Multipleuse, I have to admit to being biased against snomobiles, but I have a question.
One of the most annoying things about the sleds is how noisy they are. On Mt Bailey, we skinned for five hours, got to the top, and were surprised by a snocat that chugged up. Apparently there's a cat skiing operation up there that we hadn't known about. But the cats are quiet enough that when it was 100 yards away we could barely hear it, and the low noise kept me from getting too annoyed by its presence. With this example in mind, why aren't sleds built with 4 stroke engines and other modifications to reduce noise pollution? I know some sled heads actually make mods to increase the noise of their obnoxious machines. If you really want to reduce the impact of sleds and keep others happy, consider making the machines quiet.
Damage to fragile environments is a different issue that pisses me off even more, but quiet sleds would be a step forward.
And for your dream of skiing backcountry powder....go for it! It doesn't take that much time to become a proficient skier.
Catbirdseat, I think it is the former. It's too easy to destory something when it'll be a mile behind you in a minute.