CAUTION: Parents!

[HDEMWET]

I just wanted to express my concern for some of the kids out there today. I know a lot of teens are responsible sledders, but this is a warning to parents who let their kids drive overpowered machines. I just got back from a trail ride today where I had to rescue a kid probly about 16 who wrapped his dad's T-Cat 1000 around a tree while racing his buddy, also about 16 out on his dad's rev 800 H.O. These two kids were out on the groomed trail not too far from my place screwing around on one of the busiest weekends for sledding. Our groomed trails aren't very wide and they were side by side racing in the twisties where visibility to oncoming sledders is nil. They got into a corner and the kid on the T-Cat lost control and skidded into some fairly big poplars. The sled looks totaled and the kid was banged up pretty bad. He's gonna live, no doubt about it, but this could have been a lot worse. I have no kids myself, but I can't imagine if I did, that I'd let them out riding on machines that size. I started out on a Bravo 250, which I drove from age 9 to 16, when I moved up to a 440 Prowler. My dad started me off young, but made sure I could control a machine before I ever set a ski on the trail. We had 80 acres of land to play on though, which I know not all kids are as fortunate to have, but I still learned the hard way. One of the best tricks I can recommend, was my dad removed the seat for the longest time so I had to learn to control the machine from a standing position. No only did it keep me from speeding, but I learned how to use my body to shift the sled around. To this day, I rarely sit down to drive. So please parents, teach your kids some trail etiquette and some skills before you let them loose on high HP monsters where they have the possibility of injuring (or worse yet killing) themselves or others. Imagine getting the call or visit from the police telling you your kid's in the hospital, before you hand them the keys to your ride... At the end of the day, you may not be "Cool" but at least your kid'll be alive and in one piece. That's all I got to say, sorry bout the rant, but I'm sure we've all had to almost ditch our sleds to get out of the way of some tools racing where they shouldn't be.

 

[harrysmith500]

Good post

 

[BROX]

Good post, I agree 100%. I started on a 250 Elan when i was a kid, most people now don't even know what a Elan is.

 

[ARMYSLEDER]

I will agree on this to a point that kids need to start off learning and know what the dangers are but not every kid is the same. I am sure I am starting a pissing match with what im about to type but its reality it comes down to the parents. For example my son is now 7 but when he was 4 I had him on a 50cc Dirtbike then that winter on a yamaha snoscoot and he still rides it and trys ride bigger sleds but he is just not yet strong enough. He has learned and rode with me since age 2. I grew up started riding same age and turned out to live this long. I know kids who are 10 years old and ride 600cc Mountain sleds. Those kids were riding 120cc sleds at age 4. Its all about how well your kid learns and understands. Every kid is diffrent.

If those teenagers on the 800 and 1000 were racing down the trail my question is have they been riding long? If so why they choose to race something so narrow? If they just started riding why the heck did there parents let them ride such big machines? I know some states have started a law you cant opperate a sled on a trail until age 16. I was against that rule for a while but after reading about these kids and seeing what I have seen last few years of spoiled bratts getting there first sled at 15 a 800-1000cc sled and wrecking because they dont know how to ride it. I can see why state laws are getting strict.

So what is the point im trying to make you may ask? If your a parent dont turn your kid/teenager loose on a big machine if they new to riding or so young they cant see over the handlebars. Its you the parent that is suppose to be responsible for what the kid does regardless of age up to 18. Alot of the problems with kids/teenagers wrecking sleds these days comes down to the parents fault for not beeing responsible. Dont get me wrong sledding is a great fun sport to learn growing up and can bond a family but has to be managed and taught by the parents not by turning the kid loose. Just my 2cents but what the heck do I know only been riding for 23 years and I am a parent with a kid who rides.

 

[HDEMWET]

yup, i agree with you armysleder, it's not all kids who are the problem, but the ones that are out there being idiots are the ones who ruin it for every other responsible kid. there are places to race, and the groomed trails (around here anyways) are not the place to be doing that. parents have the number one responsibility in my view to make sure their kids are safe operators and not on sleds they can't handle, before unleashing them out where they put themselves and others at risk.

 

[Bkinz]

There are many young people like myself who are responsible riders, but their is also many who are clueless and have a terrible sense of judgment. Parents really need to step in a make sure their kid can handle the sled and the fact of riding with buddies with out them.

This is coming from a kid, parents make sure they are ready.

My 2cents

 

[ARMYSLEDER]

There are many young people like myself who are responsible riders, but their is also many who are clueless and have a terrible sense of judgment. Parents really need to step in a make sure their kid can handle the sled and the fact of riding with buddies with out them.

This is coming from a kid, parents make sure they are ready.

My 2cents

BK I remember when I was your age we would load up sleds on Thursdays and go ride Friday after school and again Saturday and parents always told us be safe and ask who was all coming how new they are to riding and what there capable of. Its a very good thing if you can go ride with buddies at your age and got hurt or in trouble/

 

[harrysmith500]

Good post, I agree 100%. I started on a 250 Elan when i was a kid, most people now don't even know what a Elan is.

Is that tiger woods ex-wife???

JK, but I don't know what an Elan is.

 

[couch]

Yep ... everyone thinks that their kid needs more power for some reason ... even when some kids / youth are physically strong enough to handle a big sled, their level of common sense isn't ... same goes for lots of "adults" too!

Therein lies the problem ... responsible parents will go with the kids to supervise while there is another bunch who use the machines as a baby sitter ... a big issue here with sleds & quads ... rash of "accidents" and then Big Brother steps in to put a law in place to legislate common sense which doesn't work and only pisses off the responsible parents and kids.

Look out for yourself and your kids is pretty much all you can do!

 

[907to406]

I can't Believe it was even a race, I mean really a TM1000 VS a Rev 800?? I wouldn't think there would even be a comparison...

 

[X2Freeride]

Here is how I think about it... No mater how good of a rider you are when your riding and you start to push the limits things happen that are out side your control. Hell most of snowmobiling is trying to control something that is basically out of control 50-75 percent of the time.

Things that you dont expect happen all the time and they happen super fast, and you need to be able to react and adjust to them. Thats what snowmobiling is, action and reaction. The best riders are good for two reasons, because they know how to maneuver a sled into a situation and how to react quickly and correctly to that situation if need be.

My thing with younger kids riding to large and powerful sleds is 1. They lack the experience and know how to react fast enough to a given situation. 2. They lack the physical size to make the machine overcome obstacles they may in counter. and 3. They have poor judgement and when a group of them gets together caution gets thrown to the wind in the place of impressing their buddies... Lets face it in snowmobiling hesitation kills, you dont have time to think about things to much you need to make a decision on the fly and go with it.

Not that long ago I saw a video of a 10 or 12 year old kid on here on a Pro RMK.... and yeah he was a ok rider and doing some fairly impressive things on the sled... But I couldnt help but think, What on earth is his dad thinking putting him on that sled. Unless hes unusually large for his age his feet probably barely touch the running boards and the bars are probably as high as his nose.

You need to start out on a machine you can handle and one that's geared toward your size and weight. I think a lot of people, and young ones a like would be better served to start out on a older chassis and work their way into a larger chassis over time. In my opinion this develops you into a better rider. It might not be the fastest or the most powerful but it teaches you to MAKE the sled do what you want it to instead of relying on the power of the sled to overcome what you can't do.

 

[Arctic Thunder]

I will agree on this to a point that kids need to start off learning and know what the dangers are but not every kid is the same. I am sure I am starting a pissing match with what im about to type but its reality it comes down to the parents. For example my son is now 7 but when he was 4 I had him on a 50cc Dirtbike then that winter on a yamaha snoscoot and he still rides it and trys ride bigger sleds but he is just not yet strong enough. He has learned and rode with me since age 2. I grew up started riding same age and turned out to live this long. I know kids who are 10 years old and ride 600cc Mountain sleds. Those kids were riding 120cc sleds at age 4. Its all about how well your kid learns and understands. Every kid is diffrent.

If those teenagers on the 800 and 1000 were racing down the trail my question is have they been riding long? If so why they choose to race something so narrow? If they just started riding why the heck did there parents let them ride such big machines? I know some states have started a law you cant opperate a sled on a trail until age 16. I was against that rule for a while but after reading about these kids and seeing what I have seen last few years of spoiled bratts getting there first sled at 15 a 800-1000cc sled and wrecking because they dont know how to ride it. I can see why state laws are getting strict.

So what is the point im trying to make you may ask? If your a parent dont turn your kid/teenager loose on a big machine if they new to riding or so young they cant see over the handlebars. Its you the parent that is suppose to be responsible for what the kid does regardless of age up to 18. Alot of the problems with kids/teenagers wrecking sleds these days comes down to the parents fault for not beeing responsible. Dont get me wrong sledding is a great fun sport to learn growing up and can bond a family but has to be managed and taught by the parents not by turning the kid loose. Just my 2cents but what the heck do I know only been riding for 23 years and I am a parent with a kid who rides.

I agree with this 100% also.

I believe the kids that have grown up on machines since the they were old enough to walk have a MUCH better understanding of throttle control and road smarts. I don't care what the age is, if a 21 year old goes out and buys a brand new turboed whatever and hasn't been on sleds or bikes he is running a risk of busting himself up. So it isn't really an age thing it is basic common since and experience.

Lastly, parental involvement. If you get a group of kids together without some parent taking control, you are asking for problems.

If you really want to start a pi$$ing match. I'll take a 12 year old on a turboed M1000 riding compared to drunk 30 something on the same sled. I would take my chances with the kid everytime.

Thunder

 

[NytroNorm]

It isn't the size of the motor, its the size of the brain which is at fault here. Both punks could have been on 440's and the same **** is likely to have happened.

Hard lesson for the two and their parents, at least they didnt take anybody else out with them. It all comes down to parenting and/or mentoring.

 

[HDEMWET]

You're right NytroNorm, it doesn't really matter how fast you hit a tree at... 60mph or 85mph, dead is dead. He who dies on the fastest toy is still dead! Sledding is supposed to be fun, getting out in the fresh air and challenging yourself, if you want to race, find a safe lake or an open field somewhere, not the local trail system.

 

[Jeff C]

My son started out riding with me when he was still in diapers (Literally!). At 7 we found an old bravo 250 for really cheap, and he rode on the lake under direct supervision. Then I took him out on the trails and instructed him how to cross roads, stay on the right side of the trail, basically learn how to be out on a public trail system and be safe for himself and others.

Then I watched him make those decisions himself. He failed at proper crossing (Looking for cars) a few times. I dragged him off his sled on the other side of the road and said "What did you do wrong?, do you know?" He did know........ "Well the next time I see that the sled is parked for the rest of the winter"

Upgraded to an old Exciter 570 for my son. Trail rode with him, watching, watching for something he screwed up...... Performed flawlessly.

Point is, parents need to take an active role in proper riding instruction. Parents need to be out there, evaluating how your kid(s) make decisions.

Slowly letting out the leash over time....... And not letting out the leash so quickly they strangle themselves on it........

Now, my 12 year old has 5-6 years of riding under his belt. He is a good, thoughtful little rider.....And does not take stupid chances.

Next year it will be on to a Summit 700 for him to get used to a mountain sled........

My hope is that he will gain enough experience to come out west with us "old farts" and have a lifetime of fun.....Sledding

The way I went about this is not necessarily "Gospel", but something similar IS for your kid.

 

[HDEMWET]

if more parents took an active roll such as yourself, we'd have a lot less "statistic" kids, less fatalities, injuries, and probably lower insurance rates. It's not just kids, when I was 2 yrs old my uncle died drunk driving on x-mas eve on his sled, I know it sounds like b.s. or cliche, but I've seen first hand how messed up my older cousin ended up being raised without a father to guide him through life. I'm no saint either, I've damned near had to be peeled off a rock face after a few too many beers one night on the way home, but I learned from that and don't drink and drive anymore. It's not to be preachy, but preventable death or injury is not something i wish upon any family.