Snow dust from the Snow Shoot begins to fall and it is now time to put words on all the emotions I felt in such a short period of time. We must keep in mind that the Snow Shoot represents all the wildest dreams of many snowmobiler : wonderful scenery of the legendary West Yellowstone, Montana, area, incredible weather, plenty of snow, but above all, the presence of snowmobile models of the coming year.
At my young age, I am already lucky to have experienced the Snow Shoot two years ago. So, imagine my reaction when I learned that I would attend this event for a second time! I packed my things and I left for West Yellowstone!!
Besides going snowmobiling, what particularly impressed me during my experience two years ago was the change of scene of Montana State. Huge mountains all around us, rustic town of West Yellowstone or this slow city traffic (except for few tourists snowmobilers and people involved in the Snow Shoot, there is not a lot of people… This is different in summer!!).
Each time I attend the Snow Shoot, many persons wish me happy holiday. I am not really sure if it can be described as holiday because during that week, we are very busy!! Technical days, testing dozens of snowmobiles, filming about 15 videos, without considering the entry of standards for each one of the snowmobiles we test in order to offer you our Buyer’s Guide.
In such conditions, it is then very important that each member of the Web Magazine Motoneiges.ca/SledMagacine.com Team knows his responsibilities all week long. For example, my duty was not complicated. I had to be the punching bag of the team. This is what happens when you are the youngest of the team!! Thanks to Julien Cabana, by the way, who cooked bacon and eggs each morning!
What was great this year is that we had rented a condo (two years ago, we had hotel rooms). It allowed all the team to be reunited once the trial day was over. This way, in the evening, it was much easier to gather around the table and register our comments on each snowmobile we had tested that day.
So, technically speaking, what is the Snow Shoot? On the first day, the four manufacturers present the innovations of their lineups for the coming year. It is always very special to be in a trailer, along with few other media representatives, with the main people from each manufacturer. It is the best time to take notes on small details and to ask questions for which there was no answer in the media kits. Our goal is to get all the informations for our readers and to learn on which element we must pay attention when we will be testing the snowmobiles during the next four days.
Technical days are great, but days of tests are even greater! After taking note of each innovation, it is now time to test it! To do so, our team always distributes the tests in 8 half-days, gathering snowmobiles of the same categories together.
It is not easy to describe what we feel being on top of a mountain with a breathtaking scenery all around us, seated on a 2017 snowmobile.
As you probably know, my personal favorite half-day of which I dream weeks before the Snow Shoot, is the mountain half-day! It takes 45 minutes to reach a place with good conditions for snowmobiling and they are definitely the longest minutes of all my trip. However, once arrived, WOW!! Great spots are all around us! Trees are just enough apart for us to go sidehilling between them. Sadly, again this year, snow cover was not abundant in this region. But there was enough snow to have fun. We must not forget that we were piloting the best of the 2017 mountain snowmobiles. What could be better?
Of course, the Snow Shoot work is also something else. Through all the action, we take thousands of static photos and action photos of each snowmobile we test. Same about the videos : not less than 4 cameras are used to film various situations. Then, about 15 videos presenting a snowmobile are filmed, to which we must add the 4 summary videos on each manufacturer. Phew, lots of work!!
An advantage of already having attended the Snow Shoot is that it is easier to get ready to our next presence. Effectively, I have been surprised by lack of oxygen at an elevation of 3 048 m/10 000 ft. Just climbing steps and we get out of breath at this altitude, so you can imagine what happens when we go snowmobiling off trail! So this is why I trained very seriously in order to be able to enjoy the few hours spent in mountain. I am very proud to say that I made the most of every second of my mountain half-day.
This is part of my 2017 Snow Shoot experience. It is tough to describe this trip in a short article because we live so many great experiences in such a short period of time that we realize it is difficult to make the most of each moment. Once back home, then we realize the privilege we had to be part of this trip. If one day, you have the chance to go snowmobiling in Montana, do not miss it. You will remember it for the rest of your life!!
