Yeehaa, first run with the sled this weekend.
To be honest, it wasnt really enough snow to properly support any kind of snowmobiling, but the ground was white and the throttlethumb was itching, so it had to suffice. Due to the lack of snow it was mainly open road and frozen lake driving, but damn it was fun.
Snowmobiles are designed to plow trough deep snow in offroad terrain while still delivering high speed and great manouveribility, so the performance on a hard packed and flat road is somewhat insane. The feeling of entering a corner at 170-180 km/h and just push the throttle a bit further and go sideways trough the bend is undescribable. Dangerous, yes, but wonderfull. Going flat out on the straights, maxing out well above 200km/h with the roaring of the wind so loud you cant even hear the engine has to be the definition of freedom. The skies rattling on the hard ice, the howling sound of the track spinning insanely fast just inches below you, the sudden rush of adrenaline when you feel the entire sled losing its grip and start to slide sideways, closer and closer to the banks of snow on the side of the road, and the total feeling of success when you manage to break the slide and just push on, faster and faster. The sensation of the road getting narrower, the feeling of riding in a tunnel, everything moving so fast its hard to focus on anything but the road straight ahead. Its living in its purest form!
Usually, Im not even a speed-freak kind of guy. I enjoy the more technical kind of driving, with jumps, fast acceleration, hard braking and quick turns. But sometimes, just once in a blue moon, I like to break a few laws and set the sled free on a few miles of open road, just letting it breath and really push its limits.
Call me crazy, but I think the sled enjoys it just as much as I do.