Have the right equipment
for the area you are riding
in. In the backcountry,
you need beacons, shovels,
probe, tools, food, water, etc.
And bring the camera for the
sick jumps and drops.
-Jeremy Simmons
Ten things not to do in the
backcountry
10) Don’t wear cotton under
your sled clothing (you will
be wet and cold all day).
9) Don’t leave the truck without
telling someone where you
are going and when you’re
coming home.
8) Don’t ride without a spare
belt and your tool kit.
7) Don’t leave the house unless
you know you’re batteries
are good in your transceiver.
6) Don’t ride without knowing
how to efficiently use your
transceiver.
5) Don’t ride without a shovel
and overnight essentials.
(matches, emergency blanket,
knife, twine, Leatherman,
porto-saw).
4) Don’t highmark above your
friends.
3) Don’t leave without food
and water.
2) Don’t leave your friends,
keep them in sight.
1) Don’t park your sled under
an avalanche path, no
exceptions!
-Rob Hoff
Throttle control
is crucial in all
aspects; you can
get yourself out of
sticky situations by
hitting the throttle.
-Ryan Nelson
If you can’t see, you can’t ride. What I
like to do is totally focus on breathing
down. You’re basically putting your top
lip over your bottom lip and blowing
all of your air down away from your
goggles. Another thing is never put
your goggles under the hood unless
absolutely necessary. Whenever I stop
and need to take my goggles off I will
place them with the lenses up over the
handlebar grip.
-Chris Burandt
Set up your sled for your riding style. I usually have some good
shocks on the front and rear of my sled as well as running board
supports to stop the tunnel from bending. I put screen over all
my hood vents to stop the pow from filling up my engine compartment.
I find that without the screens, the sled likes to bog
out bad in the pow and the snow also hits the engine and melts
and then re-freezes around your steering and causes problems. I
also put some venting around my clutches (usually higher up on
the side panels). You can buy cheap screen door material from
most hardware stores and it works great.
-Rob Alford
If you are attempting a downhill
turn and you are in deep
snow, remember as you are
coming out of the turn and
into the next to transfer your
weight from your uphill side to
the opposite side and get your
center of mass over your sled.
As you commit to the turn you
will point your skis downhill
and with your weight in the
right position, and just the
right amount of counter steer,
the sled will dive into the snow
and you will begin your linked
downhill turn.
-Dan Adams
Your life is in
the hands of
those in your
group; make
sure everyone
is prepared
with proper
gear and
don’t be afraid
to put someone
in check
that is being
reckless. One
knucklehead
could put your
whole group
at risk.
-Ryan Nelson
Photo: Jacob “McLovin” White
Check out your sled the night before you go out. No one
wants to be on the hill with you when you are having to fix
your sled when you could have done it the night before (you
know who you are).
-Jeremy Simmons
Clearly jumping has always been the part of sledding I
enjoy the most. One of the first things I learned was to
not get in a hurry. Take your time and find a jump that is
safe and easy to learn air control. What your body, brake
and throttle will all do. You will never be able to drop
cliffs or jump big air until you know how you and your
machine will react in the air. Start small and eventually you
will be hucking with the best.
-Paul Thacker
What I see the most is riders taking off and getting a few miles into the ride and
their suspension drops out, bolts fall out or the rear axle comes loose. Or they blow
a belt and don’t have a spare. Before you go riding, take five or ten minutes and
check a few things. Take the belt off and look for bad spots, ripped threads, cracking
or burned sides. Make sure you have a spare. Check all of the suspension bolts and
axle bolts. Don’t forget to grease it now and then, too. Check the antifreeze, oil and
gas (it sounds obvious, but you wouldn’t believe how many people forget).
-Troy Johnson
Looking ahead—and I mean
way ahead—your mind is able
to tell your body what to do
ahead of time. Sometimes
towards the end of the day
when I’m tired, worn out and
starting to bounce off trees
like a pinball, I have to remind
myself to stay focused on
what is ahead of me rather
than what I’m already riding
over. Practice this one and you
won’t believe how much more
fluid your riding will be.
-Chris Burandt
Photo: Ryan Harris
When the snow is deep
and the day is really socked
in, chances are visibility will
be tough. Having a spare
pair of goggles will keep
you ripping up the powder
all day long if you provide
a dry, warm area for your
spare gogs. Putting a wet,
fogged up pair of goggles
into your backpack won’t
do it. You need to get your
goggles dried out using
the heat from your snowmobile.
Come up with a
way to strap a bag under
your hood for your goggles
that won’t interfere with
the engine. You will be so
pumped to put on a clean
and warm pair of goggles
before you head out for
more pow shots.
-Dan Adams
Carry a backpack with a shovel,
probe and beacon in it and
know how to use the beacon
and probe. When riding in the
mountains you should also
have a first aid kit and matches
to start a fire if needed.
Believe me, it can happen to
anybody. Mother Nature can
be brutal.
-Troy Johnson
Powder riding is all
about balance. Lean too
far into a turn and you
will wash out, learn to
turn the opposite direction
before you hit that
tipping point and then
keep the rhythm back
and forth.
-Ryan Nelson
Ride in the neutral position. Jumping from
side to side on the sled takes a lot of energy
and slows you down through the trees. I ride
the sled more like a dirt bike and use foot (or
peg) input to effect a change of direction. For
example, I can stay over the center of the sled
and push down with my left foot and turn the
handlebars right for a sharp left turn. And I’m
still in a position to make a quick right-hand
turn, too.
-Chris Burandt
I live by the one-
minute rule. If
you are at the
top of a drop
and you have
scoped your
line, your sled
is ready and
it takes more
than one minute
to get the balls
to drop it, it’s
probably not a
good idea.
-Jeremy Simmons
Know your terrain. During a recent snow show I got to talk with several Sledheads about
some of their experiences last winter. I was truly amazed at the number of individuals
who missed corners, flew off cornices they didn’t see, ended up in creek bottoms they
didn’t know existed and hit a few rocks under the snow. Not only does this cost thousands
of dollars in damage, it also poses a serious threat for injury or even death. If you
are unfamiliar with an area ask someone who is what types of dangers exist in there.
Take time to scout around and notice obstacles that you can see, bumps in the snow
are usually tree stumps or rocks waiting to destroy your sled. Slow down and think safety
first. If you can get out and see the areas in the summer. Notice large rocks on the hillsides,
fallen trees and deep creek beds. Try to make mental notes of these dangers and
avoid them in the winter. Knowing your terrain can save your live and thousands of dollars
in costly repairs.
-Geoff “Phatty” Dyer
Photo: Courtesy www.logchalet.com
Cutting a good sidehill
depends on how steep the
slope is and what the snow
conditions are like. It is the
same general idea as doing
a pow turn except you hold
it in a straight line. You
counter-steer and lean the
sled, balancing it on the
outside edge of the ski. If I
am on a really steep slope,
sometimes I will get as far
forward on the sled as possible
to keep the front end
down and stay in control.
It’s all about balance and
knowing when to give it
throttle. You can go and
practice on some smaller
pow hills and just get used
to the sled and be prepared
to have a few wipeouts.
-Rob Alford
Sled prep is one of the
most important aspects
of riding. Riding style
setup and preventative
maintenance can
prevent serious issues
when sledding. It’s
important to have a
sled that fits your skill
and style of riding as
well as something that’s
not going to leave you
stranded on the hill
somewhere or worse.
-Paul Thacker
Photo: Dice K.
Sled maintenance has
always been a good
learning experience
for me. It can really
put a damper on the
day when you get up
to your favorite riding
spot and realize nuts
and bolts are missing.
Always check your sled
for the obvious, you
don’t have to go crazy,
but keep in mind that
snowmobiles tend to
rattle themselves loose
throughout the season
and staying on top of
your sled’s maintenance
will prevent you from
being “that guy.”
-Dan Adams
Powder turning is one of
those trial and error kind of
things. I turn the bars the
opposite way that I want to
go, lean the sled over and
apply a healthy amount of
throttle. It has to be done
all at the same time and,
depending on what sled
your running, you may have
to really lean the sucker
hard.
-Rob Alford
Ride with people you can trust
so that if there is a problem
you know they are prepared
to handle it.
-Jeremy Simmons
Looking ahead is probably the most important tip for riding
trees. You want to have a way out if possible. Try and be
smooth on the throttle and in your body English. Keep your
head up and maintain momentum. You don’t want to go too
fast through trees; you could miss that perfect turn into a good
route and end up with nowhere to go. But if you’re going too
slow and have to turn uphill you won’t have the speed to make
it, so knowing your sled and what it will do is very important.
-Troy Johnson
When riding on potentially
dangerous hills, only allow
one rider on the hill at a
time. That will keep everyone
else out of harm’s way and
watching the rider in case of
an avalanche.
-Ryan Nelson
Don’t talk trash
you can’t back up!
-Jeremy Simmons
Photo: Jeff Danielson
www.bondockersmovie.com
Pick your line in advance and
study the potential obstacles.
Always have an escape route
around those obstacles if
things don’t go as planned.
-Ryan Nelson
Photo: Cari Johnson
When in doubt, pin it. -Troy Johnson
In addition to a morning avalanche report, I look for as many signs as I can to help maintain a safe
environment for myself and my buddies I am with. There are several ways to gauge snowpack stability.
What is the weather doing? Did it dump three feet last night? Was it 30 below overnight?
Is it going to be cold in the morning and real warm in the afternoon? Weather conditions play a
huge role in predicting snow stability. When you call that report or look at it on the net, read the
whole report. What information are these forecasters sharing with me? Don’t just look at the highlighted
item that says “high” or “moderate,” etc. Read it all. This will help you with your awareness
when you head out into the backcountry.
-Rob Hoff
For all of you out
there who run
those tall handlebars,
what the heck
are you doing? I
do have to admit
I used to be that
guy. However, as I
started riding more
technical terrain
I found that my
leverage point
being that high
and away from the
center of my body
was really killing
me. Instead of
doing the big 4- or
6-inch riser, try a
simple 1- or 2-inch.
It will make a huge
difference.
-Chris Burandt
At a minimum, always
carry a beacon, shovel, and
probe and know how to use
them. However, sometimes
the best protection from
avalanches is staying alert
to which slopes are dangerous
and keeping your group
away from them. Check the
avalanche forecasts before
every ride, it only takes a
couple minutes and could
save someone’s life.
-Dan Gardiner
Photo: Geoff Dyer
www.boondockersmovie.com
To improve your ability
you must push yourself—
but use your head. Know
your limits. If you ride the
same terrain you will not
advance your skills or
riding abilities.
-Jeremy Simmons
It’s important to use good gear when you ride. I
ride with waterproof clothing, like my HMK pants,
jacket and boots. I run a moto helmet to protect my
head. I also have an ABS 30 avy pack with probe,
shovel, spare gloves, water, food, survival kit, GPS
and long range radio. I also wear a transceiver and
check the batteries frequently in it. Always wear
your shovel and probe on your back. You can’t dig
your bro out when all your gear is under the snow
on your sled.
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