CAREENING THROUGH THE ROCKIES ASTRIDE A SNOWMOBILE.

Byline: Richard Irwin Staff Writer

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. - The challenge seemed simple enough. All we had to do was drive our snowmobiles off the trail across a beautiful snowy meadow to the trail on the other side.

Like most simple ideas, there was a catch. While the snow on the trail had been packed down to support our racing machines, the deep powder on the meadow hadn't.

In fact, our guide stepped off the trail and promptly sank up to his waist in the soft white snow. Grabbing one of the handrails on the back of his snowmobile, he pulled himself back onto the trail.

It was an important lesson - the first of many - on a White Mountain Tours snowmobile excursion in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver.

White Mountain's base camp is located halfway between Copper Mountain Ski Resort and the historic 1800s mining town of Leadville, Colo., about a half-hour drive east of Vail.

Two-hour tours ($80), available for novices, begin on groomed trails in the backcountry at an altitude of 11,000 feet.

Slipping through pine trees draped with snow provides an invigorating adventure. The high-mountain air is so crisp and clean that the 14,000-foot mountains around you stand out in stark relief against the bright blue Colorado sky - a pristine wilderness so beautiful that you find yourself stopping often to soak in the tranquillity.

Soon you're above the tree line at 12,000 feet, and as you speed through a glistening white world of high-mountain meadows and backcountry bowls, your soul soars despite the cacophony of the snowmobile engines.

After our guide's dramatic demonstration of the depth of the snow, we were ready to take on the treacherous meadow. We would have to rev up our sleds and skim across 3 feet of powder. It's a lot like skipping rocks across the surface of a lake.

The only problem is that most people aren't very good at skipping stones across a lake. The lake always wins: I've never seen a rock make it all the way to the other side.

In our heavy machines, we were so many rocks, ready to sink into this lake of frozen white water. Sensing our uneasiness, our guide said it wasn't as hard as it looked. We just had to keep our speed up, he warned - otherwise we would sink into the soft snow and he would have to dig us out.

Gunning his engine, our guide dove off the trail and skimmed across the pristine meadow. His red snowmobile seemed to float across the white surface and soon he had reached the safety of the trail on the other side.

Waving us on, the guide waited patiently for one of us to brave the meadow. Nobody wanted to be the first to disappear under the crisp blanket of snow.

I gathered enough courage to try it. Throttling up my sled, I shot off the trail and bounced across the wintry meadow. I didn't dare slow down or turn the handlebars. It felt a lot like a Jet Ski, skimming the ocean surface on a foam of white. Finally, I made it to the other side and climbed back onto terra firma.

Unfortunately, the couple behind me weren't as fortunate. It seems that heavy rocks don't skim as well as lighter ones. Halfway across the meadow, the husband tried to turn. This slowed them down too much, and his wife on the back quickly disappeared under the white mantle. The front runners of the snowmobile were pointing at the azure blue sky.

Unfolding his portable shovel, our guide sighed and trudged through the deep snow to dig the unhappy couple out.

After this, the rest of our group kept their throttles open, despite the real risk of overshooting the trail and hitting the trees beyond.

White Mountain Tours is accustomed to these bumps on the learning curve, though. Since 1991, the company has carried more than 100,000 riders. Many revelers return every year for their fix of high-altitude snowmobiling - the experience is that addictive.

Be forewarned, though: The strong rays of the sun make a good pair of sunglasses and a heavy coating of sunscreen essential.

About halfway through our tour, the guide pulled us to a halt on a gentle mountain slope. Time to rest our tired steeds? On the contrary, the guide said we now had free time to experiment with our sleek machines.

The company wanted us to experience the freedom of snowmobiling. Cool - you don't get that in your usual snowmobile tour of rigidly spaced riders.

Soon everyone was racing back and forth, getting a better feel for their sleds. As you might expect, the free time turned into a race, with everyone competing on a large oval circuit we had carved in the snow.

The experienced snowmobilers quickly overtook the rest of the group, kicking up a plume of white. The sprint was on!

We all picked up speed as we became comfortable with our racetrack and our growling sleds. I couldn't believe we were having an Indianapolis 500 at 12,000 feet.

After cracking my throttle open wide, I had to back off as the speeding tracks under me fought for grip and a turn approached. Leaning into the curve, the front runners of my snowmobile carved an arc like a knife through butter.

My legs and arms were taking a pounding, however, and I didn't know how much longer I could last. The machine was obviously enduring punishment, too. Surely, the guide would stop this madness.

Finally, I pulled off the white racetrack and slid up to him. He asked if anything was wrong. I replied that my snowmobile was great, but there were a bunch of crazy people racing around the mountaintop.

The guide chuckled and said this was nothing compared to the special three-hour extreme tour that the company offers for experienced riders. The snow really flies when these expert riders are given more-powerful machines and the guides take them to more-challenging terrain, he said.

When the last member of our group had his fill of racing, we lined up and headed off for our next destination, the Continental Divide. We were going to cross it on snowmobiles.

Crossing the imaginary line - where precipitation on the western side flows to the Pacific Ocean, and that on the eastern side ultimately ends up in the Atlantic Ocean - we found ourselves at the base of the imposing Chicago Ridge. We couldn't go any higher, as the soaring ridgeline blocked our path.

Everyone cut their engines to savor the splendor of the peaks. Cameras were unpacked to capture the spectacular view from the top of our world.

The guide pointed out a series of ``14-ers'' - peaks that are at least 14,000 feet tall. It was an awesome sight.

One last challenge remained, as we decided to take on the mountains themselves. One by one, we raced toward the soaring peaks and climbed as high as we dared up the steep, snowy slopes.

The trick was to race as high as you could before your momentum died and gravity pulled you back down. It was also imperative that you begin a gradual turn before you reached the apex or you would be stuck on the side of a mountain. Too sharp a turn and you ran the risk of rolling the machine down the mountain - hopefully not with you under it.

The conquering mountains won. I gradually worked up to higher turns, but I never came close to the height the guide achieved on his first run to the summit.

Many were reluctant even to try it - especially the couple who had begun our day by plowing their way through the first meadow. Even with my snowmobile experience, I had second thoughts about this foolhardy venture, and gave up after three attempts.

Truly spent both physically and spiritually, we turned our machines around and headed for home. There were a lot of smiling faces in the group.

We had crossed the great Continental Divide, stopping only when the Colorado Rockies barred our path with impregnable peaks. In the process, we had learned a lot about snowmobiling, the Colorado wilderness - and ourselves.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: White Mountain Tours is on Highway 91, nine miles south of Interstate 70 (take Exit 195). The exit is 26 miles east of Vail.

TOURS: A two-hour tour costs $80 for a single rider and $120 for a couple. An advanced two-hour tour on a more-powerful snowmobile is for single riders only and costs $125. For those staying at Copper Mountain Resort, a free shuttle pickup at your hotel or condo is available. Tours are offered at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. and 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

INFORMATION: [phone]; www.whitemountaintours.com.

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White Mountain Tours is located about a half-hour east of Vail, Colo., offers snowmobile excursions for novices. The outing travels through woods, over lake beds and up a mountain.

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IF YOU GO (see text)