He wasn’t entirely sure where the trail turned into a cat track at Snoqualmie, but it definitely did. It was definitely there. Kirk from Seattle, Quattromog was driving his 1990 Audi Quattro. He was out on track when the offroad trail he was following became something entirely new.
“The people all around me in the middle of a ski hill looked very confused,” he told me. “I had three ski patrollers who escorted me out. It was pretty funny.”
Kirk stated that he explained to everyone that the off-road trail he discovered was never closed for season and that this was all a mistake. They were fine, he said. However, they seemed a bit miffed at the fact that instead of shouting at straightliners, they were shouting at an iconic 1990s German car, which was ready to climb a mountain. Or, the end of days.
Kirk’s Audi Quattro was a mix of experimentation and marketing. Kirk is an Audi upfitter and supplies parts and lifts to vintage Audis. But it was also his passion project, so he wanted to do something with it. The car started life as a 1990 Audi Quattro with a 6-inch lift that he built six years ago—and named his shop after. Kirk sold the car three years ago. He repurchased it several months later to get new inspiration.
“I’ve been wanting to do (tracks) for a long time, but then I realized designing and building my own tracks was a silly endeavor,” he said. But the aftermarket for tracks—especially used tracks—has grown in the decade since Ken Block slapped some on his RaptorTRAX nearly 10 years ago. As prices went down, Kirk’s interest went up.
He has a small child now and, as he said, “I needed something to go mob around with.” Kirk’s first time snowmobiling was relatively recent and inspiration met fabrication.
Camso tracks landed that were almost off the shelves, with the exception of some work on the hubs and custom anti-rotation brackets that he made. “I own a metal fabrication shop, which makes it easier and helps me afford my stupid habits,” he told me.
His first snowy shakedown went very well. “It worked flawlessly, it was shockingly good,” he said. “Now, I need to go find some real powder to mob around in.”
Agreed. But, just so you know, not on blues or greens.
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