• Thursday-What'sUP December 22 - 08:25 pm

Sierra Bishop's family, got together with their friends, the Gariepy's, for some unique sledding, Keweenaw style. They didn't have any hills in the vicinity, so they hooked up their sleds to the back of the 4 wheeler and had a blast pulling it around in field. From the size of the smiles on everyone's faces, I'd have to say the day was loads of fun for everyone. Quality family time in the Keweenaw outdoors. That's what it's all about folks.

This is a ton of fun behind a snowmobile too!

Now THAT is a ton of fun!!!!! What a way to spend a winter day! Brings back wonderful memories of living UP there! Thanks for sharing!

Has anyone ever tried skiing / snowboarding behind a machine?

Good call Alex on the snowboard! If we ever get any snow I'm stealing my daughter's snowboard and I'll give it a whirl behind our snowmobile!

JT...you go girl! Just be careful not to hurt your back.
My new philosophy lately: Is the risk worth the reward?

Alex, everything and anything is a risk anymore beyond the couch!

Alex, we used to ski behind a snowmobile and would set up jumps. You could fly a long way like that. Once my buddy Al didn't pull out of a tip drop quick enough and did a spectacular auger into the muddy snow.

And, back in my days at da Tech, I got another friend to pull me on skis behind a VW Beetle out on the Canal Road. Got up to about 45 and wanted to go for 60, but he wouldn't give it any more gas. At a more sane speed, around 20 or 25, you can cut back and forth like a slalom water skier. Lots of fun but kinda hard on the ski bases -- there's more gravel in that snow than you might think. Let me know if you ever get some ice studs on the Wing and feel like doing a little towing.

These are such fun pictures!! The first one made me pause and remember. Had nothing to do with snow, but I was visiting my cousin in the country when we were about 10yrs old. She had a pony ("Tony") and my cousin got a bright idea to hook up a play wagon (as opposed to a farm wagon) to Tony's saddle, and she wanted me to ride the pony so she could ride in the wagon. I got to going fast and she hollered for me to STOP....well guess where the wagon went...right into the back of Tony's legs, which made him bolt. Thankfully none of us, including Tony, got hurt but it sure taught us girls a lesson.:]

I know some young men who build themselves a snow board park on their parents farm each winter. They use bobcats and move snow to make mountainous terrain then pull each other with a 4wheeler through the course. Over the years they have added some very creative structures to the mix creating quite the spectacle! They have made a couple videos of the process and the result and the use, set to music. Very entertaining and impressive. No snow here for them here in MN so far this year though.

Alex:
The practice of skiing behind a tow vehicle is called skijoring. It actually started out long ago as towing behind a horse. Way back in college (in the 1970's) a bunch of us used to tow behind a guys blue van (the van was called the blue mule) We would tie three ropes to the bumper and strap plastic "ski-n-skates" to our boots, and we would try to knock the other two guys down as we towed along on County road 510 from Negaunee to Big Bay. The last guy standing was the champion. The rule was if you fell (or got knocked down), the Blue Mule wouldn't stop to pick you up if you let go, so you had to hold on to the rope and drag along until you could somehow get back on your feet. The only time the Mule would stop was if you got checked so hard that you flew into the snow bank that lined the road. Amazingly, nobody died doing this...

Oh, did I mention that "first we got a bunch of beer," then we did what I described above...

Dunerat and David: Years ago, we used to bumper-shag behind a vehicle on snow-covered country roads. Got up to 50-60 mph and every once in awhile would hit a bump in the road and go head-over-heels into a snow drift. Prime candidates for broken necks, but fortunately we survived.

Hi
Speaking of skijoring, it's also been done using dogs as well as horses. I saw it as an event at a dogsled racing meet that I went to once. I did a version of that with our Alaskan Malemute and some ice skates on a frozen lake as a kid; it worked fine until she decided to stop suddenly to investigate an intriguing smell.

"Bum-riding" cars & tow-skiing behind the car on snowbanks nicely groomed by Co. plows was all done in the late 50's into mid 60's while growing up in the Keweenaw.

lol Kathyl, I think we can all get a mental picture of that.;D

Where did they find that much snow? Here in Mohawk we have only about 2 or 3 inches on the ground.

Growing up I had the best little Shetland pony, you could ride or drive her. She pulled me many times around the farm with my Flexible Flyer sled.

And no hills to climb between runs!

Only 2 or 3 inches in Mohawk?? Hmmm. We received that much just since 7:00am this morning.

Only have traces of snow left in Ontonagon. Getting a bit of lake effect right now. Only have three days left for the lake effect to make a white Christmas. We're gonna have to do the
the Heikki Lunta Snow Dance Song;



1. I REMEMBER BACK IN '58 WHEN I WAS JUST A LAD
I WENT UP TO THE COPPER COUNTRY HUNTING WITH MY DAD
THE GROUND WAS BARE AND FROZEN SO WE COULDNíT TRACK NO DEER
SO MY OLD MAN GOT HIS KNAPSACK AND HE FILLED IT UP WITH BEER
HE SAID WE GOTTA TAKE A HIKE WAY OUT IN THE WOODS
THERE íS THIS GUY NAMED HEIKKI LUNTA HE íS CRAZY BUT HE íS GOOD
WE'LL LET HIM DRINK A COUPLE BEERS AND WHEN HE STARTS TO GLOW
HE'LL DO THE HEIKKI LUNTA DANCE AND THEN JUST WATCH IT SNOW
CHORUS:
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE HEIKKI LUNTA DANCE
MAKE IT SNOW, SNOW, SNOW HEIKKI LUNTA SNOW
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE HEIKKI LUNTA DANCE

2. I REMEMBER IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE 15 YEARS AGO
ALL THE KIDS WERE CRYING CAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE NO SNOW
ACCORDING TO THE WEATHERMAN THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE
BUT THE WEATHERMAN DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE HEIKKI LUNTA DANCE
HEIKKI PUT HIS SNOWSHOES ON AND GRABBED A CAN OF BEER
HE PUT ON HIS GIANT PARTRIDGE WINGS AND ANTLERS FROM A DEER
THEN HE GRABBED A CEDAR BRANCH AND DANCED AROUND THE YARD
EVERYBODY SAID THEY NEVER SEEN IT SNOW SO HARD.


3. I RECALL A TOURNAMENT OUT AT SUICIDE Hill
ALL THE SNOW WAS MELTING AND WE COULDN'T GET A RIDE
ONE CRAZY FINN CAME DOWN THE HILL AND LANDED ON THE ROCKS
THEY SENT HIM BACK TO FINLAND IN A HOMEMADE CEDAR BOX
WE LOOKED FOR HEIKKI LUNTA BUT HE WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND
WE COULDN'T DO NO JUMPING WITH NO SNOW ON THE GROUND
IT WAS CARL PELLONPAA WHO FINALLY SAVED THE DAY
WE DID THE HEIKKI LUNTA DANCE I THINK IT SNOWED TILL MAY!

Living in the lower part of the UP (Norway) makes me wish for more trips to the north! For the last several years we have been getting less snow than most of lower Michigan and Wisconsin!

Hollidays, thank you for that! Had never heard/seen those words before.

Then there was Sonny Mattson who hit a cow pie while being towed behind a Model A. A ski stopped suddenly and Sonny hit the ground so hard he was knocked out. His friends thought he was dead! Sonny went on to fight in the Korean war and was one of the casualties. God rest his soul.

That sure looks like FUN!

So, a word of warning....don't go skiing in a cow pasture. ewwwwwwwww
So very sorry about your friend, Rowdy.