RIDING LYNX
I spend most of my backcountry days on a Lynx Shredder DS 850 E-TEC Turbo R 4100. It’s the ultimate sled for big mountain exploration in my mind, quick and agile handling with the new narrow ski stance yet still super playful for the days that aren’t quite as deep.
For me, “Big Mountain” riding is absolutely the best. There is nothing better than an exploration mission to somewhere new. It’s magic. It is also ultimately humbling. Having the right sleds, skills and strategic mindset to conquer new terrain is what forever keeps me coming back for more!
For me it’s a real honor to be part of such a bad ass team. Everyone brings something special to the table and all with the most humble, show up and prove it type of attitude. The best.
STARTING OUT
My first memories of sledding started in the heart of mountain snowmobiling, interior British Columbia. We were young, we rode rickety old junk that we probably worked on as much as we rode, and man did we work hard to figure it out! The best memories though.
For me I don’t think there was ever a real pivotal moment in which things got serious. I like to be good at whatever I set my mind to and wanted to spend my life in the mountains. Combine those two and here we are!
LIVING SISU
I think the true culture of mountain snowmobiling has "sisu" built right into its DNA. Ask any real sledder and they’ll have a hundred stories. My first year living in the mountains, I spent a morning breaking trail into the alpine – blue skies, deep fresh snow without a track. So, I ride up a steep little wall just at the ridge line and lay into a big fat pow carve. I came out of that completely missing my right ski, two broken A-Arms and a broken shock. Okay, well, no big deal, right? Turns out when the snow is deep enough and there is no ski to displace it, the snow chokes the motor out. So, I proceeded to do left-hand donuts all the way through alpine, over two large creek crossings to the goat trail through the bush. Pretty well every time I got a little lazy, the motor would die out and over the front of the sled I would go. I must have been stuck and pitched over the front over a hundred times that day. Still not sure if I have ever been more tired than that, but I made it!
I call this "Type two" fun. The kind of fun that takes an extra level of determination, perseverance and down right stubbornness to endure, and when the smoke settles the sense of accomplishment is the reward. For me, Type two fun is pretty well a lifestyle. I can’t think of a good ride I’ve been on that didn’t embody Sisu is some shape or form.
