Paying to ride with the "big boys"

[Ed Fast]

It is obviously a growing trend to pay to be guided if you will by great riders who are featured in videos. I like the idea because you know you are going to be guided by people who know the area and can ride. I often wonder how many snowesters do this and if they think it is worth it. Also do they just ride or are they constantly trying to push their sponsors sh!t? I will most likely try to go to some new areas this year I will hire a guide just so I can figure out where the good riding is but am not sure if a local guide is better or not? I am just paying to ride with a name and stay at an expensive lodge? Would a guy be better off to research and find the local bada$$ rider and hire him? I guess I am looking for some input from experience, maybe it is worth it to drop 500 a day to ride with a big name, but is it still if I can find a local guide. I know Saratoga Inn has guides they bring in from the east and want to impress you with how fast they can trail ride. Not what I would be looking for. Is there such thing as an aggressive guide anywhere? Thanks,
Levi

 

[PowderCrew]

Something to keep in mind.... what your refering to as "famous guides" is in fact "rideing clinics". They dont just trail ride you around to all the pretty photo ops, they will push your capabilities and expand on your skills. "Guided" vs. "Rideing clinic w/ (whomever)".... 2 TOTALLY different animals. The question you should ask yourself is what do you want in your ride... scenic, laid back, lots of photo taking and lunch/rest breaks, a few scattered meadows to play in? or off-trail, boondocking, climbing, sidehilling, yanking & banking backcountry sledding that will probably have you thoroughly exhausted at the end of the ride? (but also AMAZED at both what you witnessed could be done on a sled as well as AWSTRUCK at the things YOU did that day outside of your "box"....)

 

[Ed Fast]

Agreed

I should have stated my goal more clearly sorry about that. I want to be pushed. Buddies only push you so hard. My question should have been stated are there guides that push you and ride hard or is it basically always the same mellow trip? Thanks

 

[PowderCrew]

I've guided in past years... guides 99% of the time will keep it safe. Considering many times there is a bigger group to deal with (now private guide is a different deal) and everyone is on RENTED sleds. A guide doesnt want a customer to point the finger at him for being in difficult country when a renter totals out a sled. Heck... renters have a hard enough time trail rideing! A guide may also be restricted by his employer as to how difficult terrain he can take you to on rented machines... regardless of how good you are? On your own sled.... your good to go. BUT... in that case, you might as well find a rider on the forums to hook up with for free? Unless your mtn skills arent up to snuff?... thats where the "new" rider clinics with professional riders come in. A "guide" will NEVER push you. ever....

 

[PowderCrew]

Think of it as taking driving lessons from: the guy your renting your car from at Enterprise... or Ken Block, Jimmy Johnson, etc...

 

[Ed Fast]

sledding

Fair enough. I can see that who would you go with for technical climbing type riding?

 

[PowderCrew]

Fair enough. I can see that who would you go with for technical climbing type riding?

Is there any other answer to that question? haha...

 

[INDEEP]

Fair enough. I can see that who would you go with for technical climbing type riding?

This guy:
http://www.krazycanadian.com/

 

[Ed Fast]

KK

That looks sweet it would be a long drive over a weekend. I might contact him and see what he says.

 

[89sandman]

hit up the riding area pages on here and see if you can find some locals who will take you along, probably for free. i'd state clearly what your riding abilities are, be honest, and exactley what kind of riding you are looking to do. i hook up with lots of people off this and other forums when they come to my area.

 

[Leaf27]

I guess there are two ways of looking at it.

1. Are you new to an area and need to find some locals to tag along with?

2. Are you wanting to be a better rider?

Different strokes for different folks, I would never pay for either.

If you want to find locals then join a snowmobile club.

If you want to be a better rider, then ride more. JM2C

Edit: 3. If your on a trip then I guess a guide would be the way to go, but only to take me to the sweet spots, not to teach me how to ride.

 

[Raff_9001M]

If money wasn't an object it would probably be fun to watch those elite riders live and in person. Otherwise it can fun to find new areas on your own. Might waste a trip to find the one good area but still worth it. As far as friends challenging, I would guess that comes down to each individual's desire to be better.

 

[Smoot]

I think it depends on where you go, I would think that every lodge or company that provides rentals and guides are totally different. I have worked as a "guide" for 6 years at a small lodge in northern utah called the beaver creek lodge, and am able to take customers on rides that push them to their limits all day if that's what they want. I get a kick out of pushing people to where they want to be, I can't stand the days where you just ride around on trails but its what I signed up for.. I wouldn't say we really teach people how to ride we just go do it and help you get out of sticky situations when the time arises.. I'm not saying I'm the most amazing rider there is by any means but I guarantee that people will see the best areas and be pushed to their limits, if that is what they are looking for. I would think it would be worth getting a guide just so you didn't have to mess around all day trying to figure the areas and where to go. You just hop on the sled, ride like crazy all day and enjoy snowmobiling to its fullest extent.

 

[m8magicandmystery]

if ya want to be the second best rider in the world...i will spend a minute or two with ya if im ever in your area..

 

[ACMtnCat]

I feel like I'm a pretty skilled rider and can sniff out the sweet spots most anywhere we go. But if i was looking to hire a guide in a different state or somewhere I felt I could ride on to off limits property or private property, I wouldn't hesitate to look for the best rider I could afford! I also am not so full of myself like crfed, that I think there's nothing to learn!

I was lucky enough to get hooked up with Matt Entz in S. Colorado one year! Just me and him out in some sick terrain that I would have never found by myself! Looking back on that day, I would pay good money to do it again! Super cool laid back humble dude that I very much enjoyed seeing tear it up!!! And push my skills to my limit!

That's where hiring a Pro rider pays off. They are there to teach you something! Not just take you to the cool spots. There is always a technique or move to learn!

Checkout Matt Entz in SOCO! @ mountainskillz.com You'll thank me later!

 

[-lenny-]

If you feel there is nothing for you to gain from a riding clinic, or guided riding, you are either the very best rider in the world, or incredibly conceited. My vote is for the latter. I look forward to my next riding clinic where I will learn new skills/techniques. Makes me a better rider and helps me enjoy my day.

 

[m8magicandmystery]

when this old dog figures out the 101 positions...then maybe i can focus on new sledding skills...lol..

 

[Jorli]

I can't speak for how the regulations are in the US, however in Canada, 99.999% of our riding is on Crown land and anyone that is guiding in the backcountry requires tenure to operate. Its well worth researching the various operations (including rider clinics) to find out whether they are operating legally and what their tenure has to offer. If anyone decides to check out Whistler, you'd likely be able to find 3 of the 24 riding areas that we have in the corridor and if you aren't used to high-magnitude terrain, you'd likely find it to be intimidating. There are significant penalties for participating in illegal operations and more importantly, there is no accountability for your safety if things go sideways. We have big mountains that can be extremely dangerous and the potential for serious problems is magnified when you aren't familiar with the area and don't have local knowledge of what risks exist and where. Chances are if the operation is illegal, the guides won't be certified in first aid or avalanche training and seeing as insurance is super expensive, they probably won't have that either. Having said this, we have some of the best riding on the planet so its definitely worth checking out.

My experience of working with a number of big name riders has thought me a tremendous amount about different riding styles and really opened my eyes in so many different ways. I highly recommend the various guiding/clinic services and would suggest trying various operators so you'll have many different perspectives and a greater opportunity to acquire knowledge.

 

[Lano]

Worth it!

Two years ago my wife bought me a three day ride with Chris Burandt @ Backcountry Adventures. Expensive trip but my riding improved to a new level and not because of one on one training. It was purely from trying to keep up with Chris all day! After three days of riding with him I was completely wore out and we never rode more than 50 miles in a day. Once we hit the trees it was non-stop all day until we were wore out.

Throughout the three days if you were struggling with a certain type of manuever Chris or Sayen would have good advice on how to correct it. If you have the money I would recommend doing it at least once. I will probably do it again somewhere in B.C. as it is a bucket list area to ride.

Lano

 

[Goin For Snow]

someday i will try it just to try it, but i sooooo much enjoy my clinics with my riding buds. Maybe we are more easily entertained.
Backpack, gps, some grub, beacon, a bunch of sleds more talented than the riders, and go.