Snowmobile skipping, snowmobile watercross, snowmobile skimming, water skipping or puddle jumping is a sport and/or exhibition where snowmobile racers hydroplane their sleds across lakes or rivers. [1]
Snowmobile skipping, snowmobile watercross, snowmobile skimming, water skipping or puddle jumping is a sport and/or exhibition where snowmobile racers hydroplane their sleds across lakes or rivers. [1]
Snowmobile watercross consists of crossing water while riding a snowmobile, which is possible because snowmobiles have wide tracks for traction and flotation in the snow. If one hits the water at an adequate speed (5 mph per 150 lb or 12 km/h per 100 kg of weight) and keeps the sled's throttle open, the track keeps the snowmobile on the surface of the water without sinking. [1] [2] If the rider backs out of the throttle or the sled bogs or floods out, the sled will sink. [3] A sunk sled is able to be revived by cleaning water out of the carburetor, exhaust, spark plugs, and replacing the fuel. [3] The front of the sled is pitched upwards as riders commonly do in deep mountain powder snow. [4]
The Grantsburg, Wisconsin first annual World Championship Snowmobile Watercross was held in July 1977 and it has been held yearly on the third week of July since. [5] The first race was simply held to see who could make it the 300 feet (91 m) from the island on Memory Lake to the shore. [3] Most didn't, but the winner did go about 500 ft (150 m). In the years following, racers became more skilled and machines more powerful. Today, racers compete in drags and ovals, with an eight-lap championship run. Over 100 racers compete in the various classes. The Classes range from the beginners' Stock Drags to the top Pro-Open Ovals Class. Competitive watercross is run by two main circuits. The IWA (International Watercross Association) operates mainly in the Midwest, while the EWA (Eastern Watercross Association) operates in the Northeastern States. [4]
In most cases, participants in watercross strip their snowmobiles of all non-essential parts—including the seat—to save weight.
On June 25, 2013, Antti Holmberg of Finland set the record for snowmobile skipping at 180 km (112 miles). [6] On September 18, 2015, the record is now set at 212 km (131.731 miles) by the Norwegian Morten Blien. [7]
Watercross competitions are held during the summer and the participants of official events wear life jackets and helmets, [3] and have a buoy tethered to their sleds. If for some event the rider and sled do not complete the course, the rider releases the buoy from the snowmobile so that it floats to the surface and marks the sled for retrieval. Watercross competitions, as with other motor sports competitions, have ambulance and rescue crews nearby in the event of an accident. [3]
While it is possible to skim over the water with a stock snowmobile, the practice can be dangerous. For example, in February 2006, a Massachusetts man died in New Hampshire after sinking into the water during a failed skimming attempt. [8] In July 2010, a 40-year-old man died in Anaktuvuk Pass while attempting to skim across Eleanor Lake. [9] In January 2018, a 48-year-old man died after partially skipping across Sturgeon Lake (Ontario). [10]
The practice of "skimming" is illegal in the states of Minnesota, [11] Maine, [12] and New Hampshire. [13] On the contrary, in Wisconsin there are places where skimming is encouraged, and some businesses rely on it to attract customers, for example at Bauer's Dam in Conover, Wisconsin.[ citation needed ]
A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners similar in principle to skis. This reduces the amount of friction, which helps to carry heavy loads.
Grantsburg is a village in Burnett County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,341 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Grantsburg. It was established by Canute Anderson.
Hayward is a city in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States, next to the Namekagon River. Its population was 2,318 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sawyer County. The city is surrounded by the Town of Hayward. The City of Hayward was formally organized in 1883.
A sled dog is a dog trained and used to pull a land vehicle in harness, most commonly a sled over snow.
A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not require a road or trail, but most are driven on open terrain or trails. Snowmobiling is a sport that many people have taken on as a serious hobby. Common brand names in the United States include Arctic Cat, Polaris Inc. and Ski-Doo.
Polaris Inc. is an American automotive manufacturer headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, United States. Polaris was founded in Roseau, Minnesota, where it still has engineering and manufacturing facilities. The company manufactured motorcycles through its Victory Motorcycles subsidiary until January 2017, and currently produces motorcycles through the Indian Motorcycle subsidiary, which it purchased in April 2011. Polaris produced personal watercraft from 1994–2004. The company was originally named Polaris Industries Inc. and was renamed in 2019 to Polaris Inc.
Stone skipping and stone skimming are considered related but distinct activities: both refer to the art of throwing a flat stone across the water in such a way that it bounces off the surface. The objective of "skipping" is to see how many times a stone can bounce before it sinks into the water; the objective of "skimming" is to see how far a bouncing stone can travel across the water before it sinks into the water. In Japan, the practice is referred to as Mizu Kiri, which loosely translates to "water cutting". In Mizu Kiri contests, both skimming and skipping principles, as well as a throw's overall aesthetic quality, are taken into account to determine the winners.
BRP Inc. is the holding company for Bombardier Recreational Products Inc., operating as BRP, a Canadian manufacturer of snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, side by sides, motorcycles, and personal watercraft. It was founded in 2003, when the Recreational Products Division of Bombardier Inc. was spun-off and sold to a group of investors consisting of Bain Capital, the Bombardier-Beaudoin family and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. Bombardier Inc., was founded in 1942 as L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée by Joseph-Armand Bombardier at Valcourt in the Eastern Townships, Quebec.
Ice racing is a form of racing that uses cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, or other motorized vehicles. Ice racing takes place on frozen lakes or rivers, or on groomed frozen lots. As cold weather is a requirement for natural ice, it is usually found at higher latitudes in Canada, the northern United States, and in northern Europe, although limited indoor events are held in warmer climates, typically on ice hockey rinks. Tracks in North America vary from 1/4 mile to several mile-long circuits.
Skijoring is a winter sport in which a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog, another animal, or a motor vehicle. The name is derived from the Norwegian word skikjøring, meaning "ski driving". Although skijoring is said to have originated as a mode of winter travel, it is currently primarily a competitive sport.
Tubing, also known as inner tubing, bumper tubing, towed tubing, biscuiting, or kite tubing, is a recreational activity where an individual rides on top of an inner tube, either on water, snow, or through the air. The tubes themselves are also known as "donuts" or "biscuits" due to their shape.
Mercury Marine is a marine engine division of Brunswick Corporation headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The main product line is outboard engines. It also produces the MerCruiser line of sterndrives and inboard engines. Some manufacturing is in Fond du Lac, while 40-60 HP engines are made in China. Smaller engines are Tohatsus that have been rebadged.
Racing flags are traditionally used in auto racing and similar motorsports to indicate track conditions and to communicate important messages to drivers. Typically, the starter, sometimes the grand marshal of a race, waves the flags atop a flag stand near the start/finish line. Track marshals are also stationed at observation posts along the race track in order to communicate both local and course-wide conditions to drivers. Alternatively, some race tracks employ lights to supplement the primary flag at the start/finish line.
Jericho Mountain State Park is located in the White Mountains in Berlin, New Hampshire, United States. The park offers trail riding for ATV, UTV, trail bike, and snowmobile enthusiasts, as well as camping, swimming, fishing, canoeing, and picnicking at Jericho Lake.
The World Championship Snowmobile Derby is the World championship snowmobile race. It is held at the World Championship Derby Complex, formerly known as the Eagle River Derby Track, along U.S. Route 45 in Eagle River, Wisconsin on the third weekend in January. Eagle River is known as the "Snowmobile Capital of the World" because it hosts the Derby. Eagle River is located in the same county as Sayner, Wisconsin, the place that Carl Eliason invented one of the first modern snowmobiles.
Snocross is a racing sport involving racing specialized high performance snowmobiles on natural or artificially-made tracks consisting of tight turns, banked corners, steep jumps and obstacles. Riders race at speed of up to 60 miles per hour. Jumps are up to 30 feet tall, so riders travel up to 130 feet before they touch the ground. According to the World Snowmobile Association which governs snocross, watercross, and hillcross racing, snocross is the most popular form of snowmobile racing.
On 24 January 1963 a United States Air Force Boeing B-52C Stratofortress with nine crew members on board lost its vertical stabilizer due to buffeting stresses during turbulence at low altitude and crashed on Elephant Mountain in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States, six miles (9.7 km) from Greenville. The pilot and the navigator survived the accident.
The Lombard Steam Log Hauler, patented 21 May 1901, was the first successful commercial application of a continuous track for vehicle propulsion. The concept was later used for military tanks during World War I and for agricultural tractors and construction equipment following the war.
Jim Adema was a snowmobile racing star during the first half of the 1970s. He was inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in 1988. An independent oval race driver, Adema won a record setting number of races from 1970 to 1975, all while riding on one of his modified Sno-Jets, each of which were ThunderJet models.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)