Snowmobile skiers hurting the image of snowmobiling?

[rhalloran]

Hey all - my 14yo daughter has a friend whose family are "snowmobilers." He told my kid that his family "does not like snowmobile skiers because they make snowmobilers look bad."

Now, we're snowmobile skiers. I know lots of snowmobilers don't LIKE us, for one reason or another, but I can't wrap my head around how we're hurting the image of snowmobilers/snowmobiling.

Thoughts?

 

[polaris dude]

ignorance is bliss(on that kids part).

 

[kidwoo]

It must be because skiers wear brighter clothes and it makes everyone sledding in blacked out motorfist and klim uniforms feel insecure.

It's because snowmobilers that carry ski poles have an extra weapon and it looks intimidating when they joust each other.

Ski boots hurt worse when they kick you in the shins so skiers always win the mid-meadow gang warfare showdowns between the two.




With as much info as you provided as to why he would say that, I'm just going to keep making shlt up because it's more fun.

 

[rhalloran]

That's all the info I have, unfortunately - pressed the kid for more details, "that's what he said" she told me. No specifics. The family in question rides Polaris, that much I know.

Dunno. Strange.

No harm, no foul - they're friends, was a passing comment, the kid and I find it funny, all is right in the world, but I just can't imagine a 14 year old boy making that one up on his own.

 

[kidwoo]

The only serious answer that would even remotely make sense to me is that sled skiers track things up that skiers without sleds wanted to ski.

But then that's skiers that own sleds, not 'snowmobilers'.

I have no idea. It's kind of a weird comment without any elaboration from the grown up who said it.

 

[rhalloran]

Yeah. I had the opportunity to meet dadman (the adult I suspect gave him the idea.....) last week while dropping the rats off for a highschool dance, but chucky (my kid) did not bother telling me that it was him til the morning AFTER - "you should have asked that-kid's-dad while at Gracie's house!"

had I KNOWN...har. Teenagers are a weird breed. They'll tell you something which leads to a PAINFULLY obvious (to us) follow-up question, and their response is "I dunno."

"A kid got attacked by a seagull today at school!"

"yow, is that kid ok?"

"I dunno...."


argh. punkass chuckies.

 

[snengineer]

sled skiers are great for sledding, they bridge the gap on a lot of differences between the two. They only last a few seasons before they are no longer skiers and just ride sleds anyway.

 

[rmscustom]

sled skiers are great for sledding, they bridge the gap on a lot of differences between the two. They only last a few seasons before they are no longer skiers and just ride sleds anyway.

Absolutely, I ride with a few and they are great ambassadors for the sledding community. If every skier would give a sled a fair chance we would have way less closures to fight.

 

[bnorth]

From my experience, at least around here, sled skiers view themselves as skiers that rely on sleds for access. They still view sledders as "meatheads." Most of them don't sled up to the bowls though they still skin up and tour in.

 

[rhalloran]

From my experience, at least around here, sled skiers view themselves as skiers that rely on sleds for access. They still view sledders as "meatheads." Most of them don't sled up to the bowls though they still skin up and tour in.

Agreed. There's certainly some internal strife between skiers who use sleds and the hardcore mountain sledder set. I don't get it, but what do I know. Thing is, this kid was saying that the skiers who use sleds hurt the image of _snowmobilers_ - I'm not sure the non-snowmobilers make the distinction, and if anything, I'd think that the skiers who use sleds would HELP the perception of snowmobilers as a group.

??? Dunno.

 

[Scott]

I know a kid who is NOT a sledder and leans on the greenie side. And he's herbally green. And he's a snowboarder.

Ran into him at Lolo Pass getting ready to hike in for a day of shredding. I managed to somehow have a waterski rope in my truck.

I offered to give him a tow to his hill (was only a mile or so).

I towed him in to his hill and ended up pulling his buddies for a couple hours.
They made twice as many runs down the hill that day and they were more tired and said it was one of their best days.


Next time I saw him, he had some old beat up 10year old sled in his pickup.

LOL

 

[kidwoo]

There's certainly some internal strife between skiers who use sleds and the hardcore mountain sledder set.

There is? Based on what?


Being both, I just have a problem with dumba$$es, regardless of their activity.

Dumba$$ sledders who blow by wilderness signs right in front of people, dumba$$ skiers who drop in on top of other people on convex loaded slopes......

I disciminate but it's not based on the vehicle

Either way, both groups need places to take their sleds so there's way more common ground than either group might want to admit. I get pissed off at anyone with a sled who endangers that.

 

[snengineer]

I know a kid who is NOT a sledder and leans on the greenie side. And he's herbally green. And he's a snowboarder.

Ran into him at Lolo Pass getting ready to hike in for a day of shredding. I managed to somehow have a waterski rope in my truck.

I offered to give him a tow to his hill (was only a mile or so).

I towed him in to his hill and ended up pulling his buddies for a couple hours.
They made twice as many runs down the hill that day and they were more tired and said it was one of their best days.


Next time I saw him, he had some old beat up 10year old sled in his pickup.

LOL

EXACTLY!!!! case and point. Don't be a DB to skiers and you never know what karma will come your way.

Usually it just takes a little time and everyone gives in eventually. Sleds>Skis

 

[Goinboardin]

Kind of a funny thread. Some of the deep days I've been out, see the sledders playing down low, we pass by, set in the trail to the higher stuff, and they follow our track up later. Maybe we're making em look bad because we're more eager to get into the steeps!?

I'm sure the riders I've seen do this are the noobs...many guys utterly school my friends and I on sleds, and we probably only see the core sledders at the trailhead..

I too feel we (sled-skiers/boarders) do have the ability to "bridge a gap" between sledders and the wackos that like to XC ski the sled trails.

 

[rhalloran]

There is? Based on what?

Lots of comments here, for starters. I've had two decidedly unpleasant experiences with sledders when I pointed out they were riding in a no-sled area.

It is not _rampant_, but between various comments I've seen here and my firsthand experience with guys who don't think the rules apply to them, yeah, I think there's a small core of _sledders_ who don't really care for the sled-skiers.

 

[Jay]

I guess it was many years ago, late one day heading down myself and two friends with me ran across ski tracks messing up my mountains. Hmm I thought, who's messing up my mountain with skis??? So I followed them a couple of miles to a snowmobile cabin the local club has. This cabin is fairly remote, located on the edge of a hill in open rolling alpine. Well theres skis and gearbags and crap stacked outside the cabin, the lights are on and the fires going so I head straight in to see whats going on. Inside there is 4 young guys, 20ish, dug in for the night. They had plans for skiing/snowboarding the surounding hills the next day. I informed them there was no overnighting in the cabin, maybe they should have checked with the club first, your burning the firewood I personally hauled up last summer. GRRRR There was an akward silence for a minute and I said well I'm here and the fires going I believe I'll have a beer, anyone want one? Well a couple of them said ya sure, then one pulls out a bottle of rum and says want one?? Long story short the 7 of us had a great time, I made 4 new friends and didn't get home till very late. I don't think they got a real early start the next morning. Really we're all out to just have fun and if you can just break the ice it's all good. Turned out to be one of my favourite memories of sledding. Actually years later I was in a first aid class and one of the guys in the class was one of the guys from the cabin that night, it was one of those "don't I know you?" things, he brought in some pics the next day from that night and I had to laugh all over again.

 

[snowmobiler]

alot of snowmobile people are richy snobs.i never met a sledskier that wasnt friendly

 

[freeflorider]

Ugh

alot of snowmobile people are richy snobs.i never met a sledskier that wasnt friendly

Really? You must ride in a unique area. I Haven't met any riders in my area that aren't helpful or willing to lend a hand if needed. I find most of us here are pretty respectable in the sledding world. I'm sure there are a few out there but they end up riding alone.
As for the sled/skiers mmmmm...for years (25) as a rider I have yet to find back country skiers in the areas I ride, but in the last 5-10 years there seems to be more and more. I have no problem with them being there but I find it outrages that I'm being targeted by this group and there ability to convince joe public that areas should be closed to motor sports and be given to the back country skiers, especially when they take over are cabins that sledders have been maintaining for years.

silly as this sounds I think maybe we as sledders should be aloud to ride randomly around the ski hills! Point taken yet?
I think the only way this can work is if we all share the areas or perhaps one day our stupid governments will turn it all into a park...CLOSED FOR USE....

 

[snowmobiler]

Really?

true.when i broke down and started walking out,had 3 groups of sledders drive by.1 stopped and said sorry i dont have a spare belt,cant help you and watched me continue walking down the trail...

only a friendly sledskier stopped that day and helped a brokedown bro.

 

[Bowfisher]

true.when i broke down and started walking out,had 3 groups of sledders drive by.1 stopped and said sorry i dont have a spare belt,cant help you and watched me continue walking down the trail...

only a friendly sledskier stopped that day and helped a brokedown bro.

I'd never let somebody walk out or drive past anybody that I thought was in need of assistance. Everybody that I ride with would go out of their way to help any stranger that needed it. I've met a few people on the hill though that were complete a$$holes that wouldn't give you the time of day if they thought you weren't a local boy.