Winter 2025-2026 is off to a much better start than last season where we waited until mid January for our first minor snowfall and February for our first real storm!

Today I took advantage of beautiful sunny skies, sub zero temperatures and beautiful riding conditions to enjoy my first snow ride of the season.

I loaded up Project Foreman and left our house in Torbay headed towards the airport fence trail for an enjoyable uncomplicated ride. Conditions varied from snow ranging from 6-12" deep, frozen puddles, completely unfrozen puddles and quite a few filled with 2" thick bergs of ice.

It was one of those days that can be tricky to dress for. Typical winter gear is perfect for the cold but not always water proof enough for the wet trail conditions. I was thankful once again for my Sitka Hudson suit which is not only water proof, but insulated as well. The insulation rating can be bolstered by wearing more layers for even colder weather.

Later in the afternoon I found an untouched side trail which would be a perfect spot to drop some dead dry firewood for a boil-up.

Once again I put my handy CS 2500 mini chainsaw to work dropping a large very rotted out stick to use as a base for the fire keeping it up off the snow followed by a few more sticks to burn to a good bed of coals.

I usually use my Fiskars axe on outings but today I decided to fancy it up and take my beautiful Georgecraft Damascus Steel axe. This is not one I let beat around in the box on the bike, it rides inside my knapsack. It's very functional but this axe is used and not abused.

Project Foreman continues to run very well trip after trip. At 27 years old it's a great feeling to have such an awesome bike for so long and still be incredibly reliable.

I decided to get a little fancier for my boil-up, of course I will be boiling my Kelly Kettle for coffee in my GSI Commuter java press and to make a pot of Mr. Noodles. Today I added a fresh pork chop grilled over hot coals and a pan of fried onions.

I moved the stack of logs over to one side of the fire pit and laid my grill over a lovely bed of coals, perfect for cooking over without burning everything up.

It was truly a meal fit for royalty, there is nothing quite like a meal cooked over an open fire!

With supper finished I took a seat and enjoyed the fire with coffee in hand as the sun set and December early evening darkness arriving all too quickly.

Gear all packed up and coals safely doused in snow it was time to head for home.

My 12" light bar continues to work great and is a huge improvement over the 27 year old stock headlights!

YYT at night

These cold winter rides are made much more comfortable by a good set of hand & thumb warmers. My Heat Demon kit continues to work well, not only do they keep your hands toasty but in time they will dry out damp gloves while you ride.

A little icy, but that won't be long melting off and drying out in my heated Area51 facility.

My bike is modified in many ways including an MBRP muffler and custom snorkel intake. With the clip in the carburetor set as rich as possible the fuel mixture is spot on three seasons of the year. In sub zero temperatures the cold dense air causes it to run slightly lean which you can see as the header exhaust pipe starts to glow red. I tuned the carb today by placing this small branch in the snorkel removing limbs until the bike was choked just enough to run well and not redden the header pipe.

Most important part of a boil-up is looking after your gear getting everything cleaned and dry for the next adventure!

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Quick little IG Reel recap of today's adventure!

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2025 Michael Smith