Snowmobiling: When getting there is all the fun
By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD
THE GAZETTE
COTTONWOOD PASS • We’re deep in the Sawatch Mountains, with 15 miles of snow-choked terrain and the Continental Divide between us and our cars.
Trailhead signs barely poke above the blanket of powder, and on the jagged heights above, forbidding snow cornices serve as a reminder of this year’s perilous avalanche conditions.
And I have just buried my snowmobile in five feet of snow while trying to make a simple U-turn.
“I was just talking you up about how good you were getting,” says one of our group with a laugh.
It’s actually not my snowmobile, or sled, as the machines are known. The heads of the Pikes Peak region’s two snowmobile clubs have taken me to the mountains west of Buena Vista to learn more about the growing sport of snowmobiling.
Take a video journey along with us through this winter wonderland.
As several of us dig out my sled, I realize why the first lesson is: Never go alone.
“In five to 10 minutes of riding, you’ll be where it might take several hours to walk out, if you can,” says Jack Sheets, of Colorado Springs, president of S & W Adventure Riders.
Sheets got his first snowmobile for $900 in the late 1960s. The older snowmobiles were infamously unreliable.
“If you rode 20 miles in a day and you never had to lift the hood, it was a good day,” he says.
Today’s sleds rarely break down. They also can go faster, farther and into deeper untracked snow than the old machines. But performance comes with a price, and a new one costs from $10,000 to $12,000.
The cost hasn’t stopped the sport from booming. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the number of licensed sleds doubled from 1989 to 2009, from 15,000 to 33,000. In El Paso and Teller counties, there are 902 and 157 licensed sleds, respectively. Riders pay an annual $30.25 license fee.
After a few minutes chugging up snow-covered Chaffee County Road 306, forbidding Mount Yale on our right and the snowy wall of the divide rising ahead, I begin to understand the appeal. It would take hours to reach such heights on foot, and here is a way to experience the high country at its most spectacular, ensconced in the grip of snow.
See a photo gallery of snowmobiling on Cottonwood Pass.
“We’re sitting here like this and there are snowmobiles out here and you can’t hear a thing. It’s quiet as can be out here,” says Mark Young, president of the Pikes Peak High Riders, the area’s other snowmobile club.
Higher up, in a broad alpine bowl just below the summit of Cottonwood Pass, we race up and down hillsides, carving the powder with impunity. Young shows me how to “boondock,” racing up a steep hill, making a sharp turn while leaning to the outside and then shooting back down as if I were not on a 450-pound machine that could crush my spine.
In fact, it’s easy to be lulled into forgetting about dangers. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, 212 snowmobilers nationwide died in avalanches from 1950 through the end of last winter, more than any other type of backcountry visitor. There also are the hazards of getting stuck, breaking down, getting lost or being marooned by a sudden storm.
For these reasons, veterans suggest newcomers or riders without company join an area club to ride.
Sheets’ club takes one multi-day ride every winter. They have ranged in size from an epic, two-week “border-to-border” run across the state from New Mexico to Wyoming, to this season’s March 1-11 ride in the Taylor Park area, with an overnight trip to the Waunita Hot Springs. Call 1-719-593-0711 for trip details.
The Pikes Peak High Riders take shorter weekend trips every two weeks, riding 60 to 80 miles in a day and returning to their hotels. In winter, they meet the second Tuesday of each month at the Mucky Duck in Green Mountain Falls.
Colorado Springs rider Les Chapel recently joined the High Riders.
“It really is a blast and I just enjoy the scenery and the company,” he says during our recent ride.
“Other than my son, none of my personal friends have sleds, so I needed to find people that have the same interest.”
He sold an old car to afford his snowmobiles.
He’s happy he did.
“I enjoy this much more than working on my knees in the garage on an old car in the wintertime. This is a great get-out-of-the-house wintertime sport,” he said.
Young, the High Riders president, picked his sled up used for $4,400. He recommends newcomers to the sport don’t go out and buy one right away.
Many mountain towns offer rentals and guided tours. With the down economy, many used sleds can be found for sale — the number of licensed sleds in Colorado has dropped by 3,000 since the recession began.
“Don’t go out and buy everything brand new, the best technology. You don’t know if you’re going to like it and you don’t know what your riding abilities are,” says Young.
As we are sitting in a tranquil pine forest, taking a breather before the long ride back over the divide to our cars, another rider happens along. His name is Tom Kileen, and he also drove up from Colorado Springs.
He enjoys riding for the thrill, the scenic beauty, and, he said, “When you get home, you’ve got a big (expletive) grin on your face.”
A little while later, after I have buried my sled a second time by doing what I was warned about and chasing powder into the willows, we’re back over Cottonwood Pass and flying down the snow-covered highway.
A speed limit sign for the pavement crawlers says “25 mph.”
Up here where there are no speed traps, I am going much faster.
And beneath my face mask, I’m sharing Kileen’s grin.
—
Contact R. Scott Rappold:
476-1605 Twitter @scottrappold
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Where to go snowmobiling
Most winters, you’ll have to drive two hours to find reliable terrain for snowmobiling. But there is a rich variety of options within that two-hour radius. For more trail ideas, conditions and maps, visit coloradosledcity .com.
Cottonwood Pass
The state highway connecting Buena Vista and Taylor Park is closed in winter, and the road, groomed for sleds, makes a great place to learn to ride. Numerous gentle bowls and side trails line the road. Don’t waste too much time ogling the scenery at the top of Cottonwood Pass, since winter weather can move in quickly at 12,126 feet.
Directions: Take U.S. Highway 24 west to Buena Vista. Turn left on West Main Street and follow the road to its winter closure.
Ophir Creek
This trail network inthe Wet Mountains, near the famous Bishop Castle, offers 70 miles of trails groomed by the Sangre Snow Runners club. It’s at lower elevation than other areas and best for midwinter.
Directions: Take Colorado Highway 115 to Florence and follow Colorado Highway 67 south and west to Colorado Highway 165. Head south and turn right on Forest Service Road 360.
More information.
Vail Pass
The possibilities are virtually limitless for snowmobiling in the Vail Pass Recreation Area. Snowmobilers, skiers, snowshoers and skiers using sleds to get to the untouched powder all use this popular area.
Directions: Take Interstate 70 west and park at the top of Vail Pass. The parking lot often fills on weekends, and there is a $6 per-person fee.
More information.
Marshall Pass
South of Salida, snowmobilers can ride 12 miles from the winter road closure to the Continental Divide at 11,000 feet, stopping to enjoy the numerous open snow-play areas on the way. This was originally a railroad route through the southern Rockies to Gunnison, so the road is mostly gentle.
Directions: From Cañon City, take U.S. Highway 50 west to Poncha Springs and head south on U.S. Highway 285. Turn right on Marshall Pass Road.
More information.
Grand Lake
The snowmobiling capital of Colorado offers hundreds of miles of groomed trails in the shadow of Rocky Mountain National Park (and through a small sliver of the park). Numerous rental shops are here, including some that will allow riders to take unguided trips.
Directions: Take Interstate 70 to U.S. Highway 40. Go over Berthoud Pass and, in Granby, head north on U.S. Highway 34 to Grand Lake. Stop at a local shop or the U.S. Forest Service office in Granby to pick up a map of trails.
More information.
Getting started
Nobody wants to go out and spend $12,000 on a new snowmobile, so experts suggest renting or taking a guided tour your first few times up.
Search for a used sled first. They can usually be found for $4,000-$5,000, less than half the price of a new machine. You’ll need to register it with Colorado Parks and Wildlife for a $30 fee and to outfit yourself with standard snow-sports gear, including warm waterproof boots, snow pants, gloves, a jacket and a helmet.
Sheets recommends every snowmobiler carry extra spark plugs, a starter cord, a spare drive belt, rope for towing other sleds, a survival kit with a space blanket, extra gloves, socks, a firestarter, a cup to melt snow and extra food.
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