall for a winter in this part of Minnesota, and local clubs have done a spectacular job of working the snow into a nice, smooth layer.
Even though this will be the first time Galvin throws a leg over a sled, I’m confident he’ll do well. He’s ridden ATVs and side-by-sides for our sister publication ATV Magazine and he’s passed the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources adult online snowmobile safety certification class required by the state for all sledders born after December 31, 1976.
We’ll start Galvin on our Arctic Cat Sno Pro 500 because it has easily manageable power, good handling characteristics and studs to help him maintain control in case he crosses a slick spot on the trail. Quality gear is key to get a new rider hooked on the sport, because if a newbie isn’t comfortable, he or she won’t have fun. We’ve hooked him up with quality, comfortable, hand-me-down apparel (helmet, goggles, jacket, bibs, gloves) that fits him well so he can concentrate on riding and not have to worry about being cold or not being able to see clearly.
Our three-person group will head out late morning and meander our way to a wonderful lunch spot in the quiet river town of Hanover, Minnesota, which is about a half-hour’s drive from the hustle and bustle of downtown Minneapolis. From there we’ll ride further out into the countryside and enjoy the smooth trails and snow-covered sights until quittin’ time. What are you doing for work today?
