2011 Frozen Butt Tour.
Dates: January 30th to February 8th 2011
Cost: $My cost (About $750 per rider) + the cost of the support vehicle which is about $750 per rider.
How it will work is this. You sign up and you give me $2000.00 I will reserve all the rooms with my credit cards, you pay for your own meals as we go. We all have different stomachs and cannot plan meals for each riders. Some will eat lie hogs, some others like birds. it is easier this way. Plus? There is always variation of costs between planning time and consumption time. The $2000 deposit at sign up includes $750 for my work and logistics an $750 for the support vehicle. $500 is refundable when you show up on D-Day. If you show up on the departure day. If not??? You lose it as i will have to reorganize all the rooms and pay penalties Etc.
The cost for the support vehicle remains the same no matter what. This will take place like this. i will confirm rooms first. If i can have separate rooms for the riders I will, if not we will share.
Once we arrive at our daily destinations, each rider pays for his/her room.On the last Frozen Butt I learned that a lot can go wrong and I now know how to prevent this from happening. This way, what I say is what will take place. Period!!!
This is a ride! I will help with guiding riders on what gear to get and how to do it safely. But above all it WILL BE OUR ride!
I have to say that it is a lot of work and that what I charge is nothing. But another thing I learned from the guys last time, is that because it is so hard and can be so extreme, we all have to be at our 100,000%.
Believe me the cost of Diesel and renting the truck and trailer is not cheap. So this is not about money. It is about the ride. I think that me charging a few hundred dollars per rider to plan this over a year is cheap and worth paying for. I have all the contacts and know everyone up there.
This is a lot harder to organise than one thinks. A lot can go wrong. Based on experience it is easy for anyone to say I am in Paul! it is another to actually do it. The could be "non-refundable" money will allow me to pay for the cost of cancelling rooms and other incurring costs. I wanted to charge a lot more to filter out riders who could approach this as a joke. This almost cost me my life in 2008 and is anything but a joke. Ask the 2010 Frozen Butt Tour riders. Do your research and once you see how much hotels and food costs in these parts of the world you will see that it is not expensive and that I do not do this for the money. This is something that will change you forever as a rider. And the relationships you will form there as well as the memories; will last a lifetime.
Support vehicle
Satellite communication.
GPS tracking for your loved ones to follow us (Personal access)
All tools ad required accessories IE: Jerry cans, etc
Your own room (Unless there are not enough rooms at the time, which means there would be some shared rooms. Prices will reflect that.
Copies of all publicity venues. TV,, Radio and newspapers as well as many magazine articles about us.
You bring your own bike to Baie-Comeau on the 31st to spend a day with the team to know each other and the gear for this epic ride.
Motorcycles must have Power leads outside the body work for boosting in the morning. This way no need to spend time taking body panels off at -30 to reach battery.
Knobby tires IE; Continental TKC 80s (best for use with studs) or similar Kendas or metzelers Karoo
Carbide tungsten studs from Aerostich.
http://www.aerostich.com/self-tapping-carbide-tire-studs.html Low profiles A
No saddlebags or panniers as riding 3000 kms of ice requires low weight and low center of gravity.
0W40 weight oil or similar (Synthetic)
Heated grips
Hyppo handz
(mandatory) http://www.hippohands.com/ No audio or comm system (Cant have distraction)
The bike must be in excellent shape and will have to be checked by me as well.
Excellent, preferably new battery.
NOTE: If you bring your bike in a truck or trailer, I have parking arranged at the hotel so you can leave your car, truck, trailer etc ssafely behind while we are gone. The staff at the Comfort Inn will look after them.
Riders must have Arctic suit (Preferably North 49) or snowmobile suit rated to at least -85C
(Nothing less) Arctic boots like Sorel Alpha Traks or similar. Make sure you can shift your bike with the bulk of the boots you bring.
Winter gloves (Real ones)
Not winter motorcycle gloves. Snowmobiles or Arctic ATV gloves work best.
Proper undergarment. I rode at -61C with only two layers. Misty Mountain Military specs polar fleece undergarment is best or something similar.
No heated gear allowed, as it is not working well at anything lower than -30C. Heated socks are ok. But if you want/must test what I say and see for yourself that heated gear does not work, bring it in;
but you must have a replacement layer as inoperative heated garment makes a very bad insulating layer. Snowmobiles helmets like the Bombardier B2SV work best with their breathing mask. Or if you choose to use a regular helmet, it must have a breathing/ recycler face mask.
No mask no go! You also must have a heated face shield. (Electrically powered by your bikes electrical system)
NO BATTERY OPERATED ONES! It is an option with the Bombardier and believe me will save your eyeballs and prevent Frost bites.
Bring a set of clothes for after the days ride to go out of your room to restaurants or club. (Will be too bagged for clubbing)
We have wireless connections wherever we will be at. So bring your electronic toys to send news home that you survived each day. (They will be carried in the support vehicle)
Photo/video camera with battery charger and the cold kills batteries. You can carry this on you or in your tank bag. You can shoot and take pictures in the countless times we will stop.
No onboard video or camera or any electronics. No distractions. Do not pack like you are going on vacation. This is THE HARDEST ride you will ever go on, and will not be a vacation. A small duffle bag with your stuff is all you will need.
We will be riding 400 clicks between Goose Bay and Cartwright with no rest areas and fuel stops. Energy bars will be supplied for you to eat whenever you want.
Bring your own personal first aid kit if you have a condition that is yours alone. But if you have one of these you are not on this trip. If you somehow did not mention this to me as required in the questionnaire, the waiver all riders MUST sign at the beginning will solve the issue. But this would not be a good start for you as you would have to wait for us.
Schedule (To be followed)January 31st. We meet in Baie-Comeau Quebec.
February 1st. We leave from Baie-Comeau to manic 5 (226 kms) it is longer than you think.
February 2nd. We leave manic 5 and ride to Relais Gabriel for a well needed lunch (106 kms)
We then ride from Relais Gabriel to Fremont (The wall) to see it and take a little break after 265 kms day. Then we ride to Labrador City (another 28kms) to the Two Seasons Inn for the night.
February 3rd. We ride from Labrador City to Churchill Falls. (263kms) depending on how the group feels we can stay there or keep going to Goose Bay. (Another 285 kms)
This decision will be made by the group as a group. It is a lot harder than anyone can think. So if one does not want to do it, we all stay in Churchill Falls
February 4th Chruchill Falls to Goose Bay (285 Kms)
February 5th. Goose Bay to Churchill Falls(Maybe) or Labrador City
February 6th. Labrador City to Manic 5 or Baie-Comeau depending how we feels. (389kms)
February 7th. Manic 5 to baie-Comeau. (265 kms)
February 8th. We all leave Baie-Comeau with memories of a lifetime.
NOTE: all this scheduling could be worth nothing if Mother Nature throws sticks in our wheels. In the event that a storm or anything hits us and we cannot do the Tour. It is obvious that I am not responsible for this, and that we all lose the money we have invested in it. If this were the case, I will pay for us getting drunk before we all go home.
Tour format #2 to be discussed (Depending who the riders are)
Day one: Baie-Comeau to Labrador City (560 kms) Damn hard day
Day two: Labrador City to Goose Bay (553 kms) Damn hard day
Day three: Goose bay to Cartwright (400 kms) Damn hard day
Day four: Cartwright to Blanc Sablons (420 kms) Damn hard day
Day five: Blanc Sablons to Cartwright (420 kms) Duh!!!
Day six: Cartwright to Goose Bay (400 kms)
Day 7 Goose Bay to Labrador City 553 kms)
Day 8 Labrador City to Baie-Comeau (560 Kms)
About 3900 kms. This is not for the faint of heart. I did 5 long days in 2008 and it almost killed me. But I was alone and no support. (Will never do this again) but it can be done as a group. Dont try to imagine how hard this is. You cant!!!
Your cost for the longer one will be more of course. But it would be worth it. Believe me!
As I have to arrange for redundancy plans and also arrange for rooms for certain days and that we might have to cancel at the last minute. You might think you can ride 600 kms five days in a row, but this can change in a 200 day in a snow storm.
Daily routine We have to be on the road at 7:30 AM each day. We get up at around 6. This is the only way to do the days we have ahead of us. This schedule is not an option.
It WILL be followed unless we are victims of unforeseeable circumstances. If a rider delays the group for no reasons, he/ she will be told once. If it is repeated, the rest of the trip
will be spent by him or her riding in the truck, or waiting for us to return at the hotel (At his/her own cost) and then join us again on our way home. The sun goes down early in these parts and we will ride in the dark.
This is not an option either. You have not seen beauty at night till you have ridden the Labrador Highway at night in winter.
At this time of the year the Caribou is migrating across this land and we will run across them. At this point the Support Vehicle will be in front of us for safety reasons. Believe me! (Dont ask) you do not want to run in a herd at night on your bike. Night riding WILL therefore happen.
If you have a problem with riding at night in summer, DO NOT SIGN UP for this. The night riding is/can be mind numbing!!! Besides this there are no other routine. This is not your routine tour.
If this sounds like it is too orgnized, then this is nnot for you. This can be a deadly ride and must be looked at and treated as suchSupport vehicle driverI will hire a driver (You can sign up to be the SV driver too) who will drive my rig and pull my trailer.
The driver WILL BE a motorcyclist. He will know how we feel and think from a motorcyclist point of view. I do not think I can repeat the luck I had least year with Gerry Malone! He rocked and he never rode a bike in his life.
The driver will have only two things to do. Well three! Drive and look out for DNFs and do security detail.
Do what I tell him to do
And in charge of operating the video equipment mounted on the dash and rear view point as well.
Rules!We ride as a group. We struggle as a group,
and we do not leave (Ever) anyone behind. Never!This is and will be the most dangerous ride you will have ever been on. Make no mistake. But it will be the best at the same time.
If any of you want to sign up, please send me an Email at
Paul@PaulMondor.comI already have four guys who have signed up and fronted the money. Which means there are 5 seats left. As some of them change their minds as the D-Day gets closer I will let you know of the sudden availability. 10 riders including me is all I will take on.
I guess like some have said that they were waiting to see how the first one would go. it went awesome and I as well as the riders have learned a lot. Thanks to them I know more about what must be done and not done. Thanks Keith, Patrice, Steve and Gerry!
Iceman
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