Snowmobiling Dilemma

Every winter my Father-in-Law (Bob) goes on a few snowmobiling trips up in northern New Hampshire and Vermont with his friends. The trips last a few days and consist of living in a cabin, taking day trips on snowmobiles, relaxing and drinking at night while playing some cards. This has always sounded like a very appealing trip to me as I do enjoy the following: Winter, Snow, Drinking, Playing Cards. I've never tried driving a snowmobile but I'm a big fan of go-karts and have always wanted to go jet skiing, so how much different could this be? Next month Bob is going back up for a weekend trip and invited me to go. He said it would probably cost a couple hundred bucks for food, gas, heating in the cabin, etc... This seems fair and is not the main obstacle that I am trying to negotiate.

The big issue is taking time off of work. I would probably have to take two or three days vacation to make the trip (4 hours up to NJ and then 5 more hours to get to VT) over the long weekend. I'm already taking two days off in March to go to the Bahamas with Lori (sans kids - THANKS DAD/LAUREN!!!). I'd also be leaving the kids and Lori alone for several days so I would need to line up either a visit from her Mom or her sister to help out. And finally, I would be missing the Oscars! I've never missed the live show since I started watching regularly in the mid-to-late '80s. I know it's a little bit gay to factor this into my decision but I am a movie buff at heart and Oscar night really is kinda important to me.

Bob and my Mother-in-Law are coming down to Springfield this weekend and he will be bringing a spare helmet and pair of boots for me to try on. If I can't fit into the spare equipment (clothing) that they have for the trip I would have to buy my own which would drastically increase the overall cost of the trip and most likely cause me to pass on the offer. If the equipment ends up fitting fine, I'm leaning towards going on the trip (assuming I can line up a support visit for Lori and the kids) since I may not get another chance to try snowmobiling in the near future. I would have to go through a little withdrawal with no cellphone or internet access up in the cabin, but it might be good to unplug from the grid for a while.