Perspectives of a Snowmobile Enthusiast
I am one of the luckiest guys in the entire world because my wife and I live in Granby, Colorado -- in the heart of Grand County -- where I can enjoy the best deep powder snowmobiling anywhere -- practically out my back door.
Some of my experiences are shown on the YouTube video, “Backcountry Snowmobiling in Colorado” but for people considering visiting the area, I'd like to describe a typical day. I'm happy to spread my feelings but realize my deep powder thrill may not be for everyone.
My adrenaline starts pumping while I'm taking the snowmobile off its trailer, in anticipation that in a few minutes I'll be part of the most isolated landscape on the planet. I like to start early in the day before anyone else has laid down tracks from our starting point and I enjoy the company of the few guys who are with me. It's a friendship that's based on being excited about the pungent smell of snowmobile exhaust.
“Start your engines.” We're off, flying toward the horizon on fast Ski-Doo and Arctic Cats. There's nothing like the weightless feeling of floating on top of the snow, wind whistling by, and snow flying up as if it's in a hurry to get out of your way. Soon our trucks are lost in the distance and all that lies ahead is pristine wilderness. It's an incredible feeling that simply can't be explained in words.
We finally stop and discuss where we'll go next – it's like choosing what to have for dessert from a selection of your favorites. We decide to head westward towards two forests in the distance that have a wide meadow between them, zoom past the opening and finally stop about 2 miles into uncharted territory.
I just love the feeling of being “lost.” For me not knowing where I am has always defined when the real adventure begins. I think it's the isolation that is exhilarating in combination with the untouched nature of my surroundings. I like the snow sculptures that have been formed by the wind.
I especially like that one over there – a hill that looks like a ski jump. I saw it first so I'm off. I'm reasonably sure what the landing zone looks like, but that's the thrill of it. I'm airborne, then poof I land in 10 feet of powder and eventually fall off -- laughing. after all I survived. Ten minutes later, my friends come to help me get out of the hole I dug for myself. It's lots of work, but for that memory it is well worth it.
The day goes on like that for hours. We break for lunch under some big trees and it starts to snow lightly. More perfection.
All afternoon we play in the Colorado sun and light powder. We see one other group in the distance around 2:00. Finally someone says we better start getting back. We all agree but where's back? We could pull out our GPS , but why bother. There's plenty of time for that and it's more fun to guess. Finally we find the trucks and exhaustedly, we load up the snowmobiles for another day when a new epic adventure will begin.
I make my living running FiveStar Power Rentals in the winter. We specialize in the rentals of high-powered snowmobiles and trailers.
The program is perfectly suited to experienced snowmobilers who want the deep powder experience for themselves and their friends. The program gives our clients the freedom to take their rentals to many great locations – Grand Lake , Winter Park , Rabbit Ears Pass , Steamboat Springs. I can tell you a few places to go but I assure you it's more fun to explore for yourself and play “get lost” (provided you have a back-up plan).