Pictures of Riding area in the Summer and Winter

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RmkMtnRider

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• Nov 28, 2011

• #1

Im writing a paper and need some pictures of a highly populated snowmobile with tracks in the winter. And then a picture of the same area in the summer. If anybody has anything it's greatly appreciated. And by posting them you are giving me full permission to use them in my paper with your accredidation.

Thanks in advance!
oh btw.. due by tonight... Yeah i procrastinate a little :face-icon-small-blu

 

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Himark

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• Nov 28, 2011

• #2

Popular hill climb in Snowies..."widowmaker" Lots and lots of traffic here.

 

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m8sandman

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• Nov 28, 2011

• #3

this is called the garwood climb, its up by diamond lake oregon. feel free to use it as long as your paper doesn't have something to do with slamming snowmobiling. would hope if your on this site and your a rider you would never do that but just don't want to help out anyone with a greenie objective!!! if it does have something to do with the impact of snowmobiling on the enviroment you might point out that you would be hard pressed to find tracks going over even one of the trees. we find it more of a challenge to miss the trees instead of going over them

 

Last edited: Nov 28, 2011

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RmkMtnRider

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• Nov 29, 2011

• #4

Thanks guys!
My paper was about trying to allow Snowmobiles into wilderness areas. Our professor told us it could be as far fetched as we wanted to so that's why i went with that. It won't happen but I think i had some pretty good points in there and the whole class read it and everyone passed it.. We'll see what my professor thinks!
Thanks again! Your pictures will help a lot

 

snowmanx

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• Nov 29, 2011

• #5

So post it on here, I'd like to read it.

 

Racer220

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• Nov 29, 2011

• #6

snowmanx said:

So post it on here, I'd like to read it.

Click to expand...

ditto ^^^

 

Scott

Scott Stiegler

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• Nov 29, 2011

• #7

I've got some GREAT ones of HIGH traffic areas in winter and what summer looks like as well.

I'll dig them up.

 

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Himark

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• Nov 29, 2011

• #8

sandman...were those pics taken in relative same times? not like it was years apart? or logging done or some clearing?

 

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m8sandman

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• Nov 29, 2011

• #9

the snow pics were from last winter and the "dry" ones were from this summer, so about as close together as they could be. there was a fire that went through that area and stopped about 400 yards from that cut. we snowmobile up there in the winter and ride quads up there in the summer. funny right after i took the summer pic there was a dead snag i decided i needed to push over and got attacked by bees from the nest inside

 

Bagger

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• Nov 30, 2011

• #10

snowmanx said:

So post it on here, I'd like to read it.

Click to expand...

Racer220 said:

ditto ^^^

Click to expand...

X 3 Post it up !!

Bag

 

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thierracing

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• Dec 1, 2011

• #11

X4!!!! sounds like a creative paper!

 

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byeatts

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• Dec 1, 2011

• #12

thierracing said:

X4!!!! sounds like a creative paper!

Click to expand...

this could be a really cool thread!

 

Racer220

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• Dec 2, 2011

• #13

byeatts said:

this could be a really cool thread!

Click to expand...

maybe............................:clock::clock: :face-icon-small-hap

RmkMtnRider just copy/paste from your word doc into a new post so we can read what you have. Don't be shy.

 

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LRD

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• Dec 2, 2011

• #14

Wish I had pictures of this but I'll describe it. Daisy Pass north of Cooke City Mt. We used to sled there a lot back in the early to mid 90's. One summer vacation the 1st week of August we went through Red Lodge headed for Cooke and Washington state. After driving over Beartooth pass never whined about it not being plowed in the winter. Last July went over it and saw 12 to 14 ft tall snow cuts on the side of the highway up there in a few places.

Had a 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, on the fly 4 wheel drive so I drove up the mtn from 212 just east of Cooke to Daisy pass. First thing I notice is when you get out of your vehicle you might not be tall enough to reach up and touch the snowmobile trail markers.

Then you get to Daisy pass and that small boulder that might show at the bottom on the north side is the size of a semi tractor and part of the trailer. Next there's a Jeep trail that goes from Daisy all the way over to Lou Lou pass. My wife looked at the trail and a sign that said beware of Grizzly's and Walked! We had never seen that Jeep trail or sign before. Then we get to Lou Lou and get to the bottom and would like to take the trail back to Goose Creek but its made up of boulders half the size of cars!!

Its real scary to see in the summer what we ride over!!

Good Luck

 

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snowmobile6

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• Dec 2, 2011

• #15

Great idea for a paper!!!! Post it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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RmkMtnRider

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• Dec 3, 2011

• #16

Sorry guys, my teachers have decided to pile on the work for the last couple of weeks of the semester so I haven't had much time. Heres my paper and the pictures were just an add on staple that my teacher asked me to include. Go easy on me as I'm only a freshman :face-icon-small-ton. The papers already been submitted to my final portfolio so no more changes can be made. Thanks for taking the time to read this tho!

Snowmobiles are Gold Mines​

The Frank Church wilderness was designated wilderness back in 1964 when the Wilderness Act of 1964 was passed. Most Americans agreed that keeping snowmobiles out of wilderness areas was nothing but a good thing. The article, “Why Wilderness?” states, “The preservation of wild lands is uniquely American” (Why Wilderness). This is saying that to be true to our country we should believe that wilderness designation should continue. For snowmobiles to just come in and destroy wilderness, it’s un-American. Not only are snowmobiles un-American, they also disturb the wildlife that must live in an un-stressful environment during the winter months so they can rest up for the big summer ahead. It is nearly impossible for them to do that with the noisy machines running around them all day. The environment that they live in should also be preserved away from motor vehicles due to the negative impacts they cause, and the pollution they put into the air. Fifty years ago the elimination of snowmobiles was a good thing, because they were causing negative effects to the land in which they were ridden on. Although this is true, much can change in fifty years. Today snowmobiles have come a long way since fifty years ago when they were first produced the way they were causing negative effects to land. Snowmobiles should be allowed to access wilderness areas such as the Frank Church wilderness because of the positive impacts it will have on the state of Idaho.
The first advantage of allowing snowmobiles into the Frank Church wilderness is the large amount of income it will bring the nearby town of Stanley during winter. Stanly is a town that lives off its summer income from rafters and hikers that come through during the summer months. Once the snow starts to fall the town’s economy does as well. Although there is no way to show the drop in the season’s economy, three of the seven stores in Stanley close during winter months due to it being away from hikers and rafters (Stanley). If the Frank Church wilderness allows snowmobiles, it will attract riders from all around the country. Not only will they be filling up their trucks and snowmobiles with gas from the local gas station, they will be providing the town with income for hotels, snowmobile repair shops, food, and plenty of candy bars. Businesses in the town would love to see the extra people come in during the winter so they could earn some more money when things get a little rough.
Another advantage will be the limitation of people to snowmobile interactions. Interactions between snowmobilers and people have been large factors in wilderness designation. There have been no reports of harmful interactions between skiers and snowmobilers, and most the time smiles and waves are exchanged between the two and life goes on. Lands have been shut down to snowmobiles to provide a safe environment for snowmobiles even though nothing bad has happened. An example is a law just passed to close Granite Mountain which is just outside of McCall Idaho. The area was closed to over snow vehicles for the 2011-2012 season (January-March). The area was closed for the various reasons including to provide safety to forest visitors and create equal opportunity recreation (Cropp). McCall did this so that there was more room for cross country skiers and motor vehicles wouldn’t bother them. Due to more land being shut down to snowmobiles so that cross country skiers can have areas to ski, snowmobilers have less area to ride in which is creating over populated riding areas which can be a safety concern. According to “A Users guide: Frank Church wilderness” the Frank Church occupies more than 2.2 million acres of pristine backcountry” (A Users). 2.2 million acres is a lot of land that will keep snowmobiles away from higher populated areas so that the skier to snowmobile interactions will be cut down and everyone can keep to themselves in their own areas.
Allowing snowmobiles into the Frank Church wilderness will also produce jobs for the nearby town, Stanley Idaho. Snowmobilers will want trails to ride along in the new area, which are made by groomers. The groomers make the trails and are paid by snowmobile registration fees so the state will not lose any money. An example of new trails aiding in local economy is a law that was just passed to allow a snowmobile trail along the continental divide. According to NPCA news; the trail will require a new groomer for the area which will give new jobs. The new trail will also attract more riders which will fuel the local economy (Snowmobile, 2007). Stanley will also create jobs by having snowmobile shops in town. No one wants it to happen, but sooner or later a snowmobile will have a problem and will need some fixing up which will require mechanics from a snowmobile shop. Having a shop or two in Stanley will also provide jobs and increase economy. Commercial tour guides will also be needed. This will allow Idahoans to access wilderness with ease even if they don’t own a motor vehicle. Tour guides will be able to provide anyone willing to experience the thrill of their lifetime. Just by allowing snowmobiles into the Frank Church we are creating many jobs for Stanley and increasing the economy.
The reason snowmobiles were ban from the Frank Church wilderness in the first place is because they were unhealthy for the environment. Today’s snowmobiles are required to meet EPA (environmental protection agency) requirements that cause them to release small amounts of pollution. The EPA is a federal agency that sets standards for pollution and other environment impacts. According to the group “Environment Defense Fund”, in 2002 the EPA sent out new laws on how much pollution a snowmobile could produce (Environmental, 2002). The law was enforced due to the amount of pollution being put into the air by 2-stroke snowmobiles. Technology has become more advanced and snowmobiles met these laws. They continue to improve every year in case of new laws so they can continue to stay in production. Snowmobile manufactures want to continue to keep areas open without pollution being a problem. They take it seriously and will continue to improve so that they don’t have to deal with the EPA standards. Not only do snowmobiles produce a small amount of pollution, they leave no negative effect on lands when the snow melts in the summer.
Snowmobiles travel off trail and on trail year in and year out. By going to the busiest snow park and seeing a bunch of tracks; you can return in the summer and all those tracks will be gone and vegetation will continue to grow the same as the year before. Snowmobiles are generally not allowed to go anywhere off trail unless the area has piled up at least eighteen inches. This law can easily be put into effect when snowmobiles are allowed into the Frank Church wilderness. Snowmobiles are designed to “float” on top of the snow so that no impacts will be made into the ground and it will look as good as it did the summer before. There will be zero negative impacts to the ground so the area will be looking as good as it did the summer before.
Many believe that snowmobiles will hurt and stress out the wildlife if they are allowed into wilderness areas. Many states have acquired sound restrictions that make it so that sound on snowmobiles can only reach a certain decibel. For example, according to Colorado general assembly; if the snowmobile was manufactured on or after January 1, 1998 it is allowed to reach 96 decibels. If that law is violated they will receive a class II petty offense and a fine (Concerning, 2008). This will be acquired in the law for allowing snowmobiles in the Frank Church Wilderness so animals will not be bothered by noise. An example of this is in West Yellowstone; snowmobiles are always brought near the animals for people to see them and take pictures. The wildlife just continues on with their day and pays no attention to the snowmobiles. According to High Country News, the town counts on snowmobilers coming through during the winter and loves the tourists. Negative impacts to the area are at a minimum and even though sound can be distracting at times, it’s part of it (Environmental). The Frank Church will not have to worry about sound because a sound restriction can easily be put on the area.
The cost of allowing snowmobiles into Frank Church wilderness is close to nothing. Everything that will be spent is already paid for. It can only help bring in the money for the state. Currently there are already people patrolling wilderness to keep people out of it. Those same rangers can then be paid to patrol the area to make sure people are following all rules just like a cop would do. The amount of money brought into the state by snowmobiles being able to access the Frank Church will be more than what is being brought in for the winter months now, which is nothing. Income for the state of Idaho can only go up. As I stated before the groomers that will need to be used will be paid for by the registration fees that snowmobilers currently pay to groom where they presently ride. The out of state riders are required to pay a fee for the time they are there and the amount brought in from that is substantial. Nonresident snowmobilers are charged over thirty dollars for a four day pass in the state. That amount will add up quickly for the amount of riders traveling to experience the Frank Church wilderness.
Snowmobiles have been around for more than fifty years along with wilderness areas. A lot has changed over the years and now that snowmobiles are more developed, they are ready to be allowed into the Frank Church Wilderness. Although there are other needs for wilderness to continue to grow, snowmobiles are not a part of that need. Not only are snowmobiles safe for the environment, they are safe around wildlife. By allowing them into the Frank Church the economy of the nearby town Stanly will flourish with having a winter income. So instead of living in the past, let’s move into the future and become even more “American” by realizing that by allowing snowmobiles into the wilderness, we are only benefiting our great state of Idaho.