Is Sledding as a family sport dead?

[hilinerider]

i started taken my boy as at 3 yrs old on rides around home, wife never did catch on , heres pics of my boy now 11 5' 5" 120lbs, moved him up to my 03 800 this years, he likes it but he like the way my dragon handles better, might have to trade the edge on a 600cfi 155

 

[Dobber1]

My girls[1 wife 2 daughters]have been riding with me for years.We still spend as much time riding out West as a family as we can.All 3 started with small Yamahas and have moved up to M7s now.My advice for fun is give them the best stuff,sleds ,clothes,ect that they can handle and you can afford.If they are warm and having fun then so are you!
Cave

Hey Cave...only peeps in Utah need to let us know they have 1 wife...

How our family rolls now....

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[zitz]

i was up in the area of west yellow in feb. and it was a beautiful saturday. TONS of families on the trails, dad's with kids riding on same sled, moms with more kids riding. I was shocked and very impressed - they are out there, just not as much maybe...

 

[elf]

Our kids go with my wife and i all the time. My son, 6, rides in front of me and my daughter, 8, rides behind my wife on her 2 up. They also have a 120 that they tear up the yard with but can't go on trails with. I think next year I am going to look for an older 440 or maybe a indy lite for them. My son has already told me that when he's 12 he's getting a long track. I bet the 2 of them each put on over 1000 miles each year and have been going with since they were 1 1/2 and 3.

 

[retiredpop]

It's good to hear that families still ride together. There is still a huge problem with not having any new sleds put out for the age right after the kids are too big to ride with mom and dad. Too bad the manufacturers don't build a 3/4 model size for the tweeners. I'm sure they would sell like crazy but would be too expensive to build.

 

[UintaVentureBoys]

yeah family riding is still thriving in my opinion, if you ever get out towards the uintas pop give me a holler if your looking for some kid sleds.. 80's phazers and exciters are still a dime a dozen in my neck of the woods.. were always stumbling across sweet deals on older cruisers. my dad used to race back in his day and his old race buddies are always callin wondering if were interested in some classics. we might be able to give you a hand! keep on cruisin!

 

[sled_guy]

Last weekend was a family day for me. My brother and I took my 3 oldest boys riding. It was a spectacular day.

Canfield Boys

sled_guy

 

[sledchick]

My whole family likes to go ride, we don't go out much anymore because all of us kids are in school..plus I wanna get started in riding out west. I did a lot of riding this winter with friends, etc. I know that I'll want my kids to be involved in the sport, all in starting them out right

 

[ace44]

My family rides

We still ride trails and have a good time doing it. Got to keep the kids busy you know!

 

[PowderCrew]

Is sledding as a family dead?....NO!

 

[PowderCrew]

This was my 3 year old daughters first season experiencing "winter". Her mom took her back to California as a 1yr old and 2008 I finally got visitation for the first time in a year. I took her up on the mountain 3 times, all 3 times were for her...not just bringing her along as I ride. LOVED the sound and power of the 800! Loved being pulled behind on a sled, and loved her new "Snofox"! By mid winter next year hope to have her confident enough to handle a 120, then on to a phazer up to the Exciter. Cant wait til she hits 4 for next winter!

 

[bullitt]

We also ride as a family, every one from the Grandma's & Grandpa's to my four year old daughter and two year old son and every one else in between. We have a large family, details would overwhelm this post. Anyways family riding is one of the motivating factors behind us working on lauching a business to make some of the products which make riding as a family easier to find.
Anyway as a side note I also cringe when ever I read or hear about someone carrying kids in front of them on a sled. There is a good reason why items such as tekvests are so popular, it hurts when you hit the bars. Perhaps give some consideration to what may happen if a kid is in front of you.

 

[Bullheadmoto]

Cool thread. Snowmobiling has been and always will be family. Yep, there are more and more folks opting for longer tracks and heading west, east, to the UP and the Dakotas to get their snow and off-trail fix, but statistics born out that without the midwest trailriders, the industry meets a fairly fast demise. I am a back country rider at heart. But in MN alone, there are more miles of groomed trail than paved hwy.... 25,000 miles plus. No typo. And WI and MI are even more progressive and embracing of the sport than MN. I love what Premeir is doing. Go to any sled show or event and it is overrun with kiddos (which is awesome!) And I am dumbfounded by the number of people who are building their snoscoots up to performance levels with our parts and kits. My wife and I have been blessed with 6 (six!) kids and they all love the sleds. It is clear in my small brain that family is the core of snowmobiling's past, present and foreseeable future. Ride on, kids!

BHM

 

[R J]

I was thinking of this because of all the avy deaths this last year. Everyone seems to want to ride extreme backcountry terrain these days and that is no place to take the kids. On top of that it seems that more and more people look down on trail riding as a viable option. Is the family oriented sledding era over? Are there any families that go sledding as a family anymore? I'm talking about mom and dad taking the kids out for a day of sledding. .

1) The avy deaths are high but that in no way has effected the majority of the snow belt when it comes to riding with families or not, it may have effected some going out if they were directly affected but other then that I doubt it. There is vastly more areas then just what goes on in the few mountain states that is for sure.

2) Everyone doesn't ride extreem backcountry. Sure they talk like they do and they come on here like they do but when you get down to it why are there so few tracks in the extreem back country then? It's because more people talk then ride in those areas.

3) People don't look down on trail riding, people that ride in the mountains still ride trails, it's again a thing on perception. They ride the trails, complain when they are bumpy and not being groomed etc so trail riding is a very important part of everyones mountain riding agendas whether they admit it or not.

4) All snowmobiling has gone through a decline of late, it's only natural with the economy, high gas prices and less disposable income. It's still being done, just not on the levels that it once was for a family of four. Instead of every other weekend they may go a few times a year to a cabin or resort or try to ride around home. Remember MI WI and MN boast the highest sled registration rates of any state and have more miles combined then all the other states put together and possibly even Canada and their isn't much off trail to be had in those three states. Trail riding is VERY IMPORTANT, just doesn't have the glamor or danger attached to it that Mountain riding has received over the past few years.

 

[Scott]

NOT dead:

 

[m1000snowman]

Dead ???

Not in montana, here is my 4 year old, wait till he is 10...... and a M5 will do just fine,

 

[Killerk]

It depends on how you look at it.
I can see peoples financial situations having an effect on family snowmobiling, especially when all the young kids want/need their own sleds.
At the same time there are many other ways to enjoy snowmobiling and the outdoors with 1 or 2 sleds and a family.
Me, my brother, my dad, and our adopted brothers/friends ride on almost a weekly basis, and it is some of the best times I have, even if the snow sucks or we have mechanical issues.
I look forward to spending the weekend with my dad and brother and hope that at my dads age I can still enjoy sledding with my family and kids.

 

[depsnolvr]

This is a great thread. I have a very young family and hope to have them all sledding within a couple of years.

The pictures in this thread are priceless.

Here in Valemount, BC were are in the process of trying to extend our Family Loop riding area and are trying to provide more options for the entire family to ride. Its not all extreme riding that counts, and our areas have things to offer for everyone. This season we saw many many families still up on the hill and it was great to them. One family in particular comes our a few times a year with two boys on old ovations I believe. These kids have a blast and are learing great skills they will be able to use when they are able to upgrade machines.

 

[justpinit]

I enjoy the outings with the family for a day of trail riding & ice fishing just as much as the days out rippin' it up with the boys in the mountains.

Nothing better than sitting out on a lake and watching both of my girls (6 & 11) ripping around on their own sleds!! They just ride & ride & ride......only time the sleds stop is when they need to come back for gas or when they're stuck in the "deep powder" at the edge of the lake!!

The old Exciter 440 below has taught over a dozen kids to ride since my Dad bought it new in Dec. 1979......and the 6 yr old girl on the left will inherit it when she's done with her 120. My 11 yr old will step up to a full-size sled next winter. I have a Cat ZL500 in the shed for her already and a 141X2" track ready to go on it this summer!! She's so pumped that she keeps asking me to open the shed just so she can go sit on it!!

We also enjoy winter camping during the sled season and in the summer we camp out with the boats (ski/wake & alum 12' for fishing), quads, & dirt bikes!!

 

[kevinscof]

Ive been taking my kids riding with me for years. My 11 yr old daughter has a 94 AC Jag 440 and it does her great. My 18 yr old daughter has a 96 AC EXT 580 and does great with it. I take them into the hills and find nice open valleys and turn em loose to play all they want and I can climb the hills right next to the valleys and still see them and they can see me. Works out very nicely.