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Get your wife a snowbike ,she will drive circles around you in the trees in no time:face-icon-small-hap
What sled to buy my wife
- Thread starter ttheat
- Start date
J
Few more thoughts (yes, I've thought about this a lot)
1) Yes, a 175 is harder to get stuck. Its also harder to throw around. A 175 for a 110 pound rider would be like a 210 for a 200+ pound rider. Its overkill unless she's really "getting amongst it" (steep, deep etc). As a teaching tool it'll hinder her, not help her. A new rider won't be testing the side hill ability of the sled for quiet some time.
2) I know it was tongue in cheek but a turbo, especially in Ski-Doo world, would be the worst idea in the world. Ski-Doo turbos are harder to ride compared to other brands. Why? Weight distribution sitting there. Ski-Doo is in love with putting all the weight forward then relying on transfer to get the weight to "shift" back. With a snappy NA motor, this is fine. With a turbo, where you are spinning heavy clutching with turbo lag, this can be a handful, especially for a new rider.
Is it worth it? (a turbo) - Yeah, for an experienced rider. For a newbie. Holy crap. It'd be terrifying.
1) Yes, a 175 is harder to get stuck. Its also harder to throw around. A 175 for a 110 pound rider would be like a 210 for a 200+ pound rider. Its overkill unless she's really "getting amongst it" (steep, deep etc). As a teaching tool it'll hinder her, not help her. A new rider won't be testing the side hill ability of the sled for quiet some time.
2) I know it was tongue in cheek but a turbo, especially in Ski-Doo world, would be the worst idea in the world. Ski-Doo turbos are harder to ride compared to other brands. Why? Weight distribution sitting there. Ski-Doo is in love with putting all the weight forward then relying on transfer to get the weight to "shift" back. With a snappy NA motor, this is fine. With a turbo, where you are spinning heavy clutching with turbo lag, this can be a handful, especially for a new rider.
Is it worth it? (a turbo) - Yeah, for an experienced rider. For a newbie. Holy crap. It'd be terrifying.
175 is the way to go. Not a nickels worth of difference for a gal and doesn't get stuck. Good for your relationship. I'm talking a doo. Not an axys. 110 pound newbie gals don't handle a 154. It will turn sharper and quicker but I only know one gal who hits the meadow and lays it on its side and spins around. Most ride on two skis and if one is off the ground it is the inside ski. You won't hinder her. What hinders woman is stuck all the time which leads to grumpy husbands or boyfriends. Hesitation, lack of throttle, persistence, I can't is my favorite. It is also more about technique than 175 or 110 pounds. Gals have to be more spot on than guys but it is I can not I can't. Most gals I have seem don't have the same passion or competitiveness that guys do. The real desire to get better at it. Just along for the ride.
My wife was always worried what other people thought if she got stuck. It would ruin her fun.i put her on a 174 xm and she hardly ever got stuck. Kept saying how she loved that sled. She never did a reentry so it must have hindered her. Oh wait, she never did that on the 150ish sleds either. Even rode with a gal who usually does better and she was stuck all day on her 154. She was hating life at the end of the day and my wife was all smiles. You are completely off base on this.
Chadly was joking about the turbo but my wife is riding my boosted 850 next year. She loves it.
My wife was always worried what other people thought if she got stuck. It would ruin her fun.i put her on a 174 xm and she hardly ever got stuck. Kept saying how she loved that sled. She never did a reentry so it must have hindered her. Oh wait, she never did that on the 150ish sleds either. Even rode with a gal who usually does better and she was stuck all day on her 154. She was hating life at the end of the day and my wife was all smiles. You are completely off base on this.
Chadly was joking about the turbo but my wife is riding my boosted 850 next year. She loves it.
I'll have to agree, she's not going to have any fun if she's stuck all the time and you are going to be bagged if you're digging out all the time. Get the bigger machine.
My wife insisted on a 146 to learn on. She has since changed her tune.
My wife insisted on a 146 to learn on. She has since changed her tune.
J
I think we are talking about different things. If you want your wife to be able to kinda follow and never put the sled on edge, sure a school-bus length sled is going to help her keep from getting stuck and putt putt around the best.
If you want to actually teach your gf/wife to ride, EG: get them to put the sled on edge, learn to sidehill, learn to *really* do the sport, than a longer sled is going to hinder her riding (depending on weight of course). For instance, if the sled goes flat on a sidehill and she needs to get it to roll back into the hill, a 175 3" is going to be a TON more effort to re-initiate the sidehill. A 154 2.5" will be a whole hell of a lot easier. Lighter. Will spin the track easier. Less cumbersome. Remember, with a lighter rider, we are often walking the line of "can't do it". What I mean by that is what might be slightly more fatiguing to you and me is literally the difference between being able to perform a maneuver and not being able to perform that manuever, just based on a few pounds. The line is more defined with a 110 pound rider in the mountains (upside is a 154 2.5" is going to ride like a bat out of hell!)
In my case, the girl is already dragging a shoulder here and there while meadow skipping, but she's an aggressive girl and fitness is her day job. So it makes sense I suppose. YMMV
T
Depends on the type of riding she is going to do, almost all the lady’s I know are on 163’s in the mountains and some are back on a 154 in the 850. One thing for sure it gotta have electric start, saves a lot of energy for them, and those grip heaters must work.
Another noted let her ride with other lady’s, they feed off each other. Also if you can get her into a lady’s sled camp, best thing I’ve done. Made my wife a way better and confident rider.
We do have some ripper chicks up here that can hold their own.
Another noted let her ride with other lady’s, they feed off each other. Also if you can get her into a lady’s sled camp, best thing I’ve done. Made my wife a way better and confident rider.
We do have some ripper chicks up here that can hold their own.
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My wife shares the huge fear of getting stuck.
One thing that I have figured out that really helps is telling your wife that her goal is to get stuck at least twice every ride.
This takes the pressure off of getting stuck and has made her push herself WAY further than before.
It has also helped to turn it into a photo-op when she gets stuck so you can look back and reminisce (not shame) about the climb/trip/snow that day.
Back to this thread:
I bought a 174 xm for me and then ended up teaching my wife how to ride on it. We just upgraded her sled this year to an 850 165 (she chose to go smaller).
She LOVES the new sled, the 850's are pretty sweet (I ended up getting one after riding hers) but more than that, SHE picked the color (snowcheck) SHE picked the length, SHE picked the accessory colors etc.
I think this helped out big time because she now feels WAY more ownership of the sled and gets WAY more excited to ride it because it is unequivocally hers and not a hand me down or a bargain sled.
None of this is gospel, just what has worked for me!
One thing that I have figured out that really helps is telling your wife that her goal is to get stuck at least twice every ride.
This takes the pressure off of getting stuck and has made her push herself WAY further than before.
It has also helped to turn it into a photo-op when she gets stuck so you can look back and reminisce (not shame) about the climb/trip/snow that day.
Back to this thread:
I bought a 174 xm for me and then ended up teaching my wife how to ride on it. We just upgraded her sled this year to an 850 165 (she chose to go smaller).
She LOVES the new sled, the 850's are pretty sweet (I ended up getting one after riding hers) but more than that, SHE picked the color (snowcheck) SHE picked the length, SHE picked the accessory colors etc.
I think this helped out big time because she now feels WAY more ownership of the sled and gets WAY more excited to ride it because it is unequivocally hers and not a hand me down or a bargain sled.
None of this is gospel, just what has worked for me!
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my wife rides a 2016-174T3 and its the best move I ever made!! My 11 yr old daughter now riding one too...great sleds that run and run and are priced right!!
I guess i am or it is completely going over your head. The 175 will go on edge just fine. My wife puts hers on edge just fine but she isn't a newbie. I have her on a 165 now but had her on a 174 xm. They go on edge just fine. You are the one saying can't. It isn't a ton more effort with t motion and you don't have to horse on it. It is technique. If they can't get it they have to turn down and use gravity and throttle and turn it back up. Yes you and I could horse it back up. I get it. The longer sled is more forgiving and they can do anything on it that they can do on a shorter sled and aren't stuck all day. The biggest thing that hinders them on a sidehill is throttle or lack of it and always looking at the hazard instead of where they want to go and letting off the throttle. This also hinders them on a plan b because they are just looking at the hazard and freaking out. I'm not against the 2.5 because my wife hated the 3 inch on my old pro. That was the only difference between hers and mine. A touch harder for her to put on edge. The doo is still different than a poo.
I guess i am a I can person. It is about technique, confidence, commitment. That is the only holdback not the 175 or 110 pounds.
J
Not to be a dick but let me break this down and back up why I said what I said...
110 pound newbie gals don't handle a 154.
- I can post a lot of objective evidence to the contrary. Photos. Video. Whatever. This blanket statement is false.
I only know one gal who hits the meadow and lays it on its side and spins around. She's already doing this.
Most ride on two skis and if one is off the ground it is the inside ski. You won't hinder her. What hinders woman is stuck all the time which leads to grumpy husbands or boyfriends. Hesitation, lack of throttle, persistence, I can't is my favorite.
My point is right here. I *don't* want her riding on two skis unless it is appropriate. I don't want her scared of the throttle. I don't want her scared of getting stuck. I don't want her to always have a crutch that hinders her from really learning how to ride.
Most gals I have seem don't have the same passion or competitiveness that guys do. The real desire to get better at it. Just along for the ride. I coach mountain biking in the summer. While you are right, girls might not have as much ego, they absolutely want to get better, at least the ones who are driving sales in mountain biking, skiing and now - yes - to some extent sledding. These aren't girls who have never been outside. These are athletes who are looking for something new and looking to get better. Not scared to fall down, get cold, get stuck, whatever. Just like men, there are all types of people.
My wife was always worried what other people thought if she got stuck. It would ruin her fun.i put her on a 174 xm and she hardly ever got stuck. We honor the art of getting stuck
- Seriously, if getting stuck is some big deal, then we've already lost the point of all this. I get stuck all the time. So does she. That's where half the laughs come from! I don't want her scared of this, I don't want her thinking its embarrassing or bad. Its something to own! Something to be kind of proud of. How else do you get better? This is why I assumed you were trying to get your wife on something that was just easy to get around, not actually learn the finer points of the sport and get better, which is totally, 100% okay! I just resent the idea that you told me what you wrote is "going over my head"
Happy to post a bunch of photos showing her having a blast on her 154 on the deepest day of the year (I burned 1/2 a tank in 2 hours - she got stuck maybe three times?). Again, pound for pound, her on a 154 actually has MORE float than me on the 165. Yes, I did the math. Roughly 10% more float. (total machine + rider weight / track length)
I'm not saying a 17X isn't a fine tool, I'm just saying its overkill for teaching *if* she is really looking to learn. It is more cumbersome. It has less track spin/speed. It is a bit heavier. Its harder to handle a lot of the time and it takes away a lot of the playfulness that'll encourage a smaller rider to really start to be aggressive!
Buy her a crock pot instead, Then go ride with the guys,,
Not to be a dick but let me break this down and back up why I said what I said...
110 pound newbie gals don't handle a 154.
- I can post a lot of objective evidence to the contrary. Photos. Video. Whatever. This blanket statement is false.
I only know one gal who hits the meadow and lays it on its side and spins around. She's already doing this.
Most ride on two skis and if one is off the ground it is the inside ski. You won't hinder her. What hinders woman is stuck all the time which leads to grumpy husbands or boyfriends. Hesitation, lack of throttle, persistence, I can't is my favorite.
My point is right here. I *don't* want her riding on two skis unless it is appropriate. I don't want her scared of the throttle. I don't want her scared of getting stuck. I don't want her to always have a crutch that hinders her from really learning how to ride.
Most gals I have seem don't have the same passion or competitiveness that guys do. The real desire to get better at it. Just along for the ride. I coach mountain biking in the summer. While you are right, girls might not have as much ego, they absolutely want to get better, at least the ones who are driving sales in mountain biking, skiing and now - yes - to some extent sledding. These aren't girls who have never been outside. These are athletes who are looking for something new and looking to get better. Not scared to fall down, get cold, get stuck, whatever. Just like men, there are all types of people.
My wife was always worried what other people thought if she got stuck. It would ruin her fun.i put her on a 174 xm and she hardly ever got stuck. We honor the art of getting stuck
This is why I assumed you were trying to get your wife on something that was just easy to get around, not actually learn the finer points of the sport and get better, which is totally, 100% okay! I just resent the idea that you told me what you wrote is "going over my head"
Happy to post a bunch of photos showing her having a blast on her 154 on the deepest day of the year (I burned 1/2 a tank in 2 hours - she got stuck maybe three times?). Again, pound for pound, her on a 154 actually has MORE float than me on the 165. Yes, I did the math. Roughly 10% more float. (total machine + rider weight / track length)
I'm not saying a 17X isn't a fine tool, I'm just saying its overkill for teaching *if* she is really looking to learn. It is more cumbersome. It has less track spin/speed. It is a bit heavier. Its harder to handle a lot of the time and it takes away a lot of the playfulness that'll encourage a smaller rider to really start to be aggressive!
I don't think you are being a dick at all. We just disagree to an extent. I can post pictures of my wife with her old 174 on its side or spinning around having a blast. I am generalizing. Not talking about mine or yours. As far as your math, I don't believe that formula is accurate in the real world. More to the equation. I could ride all day without getting stuck but how fun is that. You aren't riding if you don't get stuck. Gals are different. They have a hard time getting unstuck. You and I have no problem, usually. They look at it different than you and I. You say 175 is overkill. Why not give them every advantage. I just think you should do the reverse and go longer and go shorter as they progress. Agree to disagree.
