Riding Ski-Doo Snowmobiles Kicks So Much Ass, Especially In Yellowstone National Park

This job may mostly involve sitting at home and typing on a keyboard all day, but that doesn’t mean I don’t also occasionally get paid to do some ridiculously cool things. In my career I’ve driven some of the fastest cars in the world, ridden motorcycles, done plenty of overlanding and off-roading, traveled to other countries, and even got a free ride in a helicopter once. What can I say? I like having fun. Unfortunately for me, now that I’ve ridden snowmobiles for the first time, all of the rest feels tame in comparison, because riding snowmobiles might be the greatest activity that humans have ever devised.

I wish I weren’t saying this, believe me. No one needs a new hobby that can easily cost more than $10,000 just to get started, and most people don’t live in a place where it even makes sense to own a snowmobile. No matter where you live, you can probably make a motorcycle work for you, but a snowmobile? What am I going to do with one of those in the state of Georgia, of all places? And yet, I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun as I did spending a few days riding Ski-Doo snowmobiles in Montana. It really was that good.

Full Disclosure: Ski-Doo wanted me to experience its 2027 model lineup so badly, it flew me to Bozeman, Montana, put me up in a hotel, paid for my food and drinks, provided the snowmobiles, and loaned me some equipment. Turns out, it gets pretty cold on a snowmobile, and you won’t last long if you aren’t wearing some good gear. 

As we lined up for a crash course in how to ride a snowmobile, I wasn’t convinced I was in for a good time, though. I have a circulation issue known as Raynaud’s Syndrome that I don’t usually even remember having, but in the cold, it causes my fingers to go numb and start hurting much faster than a normal person’s would. So, even though it wasn’t that cold out, and I was decked out in more than $1,000 worth of gear, my fingers were already hurting. Throw in the wind chill as we rode, and I was immediately questioning whether or not I’d be able to complete the first ride, much less participate for two full days.

Thankfully heated grips and throttles are common features on snowmobiles, so I didn’t have too much to worry about and can assure you that if you’re worried your hands will get cold, those things get hot enough on their highest setting that even someone with circulation issues will probably be fine. My hands still hurt a lot throughout the trip, but at least with the heated grips on, it was manageable. Also, it’s a lot easier to forget how long it’s been since you could feel your thumbs when you’re riding what’s essentially a motorcycle built for snow. If that idea doesn’t appeal to you, I don’t know what to say. That’s a recipe for fun, no matter who you are.

Of course, plenty of people reading this right now probably grew up around snowmobiles and have never known a life that didn’t involve riding them every winter. On the one hand, those people are incredibly lucky, but on the other hand, they’ll never know the joy of discovering snowmobiles as an adult and realizing there’s an entire world open to you that you can finally explore.

Because, a week ago, I fully believed nothing could be more enjoyable than riding a motorcycle, and now I know that is not the case. Every time I ride a motorcycle from now on, I’m going to be reminded that I could be riding a Ski-Doo, but I’m not because I live in stupid Georgia, and we only get one, maybe two days of snow a year. Maybe I could move somewhere with more snow and ride snowmobiles there? I probably won’t, but also, I’ve heard worse ideas. It’s not like I’d have to move all the way to Alaska to do it. Then again, Alaska sure is beautiful, so maybe I could…

No, I need to stop. That’s enough about uprooting my entire life to move to Alaska, just so I can ride snowmobiles. That’s crazy talk. And yet, if you’ve ever ridden one, you probably understand the impulse. It’s unfair to expect someone to spend two days riding around on Ski-Doos and then go back to their regular, snowmobile-less existence.

Is it exactly like riding a motorcycle? Not really. That said, there’s still some leaning involved, and the controls are similar enough that you should be able to figure them out without much help, so I get the feeling motorcycle riders will have an easier time adjusting. One thing you probably won’t have to adjust to, however, is the amount of power these things make. Ski-Doo had us riding snowmobiles that ranged from 600 cc to 900 cc, some turbocharged and others naturally aspirated, and let me tell you — every single one of them is plenty quick. Almost scarily quick (in a good way). 

Unlike on a motorcycle, though, we weren’t on nice, wide, paved streets. We were riding on snow-covered trails that were also lined with trees, which were gorgeous but also hard and not something I wanted to hit. Even after riding motorcycles for more than a decade, the first time I got the chance to really open ‘er up, I think I backed off at about 55 mph. That’s still fast enough to potentially die in a crash, but it also isn’t that fast. Just like with motorcycles, my brain adjusted to the speed and acceleration, and what was once too much quickly felt more normal, allowing me to ride faster with much more confidence.

Fast forward to the second day, and I’m pretty sure I saw a number on the speedometer that started with an 8. Not because I was trying to hit a certain top speed, but because my confidence improved so quickly. I mean, I wanted to go fast, don’t get me wrong. I just didn’t realize I was going as fast as I was until I glanced down.

Of course, there’s no getting around the part where we were riding through one of the most gorgeous parts of the country, and that’s guaranteed to make any ride more enjoyable. But that’s also one of the things that’s built into the snowmobile experience. You’re almost always on trails or in the deep snow, away from roads and civilization, and that’s just going to be more fun. It’s peaceful in a way that even riding a motorcycle in a rural area never will be, and you have the freedom to explore. Kind of like riding a dirt bike or side-by-side in the desert, except you don’t end up with sand in every single nook and cranny. 

The fun isn’t just about speed, either. The Ski-Doos we were riding were also more rewarding in the corners than I expected, and pretty quickly, I found myself going for the smaller, lighter options that cornered better than the bigger, more practical ones. My body was the only cargo I had to haul, so why not go “slow car snowmobile fast?” Somehow, despite riding like an idiot with just enough experience to get himself into some real trouble, I didn’t crash once. There were plenty of times I came close to crashing, sure, but I didn’t crash, and I’m going to remain proud of that, whether it’s worth bragging about or not. Clearly, I am a natural-born snowmobiler who will never crash and can definitely be trusted with the most powerful sleds money can buy. After all, what else could I possibly have to learn after two whole days of snowmobiling?

At the end of all this, can I tell you with any authority which snowmobile to buy? Not at all. The only snowmobiles I’ve ever ridden were all Ski-Doos, including the ones we rode through Yellowstone. As their reps are all too happy to explain, Ski-Doos are the only snowmobiles allowed in the park, because their engines run cleaner than the competition. Which does seem like a pretty good reason to go with Ski-Doo if you’re buying a snowmobile, but if you’re actually shopping for a new snowmobile and need help deciding between two different models, I’m probably not the guy you want to talk to.

But what I can tell you is that I had more fun riding snowmobiles than I think I’ve ever had doing anything else, legal or illegal. If you ever get the opportunity to ride one, do it. Don’t even think about it. If you’ve been putting it off because it can’t really be that fun, stop it. Your life will be better if you add a snowmobile to it. Period. Maybe don’t buy an off-grid homestead, uproot your entire life, and move to Alaska just to ride snowmobiles, but at the very least, riding one has to be on your bucket list. It’s probably as close as you’re ever going to get to feeling pure, unadulterated joy, and if that’s not worth trying at least once, I don’t know what to tell you. Just be sure not to crash, because I hear those are not fun.