(We started out in the
October issue with a couple
of questions for Chris Burandt
that address his riding style.
We continue with a few more
questions. —Ed.)
When you get stuck,
you’re probably by yourself
with very low odds of help
getting up to you. What are
some of your tricks to getting
a sled out by yourself
and not getting completely
buried in the first place?
Ahh getting stuck …. Yeah,
the last time I got stuck a couple
of years ago it was terrible.
Ok that was a joke. Getting
stuck for me is honestly awesome.
It means that I put
myself and my sled in a situation
that somebody is going
to get a good laugh out of.
Sure I might have to show the
people the picture of the stick
on my phone later, but I know
Mother Nature is laughing her
butt off and those stupid little
tree squirrels are whispering to
each other, “That guy just ran
out of talent, didn’t he?”
The key to being able to
get yourself unstuck is you
must always have the thought
in the back of your mind that
nobody else is going to be
able to get to you, so you’re
on your own. This means that
instead of sticking the sled
straight up and down, make
sure right before the inevitable
happens you turn the sled
down even if it’s just a little
and allow gravity to help you
out a bit.
I am a big fan of rolling
the sled. This is something
you can do even if it’s on flat
ground. Grab a hold of the
uphill ski and pull the sled
over on its side. I’ve even got
quick enough on most sticks
to where I’m out just before
someone else gets there. That
way I can claim I didn’t get
stuck, you know. Oh, by the
way, never leave home without
a saw either. Those trees like
to jump out in front of people.
However, there is another
tactic that I like to use and
that is don’t get stuck. Getting
stuck is a last resort for me. I
will do everything in my power
to not succumb to the humiliation
of knowing that I just
got served. This includes such
things as going into “hover
mode,” pedaling a foot to try
to push the sled, jumping off
of the sled and running next to
it while keeping it pinned (kind
of tricky), jumping off the sled
and pushing it away from you
in order to keep it on top of
the snow, “lightly” bouncing
off of the tree without letting
go of the throttle, and last but
not least, buy a Boondocker
turbo. There have been times
that I even bet myself that
there was no way I was going
to be able to pull a particular
line without calling for the cavalry.
That dang turbo just does
things each and every time I
ride it that makes me shake
my head and grin ear to ear.
I just got a smirk on my face
thinking about boost.
Why do you never use
the sidehill bar or a left hand
throttle?
The sidehill bar and left
hand throttle are great tools
for the average mountain ride.
However, you can’t change
your direction on a right to
left hand sidehill with being
able to change the direction
of your skis. With a mountain
bar you are stuck holding the
skis in one position—straight.
To take your backcountry skills
to the next level, take a day
and focus on doing right to
left hand sidehills only without
using that silly mountain bar.
Counter steering and throttle
control are the two most
important things to focus on.
Foot position on the sled and
sticking your opposite foot
out for balance will be next on
your agenda.
When you look for new
lines, you are looking at stuff
that very few people would
even consider. What do you
look for?
No matter what level
of rider you are, normally
throughout the day your eyes
are constantly scanning the
terrain looking for the next
challenge. When you start
picking up on all these little
tricks and pushing your comfort
zone each and every time
you ride you will start to realize
that the stuff you thought
once to be tough or impossible
becomes possible. I think
that has been one of the coolest
things for me riding over
the last couple of years. No
longer do I feel as if there are
boundaries to where my sled
and I can go. It truly is almost
like playing a video game—
anything is possible.
