This is why it is Important to know what is on the other side of the hill before you fly over it!

• Stay behind your guide!

• Watch for hand signals for you to pass back to the rest of your TEAM!

• Everyone, especially the last rider in the team who needs to know "WHAT'S UP!"

This is a great example of TEAM PLAYERS using hand signals!

• Hand signals are unbelievably important when you are snowmobiling, largely because of the snow dust that is kicked up by machine and/or by wind which can completely obscure the tail lights.

• When we ride we use hand signals for events occurring such as when the group slows down on the trail for a intersection.

• Or often just to "Look for the last one in line.

• "Also when we ride in the Nisbet back county hand signals are used to point out potential obstacles in the snow such as old farm machinery or a the occasional ranch fence that do crisscross some of the Nisbet Forest that is used as cattle pasture in the summer months.

LEARN FROM OTHERS MISTAKES!

PLEASE

RIDE RESPONSIBLY

Really what could possibly go wrong? This appears to be an unregulated GONG SHOW! Maybe the important message here is leave the "COUCH POTATOES" at home!

LEARN FROM OTHERS MISTAKES!

PLEASE

RIDE RESPONSIBLY

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE
"OF WHAT NOT TO DO!"
 This was a "Someone else's Guided GONG SHOW Tour Event!" in which the actual Team Leaders, leading 26 sleds "APPEARED" to run upwards of some pretty high speeds, for quite a few KM's.  The whole pack quickly disappeared in a cloud of Snow dust  onto the lake.
My SNOCRUISE obligation was running last, next to the rear guide's position to watch for any issues with my dozen sleds in the group.

• Unexpectedly I found myself getting left in the snow dust, the whole group with my dozen sleds pulling away, I accelerated to 80-90MPH just keeping pace.

• A little further out on the first lake, I was able to  run parallel to the column.

• After bottle necking thru a few portages and a few over land trails joining lake after lake, I was able to finally catch up to some of my sleds, enter the portage area ahead of them and slow them down.

• Then after a few more miles of icy lakes, portages and semi frozen rivers (part of the reason this large group hired local northern guides) we gathered upon the crash scene!

 The guides in charge, knew that many in the group were complete rookies, and that the inevitable was going to happen. Luckily no one was injured. But the roll over on the lake/shoreline ice, resulted in crushed handle bars, crushed instruments and panels. To top it off we also had a broken windshield and the first cracked hood on one of our Yamaha's in the 15+ years we have been using them.

LEARN FROM OTHERS MISTAKES!

PLEASE

RIDE RESPONSIBLY

We all turn and someone goes straight!

• This occurred a long time ago on the edge of the Nisbet Forest on an old road allowance.

• We all knew this ditch or excavation was there, just that one of our buddies just went straight.

• And he wasn't even leading!

• "Boys behaving badly?"

• Were we having our very own private GONG SHOW?

• Pretty good chance.

LEARN FROM OTHERS MISTAKES!

PLEASE

RIDE RESPONSIBLY

Depth perception and a cloudy day

• This is a heck of an example where us buddies doing a little exploring in new territory got caught off guard.

• This illustrates what can happen even to a seasoned rider on a cloudy day in unfamiliar countryside.

• We were exploring and Buddy was leading at only 4 or 5 MPH down thru some terraced STUBBLE FIELDS and pastures close to the South Branch.

LEARN FROM OTHERS MISTAKES!

We stick together, period.

• No one runs off on their own unless a joint discussion has determined this.

• Although intoxicated riders are the #1 reason for injury or worse on a snowmobile it ultimately occurs because a rider(s) is headed back looking for someone who is missing or wandered off.

• The same goes for our routine when we find a power meadow and decide to "cut the grass!"

LEARN FROM OTHERS MISTAKES!