Snowmobiling Is the Tie That Binds
Getting out on the mountain to enjoy a fresh snowfall with a group of like-minded, powder loving individuals is one of our greatest thrills. Sometimes we don’t realize it until years or perhaps even decades later, but memories and lifelong friendships are being made each time we do. It may not seem obvious at first, but snowmobiling is the tie that binds.
Snowmobiling Is the Tie That Binds
I recently made a road trip across 6 states totaling just over 8000km. During this trip I was able to stop and visit friends that I have acquired over the years—relationships that are 100% the product of snowmobiling. In fact I drove an extra eight hours out of the way just to see some of these kindred spirits.
It started out several years ago when I found a group of sledders talking on the internet about getting together for a couple of days of riding in Cooke City, Montana. I wanted to go, but there was no way that the nearly 20 hours of drive time in my old truck was a feasible option, so I resigned myself to missing out. That was when one of the fellows offered to not only bring his backup sled for me to use, but also to pick me up on his way through Billings at the airport—all I had to do was get on a plane.
If a nearly complete stranger loads up a spare sled and meets you halfway across the country to take you for a ride, you know you are dealing with a special kind of person—I could only hope that meant I was meeting up with the likes of a Hibbert or Burandt, not a Bundy or Gacy.
That weekend turned into one of the snowmobiling highlights of my entire life, and has led to some of my greatest friendships to this day. Our group has since joined up for several rides, usually meeting in the middle to lessen a lengthy drive. We always have a fantastic time and I now look forward to every opportunity to get together, even when it means an eight hour drive out of the way to see them.
A Sport That Brings People Together
Maintaining these friendships is not always easy. Often the logistics of planning and travelling for these trips can seem outlandish, garnering a disbelieving headshake from non-snowmobilers who cannot grasp the depth of the things we will do to ride where—and with who—we want.
The ability of a sport such as ours to bring people together from different parts of the world and different walks of life is truly a special one. It can be as simple as keeping you in touch with an old high school pal who you ride with occasionally. Or as complex as arranging customs, passports and insurance documents to ride with friends in another country. But the result of our efforts is always the same—good times, good memories and great friends. Snowmobiling truly is the tie that binds.
– Marty
