Sled skiing tips/questions

[Jlager]

Thanks for all the replies

I'm starting to realize 4 people and one sled is a bad idea. I will personally be bringing my ski skins though so I can easily hike out if the sled breaks down and get some help.

I think I may have also just found a riding buddy too so I should be good.

Where we'll be riding is an extremely popular place to ride so there's likely a bunch of people around. Not that'd I'd rely on them to come get me out of trouble but still, it's nice to have.

 

[kartorium]

Good to hear.

Sledders are actually really friendly and helpful for the most part. Riding in a popular place has that advantage, if you need help there are likely guys around that can and are willing to lend a hand. I've been in a bad situation with a friend's sled at baker (his motor seized) and without the help and knowledge of the sledders there that day we would have been screwed.

 

[Barrettc]

All good tips....Avy Gear and knowing how to use it. Its not like the resort where patrol controls. Faces load with wind and will go big. We always start on mellow terrain and check NWAC for avy conditions.

 

[Shralpingthegnar]

Sled Skiing Pointers

I'm going on eight seasons of sled skiing/snowboarding in the Tahoe area and I've learned a few things.
~Snowmobiling in ski boots sucks. "Cat tracks" ski boot protectors will give you a little more traction. Salomon's ghost boot has rubber under-foot and works very well. Bringing ski boots in a bag on your tunnel can work, but only if you only want to do a couple of long runs, otherwise you're just wasting your time. Snowboard boots and gear in general is simply much more convenient to sled with all around. One obvious advantage being if you end up having to hike, good luck if all you have is ski boots.

~Skis on backpacks: Suck. Snowboards will still hurt your back after a long day, but skis on your back are just hazardous. Get a good rack (cfr if you have the money, or backcountryadventuregear if you dont)

~Bring Food/Water/Warm Clothes/Shovel/Beacon/Phone/Radio/Extra Belt Everytime, even if you're just going to "F around behind the house". That's always when bad things happen in my experience.

~Watch any good sledder, the handlebars of their sleds never go very far away from their hips. Keep your hips close to your bars!

~Know where you are going, either by going with someone else or using GPS. Nothing worse than counting on following your tracks back only to find them crossed over by other sleds or a storm.

~ Good habits to get into. A. Fill up the sled tank all the way whenever you go ride. B. Fill up the oil everytime you ride.

 

[Jlager]

I'm going on eight seasons of sled skiing/snowboarding in the Tahoe area and I've learned a few things.
~Snowmobiling in ski boots sucks. "Cat tracks" ski boot protectors will give you a little more traction. Salomon's ghost boot has rubber under-foot and works very well. Bringing ski boots in a bag on your tunnel can work, but only if you only want to do a couple of long runs, otherwise you're just wasting your time. Snowboard boots and gear in general is simply much more convenient to sled with all around. One obvious advantage being if you end up having to hike, good luck if all you have is ski boots.

~Skis on backpacks: Suck. Snowboards will still hurt your back after a long day, but skis on your back are just hazardous. Get a good rack (cfr if you have the money, or backcountryadventuregear if you dont)

~Bring Food/Water/Warm Clothes/Shovel/Beacon/Phone/Radio/Extra Belt Everytime, even if you're just going to "F around behind the house". That's always when bad things happen in my experience.

~Watch any good sledder, the handlebars of their sleds never go very far away from their hips. Keep your hips close to your bars!

~Know where you are going, either by going with someone else or using GPS. Nothing worse than counting on following your tracks back only to find them crossed over by other sleds or a storm.

~ Good habits to get into. A. Fill up the sled tank all the way whenever you go ride. B. Fill up the oil everytime you ride.

Thanks for the advice!

We just headed out today for the first time although not bringing skis. Got stuck lots since we just had 4ft of snow in the last couple days but it was tons of fun still.

I was in snow boots but my friend was in ski boots. He said it wasn't so bad but somewhat slippery.

I do have cat tracks for my ski boots but know how often they like to fall off walking on hardpack I'm not sure I'd trust them to stay on in deep snow.

I did read about someone buying these things called overshoes, specifically these ones: http://www.overshoe.com/Pages/Product.aspx?category=Non-Insulated&cat=HLS-OVERSHOE&pid=VIS1 in XXXL to go over the ski boots and then when you're skiing, they come off really easy and fold up well to put in your pack. Sounds like they would work quite well. Switching to snowboarding is not happening

A few things I learned from today:

- Don't go alone!!! Especially not until you have some experience. We got stuck really good and would have spent hours there if we hadn't previously met up with a guy from this forum who showed us lots of getting unstuck techniques.

- Get a full-face helmet. Got very close to smashing my chin on the handlebars when riding downhill and hitting a bump. This may become less necessary with more experience and the style of riding you're doing. For sled-skiing if you're just going up and down the same track several times it may not be as necessary. I'm looking into getting a Mountain Bike downhill helmet since they're lighter and not as annoying for skiing as I'm assuming a heavier insulated snowmobile helmet would be.

- Wear layers that you can take off. Got really hot digging the sled out

Got lots of learning left to do but I think I'm definitely hooked. I had so many ski lines picked out for next time I get up there and bring the skis. Goodbye lift tickets!

 

[Carbon77]

I have the overshoes. They work good but need to be replaced after 20 or so rides. Still nothing compares to snowmobile boots

 

[Goinboardin]

Thanks for the advice!

We just headed out today for the first time although not bringing skis. Got stuck lots since we just had 4ft of snow in the last couple days but it was tons of fun still.

I was in snow boots but my friend was in ski boots. He said it wasn't so bad but somewhat slippery.

I do have cat tracks for my ski boots but know how often they like to fall off walking on hardpack I'm not sure I'd trust them to stay on in deep snow.

I did read about someone buying these things called overshoes, specifically these ones: http://www.overshoe.com/Pages/Product.aspx?category=Non-Insulated&cat=HLS-OVERSHOE&pid=VIS1 in XXXL to go over the ski boots and then when you're skiing, they come off really easy and fold up well to put in your pack. Sounds like they would work quite well. Switching to snowboarding is not happening

A few things I learned from today:

- Don't go alone!!! Especially not until you have some experience. We got stuck really good and would have spent hours there if we hadn't previously met up with a guy from this forum who showed us lots of getting unstuck techniques.

- Get a full-face helmet. Got very close to smashing my chin on the handlebars when riding downhill and hitting a bump. This may become less necessary with more experience and the style of riding you're doing. For sled-skiing if you're just going up and down the same track several times it may not be as necessary. I'm looking into getting a Mountain Bike downhill helmet since they're lighter and not as annoying for skiing as I'm assuming a heavier insulated snowmobile helmet would be.

- Wear layers that you can take off. Got really hot digging the sled out

Got lots of learning left to do but I think I'm definitely hooked. I had so many ski lines picked out for next time I get up there and bring the skis. Goodbye lift tickets!

Alot of the sled helmets I've been checking out lately are not heavy at all, just don't get the kind with a shield. As far as our riding style not warranting a helmet...around here it seems my buddies and I are the ones breaking trail to get up high (lots of WOT), then the sledders come in behind an hour later once they've tracked out smaller hills and meadows (not every time, just more often than not). So while we don't generally jump sleds, **** can get wild really quick and a helmet is a good idea regardless of experience level.

Thats awesome you met up with someone to teach you some un stuck tricks. My first day in the Mtns was probably alot like yours. We didn't plan on riding boards, just learning a little about how to make the sled go left, right, up, stop, and fortuneately someone showed us how to best dig sleds out too. I've been sledding since I was kid, but that did not matter once I went from Indy 400s in northern MN to RMK 6 and 8s in CO. I'm only on my third year of this, but still learning lots.

 

[scootdog]

Dude wish this forum would've been started years ago. Lots of good info on here. Been sled skiing for few years yes you will learn something every year and get better. It takes time and there is a learning curve. Keep your expectations real on the terrain you want to ride. I always bring a backcountry setup with skins. If you can't get up with sleds at least they save energy getting to zone and then hike up and ski down.

Rack CFR will carry 2 skis/snowboards. Rolled sled a few times with skis on no damage to sled or skis. Rack will fit a boot bag with ski boots in it just bungee it down. I ride snomo boots to zone and shuttling up track then switch to ski boots for riding down.

Canadian style 2 dudes on each side is way to go. Both knowing how to ride will help.

Haven't tried setting up track by going downhill only a few times but makes sense. Will put nice even track for tandem up hill. Ride in Tahoe we have no snow haven't even been trail riding this year.

Get a good group of riding buddies teamwork is key in the backcountry. I would recommend one per sled getting to zone. That way if conditions suck you can't tandem up to ski at least everyone can rip around on sleds having fun. Everyone should take AVY course and AVY gear all the time. It only takes a weekend and is worth your life.

Helmet I have one of these.
http://www.giro.com/us_en/snow/snow-helmets/ski/remedytm-s.html

They also make one for Mountain biking with more venting good for spring time.

Also buy a repair manual for your sled It has alot of good info from basics all the way up to complete rebuild of your engine. Get to know your sled a little it will help when you break down in the BC. It will happen have a tow rope to pull a sled out.

When you have one of those magical days with good snow and lots of ski runs you'll be stoked.

 

[kartorium]

This weekend I had to break a road in up to our drop point in basically 3 feet of pow. I made it 3/4 way up with the first punch, got stuck, let my sled cool down and turned around to cut the trail flatter and wider. I cut the trail wider to the inside (closer to the uphill slope) and went real slow. The next pass up I made sure not to dig at all and just maintained momentum. Once I got passed my first stuck point I started cutting trail again and made it to the top, but hammered into a wind lip on the turn around.

While I was getting unstuck at the top, one of my buddies came up to the top by himself and made it with a little bit of work. Then two of my buddies doubled up and tried to go all the way. The first section (of which I made a pass down) went really smooth for them. As soon as they got to my first stuck point they were all over the damn place and tried to keep going. Five stucks later and over 30 minutes and they were nearly at the top.

Lesson learned, just wait until the trail is broken in. Those two were pretty tired by mid day after having to dig out so many times, and were not in a good mood. This was a great example of how well making a pass or two down the trail works and how it can impact your day.



I was breaking trail on a 153, the other two guys were on 162's . Lesson # 2; track size will only get you so far and don't party too hard the night before cause you'll be regretting it on that epic deep day following!

Practice. Knowing your sled, yourself, and being comfortable with making quick decisions is essential. If you can't get to the zone without wearing yourself out, then there's not much point in having the sled for skiing. Take some time and go sledding just to go sledding, push yourself, try new techniques, and that way you'll get to the goods so much faster on the ski day.

Also, if your sled starts vibrating/shaking violently, check your belt. It might be about to blow!

 

[rhalloran]

It was mentioned earlier - throttle is your friend. Very true; it was also mentioned earlier to "commit" to whatever it is you're trying to get the sled to do.

THAT'S a big one - time and time again, I'm helping my non-sledder-skiing-friends try to get the hang of this, and the one thing they ALL fail miserably at, before and after they figure out how much throttle is "too much," is commitment.

For some reason, they'll get started OK - last weekend, we were riding a combination of cat-road and singletrack sled trail; up the sled trail, onto a catroad, then back off the catroad onto another singletrack, shortcutting a switchback. They'd turn onto the singletrack (90d right turn onto a fairly steep hill), get the sled fully off the catroad/onto the singletrack (nicely packed), then they'd LIFT.

Whole thing grinds to a halt, and if they tried to regain momentum, trench, singletrack ruined.

ONCE you HAVE _some_ momentum, DON'T GIVE IT UP!

I don't know why new people do that - get the sled started, things are good, maintain/increase throttle, away you go.....but no, they back out of the throttle as soon as things are working. I don't get it. It probably took me a while to learn, too. Dunno. Commit to it - figure out where you're going to go, add gas, get moving, then add MORE gas - don't blow the track out from under it, just maintain/drive up.

So freaking easy once you "get" it, but for some reason, it takes a while to get it through their heads.

Nothing really to contribute, beyond the trend I've noticed with new sledders - they'll get the ball rolling pretty well, THEN stop. Argh.


RH