Wrecked Sled - Needs to be recovered...

[Tahoeguy]

Hello, The community has helped me in countless ways with so much advice! Yet, I need more, please. If there is already extensive information on this kind of situation, please direct me there. Please forgive me for omitting so many details.

Recently, deep in the Sierra's, a mountain sled crashed into a tree, very hard. The person riding the sled was seriously injured. Luckily, a friend assisted the injured rider back to civilization and the rider recovered. However, the crashed sled was abandoned at the time of incident.

Later, the injured rider found out the area he was riding, where the sled is still located, is government land, closed to riding. The sled is located deep in the backcountry and is seemingly only accessible by foot or sled. The sled is very damaged, but somehow, it still starts and idles. It is facing downhill, down a very steep slope, up against the tree it hit. It is kinda hidden in the tree but it is somewhat visible.

Recovering the sled is a priority but there are many variables and associated issues. The owner of the sled doesn't want it being stripped for parts or being found by the authorities. As the poster of this story, I don't want to cross any legal lines or break any SnoWest rules. With that being said, there are people out there that can help. Any suggestions, please? Does one wait till winter and pull it out with a crew (unbelievably difficult)? Does one strip it piece by piece? Any help, tips, etc. is much appreciated!

 

[motojunkie101]

Hop on over to www.westcoastsledders.com. We have a bunch of locals to the sierra's that might be able to help you out.

 

[turbolq4]

Contract a helicopter. Most of the pilots are about half crazy and dont care what the government wants.

 

[Brett Slagle]

Hard to say without being there/seeing it. Helicopter is the quickest and most efficient way to go, but also quite spendy. If spending that money is not possible, I would wait till winter. A couple ideas:

Is the tunnel wrecked? If so, it may be a good idea to remove the vin.

When you are out there, remove all registration stickers. Really only relevant if the tunnel is wrecked and you are taking the vin off too.

Buy a camo/brown/green tarp and cover it well to protect from weather and also offer a base layer of hiding. I would then cover it in brush to make it really hard to see. I hid a sled for a summer once using this method and it worked great. My sled was on legal ground though, I was mostly just worried about theft/vandalism. It was basically impossible to know it was a sled... looked like a pile of sticks.

When you are out there, I would create the winter pull out plan and position the sled correctly for that, easier to move the sled without snow all around it. I have used a chainsaw wench on more than one occasion to get peoples sleds out. You can run them anywhere and they are powerful enough to pull a sled. You can strap them on the back of a sled easy too.

Beyond that, deal with towing it out. If you have dirt bikes, make the path in the summer and consider marking it to make the pull out even easier.

Whatever you do, make sure you leave no trace behind. Clean up all the parts and markers you place and most importantly, stay out of non sledding areas in the future. If anyone finds the sled, it will put a sour taste in their mouth for our sport leading to more land loss.

Good luck.

 

[Steelman]

Could you use two ATV's and get it out in the middle of the night? Use one to pull it out and the other to pack all the loose parts.

 

[Mtn-Track]

Just a guess, but is it a wilderness area? If so, NO motorized vehicles allowed, including anything in the airspace immediately above it. Any engine operating in the area will be your demon. Find a horse-logger or someone with an experienced draft-horse team to go in and drag it out. I believe that horses are allowed in a wilderness area without issue... and they're quiet...

 

[mattymac]

is the sled driveable or is that questionable at this point? I know many people that take parts, motors, suspensions, or whatever to fix their broke down sled inorder to get it out. I love doing this kind of thing along with some other buddies who are always in for an adventure! more details on the sled and its condition would help.

 

[Tahoeguy]

Thank you guys very much for such quick, helpful responses. Leaving no trace is the only way. I love Tahoe and have no intention of polluting this amazing area I call home. Although it is a great idea, helicopter seems unlikely for many reasons, including financial. Regardless, its worth looking into.

The tunnel is not wrecked. The engraved vin and all visible reg stickers were scraped off upon a return visit by foot. Other than the stickers and engraved vin on the tunnel, are there other id #'s that could be located? Could the sled be identified by an engine code?

The sled is already covered in logs and rocks, but not well at all; It is mostly just to skew the profile of the sled. The sled could be accessed and pulled out at night with a 4x4 ATV. I don't have one. However, the sled is in a wilderness area patrolled by the Forest Service and to get there, one has to cross private property as well. But like Mtn-Track said, "Any engine operating in the area will be your demon."

The horse idea is interesting. However, the citation is not just for riding the sled back there as it is also for being in possession of it back there. So I could still be cited for having it as a horse drags it out.

The sled is not driveable as-is. The pipe and y-pipe are toast. It cannot hold coolant but im not sure if that is due to a broken hose or something more serious. All of the plastic including the tub/side panels are broken. The angle the sled is at and its positioning in the tree, makes it tough to see how bad the damage to engine is. Last time I was there, i noticed the motor is slightly off the mounts.

I'm all for the recovery effort and it would be a privilege to take a crew back there. Yet, I know for certain that the area is patrolled. Thanks so much for all the information. Any additional insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[Jeff C]

pull the motor, and back pack the motor out........

Leave the rest.......

 

[Steelman]

I would say, that at this point you have two choices. 1. take the chance at night with ATV and get it out. 2. take off and pack out what you can and leave the rest.

Thank you guys very much for such quick, helpful responses. Leaving no trace is the only way. I love Tahoe and have no intention of polluting this amazing area I call home. Although it is a great idea, helicopter seems unlikely for many reasons, including financial. Regardless, its worth looking into.

The tunnel is not wrecked. The engraved vin and all visible reg stickers were scraped off upon a return visit by foot. Other than the stickers and engraved vin on the tunnel, are there other id #'s that could be located? Could the sled be identified by an engine code?

The sled is already covered in logs and rocks, but not well at all; It is mostly just to skew the profile of the sled. The sled could be accessed and pulled out at night with a 4x4 ATV. I don't have one. However, the sled is in a wilderness area patrolled by the Forest Service and to get there, one has to cross private property as well. But like Mtn-Track said, "Any engine operating in the area will be your demon."

The horse idea is interesting. However, the citation is not just for riding the sled back there as it is also for being in possession of it back there. So I could still be cited for having it as a horse drags it out.

The sled is not driveable as-is. The pipe and y-pipe are toast. It cannot hold coolant but im not sure if that is due to a broken hose or something more serious. All of the plastic including the tub/side panels are broken. The angle the sled is at and its positioning in the tree, makes it tough to see how bad the damage to engine is. Last time I was there, i noticed the motor is slightly off the mounts.

I'm all for the recovery effort and it would be a privilege to take a crew back there. Yet, I know for certain that the area is patrolled. Thanks so much for all the information. Any additional insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[polarisfornow]

is any of that even worth the risk? I haven't seen a mention of the type of sled. I think the cost of possible fines should be weighed against the value of the sled. I'm sure you would rather retrieve it but perhaps its time to cut your loses. If not I think the horse logger is the best idea. Drag it straight to legal land and then worry about a plan to actually get it out.

 

[Brett Slagle]

I don't think leaving it (or any portion if it) out there is the right idea. Yes, it may just be a pile of worthless trash, but it will eventually be found and will add to the list of reasons why snowmobilers are irresponsible. I live and ride in CA, so this being my backyard makes the topic hit home a bit more. The horse idea is great. Otherwise I would cover it up like a big gold nugget and wait until winter. All of those areas are patrolled much less frequently in winter. You could start your mission super early in the morning when there is a good firm snow base and be towing by sunrise if you prepped right this summer. Should be interesting however you decide to do it. Keep us posted.

 

[Anthony Oberti]

PM me where the sled is.

 

[spark'd]

Going at night with quads is a big no no the light and sound will travel for miles

 

[Steelman]

Going at night with quads is a big no no the light and sound will travel for miles

Understand, just trying to think what would be the fastest way in and out. I agree, the horse deal might be the best way now that I think about it.
Could a guy go in on horse and get all loose parts and bring out and then when winter gets here, you could grab and go and not have to worry about parts falling off. Would be nice to see a pic, but I understand that would probably not be a good thing. Please keep us posted

 

[Himark]

I know it could risk a ticket but honesty is best policy here IMO. My bro is a insurance adjuster and has seen cars go into deep canyons, airplanes crash into areas they shouldnt be and recovery can be expensive.

He told me they (ins. companies) will frequently contact national gaurd tell them situation and ask if they will recover as a practice mission. They frequently will do this. Worth a shot IMO.

 

[Mtn-Track]

Tracks in the snow would be just as bad as the sound of engines in the area and can be followed back to both ends.

It's really a shame that your sled 'got dropped' during a heli-lift recovery from a different location and ended up where it is.

Horses. I'm tellin' ya... even if it's in pieces...

 

[willgeorge]

how far in of a hike is it? if you went in with a few guys late at night you could possibly back pack it out piece by piece. take what you can carry and cover the sled up again. you could do multiple trips over a few days/weeks ect... and get it all out. it may take a little longer like this but if you plan it out right it might work better than trying to find someone with a horse or trying to fix/ride it out next winter, especially with the damage you said it has...

 

[Tahoeguy]

Unfortunately, I'm at work and I'm not in a position to respond appropriately to so many great replies. In the mean time, I would sincerely like to thank everyone who has replied! I am blown away by our amazing community and all the offers to help. As soon as I can, I will post some pics and respond to the posts. Thanks again!

 

[newmy1]

Turn it over to insurance and let them deal with it?


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