Skiing's Future

[Tjf1967]

Pretty much all of us who are watching winter melt away.

Maybe it's not fair to pick specifically on snowmobiling, but everyone can't just keep on with the mentality of I'm just one person "doing my thing". There are multiple couples who I am good friends with who just travel all the time. They post shit to IG constantly like, "county #42 ", and all I can think of is the sheer amount of Co2 they emit.

Nothing is going to change until there is a carbon tax and people start actually paying for what they do. Ski resorts will be incentivized to be powered by 100% renewables and as skiers we will be incentivized to drive a very efficient car. Maybe they can make EV snowmobiles too.

People will change when they get a better option. Like the horse to the car.

 

[TheGreatAbyss]

They already do and I'll never buy one.

Why? Just googled it. 0-100kmh in 3.3 secs. Seems pretty cool to me.

 

[TheGreatAbyss]

People will change when they get a better option. Like the horse to the car.

But we can't wait for that. People will change when it costs them $60 to drive their lifted RAM truck to the mall.

 

[Campgottagopee]

Why?

For the same reason I'll never buy an EV
Too much money
Too much money to maintain
Not proven
Cold weather and batteries don't mix
They aren't any greener, whatever the hell that means nowadays
Ever try to find a charging station in Forestport NY?

 

[Campgottagopee]

But we can't wait for that.

I can

 

[Harvey]

No doubt a loop-hole free carbon tax would change things. IMO it would be tough to make it happen.

There are some EV snowmobiles, they have the same range issues that EV cars have. Like EV cars, they would work for some, but probably not a majority. I'd think that short term, improving the performance of 4-stroke engines (reducing weight?) might make a difference.

TJ is right. People will switch when the environmental option is "better" in the consumer's mind, ie a lower or comparable cost of ownership.

Without getting too political (we all know we are on the edge here, in this thread) I personally am not against the government incentivizing innovation or investment in infrastructure. It happens all the time (interstate highway system, national defense, the internet) but only when there is majority of Americans behind it.

If you are going to have a carbon-tax, you probably want a slave-labor/bad actor tax applied to cost of batteries. I'm not saying all of this because I don't want progress. I do. But moving everything to batteries presents big problems to be solved.

 

[jasonwx]

Solar power baby
I love bustin balls

 

[trackbiker]

For the same reason I'll never buy an EV
Too much money
Too much money to maintain
Not proven
Cold weather and batteries don't mix
They aren't any greener, whatever the hell that means nowadays
Ever try to find a charging station in Forestport NY?

I think for most people it would be more like "until they make it affordable, better than ICE, and it makes sense. ( Not trying to put words in your in mouth.)
Like all technology, it will get better and cheaper over time. Just like that cell phone in your pocket vs a flip phone. That palmcorder that costs 1/4 the $ of the VCR you bought 35 years ago, is lighter, and takes better pictures. The flat screen TV, etc.
I still think fuel cells are the long term answer. Lighter and not quite as environmentally unfriendly as EV batteries. Hydrogen can be generated by solar and wind. The exhaust is water.

 

[Campgottagopee]

4-stroke engines

My sled is 4-stoke and I absolutely love it. I'd get another one in a second.

 

[Campgottagopee]

But moving everything to batteries presents big problems to be solved.

This is something nobody wants to hear
All they want to do is cram the "green" BS down our throats