The Intrepid Snowmobiler: Precautions Reduce Risk

by Craig Nicholson

(©2008 by Craig Nicholson. All rights reserved.)

No matter how you ride, snowmobiling poses certain inherent risks because it occurs in an unpredictable and uncontrollable natural setting far away from civilization and emergency assistance. That said, 99.9% of snowmobilers return home safely after each ride. Ensure you continue to be one of them by taking the following precautions…

Bright Colours: It’s important that others see you clearly, so enhance your visibility by wearing a brightly coloured snowmobile jacket with lots of reflective material. The best option is blaze orange, but reds and yellows are also good. Same goes for your helmet. Just ask your buddies what is easier to follow: black or a bright colour?
Protective Vest: If you do get into an impact situation, wearing body armour such as a TekVest under your jacket could save your life. Besides, it adds a layer of warmth and maybe a little buoyancy too. I’ve worn a TekVest for years and it’s very comfortable. So take a tip from professional racers: never go snowmobiling without one! Check it out at tekrider.com
Studs: Traction products won’t make much difference in snow, but when your track suddenly encounters ice, studs can make the difference to staying in control or not. Think an unexpected slippery corner, an icy slope, glare ice on a lake, or any other scenario where the surprise of a spinning or sideslipping track threatens your well-being. Studs give you that little extra edge when you most need it. Check them out at wiem.com
Sled Platform: The new rider forward platforms significantly improve handling and control. By moving the centre of gravity forward and lower, more weight is over the skis and the rider can steer and manoeuvre more easily. Ski-Doo says their REV and REV-XP platforms make us better riders and it certainly works for me. Again, a rider forward platform gives you extra edge when it counts.
ICE (In Case of Emergency): ICE is a method of contact during emergency situations. All you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons that should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' in your cell phone. In an urgent situation, emergency services personnel and hospital staff would then be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialling the number you have stored as 'ICE.' For more than one contact name, simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. Now we can all ride with much greater peace of mind!
SPOT: SPOT is a handheld satellite messenger system that works anywhere in Ontario to send an emergency distress signal and your GPS coordinates. With SPOT, you can also email or text message your pre-programmed contacts asking for assistance, check in to say you are okay, and track your daily progress on Google Maps™. Although SPOT does not receive incoming messages and is not intended to serve as an en route GPS navigator, its durability, reliability and ease of use make it a very cost-effective way to increase your personal safety in the great outdoors. Check it out at findmespot.com
Zero Alcohol: Every fatality statistic clearly shows that the riskiest thing you can do while snowmobiling is consume alcohol or drugs. Riding requires constant vigilance, intense concentration and quick reactions…all of which suffer from alcohol or drugs. So you can reduce your risk substantially by riding totally clean.

You’ll notice that all of the precautions noted above have nothing to do with changing the way you actually ride and that’s deliberate. We each choose the riding style that works for us and may not wish to change it. But we’d be fools not to take sensible precautions that reduce our risk without reducing our fun. So before you ride again, take a moment to seriously consider what precautions you should take.

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