Brian cheerfully returned wtih his new snomobile (well, new to him...) and yes, he has to share it with David, and also yes, it was purchased because it is a more efficient machine with which to groom the ski trails. And all of that said, it is still fast.
He reports that out on the lake, where the snow lies flat, with a nice dust of powder on top of enough ice to hold up an ice-road trucker, it winds out to 140 kph.
Ears pinned back, no doubt. Crouched behind the windscreen. One could point out, however, that while he has no idea where he's going at that speed, he's making darn good time getting there...
It's not all about speed,however (unless you are taking part in a snowmobile club Radar Run). It's also about comfort. And the ability to just get out there, and see the great outdoors. For some people, snowmobiles are the only way they're going to be able to do that. Snowshoeing and skiing are not for everybody's knees and hips.
The picture with this post is Rosemary Tapley, in 1961, with one of the very first snowmobiles ever to chunter off the assembly lines. It was called an Eski-Motor.
Not, perhaps the pinnacle of design for winter vehicles, it towed the engine behind it (where it would short out when enough snow landed on it) 140 kph was a forlorn dream for this little sled, but we remember it with great fondness, tootling about the property and the lake. We had a ton of fun with it, before it gave way to better designs.
