Like wrestling an alligator! I know you guys are amazing riders and do all kinds of death defying stunts but fuc@ I couldn't even get the thing to turn ! It felt like i was allways about to get flung off and i was allways "falling" the opposite way i wanted to go. It was not like burandt s videos lol. So share some tips with me please. I could get on edge but i couldn't carve at all and would just end up stopped on my side or I'd try to just ride two skiis and I'd just be along for the ride not going where I wanted. Iam so small too I cant wrong foot forward and really reach the opposite grip. Need some help lol! Hats off to you rippers that shi$ was really hard!
First ever ride....it was ...
- Thread starter Pinchecharlie
- Start date
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volcano buster
Well-known member
Sled, rider, terrain and snow specs for reference?
Just stick with it, it takes time. I compare it to when I first started skiing, I thought every hill would do me in. In time you'll laugh at what use to scare the hell out of you.
You mentioned size but i've seen some pretty small women throw a sled around, it just takes more finesse if you can't muscle it.
There is a left hand throttle kit, Goldfinger, but I have no experience with them.
And do you really want something you can master first time out??? And wait till tomorrow, you'll be sore in places you didn't know existed lol
Watch videos, it really helped me when I first started and practice practice practice. Whatever you can't do do it till you can.
Good luck and just keep in mind that better you get the more fun it becomes.
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You mentioned size but i've seen some pretty small women throw a sled around, it just takes more finesse if you can't muscle it.
There is a left hand throttle kit, Goldfinger, but I have no experience with them.
And do you really want something you can master first time out??? And wait till tomorrow, you'll be sore in places you didn't know existed lol
Watch videos, it really helped me when I first started and practice practice practice. Whatever you can't do do it till you can.
Good luck and just keep in mind that better you get the more fun it becomes.
Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk
The proclimb chassis definitely wants to lean the opposite way u turn.
U gotta learn to us ur foot placement and weight on ur feet to control the sled.
How short are u? Under 4ft?
If u can't reach the throttle when ur wrong foot forward, ur doing something wrong. Ur body is somewhere it shouldn't be.
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U gotta learn to us ur foot placement and weight on ur feet to control the sled.
How short are u? Under 4ft?
If u can't reach the throttle when ur wrong foot forward, ur doing something wrong. Ur body is somewhere it shouldn't be.
Sent it
You want to be a Burrant / Rassemusen / Kersterki / Adams / after one ride??? [emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]
Be realistic.
Physical ability?
Get right size sled for you and riding ability.
Practice and get comfortable on sled.
Watch instructional videos.
Ride with some who has time and patience to help.
Mindset - huge part of it.
If you're nervous and uncoordinated find another hobby or accept and embrace your ability and commit to getting better ...
Sent from my motorola edge plus using Tapatalk
Be realistic.
Physical ability?
Get right size sled for you and riding ability.
Practice and get comfortable on sled.
Watch instructional videos.
Ride with some who has time and patience to help.
Mindset - huge part of it.
If you're nervous and uncoordinated find another hobby or accept and embrace your ability and commit to getting better ...
Sent from my motorola edge plus using Tapatalk
Yes I wanna be burandt!! Lol! Those are just the videos I've been watching is all. Thought it would be more intuitive is all lol. Sad thing is we were no where near the "mountains "! Just some meadows and small rolling hills! Sad! And I can barely walk this morning. Iam 5-2 125lbs so maybe I gotta soften up the suspense a bit before I go send the gnar lol. I was really just trying to say how much I respect you guys now after getting my as@ kicked so bad. Like wrestling an angry alligator I tell ya! Yaha. Gotta practice practice practice!
At 125lbs it is gonna be harder for u to throw the sled around. Bigger guys (200+) do not understand the advantage they have. There is also a benefit for u, the sled will get stuck less and climb higher.
You will need to work the throttle to get the sled to follow ur lead.
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You will need to work the throttle to get the sled to follow ur lead.
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For the sake of learning...are you using the throttle to initiate the turn and then let off a bit then again to recover from the turn ? Like -throttle turn in lean, slow down counter steer lean opposite direction of turn throttle, recover from turn ect...? Yaha that sounds dumb but no shi@ I felt like my "natural " idea was just opposite lol. If I-stomp on running board and turn with throttle opposite leg onto of seat basically, most times it would still keep going wrong way . Iam honestly asking for basic instruction lol! I'll keep looking for basic videos. Doing a hop over seems literally impossible to me lol!!! Thanks for helping an old guy out!!!
At 5’2”, id wager the handlebars are much to tall for you if you haven’t gotten lower ones. That said there is a balancing act between throttle, weight transfer, counter steering to initiate and body position that you have to find for each “move” you’re trying. And those things change with sled setup but more importantly terrain constantly. Practice practice practice!
Lots of seat time.
The instructional vids are the way to go to get an appreciation of the mechanics - old School'd series from Rasmusan (I never spell it right) & Burrant / newer BRP series from Bret / Dan Adams Nxt Lvl are great places to start - walk & talk you through the motions.
Get sled set up for you - bar height / throttle & brake lever / suspension (if unsure set to owner manual recommended settings).
Go play ...at some point it will all start to click and then go play harder!
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It seems counter-intuitive, but in low snow it is actually a lot tougher to carve or make those tight turns. You gotta have about 18 inches to 2 feet of snow to really pull it over and do it well. Start going slow and as you shift your weight to the inside of your turn flip your skis out(opposite way you are turning) and give it more gas.
Watching Burandt ride is like watching Jordan play basketball. You’re not doing that high level stuff anytime soon. And he makes it look WAY easier than it is. He’s been on sleds for 30 plus years. If you’re already trying advanced riding techniques on your first ride, you’re in for a lot of frustrating days. A lot of people start off trail riding and evolve to the backcountry, so they are already comfortable on a sled. You’re coming from zero previous experience of any kind. You need to find your natural balance on the sled before starting advanced maneuvers. Gain confidence by pushing yourself and the sled safely into tough situations. Momentum is your friend in off trail riding, as well as knowing when and where to stop so you can get going again. Learning the power of your sled and how it reacts to your input and snow conditions will take time. Well set up clutches and basic maintenance are also imperative to an efficient and better operating machine. Look in owners manual and find out how to service your sled. A good way to hold yourself and your sled back, is having a machine that isn’t operating properly. You’ve discovered you’re going to be using muscles you don’t normally use. That in itself will take a lot of time to develop. It’s good you’re trying to just jump right in, but don’t set yourself up for failure right away. If you don’t have anyone with experience to ride with, then your learning curve is going to be steep if Burandt style riding is what you’re after. His sleds are also the latest greatest backcountry weapons out there. Lightweight, dialed in, 850 Axys. Some of them HEAVILY modified. That alone is a huge difference in what you’re riding. Doesn’t take much input to get an Axys to do what you want, so you can literally over ride them very easily. I know you’re on a cat, but still takes finesse and time to get there. Also know that if your in any kind of powder, turning your skis left to go left isn’t happening like you think it will. Good way to wear yourself out quick, because your going to be fighting the sled to do something it doesn’t want to do. Maybe from a dead start, but if your moving, it’s all rider input. Lean left with plenty of momentum and turn right, you will carve left. This all assuming you are in at least 6-8” of powder. Not everything needs to be wrong foot forward or some other advanced technique either. Basic pow turns is all just momentum, staying neutral, in control and rider input from one running board to the other. Even bigger swooping u turns and donuts can be done with feet in neutral position and a little rider input to the running boards. Don’t try to do more than it takes to get the job done is what I’m sayin. If you’re “paneling out” on powder carves, you’re either going too slow or are leaning too much. Always try to look ahead to where you want to go or you want the sled to be. That takes a lot of time to get used to when your starting out backcountry riding. Even on the trail ride in you should be looking way ahead of you. In time it will be automatic. Even the basic stuff takes time. Stopping on edge, on the side of a tree covered hillside is cool as f***, but only after you can do it comfortably in the ditch. Try riding through the trees on the flats. You will learn a lot on what it takes to get through tough situations and not get stuck. After awhile, riding through trees and picking lines will be like riding down the trail. Gain confidence to safely push yourself and always ride within your novice abilities and you’ll get there. Keep watching the videos to stay inspired, but don’t think any of that comes easy. Gonna take you all year to get to level 1 of Burandt or Kesterke. And there are 9 more levels to go. Those guys are ridiculous. It’s first and foremost about being outdoors and having fun. One of the best things you can add to your machine is a cooker. Cheap, lightweight and nothing like sitting on your sled with a hot meal thinking about all the cool sh** you’ve been doing, learning and seeing.
Maybe I missed it...which sled, where you riding, snowmobile gear or not, when you are standing on sled do you need to squat slightly to grab the bars while elbows are slightly bent, do you wear a backpack and does it restrict movement much, and dont worry about doing a hop-over because there are plenty of other skills to work on.
As said already, deeper soft snow makes it easier to work on skills and I too like Next Level Riding videos.
As said already, deeper soft snow makes it easier to work on skills and I too like Next Level Riding videos.
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volcano buster
Well-known member
All good points to ponder on for you.
As you watch videos and attempt to put them in action, break each "segment" of activity into a particular skill. Flat riding down the groomed trail is pretty easy, now attempt to pull up on one ski and carve up a bank, leveling off into a long side hill on the bank, then coming back down to re-enter the road. The video's don't really portray what the rider is thinking, but watching as they set their body and sled up for each maneuver might help you see how they are anticipating the move instead of reacting to the sled once it starts into the maneuver.
As you watch videos and attempt to put them in action, break each "segment" of activity into a particular skill. Flat riding down the groomed trail is pretty easy, now attempt to pull up on one ski and carve up a bank, leveling off into a long side hill on the bank, then coming back down to re-enter the road. The video's don't really portray what the rider is thinking, but watching as they set their body and sled up for each maneuver might help you see how they are anticipating the move instead of reacting to the sled once it starts into the maneuver.
Great advice thanks!!! Iam on a mission now! To be honest our first two hours was going down roads and experimenting with throttle and brakes and how it felt to absorb bumps ect. Funny you should say going from road up on shallow hill back down. That's was my first "oh shi@" moment when I just tipped right over. Not good but I did finally kind of do it , just ugly and short lol. We found a cool meadow with a couple real small hills and we tried carving and I tried all the basics. I could do a u turn wrong foot forward was all and amused my friend a bit. Then tried sidehilling and failed over and over but I had to try since Ive been studying you tube lol. I even had a speed record of 48 on a straight away! Seems very sad and I admit very gay (no offense to gay snowmobilers) but it felt faster lol! Fun stuff. My goal isnt speed or altitude but control for now. Other thing iam not used to is the on offness of the throttle . Either full on or nothing. May ask the dealership about clutching and gearing to make it more jackas@ friendly lol. Maybe I should make a "skills" list and just go back to the "gay meadow of shame" and do reps till I vomit. Yeah charge it ! Real dumb question-do you put your elk stew in the can cooker before you leave or do you know it's x amount of time to cook it? Lol?
You are on the right path and just need miles and seat time, confidence will begin to develop as you feel more comfortable on the sled. Enjoy being a beginner as you do not have any bad habits yet. Practice practice practice.......and have fun.
May have missed it but what are you riding?
May have missed it but what are you riding?
Thanks man ! Iam having fun for sure just trying lol. Well the extra embarrassing part is I only bought a 600! So you 850 guys iam sure are rolling your eyes lol. I cant even imagine how powerful a 850 turbo must be! It's an artic cat m6. So yeah iam getting beat up by your girlfriends sled lol. Actually think its powerful!! The instantaneous acceleration is something new to me. I only ever had harleys as motorcycles lol. Guess a harleys snowmobile is a bearcat? Gonna be a steep learning curve but iam having a blast thinking about it lol. Thanks to all who had such positive feedback I appreciate it!!
