All things snowmobile

[schteve_d]

Any hardcore, or "hobbyist" sledders in the group?

Just getting into the mountain side of the sport. Bought a new Pro RMK at the end of the season last year and haven't had much of a chance to ride it so I'm really looking forward to this season! Friend of mine is at the same stage as I am and bought a Summit.

We've bought all the avalanche gear and have got the training booked, but I know enough people that have gone and got themselves, or seen someone else, get into trouble that it still scares the crap out of me. Hopefully scares me enough! 3/4 of all BC avalanche victims in the last five years have been us stupid Alberta males!

I have some mountain sledding friends but I kind of know their style and am not sure they would be our best guides to get started. Looking for some resort recommendations in BC or perhaps northern Idaho area. Thinking of doing two or three trips after our avalanche training, guided, to get a good handle on things before we start going ourselves. Looking for the "all-inclusive" kind of thing: accommodations, meals, guide, etc. Places like this: carlkuster.com

Having bought a quad and really got into that a few years ago, I've really got into the trail thing too. Had my sled out on the trails up here to finish last season and it's not ideal having a 155" track but still had some fun. We have a great trail system up here that is looked after by a local club. Even thinking about picking up a cheap used sled more suited to trail riding and getting more into that too.

So basically I'm interested in chatting all things sled-related! Wound up for the start of the season!

[woob]

There's a couple good Sledding forums out there that you may know of already. I browse SnoWest forums, purely from a learning about things point of view and watching the Swap Meet sections. You might be able to find a larger group there to tag on with for your first few trips out.

I'm not in the sport myself (don't have a sled) but have been thinking about getting into Snow-biking. Went out sledding last year in the Fernie area and it was an absolute blast. Biggest thing I noticed in talking with both the guys I was riding with and other groups out there, is always check in with your group regularly. One group was actually looking for a guy who hadn't checked in, and it turned out the guy had mixed up and thought everyone was heading back down the trail to the trail head. Took them about an hour to track him down, but you could tell they were all really stressed out.

Sounds like you're going about it the right way with the training and then finding a larger group to go with until you get comfortable going out with just you and a friend.

[chedder]

Have heard good things about weirboondocking.com out of Fernie. Not sure if they do accommodations. The Fernie area has lots of great riding for all skill levels.

[OMG!WTF!]

That's awesome you have a passion for this. I hope it's a wicked snow season. I know a few spots that are popular with snow mobilers if you need a suggestion or two. I think an over night trip on the great divide trail would be fun. I've heard there are a few viable cabins along the way.

I worry about avalanches though. Taking a course is great and knowing how to use the gear is really important. But there is no substitute for experience. And the reality is you're riding a heavy, vibrating, wedge. They're basically designed to create avalanches. Analyzing snow layers is really interesting and helpful but not definitive. A solid focus on terrain will at least keep you out of the worst spots. A sneeze can trigger a slide. Stay safe and well away from all loaded slopes.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

A sneeze can trigger a slide.

It really can't.

[indes]

If you take the time to look where you're going, it's really easy to spot an avalanche shelf. The weather is the biggest indicater, if it's been warm recently then it's good to be cautious.

I'm not sure if Castlegar has what you're looking for, but there are a ton of places to go sledding.

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by chedder

Have heard good things about weirboondocking.com out of Fernie. Not sure if they do accommodations. The Fernie area has lots of great riding for all skill levels.

Thanks. That looks exactly like what I'm looking for. Want to go to a few places like this and try some different areas and terrains with a guide.

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by woob

I'm not in the sport myself (don't have a sled) but have been thinking about getting into Snow-biking.

Those things look like a blast! I was just talking to a guy the other day that is big into it and he was saying that he used to be a big snowmobiler but after one time out on a snowbike he could never go back.

[schteve_d]

Does anyone have a trail sled that they really like? Starting to look around for a used trail sled, probably 2-4 years old. I'm a bit of a Polaris fanboy - both my quad and mountain sled are Polaris - but I don't really like their trail sleds too much.

Want something with the ability to carry a passenger and the option to tow a skimmer of supplies into a cabin. Does that limit me to a widetrack? would mostly be used for exploring trails though - at moderate to higher speeds.

[Tron_fdc]

I sled quite a bit (or at least try to.....kids have made it complicated).

What year is your RMK? Why Polaris? Did you look at the new XM's? Reason I ask is the new XM is far, far easier to maneuver thn the older machines, including the new RMK's. The sleds from 10-12 years ago are garbage compared to sleds made from 07-2015, and the new XP's are far superior to the 02-2015 summit machines.

The closest decent sled area is probably Castle Mountain. You can stage right from the parking lot, and it's not a difficult ride at all. Plus it's close to end of day beers at the tbar pub, which is a BIG bonus. Lots of trails, and lots of variations in terrain from beginner to expert.

Corbin/Pipeline as well as Inn on the Border are decent as well (right in Crowsnest Pass and Sparwood). I find there's not as much snow there though. I've never been to Elko but I want to check it out, heard great things about it.

Fernie has a lot of zones, but I'm not going to tell you where because that's where I go! Morrissey is OK (there is a cat skiing operation down there) and a few other zones here and there close to Jaffray.

If you want to do a guided tour check out Glacier Lodge in Revy. Revelstoke is a bit if a mecca, so the trails are groomed and there is UNLIMITED terrain. Everything from beginner to pucker your arsehole expert. Shuswap has plenty of terrain to explore too.

As far as avi gear, I would recommend an ABS bag, and a very good beacon. I've never been involved in a recovery (thank god!) but I have dropped a few avy's and been in some pretty sketchy terrain. The thing with sleds that you need to understand is that they are incredibly fast, so you can quite quickly get yourself into different aspects with totally different conditions than what you may have tested. Keep it in mind, stay away from open bowls when the conditions are poor, and download the Avalanche Canada app.

Have fun, ride sober and don't do anything "stupid". At the very least you run the risk of wrecking your machine, let alone hurting yourself.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by schteve_d

Does anyone have a trail sled that they really like? Starting to look around for a used trail sled, probably 2-4 years old. I'm a bit of a Polaris fanboy - both my quad and mountain sled are Polaris - but I don't really like their trail sleds too much.

Want something with the ability to carry a passenger and the option to tow a skimmer of supplies into a cabin. Does that limit me to a widetrack? would mostly be used for exploring trails though - at moderate to higher speeds.

If you're looking for a workhouse look at a Skandic. Legendary torque and durability, but slooooooow (or at least the old ones are). For just touring with the wife on the back check out Skidoo Grand Touring. They're not going to climb everest, but they're comfy for trail riding.

[schteve_d]

Thanks for all the info Tron. I will do some checking out. That Glacier House looks perfect for what we are after! I am fairly familiar with the areas of BC as I am originally from there but just have never been a mountain sledder. Castle mountain looks good too as it's about as close to me as possible for good area. I'm lucky in that I work an 8 and 6 shift so it's no problem to get away and I look forward to doing it many times this season!

I did buy an ABS bag, good beacon, probe, two shovels.

The sled is a 2016 PRO RMK. When i was shopping for a quad my buddy worked at a polaris dealer and turned me into a Polaris fanboy, and I guess I've just stuck with it.

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

If you're looking for a workhouse look at a Skandic. Legendary torque and durability, but slooooooow (or at least the old ones are). For just touring with the wife on the back check out Skidoo Grand Touring. They're not going to climb everest, but they're comfy for trail riding.

I've ridden one of my bosses Skandics into his cabin a few times. Great sled but more of a workhorse than I'm after. I'd say I'm 80/20 fun/workhorse! He tows a lot of heavy materials into his cabin so he's got three of them.

[Tron_fdc]

If you catch Revy on a big snow day, your head will explode. I've ridden it when you couldn't even get up the groomed trail after a meter overnight. It was full throttle all day just to get around and not get stuck.....which meant CONSTANT face shots and digging, and a ton of guys running out of gas all day!

[flamesfan1297]

Cool too meet another snowmobiler on here! I've got a 2009 Arctic Cat m1000. I just bought mine at the start of last winter, and convinced my dad to buy one soon after.

It's an absolute blast! Some of the most fun I've ever had is on the sleds and it's a great hobby for me and my dad to do together. It's a little expensive to get into, but so worth it.

[woob]

FYI: We used Topo Maps Canada when we were out there. It's a great app that lets you download topo maps for the area you're going to be in. Then, when you're out there, you use the GPS on your phone to see your location is and you can set way points as you go. We dropped one in the parking lot where we staged from, and then dropped them every time we stopped. Great app and super easy to use.

[MJK]

I've always been an avid snowmobile. Had some kinda "hardcore" riding about 10 years ago when I lived in NL. Here is a pic that made a couple magazines. Nothing hardcore about this picture but i think it turned out quite nice.



I have traded in the jumps and drops for a beast now that I live in Nunavut. Snow is like concrete here and no hills here I live so my snowmobile now is for hunting. I've owned the following sleds:

Polaris Star Lite 250 (eventually caught fire)
1994 Ski-Doo MX 470
2003 700 Firecat F7 SnoPro
2006 700 Firecat F7 SnoPro

This is when the move to Nunavut happened...

2005 Yamaha Venture 600
2011 Ski-Doo Etec 600 X
2014 Ski-Doo Grand Touring 550f

Current sled is...
2015 Ski-Doo Enduro 4Tech 1200

I have always loved snowmobiling and certainly have preferences for what I buy. I would rate the brands as follows:

1. Ski-Doo
2. Arctic Cat
3. Yamaha
4. Polaris

I have seen so many crappy Polaris in the last 20 years or so I will never ever buy one. The Ski-Doo and Arctic Cat sleds never let me down. The AC Firecat's were very tough but gave the old school ride, not rider forward like newer sleds.

I use a Garmin Montana GPS and have a slick set up:


The best thing about Ski-Doo is their accessories and the LinQ system. Basically you can mix and match accessories to fit based on what you want/need.

I love snowmobiling!