NSHM

Surprised that there is not one word about this on the FCMQ website....at least that I could see. Maybe they are trying not to start a panic with people cancelling rooms and vacations. If I remember correctly,last time they were posting updates on the status.

Found this on another site. In 1968 Polaris was sold to Textron, a diversified company holding E-Z Go golf carts, Bell helicopters, Talon zippers, and Schaefer pens. The company kept Polaris in Roseau and continued snowmobile manufacturing, but also began limited research and development on watercraft and wheeled turf vehicles. Herb Graves of Textron became president and Johnson stayed on as vice-president to oversee production. During the 1970s Polaris began to solidify its reputation for high-performance snowmobiles. In pre-Textron years, Polaris had purchased its snowmobile engines from a number of suppliers. With the entry of Textron, Polaris was able to bring on Fuji Heavy Industries as its sole supplier. Fuji engineers went to Roseau to work on building a high-quality engine specifically for Polaris. Increasingly, the Polaris product lines were being noticed. The TX Series set a standard for power and handling in racing and gained popularity with recreational riders. Introduced in 1977, the liquid-cooled TX-L was a strong cross-country racing competitor. Polaris also introduced the RX-L in the mid-1970s, which carried the first Independent Front Suspension (IFS) and produced winners on the racing circuits shortly after its debut. The 1970s also marked the opening of corporate offices in Minneapolis, with product development and production staying up north. The sport of snowmobiling grew by leaps and bounds in the early 1970s; enthusiasts in the snowbelts of the United States and Canada now numbered more than a million. The growth rate for the industry was 35 percent per year, versus 20 percent for other recreation industry manufacturers. In 1970, 63 companies manufactured snowmobiles in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. Bombardier held 40 percent of the market, with an additional 40 percent shared by Arctic Cat, Polaris, Scorpion, and Sno Jet. About one-third of the machines manufactured in North America in the early 1970s were made in Minnesota. Factory-backed racing teams found Polaris support in the days of Allan Hetteen and Textron, but the death of a Polaris team member in 1978 effectively ended the program. From 1981 on the company sponsored a modified racing program with independent racers. Hill climbs, stock and modified oval racing, snow and grass drag racing, and cross-country endurance racing tested the limits of the machines and appealed to customers. Racing was an important part of engineering research and development as well as public relations and product marketing. Yet in the late 1970s, despite everything that favored the industry--including regular improvements in safety and an expanding trail system that would eventually rival the U.S. Interstate Highway System in total miles--the snowmobiling boom was about to go bust. Companies began shutting down or selling off their snowmobile divisions in the face of declining sales. Names such as Scorpion, AM, Harley-Davidson, Johnson & Evinrude, Chaparral, and Suzuki would no longer be seen on snowmobile nameplates. By 1980 even Arctic Enterprises, the number one manufacturer, was in trouble. High energy costs, economic recessions, snowless winters, and overexpansion eventually drove all but three manufacturers of snowmobiles out of business. Industry sales slid downhill from 500,000 units annually in the early 1970s to 316,000 in 1975; 200,000 in 1980; 174,000 in 1981; and 80,000 in 1983. Management Buyout in 1981 Textron wanted out of the snowmobile business, too. Textron president Beverly Dolan, who had been president of Polaris during its first years with Textron, told Polaris's then-president, W. Hall Wendel, Jr., to sell off the company. A deal to sell the Polaris division to Canada's Bombardier fell through, however, because of the threat of antitrust action by the U.S. Department of Justice. Liquidation was on the horizon. This opened the door for a management group leveraged buyout led by Wendel, who believed that there was a market for snowmobiles and that seasonal snowfalls would rise again. Polaris Industries was created in July 1981, and a shutdown of the Roseau plant was avoided. (Still, the company began production with just 100 workers after the buyout.) Also at this time, plant workers voted the union out and Polaris proceeded to establish a Japanese labor model of worker participation, with a crew that had firsthand knowledge of the machines and their capabilities. Times were still tough, though: the 1982 product line consisted of the 1981 model with some detail changes, and barely more than 5,000 machines were built that season. The same year as the buyout, Polaris attempted to purchase Arctic Cat. When the deal failed, Arctic Cat shut down, leaving Polaris, at least for a while, as the only American snowmobile manufacturer."

Enjoy your trip!

Yours isn't the one that needs fixing.Yamahas are known to exaggerate the mileage.Our experience with our group is about 4 or so extra per 100 miles.Doo to Doo to Polaris are within 1 mile after 600.

That was when we moved upriver to Richards then below at the Coconut .Do you know if the shuttle still goes there?We may try the Drakkar someday when we launch from that side of the river. Quite a few times.Much nicer to get to now that they finished the highway on the southside.Always a nice view behind the bar and the fishtanks are nice to look at too!

That was when we moved upriver to Richards then below at the Coconut .Do you know if the shuttle still goes there?We may try the Drakkar someday when we launch from that side of the river.

So we stopped staying there after that.Plenty of other places to stay.

Chaudière-Appalaches Sentiers State Conditions Mise à jour Club de Motoneigistes Linière-Marlow (Saint-Théophile) 2017-01-23 Club Motoneige Beauceville 2017-01-23 Club Motoneige L'Escale (Saint-Pamphile) 2017-01-23 Club de Motoneige Adstock 2017-01-23 Club de motoneige Beauce-Frontenac (Thetford Mines) 2017-01-23 Club Moto-Neige Panet (Saint-Fabien-de-Panet) 2017-01-23 Motoneige des Etchemins (Lac Etchemins) 2017-01-23 Club La Tour (Buckland) 2017-01-23 Club Motoneige de la Côte-du-Sud (Sainte-Perpétue) 2017-01-23 Club Motoneige des Plaines (Saint-Nicolas - Sainte-Croix) 2017-01-23 Club Sportif Lac Trois-Saumons (Saint-Jean-Port-Joli) 2017-01-23 Club Auto-Neige Rive Sud (Breakeyville) 2017-01-23 Club de Moto-Neige Seigneurie Joly (Laurier-Station) 2017-01-23 Club Motoneige Bellechasse (Saint-Vallier) 2017-01-23 Motoneige Beauce-Sud (Saint-Georges de Beauce) 2017-01-23 Club Sportif Saint-Léon-de-Standon 2017-01-23 Club Chasse et Pêche Ste-Marie (Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce) 2017-01-23 Club Motoneige Beaux sentiers (Saint-Honboré-de-Shenley) 2017-01-23 Sentiers des Motos Neige St-Joseph (Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce) 2017-01-23 Club Auto-Neige Ville-Marie (Pintendre) 2017-01-23 Club Auto-neige Montmagny 2017-01-23 Club de Motoneiges L'Islet (L'Islet, Saint-Eugène) 2017-01-23 This is monday before the snow.I'm sure it is only better now.

So how do you like your new sister bride?

Bernard at the Safari used to charge too.He was the first one we ran into that did that.

The upside down helmet in your pic says it all.Did you happen to keep count of how many Tabernacs were tossed around in those 2 1/2 hours? Had to be close to a record!

Yup,you were stuck!Looks like you were turned around and trying to get back up the hill.I would love to hear him tell this story in a couple years at a bar some night.You would have been adopted by Eskimos for the winter after they found your near lifeless body and took you in.Is he also a fisherman? LOL Glad no one was hurt and you got out safely.Nothing like working up a little sweat in riding gear.

Thats it? What about the 250 -300 yards over the crest of the hill not on the trail and then to the right out of sight and not being able to hear the whistle?

Actually it should say "to" L Etape. Two = the # 2 To = going Too = also I too am also going to L Etape on trail # two. English language is a bitch

So are you taking the ferry to Groomers side of the world and around the Gaspe back to Levis or three rivers for the trailer ride? Nice pics! Keep on truckin!!

The new girl needs the same earrings on her front skis as the old girl.No wonder she is jealous.She thinks you don't like her as much.

To get you back just pack your clothes in garbage bags before putting them in the saddlebags.Works well to keep my things dry and pack a few heavy duty 55 gallon ones to use as an emergency rain suit.Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Yep.....Friday the 13th to boot.

Hard to tell from the last pic but it doesn't look like he even has spare gas and if he does it won't be enough breaking trail in deep heavy snow like that.And on an older 2 stroke that had a problem from the start.Never mind if a little trail miscalculation is made and the sled gets buried.I'm sweating just thinking about trying to dig that sled out by myself.Hopefully thats not the last pic we see from him and he got himself turned around and headed back. Good luck Miles!

Nice looking Doo Doo.

I don't know,they don't seem to leave much of a groove and I'm the first in our crew to try them.

Tried my aggressive snow trackers on my 2016 1200 Renegade x 137" for the first time last weekend.Went from Thetford up to RDL to Cabano to Lac Etchemin, down to St.George and back to Thetford in all kinds of trail conditions from fresh snow on top to hard fresh groomed and everything in between.They handeled it all very well.They steer easy,go where you point them and don't dart at all on any trail condition.Even first one on a fresh groomed hard trail in the morning.Tried to get them to dart by running in the line the drag made.Dead straight like it's not even there.No fighting to get out of that groove.Set the skis at zero toe and loosen up the ski springs and you don't have to tighten up the front track shock.Set up your suspension for comfort and ride.The least amount of push on soft snow in the corners out of any combination I have had on any sled/carbide combination I have tried over the years including Bergstroms with shims and duallys while still steering easy.It takes a while to get the confidence that you are not going to blow thru a corner because you can't believe they will hold the line.Never had a simple change so positively affect the handeling as much as these.And you don't have to adjust them thru the day to stop darting or turn in soft snow as conditions change.

Looks like the bird was too!

Ok, thanks. Don't rush to be the first one on it.

Any word if the river is open all the way from Grand Mere ?