I need help setting up a 600 H.O. 155 for my wife, any tips?

[rconnolly05]

My wife is having trouble handling her 600 H.O. 155 and I dont know what to do to help. The main problem she is having is being able to keep it from tipping over turning and fighting her when she wants to turn. I have no trouble with it but I also weigh A LOT more and I can throw it where I want it.

If she tries so go up a hill even at the slightest angle she ends up tipping over. I have tried the skiis in all positions and nothing helps. She can stand both legs on one board and she still has trouble getting it on its side to cut even in powder.

She has only ridden 4 times and I know part of the problem is just needing experience but if anyone has any ideas for getting the sled set up right please help me out.

 

[bfchiro]

I have been in the same boat. I am a new rider and purchased a 07 rmk 155. I'm 150 lbs so not a whole lot of weight to "throw around". I did a lot of reading on the subject, and one guy described it as the roulette ball analogy. As long as the ball has momentum then it will stay up on top of the roulette wheel, and as soon as it slows down it gets pull over. Keep the momentum up and the track spinning to sidehill makes it way easier.

Use the opposite foot in the footwell will help with leverage. Get in a open meadow the 1ft of powder and watch, the sled will tip on its edge then if it goes too far just put the other foot down and it will come back up.

Hope it helps

 

[rconnolly05]

Thanks for the input, I need to get her out again and try that. I had someone else tell me that too and I thought that she would have trouble getting the leg back over on the other side if she needed to but I guess it works. I think i'm a little too protective but I find myself having several
"Oh _ _ _ _" moments when I see her tip over and I have to pull my seat out of my rear from the pucker.

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

another thing that helps with control on the IQR chassis..move the handlebars back some...if you get them to far forward the sled gets uncontrollable...

 

[dotter]

side hilling

She might try keeping legs fairly straight both on one side up hill, power on 1/4 to 1/3 throttle and steer with the skis to keep on the balance point. Then practice repeat, repeat, and switch directions for both ways. Maybe she lets off and pops out of snow and falls? Good luck!

 

[F-Bomb]

Well luckily she owns the easiest sled on the planet to carve, edge, or ride at a "held" angle in the powder or on a modest sidehill. She probably doesn't think that is the case right now but after she has had a few more miles and the light bulb goes on it will become as obvious to her as it is to anyone else who rides a lot. Time resolves much but the curve is much flatter if she (you, me, and or every rider) starts with proper technique. Once you have this manuever in your arsenal you have a solid foundation for all other aspects of off trail sledding.

Remind her (and yourself since you've stated that you can THROW yours around) that it is all about technique and nothing about strength on this sled and this manuever. It's about balance and harmony between the rider, the sled, and the conditions that the manuever is being performed. An excellent athlete with great skills can compensate for a poorly setup machine but it's a lot easier to simply start with a properly setup sled and an understanding of the concept of the "right" way to ride it. Armed with a good tool, some direction on the physics of how it works, and a lot of practice, in a very short period people can become very adept at carving and basic sidehilling.

So let's start out with the sled. The 155 RMK IQ 600 is the single easiest free ride off trail sled ever made and currently available. You can help her have an easier time if the bars are properly setup and tailored just for her. Quickly let's talk about proper riding position. For free riding this sled the proper riding position is a solid balanced base. While standing with slightly bent knees balance your core on the balls of your feet. To find the correct riding position and to also drill or train yourself to always come back to this position start with her sitting on the sled with her hands on the grips. Elbows slightly bent, back straight with good posture and a slightly forward lean. Feet out of the footwells and with beginners it's not a bad idea to put something in the footwells to keep their feet out of there. For most the starting balanced foot location is having your toes right out from the front suspension bolt. The idea is that she should be able to stand and sit over and over without having to use the handle bars. (have her do this over and over for a minute and in sets of three....this is a great basic pre-ride conditioning drill and develops a muscle memory so that you always start out with the proper body position prior to performing a manuever...seems rediculous but when you can do this drill in ten one minute sets it will greatly improve your riding endurance and train your muscles to return to the proper position without thought).

Almost all stock sleds have slightly lower then optimal handle bar position so if you can set the bars to slightly about perpendicular (slightly above the naval) while she is in the full upright or standing riding position (knees slightly bent good firm balance) she will have a much easier time free riding. The other aspect of having an easy to edge IQ is soft pre-load on the front shocks. If she has springers set them with almost no spring tension. If she has WE's you already have super easy no pre-load shocks and you are good to go. Now I realize you are stating that she is having control problems and tipping over but once she has established proper body position and balance, then ties that in with technique, she will quit flopping and start riding. I assure you she is doing what almost everyone does and is forcing the sled over and losing control. She needs to feel or learn the balance of the sled on it's edge using the inside ski and track instead of on both skis and being "STEERED" around flatly. The is called carving and is an essential manuever in all areas of free riding. Side hilling is essentially the same manuever as carving but on a grade and normally associated with going straight as opposed to turns. It all equals easily controlling your sled in powder and making it going where you want it too.

The concept of counter steering to change the roll position of the sled is so awkward that most new riders really struggle with it and almost always go back to steering a sled as opposed to riding a sled. You have to learn to put a sled on it's rolled edge with a slight counter steer and a bit of throttle. A little bit of natural body english in concert with that simple manuever will pop the sled to edge. Holding it on this edge is a tight rope walk of body english, counter steering control, and throttle control. Think Joey Chitwood driving a car on two wheels. Once again the idea of turning your skis the opposite way that you want to actually go is so weird that most beginners really struggle to perform this basic manuever and end up going back to the dreaded steer and lean or driving a sled instead of riding it. Gravity and physics then whip you down and ruin your fun. You can drill this in the garage again to develop a natural instinct so that it is automatic as opposed to a thinking about it all of the time. Being scared or worried about the outcome of your manuever combined with all other factors of the newness of the process usually just ends in frustration. We have to make it a natural reaction rather then a thought process.

DRILL number two..
In the garage with a slick floor so that she can turn the skis easily...put the sled on a long 2x4 right down the middle of the track so the sled can fall or roll with the drill...assume the correct standing riding position and have her visualize turning each direction. When she wants to roll the sled on it's left side edge and thus turn that way she needs to point/turn the skis modestly the right..work the throttle a little (do this as it's critical but obviously while the sled is not running!)...Eyes to the turning point...following your leading shoulder...just like sighting a gun....sight right down your leading shoulder at your turning point. Easy does it (don't do some radical pull over and crack your head on the concrete) and that is all it takes to start or initiate a carve or turn in the powder. Made sure her outside knee is pushing into the fuel tank or tunnel just like steering a horse. Her hands should be easy on the grips with almost no pressure just steering the skis not strangling the grips. This is huge, most people are in a wrestling match to the death with their handlebars. They are they simply to correct the countersteer and to correct your balance should you fall forward or backward. This is why people get exhausted from free riding. OK anyways have her practice this counter steering rolling to edge drill over and over until is second nature. Both directions or sides while visualizing rolling through a meadow in the fluff. Right left... right left...big slow wide turns...quick shorter turns all the time keeping excellent bent knee balanced upright body position. Light on the sticks busy on the throttle. Please note for initial carving or sidehilling on her sled there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO EVER GET ON ONE SIDE OF THE SLED OR THE OTHER OR REMOVE YOUR FOOT AND DANGLE IT OFF LIKE BURANDT. As a matter of fact for beginners your feet don't really move up and down the footbed on this basic stuff. As you progress to more extreme terrain and get the total balance going then you will start to use the entire running board but that is far from this beginners concept.

Remember to make yourself relax, BREATH, and flow with your sled. Drill the techniques so that it's a natural thing for you and you don't have to think in steps. A great way to insure that you breath is to sing or hollar while you are carving. You can't hold your breath and grit your teeth if you are wailing.

 

[MORSNO]

Excellent write up F-Bomb!

 

[rconnolly05]

Thanks a lot for the tips F Bomb! I will definately use this info and i cant wait to go again with a new outlook. Once she gets the hang of it I know she will love her sled.

 

[windsock]

I would recommend reading F-bombs's write up a couple of times.

Then have her ride a lot, a lot, a lot, and don't feel bad about dumping it. My wife took a few years before she got it down, and we had to purposely get her to dump it ( put it on its side) to get her to get the feel of it and where the point of no return was at. It isn't going to happen overnight. Have plenty of patience. One way or another that Polaris IQ chassis is gotta be one of the best for gals. Nice and tippy. Yes, that can be a danger sometimes when it dumps off camber on a hill.

Fine, I am proud, but check out the video and watch how she (120 lbs or something) move those skis/handle bars around to counter steer/balance the sled on edge. (this one doesn't have the rap music, sorry. Sarah carving the RMK 700

Longer video with dumps, deeper snow, music, etc. Most of her sledding is towards the end of this video. She is trying to do some one handed stuff now and do a quick wave. Funny to watch. But as F-bomb pointed out in drill # 2 above, you don't need a death grip. per F- bomb "Her hands should be easy on the grips with almost no pressure just steering the skis not strangling the grips. This is huge, most people are in a wrestling match to the death with their handlebars. They are they simply to correct the countersteer and to correct your balance should you fall forward or backward. This is why people get exhausted from free riding."

Nothing wrong with the sled set-up, just give it time and just be prepared to flip the sled back up 5-6 times per day for her, or more.

 

[trailtoy1993]

Nice write up Rob!

X2 on rotate bars back a touch tho. Helps alot with the sidehill. I notice instantly if I acidently shove the bars forward if I stuff a landing or something the sled gets way harder to ride. But, one time my bars slipped backwards and I never noticed til we stopped and I saw that they were laying back, sled just rode nice and easy to carve and sidehill.,

 

[skibreeze]

This sled is just super easy to make it do whatever you want it to. I am only 155 lbs and it is about balance, not brute force. Just get her to practice alot in areas where there aren't any hazards when she screws up.

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

I would recommend reading F-bombs's write up a couple of times.

Then have her ride a lot, a lot, a lot, and don't feel bad about dumping it. My wife took a few years before she got it down, and we had to purposely get her to dump it ( put it on its side) to get her to get the feel of it and where the point of no return was at. It isn't going to happen overnight. Have plenty of patience. One way or another that Polaris IQ chassis is gotta be one of the best for gals. Nice and tippy. Yes, that can be a danger sometimes when it dumps off camber on a hill.

Fine, I am proud, but check out the video and watch how she (120 lbs or something) move those skis/handle bars around to counter steer/balance the sled on edge. (this one doesn't have the rap music, sorry. Sarah carving the RMK 700

Longer video with dumps, deeper snow, music, etc. Most of her sledding is towards the end of this video. She is trying to do some one handed stuff now and do a quick wave. Funny to watch. But as F-bomb pointed out in drill # 2 above, you don't need a death grip. per F- bomb "Her hands should be easy on the grips with almost no pressure just steering the skis not strangling the grips. This is huge, most people are in a wrestling match to the death with their handlebars. They are they simply to correct the countersteer and to correct your balance should you fall forward or backward. This is why people get exhausted from free riding."

Nothing wrong with the sled set-up, just give it time and just be prepared to flip the sled back up 5-6 times per day for her, or more.

sweet vids..your wife looked like she was having the time of her life....

 

[polar765]

tippy iq

I moved my skis to the wide setting ,totally different sled not near as tippy ,I haven't noticed any problems side hilling ,maybe even makes it easier

 

[jcrjet]

F-Bomb has the best suggestions. Just to drive the point home, my 10 year old neighbor weighs about 60lbs, he can carve all day long on this thing. It has nothing to do with strength and everything to do with technique. The technique is counter intuitive, so don't feel bad if she doesn't get it at first. None of us do.

 

[rockin rmk]

My wife has the same sled and the same problems. When she is on a side hill she goes to slow and it gets tippy. have to remind her to use the throttle. to keep the momentum up