Vintage Mountain Sledding, Racing, 1977-1980, 257 photos!

[snopro]

There are some names from the past. Anybody see Kenny Benson anymore?

 

[jpgmtech]

Hey Joel
Thanks for the flashback!
I forget what lake those oval pics are from but they sure look familiar and I can see our blue/silver van in the infield!
(and of course the sleds are local NWSA sleds) Orest Turgeon, Dennes Clarke, Robert Braught on the Yammi SSRs, Don and Ken Benson on the 79 Ski-Doo Super Stocks, Dale Gunderson and Don Ayers on the Moto-Ski S/Ms, Brian Kublik on the RXL, you can even make out Ernie Lutz in the "Ugly Duck" in one of the photos. (that thing could never get out of the hole... )
Pretty Cool
WOT

Wow... Seriously... Wow...

The first set should be from Buck Lake, AB. I'm not sure if the second group is from Buck Lake or not.

<edit> ...but I will try to find out.

 

[jpgmtech]

Okay, the racing shots are from 3 different events. One was at Buck Lake, and you see the local racers there including my Dad holding up a broken chaincase chain on the Super Sonic (which he also lost the hood on in the course of the race). One of the other events was the Alberta 150 that started in Red Deer, and an example of that one is the long lineup of sleds on a start line. The third event was an ice oval and drag race held at a small lake in central Alberta, Dad figures somewhere east of Winfield or Rimbey, he can't quite remember. He did say that he drove by it the other day.

 

[snopro]

Was it Breton?

 

[jpgmtech]

Was it Breton?

Not sure, I wlll have to ask him.

 

[snopro]

Not sure, I wlll have to ask him.

I remember racing there my first year in the NWSA. Small little lake in the bush.

 

[jpgmtech]

I remember racing there my first year in the NWSA. Small little lake in the bush.

Well that's probably it - pretty well exactly his words "small little lake in the bush."

 

[raceu4it]

I remember racing there my first year in the NWSA. Small little lake in the bush.

Kenny, you were always hanging around a small lake in the bush. lol It would be great to see some of the old sleds for the vintage ride in Revy april 7th, if the snow holds up down low. Sorry about the hijack.

 

[WopOnTour]

Was it Breton?

I think it just might be Breton (forget the name of the lake). We only raced there once if I recall. At first I thought it might be either Swan Hills or Lac La Nonne (Barrhead) due to the way the pits are arranged ont he far side but in the distance I think you can see some buildings (that wouldnt be present in either of those so...)
The NWSA's "Family Robinson" lived somewhere around there (Buck Lake) and father Dave R. helped organize the event. They drove Cats that were sponsored by Western Leisure RV.
Anyone know them or know if they are still around Drayton/Breton/Buck Lake area? (for our NWSA reunion efforts)
WOT

 

[snopro]

I remember Dave used to shake his head when my little 340 Sonic would go around him in corner 2 and set sail down the backstretch. Those Cats would inside ski lift around every corner and the Sonic would stay flat. They were strong out of the hole though.

 

[jpgmtech]

I think it just might be Breton (forget the name of the lake). We only raced there once if I recall. At first I thought it might be either Swan Hills or Lac La Nonne (Barrhead) due to the way the pits are arranged ont he far side but in the distance I think you can see some buildings (that wouldnt be present in either of those so...)
The NWSA's "Family Robinson" lived somewhere around there (Buck Lake) and father Dave R. helped organize the event. They drove Cats that were sponsored by Western Leisure RV.
Anyone know them or know if they are still around Drayton/Breton/Buck Lake area? (for our NWSA reunion efforts)
WOT

PM me a few more names and I'll see what I can drum up.

 

[MADKAWI]

Awesome pics!!!!

 

[MADKAWI]

So I tried to upload all these photos to my album here on S&M, kindof overloaded the system somehow. So I have uploaded them to a private link on a web album.

Here is the link:

Some of you have seen a small sampling of these photos on another thread. There is much more action: highmarking, stuckfests, avalanche's, lake racing, jumping, technical riding, beautiful scenery, and some showroom-fresh vintage iron.

I am at 610 pictures scanned, still have tons to go. The ones in the album are from 1980 and older, and are all the usable pictures I have from that time. Please ask for permission if you want to copy or use any of these photos. Enjoy!

View attachment 124840

those are great pictures! Over the years i have googled " vintage mountain riding" and i no matter what i google nothing comes up... Tonight was different.

Are those pics in Mcbride or Valemount,revy?

Always been a vintage sled freak lol but about 10 years ago i started modifying old sleds to be more deep snow friendly... Lol
clutch work, plastic paddles, bar riser, wide plastic ski skins, mikuni carbs...lol etc etc no sled was usually newer than 1978... Just took what newer mnt sleds are running and applied it to the old ones... Talk about fun and all out hurt your guts laughter riding these things!

tried to get other friends into it and got a few but would have been more fun with a dozen sleds or so.

My last ride was a 1969 AMF ski Daddler aka " The Daddler" haha... Where every snow drift becomes a hill climb...

Anyway it's always easy to find old riding pics but not many of riding in the mountains.

Did these fellows invent things like drop n rolled chain cases, angle iron paddles etc??

keep the pictures coming!!!!

 

[MADKAWI]

P.S Although i have a 2013 Summit XM X model i still love riding these old sleds around here ( Hinton Alberta)...would be nice if someone on here had pictures of riding around this area too.

 

[jpgmtech]

those are great pictures! Over the years i have googled " vintage mountain riding" and i no matter what i google nothing comes up... Tonight was different.

Are those pics in Mcbride or Valemount,revy?

Always been a vintage sled freak lol but about 10 years ago i started modifying old sleds to be more deep snow friendly... Lol
clutch work, plastic paddles, bar riser, wide plastic ski skins, mikuni carbs...lol etc etc no sled was usually newer than 1978... Just took what newer mnt sleds are running and applied it to the old ones... Talk about fun and all out hurt your guts laughter riding these things!

tried to get other friends into it and got a few but would have been more fun with a dozen sleds or so.

My last ride was a 1969 AMF ski Daddler aka " The Daddler" haha... Where every snow drift becomes a hill climb...

Anyway it's always easy to find old riding pics but not many of riding in the mountains.

Did these fellows invent things like drop n rolled chain cases, angle iron paddles etc??

keep the pictures coming!!!!

Mostly Valemount, some Golden and Revy, some McBride. <Edit - looking over the album again, that's mostly Valemount and McBride with a couple of lake-racing shots thrown in. Might be a bit of Golden in there but not much.>

Just gonna head out and tinker with the sleds and hang out with a few long-time riders myself! ;-)

 

[finkous]

cpl of friends and me ran into Dennis Blakeman on belle mtn cpl years ago and we talked for a bit by the trucks after a day of riding and we were soo caught up in his stories of the old days that we offered to buy him and his wife dinner that night. We met up that night and talked for hours on how it used to take them days just to break trail up to where the cabin is now on belle, how he figured a way to take angle iron and drop his suspension down further to gain more clearance, being the ASA president in 1972, and all the amazing places he rode over his many yrs of riding. I could have sat there all night listening to his stories and was a very enjoyable night. I tip my hat and have the highest respect for the older guys that still manage to keep the sledding dream alive, I sure hope i'm still riding some snow packed trail, and enjoying the high peaks at 79 as he was that day.

 

[summit1974]

thanks for sharing!I always wanted a leather skidoo suit!!back when i was 10!!

 

[Wise Mechanical]

Awesome pics!

 

[MADKAWI]

I saw your other post, " when was your first trip to the mountains" or something like that. These two shpuld be put tgether cause they r almost the same. I read each snd every page grining ear to ear the whole time. Lol i better flip to he other thread n post on there....

 

[jpgmtech]

I saw your other post, " when was your first trip to the mountains" or something like that. These two shpuld be put tgether cause they r almost the same. I read each snd every page grining ear to ear the whole time. Lol i better flip to he other thread n post on there....

Haha yah once I got the pictures scanned and organized, I just put them up into a web album and started a new tread rather than burying the link in a deep photo thread.