A Ski Doo is maybe the most popular snowmobile around. If you go on a snowmobiling adventure, chances are you’ll get on a Ski Doo. It’s a very similar vehicle to a Sea Doo, one of the most popular Waverunners around. They’re kind of twin machines, when you break it down to the basics.
So if you’re into snowmobiling, you’ll probably be into Waverunners, and vice versa.
As comedian Daniel Tosh said “they say money doesn’t buy happiness. No, but it buys a Waverunner. Have you ever seen anybody unhappy on one of those things?”
You can say the same of a snowmobile, and a Ski Doo. Having just gone snowmobiling, while on a ski trip in Telluride, Colorado I can confirm this is true. Snowmobiling is a blast, especially when you have a trail with a very scenic background. And what place is more beautiful than Colorado?
We even saw the mountains from the Coors branding on our snowmobiling course.
One aspect of this experience I found very interesting is how the throttle always tapers off, as the resistance of the snow slows you down. It’s like when you’re skiing and you need to stop by going into a big snowbank. You really don’t need a brake when snowmobiling, as easing off the throttle + the natural speed bump that is the snow decreases your speed.
Also, the snowmobiles we went on only top out at about 55 mph, and you spend most of the time going only about 15-25 mph.
So you are really not going that fast.
Not having to do any braking is not something I expected about my first snowmobiling adventure.
One thing I learned, which was not surprising- most snowmobiling accidents happen on the back half of the tour. That makes sense as a person’s confidence in their snowmobiling skills increases later on in the tour, but their actual acumen doesn’t.
Their ego gets ahead of their skill set. But again you can go snowmobiling without doing any cowboy stuff.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.