Dear Tekrider,

I was always a little skeptical about purchasing a Tekvest thinking that the only people who wear them are those who race, and those who are 'wannabe racers'. I purchased my Super Sport Tekvest for the 2004-2005 snowmobiling season after it saved the life of a friend of mine, and also saved two other friends at the very least some broken ribs in the 2003-2004 season.

My snowmobile club out of Plymouth WI had an annual club trip to Northern WI. We usually arrive on a Thursday morning and hit the trails immediately. I enjoy Thursday riding because there generally isn't a lot of traffic on the trails.

My friend and I decided to take a ride which would have netted us about 150 miles for the afternoon. I usually lead, and we were a little over 100 miles into our ride & decided we should top off the tanks.

So we headed down a spur towards a secluded town to fuel up. About 3 or 4 miles before we got to the gas station, we met up with another twosome coming the other way. The first guy on a mid 90's Cat EXT, and the second guy on a '97 Polaris Ultra - wedge body. Both guys were riding pretty fast, and we were riding fairly quickly as well. There were no problems as we passed each other on a straight section. We got our gas, chatted for a bit with a local groomer driver and decided to get back on the trail, the time was approximately 2.30pm.

So we get a couple miles out of town into a tight twisty section, and all of a sudden I see the same guy on the EXT come flying around the corner heading back the other way. No problem, got by him but I knew the second guy was going to be there soon & riding hot. So I slowed down to about 15 mph and stood up for better visibility for both of us. Kept my sled way to the right and kept moving along slowly waiting for him to appear. I was just getting ready to go into a left hand turn and there he was. The next thing I knew I was on the ground on my back about 5 or 6 feet behind my sled.

He actually hit the right side of my sled and somehow rode up over the top of my hood. I have stud marks all the way up the right side of my hood to the cowl. When the sled came up his left ski hit my right hand and then ricocheted off my forearm. His right ski hit my brake master cylinder (still purple ski skin matter in it) and bounced up striking me in the left shoulder before the extruded aluminum bumper made contact with my chest. It was a good thing I was still in somewhat of a standing position because if I would've been sitting, I would've taken the bumper to the face. At the point of impact, almost all of the momentum was transferred out of his sled and into my chest. It sent me flying through the air backwards landing me on my back with my feet over my head. I was sort of shocked, it happened so fast and I had virtually no time to react. I was even more shocked that I jumped right up, alive! We discovered that his bumper was slightly bent in. This was due to the impact with my chest.

At first the only thing that hurt was my right hand where his steel ski hit me. It took a couple of days for me to feel the soreness in my sternum. So I went in for a chest x-ray to be sure. I told my doctor and the nurse who admitted me my story and they were both somewhat shocked. I told them about my Tekvest and how I thought it helped save me a trip to the hospital. After looking over my x-rays, we found that I had no broken or cracked ribs. The pain was coming from some deep bruising below my sternum and some stretched cartilage. My doctor said he had no doubt that my Tekvest saved my life. I would've suffered a broken sternum, punctured & collapsed both lungs, and likely wouldn't have made it to the hospital. The nurse who assisted asked for the information on ordering a Tekvest for her husband. I am active on a couple of snowmobile websites, I am also active in my snowmobile club, and have since become an advocate for Tekvest. Most of my friends and many acquaintances have since purchased a Tekvest of their own.

I thank you, and my wife and two little girls thank you for manufacturing this great product. I will never again ride without it.

Dave Drescher Sheboygan, WI