tips for saving our trails

Trail Damage
The type of sled you ride can affect trail damage for several reasons. The size of the sled, both in weight and power are two key considerations. When greater weight is combined with speed, there's more momentum to be overcome in order to turn. If your sled has a long track (over 121 inches) you would start with a 6 inch carbide just to overcome the push of even a bare track. Deep lug tracks have their place in deep powder, but on groomed trails they really churn up the snow, gripping into dirt on marginal snow-packed trails.

The new extra travel suspensions are great for your back, but in some cases they are a double-edged sword. The smoother ride allows those who want to cruise at higher speeds for longer periods of time to do so, without becoming fatigued. Because these long travel suspensions put more track area on the ground, the downside is apparent when you see how much more snow becomes airborne and drifts off the trail.

Different skis and ski products serve different purposes. Longer, wider and flatter skis provide more flotation whether steel or plastic. The drawback of steel skis is that in a certain temperature range, snow will stick to them.

Plastic ski skins prevent this accumulation and allow the steel ski to slide through the snow. A disadvantage is that as resistance is lowered, due to the slipperiness of the plastic, the sled will push straighter through the corners. To regain turning ability you need to move up to the next level of wear rod (i.e. Hard-surfaced to a 4 inch to 6 inch carbide).