Kawasaki Snowmobile Show Inspires Homeade Thrills

Copyright (c) 2010 Ted Cantu

The people cringed with fear. The people froze their patoots off. But they stood there slack jawed in awe and desperation for the next heart stopping thrill. They were watching transfixed by the side of the track trying to figure out the order of this improve thrill show. I couldn't figure it out personally because it seemed to lack any kind of direction. There was a radio guy screaming into the megaphone but I couldn't make out what he was saying in the blizzard. Welcome to Michigan. Wintertime in Michigan that is and this strange afternoon was their way of being entertained.

I was there taking digital pictures in the freezing snow trying to figure out what kind of show this was. This was an extreme snow show in Mt. Pleasant Michigan. It was a white out weekend and I was stranded at the Soaring Eagle Resort. Jimmy Blaze and Crew were at hand doing some extreme sports. They had remodeled Yamaha ATV's and Motorcycles and Kawasaki snowmobiles and were jumping off a huge dirt mound. These guys were flying off that ramp at 60 MPH, and flying at a steady 40 feet in the air. It was kind of nerve racking. The motorcycles were interesting because they had nails coming off the tires to hold traction on the ice track.

Not to be outdone, the racetrack at Walled Lake, Michigan was nonexistent. This town was three hours away but it has been obviously inspired by extreme sports like the Blaze show and broadcasts of WWE's Raw and Smackdown. The locals were busy stripping off the tires on their motorcycles and putting on homemade tires with makeshift nail traction.

These were do it yourself daredevils looking to make their own history. Creating your own fun like this is inspiring but it is also highly dangerous. Still, I see these guys out on a frozen lake, with no supervision taking their own lives in their own hands. There are accidents galore out there. And I got to tell you that I think it is extremely dangerous to live like that.

What would you do to go out and have the best time ever? I see a lot of paramedics down there as well as a lot of cops. Sometimes the good times turn tragic and we have a lot of close calls with safety. Using anything but Yamaha motorcycle parts on your ride is foolish. You really ought to use genuine Yamaha oem parts. Using original oem parts is important for your Yamaha ATV and will help protect it. You need to think about safety whenever you can. Remember that remodeling your rides may look and sound cool. This can also be a prescription for disaster.