Alpha riding struggles

[summ8rmk]

When it’s deep it’s a blast to ride like a jet ski lol but when it’s variable it’s a bit harder as A new guy. Just looked at the ice age site. Any truth to their claims of improved handling and light steering lol.

I like the handling with the elevate, especially down hill in deep snow.

Steering is not easier in my experience.

Put gripper skis on if u want easier steering, but expect some push in deep snow.

I run stock skis in deep snow and grippers in spring snow. Works well for me.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[Octanee]

I like the handling with the elevate, especially down hill in deep snow.

Steering is not easier in my experience.

Put gripper skis on if u want easier steering, but expect some push in deep snow.

I run stock skis in deep snow and grippers in spring snow. Works well for me.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

are the polaris gripper ski's a direct bolt in, like polaris rubber or use the cat rubber in them and or different bolt?

 

[ndfb35]

You can use the Cat rubbers with the grippers.

 

[Deltasherpa]

2020 Alpha 165
my take
less input is required to do same on previous platform, got back into sledding this year, bought a 2014 pro climb and a 2018 pro climb rode both same day sold the 2014 the next day. its not even close,, then I bought a alpha to replace the 14,, night and day,,im fairly aggressive rider, and ive been out on the alpha 5 times now,, I still find myself over riding it,, remind myself to calm down, and be less aggressive , like others have stated, simple input it will do what you want.
wash outs are caused by riders, throttle control and rider position,, it will wash much easier, but if you are soft on the controls and feet, crossing tracks or hard pack on sidehill is still relatively easy in my opinion,,
in deep powder, I dont know what to say,, alpha goes anywhere I want,,, easily too
IMO Alpha is easiest sled ive ever rode.
my last comment is,,
if you are not looking where you want to go,,,, or watching the front end dive ,,,or the birds fly over,,, or your buddies,, good luck on any sled.. you need to be laser focused on looking where you want to go,, the sled will follow.
I have to remind myself with this as well,, keep your eyes forward, laser focused on where you want to go,,,
Alpha will follow....

I was thinking the same thing as I was riding yesterday. Had my 18 twin rail out and and let the alpha rest for a day. Like you said Laser focus, look ahead and don't be lazy. Alpha's are for aggressive riders. You can't be lazy! My 2022 hardcore 146" is the most fun playfull sled I have owned. It loves to be rowdy!

 

[summ8rmk]

I must interject.
U can be very lazy on an Alpha, just not in technical terrain.
It takes very little input/energy, almost the definition of lazy.



Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[IDspud]

Agreed
Delta Sherpa is not saying the same thing WC did.

The focus and such was towards sledding in general,
Alphas will respond to lazy input which is why our 120 and under girls are able to handle them.

They are not a pro riders only sled.

Very easy for learning.

 

[wasatchcomm]

I was really talking to the OP,, about how he can't ride the alpha and its not working for him,, if he's not looking where he wants to go he wont go there.
doesnt matter shock pressures, snow conditions, wrap, elevation, what he had for breakfast......
The alpha is the easiest arctic cat ive ever rode, makes getting on edge very easy, I'm not sure what the problem is

all that other stuff is all rider preference,,

when riding and I'm looking where I want to go, the sled will follow with the least amount of effort of any sled ive ever rode.

but I have to be looking where I want to go,

again doesnt matter if its a 60 year old man from Canada or a 10 year old girl from Idaho,,,, if you are looking where you want to go,, the sled will go,
get your head on a swivel and look where you want to go, quit looking at your skis, your buddies that tree over there.. thats all I meant....

does that make better sense.....

 

[IDspud]

My youngest daughter pulled off a 100 yd wrong foot forward over a rock ledge today that stopped her dads heart.
It was all or nothing and a spot I’d have never sent her.
I’m sitting there dumbfounded and she rolls up and says,
Not doing that one twice!!

I think that’s when my heart started beating again.

 

[MrIQR]

I was really talking to the OP,, about how he can't ride the alpha and its not working for him,, if he's not looking where he wants to go he wont go there.
doesnt matter shock pressures, snow conditions, wrap, elevation, what he had for breakfast......
The alpha is the easiest arctic cat ive ever rode, makes getting on edge very easy, I'm not sure what the problem is

all that other stuff is all rider preference,,

when riding and I'm looking where I want to go, the sled will follow with the least amount of effort of any sled ive ever rode.

but I have to be looking where I want to go,

again doesnt matter if its a 60 year old man from Canada or a 10 year old girl from Idaho,,,, if you are looking where you want to go,, the sled will go,
get your head on a swivel and look where you want to go, quit looking at your skis, your buddies that tree over there.. thats all I meant....

does that make better sense.....

Honestly it sounds like he is trying to turn with both skis and not getting it on edge to turn. Hence why he’s made comments that imply lower ski shock pressures make it want to roll to the outside more which it would but it also would make initiating turns easier if done correctly(inside ski only)

 

[IDspud]

Saturday we took up a 110 lb gal my daughter brought home from college for a first ride. Put her on our newest alpha cuz it’s electric start for the smaller gals.
She absolutely could not keep it upright. After several slow speed tip overs I realize her downhill skis are diving…..still stock, only third ride out with this sled.

Switch her to my daughters alpha with Mohawks.

Off she goes and only tips over a couple more times all day…..

Snow was just firm enough lower stock ski would constantly break through, but high side would stay on surface.
Had about 10” fresh, then the crust she’d dive through to a weaker layer.
Daughter was practiced enough to enjoy the day on the stock skis but that’s the last ride for those skis.

New gal had a great ride and saw some awesome country once we got her on the wider ski.

 

[sno*jet]

^do they ever question you at first when ya ask them to step on the scale?
Asking for a friend...

 

[IDspud]

Ha….
She offered it up and she surprised me she cleared 100.

 

[IDspud]

I’ve learned with five daughters and their female friends that a good dad is privy to a different level of intel than the average guy, sometimes good, some you wish forever you could unhear.

 

[BubbleNuts]

Hey I’m back we were finally able to get out again. So a few summaries of goods and bad. So will just go in order. So to start of went to go to the first play area and went a few feet past the turn so just kinda did a wide turn and obvisouly everyone turned left there so there was a 2 foot high berm and I didn’t launch of like dad did cause it was higher of the one side and didn’t want to do a corkscrew so went a bit slower over it and rolled it over. So after doing some work on the one sled we went up to this play area and kinda followed dad was lots of small trees and had to spin around. So I tipped it on it side downhill then walked it around so it was facing kind of back uphill and the way I wanted to go and rode it opposite foot forward for a good 30 feet dad was pretty proud of that. So kinda went back across this tree line we came from and we were kinda crawling and it just seemed the sled just want to sit very nice and wanted to downhill roll while him and the other people were chilling no problem while figuring out what we were gonna do next. I think there was a a hard bottom underneath and didn’t like siting on it very much. It’s kinda ****ty wasn’t many play areas to test stuff like that more in. We might try to go there 1 more minimum to find these meadows i we seen in a map but not sure if there will be snow on them. We are trying another place next that sounds way better where it’s 15 mins more drive to the staging area then where we were. I think the biggest issue is that when we’re riding it’s not alsways in 2 feet of powder and alpha might not have been a great decision for that. Will probably atleast for the rest of this season and make a decision on what to do for next year

 

[Octanee]

Hey I’m back we were finally able to get out again. So a few summaries of goods and bad. So will just go in order. So to start of went to go to the first play area and went a few feet past the turn so just kinda did a wide turn and obvisouly everyone turned left there so there was a 2 foot high berm and I didn’t launch of like dad did cause it was higher of the one side and didn’t want to do a corkscrew so went a bit slower over it and rolled it over. So after doing some work on the one sled we went up to this play area and kinda followed dad was lots of small trees and had to spin around. So I tipped it on it side downhill then walked it around so it was facing kind of back uphill and the way I wanted to go and rode it opposite foot forward for a good 30 feet dad was pretty proud of that. So kinda went back across this tree line we came from and we were kinda crawling and it just seemed the sled just want to sit very nice and wanted to downhill roll while him and the other people were chilling no problem while figuring out what we were gonna do next. I think there was a a hard bottom underneath and didn’t like siting on it very much. It’s kinda ****ty wasn’t many play areas to test stuff like that more in. We might try to go there 1 more minimum to find these meadows i we seen in a map but not sure if there will be snow on them. We are trying another place next that sounds way better where it’s 15 mins more drive to the staging area then where we were. I think the biggest issue is that when we’re riding it’s not alsways in 2 feet of powder and alpha might not have been a great decision for that. Will probably atleast for the rest of this season and make a decision on what to do for next year

All sleds suck when you have hard snow under not enough, fresh ontop. I find you go from a sled that would roll on it's side with little effort to one that you have to start to muscle. And if you get into the snow where its fairly hard and or icy, the alpha washes out before a twin rail due to track flex, but I found if that happens in probably doing something I shouldn't be in subpar snow conditions.

 

[arcticridr]

Coming off of twin rails after 40 years everything from a 530ext to a mod king cat and everything in between you are probably just over riding the alpha !! I ride a 2020 Hardcore alpha and for the first 1.5 seasons it rode me so to speak , it's like I tell my Pisten Bully operators she is like a fine women a gentle touch is all it takes !!! Quit muscleing it! when it's deep drop your front air pressure and ride it like a jet ski by using weight transfer , for me I turn the clickers on the front to 1 (fun factor 10) when the snow sets up pump em up or in my case turn em up ,it won't dive as much and on hard pack that sucks . When it's deep I ride feet slightly ahead of middle on the boards and adjust accordingly, I am in pretty good shape 6'1" 250 and I take some of the hot shots in the trees and school most of them part nimbleness of the alpha part me knowing how to pick the most technical line I can and looking way ahead and executing it . My days of huge long pulls are behind me I prefer not to have to fix crashed **** ! Think of the alpha as half jet ski half Ice skate , input up front is unchecked by the 3/4" wide mono beam , unlike a twin rail that resists front input the mono rail translates the rider input with little to no resistance( the ice skate ) aka overriding it . I chose the hardcore because I figured quick adjustability was gonna be important other than ice build up in the knobs, it's 10 seconds to change the fun factor from normal (stiff 3) to yeeehaaa (light 1) ,if it's on light and you get "behind it " you have now entered into the twilight zone cus it's now riding you. Is it ideal like a twin rail can be most of the time nope but like anything you have to change riding style for the conditions . My advice is start using your legs (as others have suggested) quit muscleing it and be willing to change air pressures to suit conditions. Like idahospud said his teenage girls love it because it takes small input and translates that to a whole lot of nimbleness !! Nough said !

 

[BubbleNuts]

All sleds suck when you have hard snow under not enough, fresh ontop. I find you go from a sled that would roll on it's side with little effort to one that you have to start to muscle. And if you get into the snow where its fairly hard and or icy, the alpha washes out before a twin rail due to track flex, but I found if that happens in probably doing something I shouldn't be in subpar snow conditions.

Trying to decide if maybe a twin rail would be better suited for conditions we would ride mostly

 

[BubbleNuts]

Coming off of twin rails after 40 years everything from a 530ext to a mod king cat and everything in between you are probably just over riding the alpha !! I ride a 2020 Hardcore alpha and for the first 1.5 seasons it rode me so to speak , it's like I tell my Pisten Bully operators she is like a fine women a gentle touch is all it takes !!! Quit muscleing it! when it's deep drop your front air pressure and ride it like a jet ski by using weight transfer , for me I turn the clickers on the front to 1 (fun factor 10) when the snow sets up pump em up or in my case turn em up ,it won't dive as much and on hard pack that sucks . When it's deep I ride feet slightly ahead of middle on the boards and adjust accordingly, I am in pretty good shape 6'1" 250 and I take some of the hot shots in the trees and school most of them part nimbleness of the alpha part me knowing how to pick the most technical line I can and looking way ahead and executing it . My days of huge long pulls are behind me I prefer not to have to fix crashed **** ! Think of the alpha as half jet ski half Ice skate , input up front is unchecked by the 3/4" wide mono beam , unlike a twin rail that resists front input the mono rail translates the rider input with little to no resistance( the ice skate ) aka overriding it . I chose the hardcore because I figured quick adjustability was gonna be important other than ice build up in the knobs, it's 10 seconds to change the fun factor from normal (stiff 3) to yeeehaaa (light 1) ,if it's on light and you get "behind it " you have now entered into the twilight zone cus it's now riding you. Is it ideal like a twin rail can be most of the time nope but like anything you have to change riding style for the conditions . My advice is start using your legs (as others have suggested) quit muscleing it and be willing to change air pressures to suit conditions. Like idahospud said his teenage girls love it because it takes small input and translates that to a whole lot of nimbleness !! Nough said !

I had it on 65psi skis on setting 2. I’d really like to get a good day with a decent amount of snow and find a decent little meadow or bowl or something to piss around in. Not sure if you read back all the way but I’m a bit newer rider and didn’t have all major fundamentals down. We had a 02 m600 I rode around at fernie the first year and decided I liked it and wanted to get my own newer machine and start buliding up the skills on that to be a better rider. I just don’t know i wasn’t a good enough rider year to jump straight to an alpha or what. Really struggled every day on the alpha and it’s really deflating and kind of I making me thinking of changing sled next year. I rode our 2011 m8 and felt way more comfortable in the same terrain where I struggled on the alpha. I felt once had to go up any hill at an angle it felt like I could tip it to where I wanted and it could keep my weight there and go. On the alpha just feels like if your not moving your feet every half second it don’t do want I want it to. Next time we go my dad and I are gonna swap ina play area and he’s gonna see what he thinks and I’ll ride his 2011 summit. For the few times he’s tried it he can see where the appeal is. He said though even for a second if your not commited on that sled it’s more punishing to lose a sidehill especially where it’s wants to rolls more then a twin rail. And he said it’s probably even more exaggerated in a bit firmer snow where it can cut into the snow very much and sits on firm stuff underneath. From reading the thread to him he can agree it’s an aggressive riders sled and for experienced riders can absolutely be a beast that may be easy to ride then twin rail sled. But for him he said that sled would be would he would buy and I don’t that’s a good thing for me being a new rider and still trying to get major fundamentals to a point where I can ride without struggling and leaving simple meadow and open areas. Sorry always long replies but want to put as much info and thoughts as possibl

 

[Octanee]

I found the front shocks to be very touchy, i think i run 50 or 55# (psi) and im 200# or so geared up on clicker 2.. I found if you added even 5 psi they became substantially stiffer, I'd recommend playing with shock pressure.
I ride my alpha generally into may, beyond the spring hard crusty snow and back into where it turns soft again as its melting, I can't say i have any complaints.

 

[Pinchecharlie]

As a new rider in a alpha I learned a bit this week. The rail responds really differently to where you are on the boards. I swear it turns way easier with your feet back more. I had some good runs this last week but I still struggle and iam new anyway so double struggle lol. Look and lean and move that side foot back and stiff leg it or even give a stink and it’ll just go. I think we are expecting it to lay over like you see but I allways follow a skidoo and he’s layer over and iam going same place but not. Yeah when it’s steep of course but simple turns and moderate terrain it’s not. Just 2cents. My buddy’s think they are harder but I just think they are different.