2017 Wrap Up

Happy New Year! We hope you had a happy holiday season. It was nice to have a white Christmas for the first time in a few years and we know a lot of you took advantage of trails being open. While the first few days of January tend to be a time for looking ahead, we wanted to talk about a few of our favorite moments from 2017.

We got lucky enough to have our annual Snowmobile Demo ride a few weeks late in February. We ran it right out of our back door. People loved seeing our service shop and trying out the 2017 Polaris line-up. There was a good camaraderie and it was nice and toasty over the grilled hot dogs and hamburgers.

In June, we had an ORV demo ride at KB Moto. It was a muddy, sunny day. We got to ride with customers, show off some of the cool Polaris side by sides and ATVs, and even took some videos of trail riding.

The end of July brought our annual Blast on the Beach. This year it was a really windy affair. We still had a full slate of riders and a ton of fun. Our workers managed to get a little color during the day and a lot of laughs with our customers and beach goers.

We’re looking forward to making more memories with you all in 2018. It doesn’t look like we have to do much of a snow dance for our upcoming Snowmobile Demo Ride, but we’ll knock on wood and turn around three times any way, just in case. Happy Holidays from the Appolson’s Team!

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Snowmobile FAQ

Snow, baby, snow! If the weather forecast has you feeling like Elsa from Frozen, you’re probably getting pretty excited about trails potentially opening in just a couple weeks. If you’re new to the sport or just not sure on some items, we have the answers to all your pressing questions. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions.

1. What do I need to be able to ride in New York?

You must be registered in New York State, even if you’re from out of state or our of country, unless it’s one of the days NYS waves registration requirements. You also need liability coverage on the sled. You do not need to join a snowmobile club, however it is recommended as it takes your registration fee from $100 to $45!

2. How much insurance is needed?

You must have liability insurance that provides coverage for any one person sustaining injury or death of at least $10,000 and for two or more persons involved in an accident of at least $20,000 and at least $5,000 for damage of property of another. You must carry proof of insurance with you.

3. Where can I ride?

New York State has a pretty great trail system, with over 10,000 miles of designated and registration supported trails.

4. What do I need to wear?

New York State law requires you to wear a DOT approved snowmobile helmet. Helmet fit is very important, so if you’re not sure, ask a salesperson to help you find the right size. Other than that, you should wear warm clothing like a snowmobile suit or jacket and pants. Boots and gloves are also recommended.

5. Does Appolson’s rent snowmobiles?

No, we do not rent any vehicles.

6. Do I need to take a safety course?

Any person over eighteen may operate a snowmobile on lands where public snowmobiling is allowed without taking a snowmobile safety course. Kids 10-14 years old may operate a snowmobile when they have a safety certificate and are with someone over 18 years old. Kids 14-18 years old who have their safety certificate may operate a snowmobile as an adult on lands where snowmobiling is permitted. There’s even an online course you can take!

7. Is there any required safety equipment for the sled?

You need a working headlight, tail light, brake light, and working muffler system.

Last Saturday Jim and Jerry took some very special friends on a private ride with the Polaris Demo Tour film crew and some brand new 2015 Polaris Snowmobiles! Even though the conditions weren’t the greatest everyone did an awesome job and it was definitely an adventure to remember. Can’t wait for Round 2!

It’s here! The Winter X Games have finally arrived and this year’s games include 4 snowmobile competitions: Speed & Style,‬ Long Jump, HillCross, and‬ SnoCross‬. Root for your favorite athletes January 22-25 and see who dominates Aspen!

Snowmobile season is here, but that doesn’t always mean the trails are open. Make sure before you go riding to always check with your local snowmobile club on the conditions of the trails before you ride them!

Even though there’s snow on the ground the conditions on the trails may not always be suitable for riding, and that can lead to a messy situation. Here’s a list of common abbreviations you’ll encounter when researching snowmobile trail conditions and what they mean:

CL-S – This clubs trails are Closed for the season – Riding this clubs trails on anything is considered trespassing!

O/S – Trails for this club are Closed – Trails will open soon for the season!

B/P – Trails are Closed and Being Prepared for your winter riding experience.

W/S – Trails are Closed but ready to ride, the club is Waiting for Snow or trails may have been open and are now waiting for conditions to improve so trails can reopen.

Limited – Trails are OPEN for this club but conditions are Less than favorable. Riders can expect mud, rocks, stumps, corn stalks and water on the trail at any point. Many trails may have deep ruts in farm fields and open areas. Trails are probably not groomed and some sections of trail may be Closed. Trail base will be very thin. Use Caution if you are going to ride the trails.

OPEN – Trails for this club are OPEN Grooming has begun or will begin soon. Your riding experience should be favorable!

Winter, is that you?

The Weather Channel is calling for snow – and lots of it. Snowfall up to 2 feet is predicted in some areas over the next few days, looks like winter has finally arrived! ⛄

Check this out:

Dan G. sent us this awesome photo that his dad took of our very own Jim Appolson snowmobile racing at Eagle River back in 1989! Dan is currently in the process of restoring this exact sled for the Snowmobile Hall of Fame Snowmobiling Museum and has been sending us updates on his progress, stay tuned for some sweet before and after shots and his story in an upcoming blog post.

Check out this sweet mountain climb from our neighbors to the North! Dan Davidoff’s amazing “Kiss the Cornice” climb shows exactly why he’s called the “Krazy Canadian”.

This week SuperTrax Magazine fell in love with Polaris’s all-new AXYS platform. Click here to read their full (rave) review and find out exactly what made them decide to convert!

Check out this video!

“XP1K2” is a seven-minute onslaught of intense off-road road action, set in a massive 600-acre forest near Mt. Baker, Washington. The video stars Off-Road Racing Champion RJ Anderson, driving a custom Holz Racing built Polaris RZR XP 1000 Side-by-Side (SxS), complete with a Polaris ProStar® 1000 Muzzys Performance engine and custom Walker Evans Racing shocks. The “XP1K2” crew, including Tony Vanillo and his team of dirt and ramp engineers at the Off-Road Management Group, transformed the remote wooded location into a stunning array of creative obstacles, which included more than 20 natural terrain and man-made works of (terrifying) art. Spoiler alert – RJ Anderson reclaims the world record for a distance jump in a SxS – and does so by clearing a death-defying 100-foot gap!

More than a year of planning went in to the development and execution of the “XP1K2” campaign. It took the build team of 10 more than a month to carve out the heart-stopping playground as multiple obstacles featured hand built “ladder trail” which required two to three days each to weld, cover in wood and secure safely. The Mad Media crew of 40 then spent 14 days on location battling wind, rain, mud and fog to capture each of their incredible imagined obstacles.