First Time at Hay Days

By Delaney Brogan
Marketing Coordinator – RV
Yamaha Motor Canada

I’d been told time and time again (and again) how great Hay Days was – so many people, so many things to try, so much to watch. I tried to go in with no expectations. I mean, they were probably overselling it, right? Wrong. When we pulled off the highway and passed the parking signs, then continued down the road for 15 minutes before finally arriving at the main entrance, it all started to click. Hay Days is a HUGE event, and when you look at all the old photos of the event you understand how huge it has become in another sense – in importance to avid snowmobilers.

DAY 1 – 17,741 steps + 38,000 people

I started the day by taking my first steps into the 30-acre swap. There were some pretty odd trades like a couple of sets of 509 goggles for a whole lawnmower.

After walking around for what felt like hours, I headed back to the Yamaha tent where I was informed I had barely covered a quarter of the swap. There was another whole section that I haven’t done. (Thank goodness for Sunday.)

The rest of the day I soaked in as much of the activity around as I could. Everything from double back flips on a dirt bike in the insane freestyle shows, to 12-year-old twins racing each other in their SxS. And, of course, the mud bog races. Yes, a large U-shaped mud puddle that people charge through on their ATVs two at a time.

From someone who comes from a “make anything a competition” background, this was basically my dreamland. Plus, all the deep-fried food you could imagine. Yes, that means I finally had my first blooming onion, which I’m told are meant to be shared… not eaten alone…

DAY 2 – 19,745 steps + 24,000 people

Yes, you read that right, almost 20,000 steps. I definitely thanked my over-packing self in the mirror that morning for packing the EXTRA COMFY shoes for this trip.

Heading through the Hay Days gates, taking in the aroma of deep fry and exhaust, I knew it was going to be a great second day! The Sunday swap had a different vibe, with aisles of hungover people marking everything they had down with a rush to sell off everything in their booth.

While wandering, I found my dream machine. Something called a Wet Bike, basically a dirt bike for the water! It was so cool, but a Google deep dive uncovered that they are no longer in business. Oh well, next year I’m packing a bigger suitcase because one of those bad boys is coming home with me.

Just like any show weekend, it was also long hours spent talking to a lot of people. A LOT. But at Hay Days, it’s a weekend jam-packed full some of the most impressive snowmobilers in North America. It was so great having an opportunity to ask them all questions about things both big and small – prepping for multi-day trips, why they ride, where they ride, how they got into riding or why they keep doing it.

It reminded me why I love getting to go to these amazing events, working with the fantastic people I get to work with, and meeting all the amazing, impressive snowmobile enthusiasts.

So, until next time!