Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
FROM LEFT, Peter Streed, of Waterville, Minn.; Donald Riedesel, of Scranton, Iowa; Rachel Ducharme, of Wakefield; Kirk Citurs, of Scranton, Bradley Ducharme, of Marenisco; Matt Van Tuyl, of Wakefield, and Bruce Kopp, of Kilkenny, Minn., gather around a 1976 Tucker Sno-Cat. It will be amongvintage snowcats featured in "The Clowder in the Powder" at Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort, near Bessemer.
BESSEMER - Vintage snowcat enthusiasts will gather at Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort Saturday as part of "Clowder in the Powder," an opportunity to display their machines and meet with other fans of these unique over-the-snow vehicles.
The vehicles will be on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., after which they will be driven to Caribou Lodge for dinner, followed by a night tour of the Powderhorn Mountain slopes.
The only event of its kind in the Midwest, Clowder in the Powder could feature 14 of the vintage snowcats, according to Bruce Noren, general manager of Big Powderhorn Mountain.
"For a lot of (the owners), it's the only time they will ever get to ride on a ski slope. Some of these machines are made to groom the ski hill," said Noren.
Saturday will be a homecoming of sorts for one of the machines.
"There is a Tucker Sno-Cat that was originally purchased by Powderhorn and then was sold years ago and now its coming back here for the show," said Noren.
Designed to ride on top of the snow, rather than cutting through it, snowcats have been used in projects from Alaska to Antarctica and some have even been outfitted to function in the sands of the Saudi Arabia and Texan oilfields.
Kirk Citurs, of Scranton, Iowa, owns a 1963 Snow Trac and praises the portability and aesthetics of the vintage vehicles over newer models, as well the more popular snowmobiles.
"The reason these old machines are being bought up is that they are trailerable with their tracks on," said Citurs. "They are light... easily trailerable behind a pick-up truck. They don't need a semi."
Citurs explained that each new design of snowcat increased in size and power until the machines could no longer be transported with tracks still attached to the vehicle.
Citurs also praised the comfort of the snowcat's closed cabins and slow speeds - which range from 10 to 20 miles per hour - which allow for a deeper appreciation of the scenic views along many trails.
Calling his Snow Trac "an old man's snowmobile," Citurs said he can take his grandkids for a nice ride and that is often easier to see wildlife, as many of the deer in Iowa don't seem as afraid of vehicle, viewing it the same as a tractor, rather than the faster snowmobiles.
In addition to the activities on Big Powderhorn Mountain Saturday, the owners of the vehicles gathered Thursday and today to explore the area's forests and fields, according to a flier for the event.
