Different strokes

Four-stroke snowmobiles starting to make their presence felt

Snow ghosts tower over a newly cut path, ice crystals collect on plants, steam rises off a creek, and out of the dense forest comes the spitting rumble of a smoking two-stroke snowmobile.

That picture may be changing, as two-stroke sleds are gradually replaced by more eco-friendly four-stroke snowmobiles. Stricter emission rules and advanced technology have given rise to a whole new breed of snowmobiles in the four-stroke sleds.

"The emissions are amazing and they are extremely quiet," said Austin Lowe, a salesman at Penco, a Kalispell store that specializes in Yamaha four-stoke snowmobiles.

Lowe said they have much lower emissions than any two-strokes on the market.

"They are starting to gain popularity and we think it will pick up even more in the next year or two," Lowe said.

The four-stroke sleds have the same power as their two-stroke counterparts. "There is no real difference," he said. He said many snowmobilers think two-strokes have more power, but Lowe said that is a misperception.

Lowe, a veteran snowmobiler, owns a two-stroke now but next year plans to trade it in for a four-stroke.

"The reason people are skeptical is primarily the price, but a lot of people have doubts about performance, speed, power, and reliability. But it has all the same features. And actually the reliability and performance is better than the two-stroke cousins."

Lower emissions translate to less maintenance and more reliability, Lowe said.

Changing technology and federal laws have influenced snowmobile manufacturers to gravitate toward four-stroke sleds.

Two-stroke snowmobiles recently were banned in Yellowstone National Park, mostly due to noise pollution but also because of emissions.

"The use of two-stroke snowmobiles was having an unacceptable impact on the park resources and visitors," said Al Nash, Yellowstone's public affairs officer.

"Recent technology improvements allowed us to examine an option utilizing a type of snowmobile that didn't exist when the problem first occurred," Nash said.

Over the last few years four-stroke snowmobiles have become lighter, more efficient, more reliable, and less expensive.

Penco Sales Manager Jeff Loflin said his store doesn't offer anything but four-strokes. He said the store stopped selling two strokes about three years ago.

"I wouldn't buy anything but a four-stroke," he said. "If my father came in to buy one and he asked what kind of sled should I get, I would tell him to never buy a two-stroke.

"The four strokes are quieter and they produce less smoke. It's less likely to foul up a plug. Valve adjustments don't have to be done until 26,000 miles. And they are getting lighter."

Loflin said resistance to four-stroke snow machines will fade.

"People will get used to them over time and when the price goes down, they will start to get into them," he said.

Loflin said an increase in snowmobile sales over the past few years is partly due to "greener" and more responsive play snowmobiles.

But snowmobilers looking to go green in Northwest Montana might feel a little bit like owners of the new and hip iPhone.

Kurt Friede, owner of Kurt's Polaris in Kalispell, contends that most manufacturers don't make four-stroke sleds that are adequate for mountain riding, and he says new two-stroke engines run cleaner with reduced emissions.

"Yamaha is the only manufacturer right now that makes four-strokes for the mountains," Friede said. "So all we sell are two-strokes."

Friede said new two-strokes have more power, are less expensive, and meet Environmental Protection Agency standards. Friede

said he doesn't see the four-stroke snowmobiles getting more people into the sport.

But Whitefish resident Tre Scales said his recent venture into snowmobiling proves the attraction of "greener sleds." Scales, who has been snowmobiling for the past three years, was an avid snowboarder. Scales got into snowmobiling so he could reach new terrain. But without the decreased noise that comes with a four-stroke, he might never have gotten into snowmobiling.

"I really love Montana for its peace … it's quietness," Scales said. "I don't think I would ever have gotten into this sport without the four-strokes. There's nothing worse then a loud, obnoxious snowmobiler whipping by you while you're trying to enjoy a nice day of cross-country skiing. But the four-strokes are quiet. And they don't stink.

"They really are environment-friendly."

Photographer Garrett Cheen may be reached at 758-4435 or by e-mail at gcheen@dailyinterlake.com