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Spending dough for the Snow - Dough for winter Snow Sports |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 02 November 2006 |
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Page 6 of 12
 SNOWMOBILING
Take crazy jumps or just cruise the backcountry
Jake Lombard moved to Colorado specifically to snowmobile. His dad introduced him to the sport at a really young age. When Michigan winters became milder, Lombard relocated to another snowy paradise.
 “Colorado is awesome,” he said. “I could have gone anywhere and I came here.”
Lombard, an ex-snowcross racer with 17 years of riding experience, is now into backcountry riding and freestyle. Last year he was able to ride from mid-November to late June. He works at Fort Collins Motorsport, which carries some used snowmobiles and he rides every chance he gets.
“I like to jump my snowmobile because the snow is very forgiving compared to dirt,” Lombard said. “Snowmobiles fly like airplanes.”
He says to dress warm because the Colorado Rockies (the mountains, not the baseball team) will throw a curve ball at you fast, and you have to be ready for any kind of weather.
Matt Niddermiller, a salesperson at Outpost Sunsport, got into snowmobiling to feed his backcountry skiing addiction.
“My snowmobile helps me get back to places that would otherwise take several hours or all day on foot,” Niddermiller said.
He loves getting out in the middle of nowhere and playing in soft, fresh show. Mountain riding, as he calls it, has grown more popular in recent years.
“I have had some of my best days backcountry skiing because of my snowmobile,” he said. “Make sure you are prepared and have all the necessary equipment. Take an avalanche course — I can’t stress that enough.”
Erin Frustaci
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ESSENTIALS
Snowmobile
($7,000-$12,000 new, $2,000-$4,000 used)
Helmet
($100 and up)
Warm outerwear
($75-$650)
Avalanche Gear: Beacon, shovel, probe
($350-$800, for all)
First-Aid kit
(about $25)
RENT IT
There are several places to rent snowmobiles around Grand Lake, Granby, Winter Park and Steamboat Springs
WHERE TO GO
Some good trails can be found around: Granby, Rabbit Ears Pass near Steamboat, Corona Pass, Henderson Mine near Empire, The Snowy Range in Wyoming, Buffalo Pass near Steamboat, Vail Pass, and Cameron Pass.
GOOD TO KNOW
Off-highway vehicles, which includes snowmobiles, require registration.
For snowmobiles, it costs $20.25. The form can be found at http://parks.state.co.us/home/publications/boating_registration.pdf.
Other costs include fuel and maintenance.
When you go, never travel alone.
As far as technique goes, it all depends on the kind of riding you will do.
Never go through terrain you don’t feel comfortable with, bring a trail map and ride the snowmobile, don’t let the snowmobile ride you.
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ONLINE
For the extreme snowmobilers:
www.xtreme-performance.com
Good rides in Grand County:
www.grand-county.com/Snowmobiling.aspx
Get the gear here:
www.ridegear.com/rg/section/snow.html
IN PRINT
“Snowmobile Handbook”
by Christopher M. Bishop (editor), Chilton Book Company, James R. Marotta
“Snowmobiling” by Laura Purdies Salas
“Snowmobiling: The Sledder’s Complete Handbook” by Dave Hallam and James Hallam
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|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
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|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
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I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
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|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
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| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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