I know many people, men and women that safely and responsibly ride on trails, but once they get onto a lake, they feel like this is the place to see how fast their sled can go. Realistically, it’s NOT the best time to open up the throttle. Some may think because radar runs are held on lakes, lakes are the place to reach top speed, but there is a lot of preparation that goes into those long straightaways before the sleds are timed for speed. If you get to a lake that held a radar run within the past week, then have at it, otherwise ride at your own risk.

A snowmobile can be extremely hard to control on ice. Depending on the amount of snow covering the ice, stopping and turning can be a challenge. When stopping, don’t use a lot of breaks, slow the sled by getting off the throttle. Don’t expect to turn like you’re on a groomed trail either, because you can’t just feather the bakes and lean into the turn. Here is the misconception about lake ice. People think all lakes are smooth and at times they are, other times they’re not.

You will see lakes with orange cones, barrels or signs that snowmobile clubs put up to show where the trail and or safe ice is, but you NEVER KNOW WHATS UNDER THE SNOW.  A lake could have ice heaves, pockets of slush, frozen humps from ice fishermen and even stump fields or pressure ridges that are hidden by snow. Ice thickness is another thing some people don’t think about. There could be parts of the lake that the ice is 15 inches and then other parts might be 2 inches due to underwater current.

Before you head out on to a lake to play, be safe, SLOW DOWN, because you won’t have the same control of your sled as you would on a groomed trail. Remember, the Ice on a lake can never be considered totally safe, but sometimes you have no choice but to cross a lake because it’s part of the trail system you’re on. When crossing a lake, if you want to go on other parts of the lake to crack the throttle, have at it, but remember your turns will be wider and your stopping time decreases and be aware of other sleds around you.

IF YOU ARE RIDING ON A LAKE OR TRAILS, THERE IS NO NEED TO SEE HOW FAST YOUR SLED IS. THERE ARE EVENTS WHERE YOU CAN SAFELY DO SO.

IN THE LAST 5 WEEKS, THERE HAS BEEN 3 FATAL ACCIDENTS. IF THOSE THREE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE KNOWN THE OUTCOME OF THEIR LAST RIDE, IM SURE THEY WOULD HAVE RODE DIFFERENTLY THAT DAY.