- A dramatic account of true-life racing champion Gordon Shafer, as he battles his way to the snowmobile championships in spite of conflicts with the professional racers, a bittersweet love affair, and a nearly fatal accident in the Grand Prix of Snowmobiling.
- Independent snowmobile racer Gordon Shafer wins the first preliminary heat of the West Yellowstone competition as magazine reporter Kerry Whitman takes pictures from the stands. After the race, Kerry attempts to interview the taciturn Gordon, who explains that she has just seen a qualifying trial and advises her to attend the race the following day in order to learn about snowmobiling. Telling Gordon that he is difficult to interview, Kerry vows to come back. The next day, Gordon is more open and explains the sport to Kerry while she secretly tapes his responses to her questions. The attractive Kerry flirts with Gordon and they spend the day together, getting coffee and walking in the snow. Later, Gordon teaches Kerry to drive a snowmobile, which she enjoys, but when he offers to show her a real ride and races through the woods, she is frightened and furious with him. That night at the local roadhouse, Gordon is congratulated on qualifying in both of the day's races, despite the disadvantage of being an independent racer competing against factory teams. After Gordon loses the next day's qualifying event, he apologizes to Kerry for scaring her, and when he asks for a second chance, she forgives him. Then Gordon and Kerry drive into the hills to watch the wildlife. When their snowmobile breaks a ski, Gordon flags down a truck, then Kerry sits in his arms as they ride back to town, where they spend a romantic night in front of a fire. When Kerry later asks Gordon about his plans for the future, he replies that racing is the only thing he wants to do. The following day, Kerry phones her office, explaining that she will not be leaving that morning as planned but will get her story in the mail on time for the press date, then drives to the starting point of the cross-country race in time to see it begin. During the race, Gordon accidentally drives over a cliff of snow, falling off his sled and tumbling to the bottom of a large snow drift. Gordon rights his snow-covered machine and manages to start it again, but fails in his attempt to push it back up the hill, getting stuck in deep snow as other racers drive past. When the competition is over, the race officials note that several racers did not return and two men prepare to search for them. Gordon has gone back down to his sled when he hears an engine approaching and desperately climbs to the top of the hill calling for help, but the riders do not hear him and pass by. After having rescued all of the other drivers, the officials realize that Gordon is still missing. Alone in the woods, Gordon eats a small portion of a candy bar and checks to find that he has only a few matches left. Gordon then starts his engine again, only to roll down another snow bank, and is knocked unconscious. When a search party is formed to look for Gordon, Kerry insists on joining it, and because she has been taught to drive a snowmobile, she is included. Just as the group reaches the spot where Gordon first fell off course, Gordon wakes up with a wound on his forehead, rights his machine and passes out again. The rescue team requests a helicopter to help search for Gordon and when it reaches them, Kerry again insists on going along, causing the others to suspect that she is only interested in her magazine story. In the helicopter, Kerry and the men spot Gordon's tracks, but just before sunset, the pilot notices a mechanical problem and is forced to land. The pilot calls for help, stressing that they need to find Gordon before dark, but is told that the necessary part cannot arrive until morning. When an airplane delivers the part to the helicopter the next morning, the plane's crew spot Gordon and one of them parachutes down, leaving a vapor trail to indicate his location to the rescue team. The helicopter follows, and when it lands, Kerry watches as Gordon is bandaged, loaded onto a stretcher and airlifted out. Sometime later, a cheering crowd circles the race track, and Kerry smiles from the stands as Gordon advances from last position to win a race, the announcer declaring that after his near fatal crash, Gordon has made a true comeback.
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