SnoWest

Volume 41, Number 2 | February 2014 SnoWest THE AUTHORITY FOR WESTERN SNOWMOBILING FEATURES 20 SnoWest Project Snow Bike We've successfully transformed a Yamaha WR450F into a Timbersled Mountain Horse snow bike... complete with a turbo. 22 SnoWest Project Optimus Climb How do you make the 2014 Polaris Pro RMK 800 better? Here's our formula, which is the 2014 SnoWest Project Sled. 24 SnoWest Snowmobile Gear Bag Showcase We don't know of any snowmobiler who doesn't have a gear bag or two, along with a backpack and, these days, an avi pack. Here are the latest bags available for western riders. 26 Slip, Sliding Away We take on the Bridgestone Winter Driving School and came away with ninja driving skills. By Lane Lindstrom 36 Never A Ride We Didn't Like Canada's British Columbia is known for its spectacular riding areas. One of the areas that has helped BC become snowmobiling heaven is Sicamous. Yea, it's that good. By Lane Lindstrom 46 Is Carbon Fiber Worth The Price? Pretty much everyone agrees that carbon fiber is nice stuff—but is it worth the price? We ask an expert. 50 World Snowmobile Expo – In Pictures We share some of our favorite shots from last year's World Snowmobile Expo in West Yellowstone, MT. departments 6 Runnin' On Empty CONTeNTS 14 SnoWest Magazine Is Turning 40 We can say time flies when you're having fun because that's how we feel having produced SnoWest Magazine for 40 years now. By Steve Janes By Lane Lindstrom 8 Fronts & Forecasts 12 Gear Box 34 Product ReviewS: TekVest Mountain Pack 32 Advertiser Index 46 Snow Dust ON THE COVER This is the closest we've seen the new M 6000 in action. We are still waiting for seat time. Photo courtesy of Arctic Cat 4 SNOWEST FEBRUARY 2014

• Cover