YW84U
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- March 10, 2000
- Messages
- 136
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- BC
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1991 XLT
So it's a Sunday, the British Columbia mountains are getting a fresh dusting, and I figure 'let's pack up the kids and find some snow!'. So, the four of us + [1] family buddy grab some toboggans and head out in the X. I figure we'll head up near one of the peaks, and let the kids slide down the mountain.
48 kilometers later, we're climbing up the old forestry road near the top, and it's snowing lightly. Most of the way is rain-soaked gravel, with a light skiff starting to form on the trail. So far, so good... The Mrs starts to suggest we park and hoof it up to the snowline......
The climb gets fairly steep, about 25-45 degree angles from horizontal, and we get into snow only about one inch deep. (See where this is going?) Well, about halfway up this one pitch @ 45 degree slope, I start to spin in 4Low. In one inch of snow. All of my passengers panic, and bail out, while I'm telling them not to worry / no big deal / I'll just back down the 200 or so yards, and turn around.
And so, not realizing that this mere one inch of snow was in fact .003 inches of snow on hard pack ice (and forgetting that Uniroyal does not make good tires), I back up. My X decides that gravity is a better driver than I, and begins to head back down all of it's own will, sliding on an interesting angle that would send us off the *huge* dropoff on my right. I soon realize that my X is a really big toboggan. I slid back about 20 feet, and ended up broadside - no room to go forwards or backwards, and on the verge of being tippy.
The next 1.5 hours was spent alternating between pushing and sliding to get the X pointed back downhill, being careful not to send it and myself over the edge. With every move for that 1.5 hours, it was like a coin toss whether it would stay or go. We even enlisted the help of a kind-hearted snowmobiler to 'steer' while we pushed. The Mrs had a wonderful expression on her face throughout the whole process - a combo of ' I told you so' and ' Don't make me cash your insurance in'. We finally got it pointed in the right direction, and I let 'er head down the trail, almost losing it a couple times as I gained velocity and lost traction. My saving grace near the bottom of the first turn, was there was a cross-ditch with a stream cutting through that had no snow. As soon as I hit it, I dynamited the brakes and came to an unceremonial halt by the time the rears went across. The family opted to walk down past the snowline before they would get back in with me.
The part that really bites, is my camera was in the centre console the whole time!
The good part is, the Mrs. thinks buying those BFG KO's is now a *great* idea and can't happen soon enough!
Indeed, a rather humbling experience, as well as a solid '10' on the pucker factor.
Stay Safe,
YW84U
48 kilometers later, we're climbing up the old forestry road near the top, and it's snowing lightly. Most of the way is rain-soaked gravel, with a light skiff starting to form on the trail. So far, so good... The Mrs starts to suggest we park and hoof it up to the snowline......
The climb gets fairly steep, about 25-45 degree angles from horizontal, and we get into snow only about one inch deep. (See where this is going?) Well, about halfway up this one pitch @ 45 degree slope, I start to spin in 4Low. In one inch of snow. All of my passengers panic, and bail out, while I'm telling them not to worry / no big deal / I'll just back down the 200 or so yards, and turn around.
And so, not realizing that this mere one inch of snow was in fact .003 inches of snow on hard pack ice (and forgetting that Uniroyal does not make good tires), I back up. My X decides that gravity is a better driver than I, and begins to head back down all of it's own will, sliding on an interesting angle that would send us off the *huge* dropoff on my right. I soon realize that my X is a really big toboggan. I slid back about 20 feet, and ended up broadside - no room to go forwards or backwards, and on the verge of being tippy.
The next 1.5 hours was spent alternating between pushing and sliding to get the X pointed back downhill, being careful not to send it and myself over the edge. With every move for that 1.5 hours, it was like a coin toss whether it would stay or go. We even enlisted the help of a kind-hearted snowmobiler to 'steer' while we pushed. The Mrs had a wonderful expression on her face throughout the whole process - a combo of ' I told you so' and ' Don't make me cash your insurance in'. We finally got it pointed in the right direction, and I let 'er head down the trail, almost losing it a couple times as I gained velocity and lost traction. My saving grace near the bottom of the first turn, was there was a cross-ditch with a stream cutting through that had no snow. As soon as I hit it, I dynamited the brakes and came to an unceremonial halt by the time the rears went across. The family opted to walk down past the snowline before they would get back in with me.
The part that really bites, is my camera was in the centre console the whole time!
The good part is, the Mrs. thinks buying those BFG KO's is now a *great* idea and can't happen soon enough!
Indeed, a rather humbling experience, as well as a solid '10' on the pucker factor.
Stay Safe,
YW84U
