Anyone here ever done it? I’m trying to think of a plan B if resorts are limited or shutdown next year. I have a snowmobile but obviously can’t do it alone. Any tips or general areas that are good for this type of skiing? If I was going to do it ideally I would like powder and something moderately steep but not too steep that you can’t ride up double on the sled. I know virtually nothing about this type of skiing so any tips or tricks would be great.
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Sled skiing?
- Thread starter Alumacraft3
- Start date
I have done something like this on areas where there are no slopes, both with skis and snowboards. Think water ski on snow. The advantages are you’re upper end speed is controlled by how fast the driver can go, how long the tow rope is and finally how much nerve you have. I’ve clocked well into low to mid 100mph range on one or two occasions through turns and the whip effect (more of a snowboard than skis), side note I was wearing a full face helmet so there was some safety consideration
.Now your play area is truly 3d, on the way up, On the way down and going across the slope.
Just remember any injuries are cause by your own making, but you can’t beat the rush
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I think he was more talking about riding a snowmobile to get up the hill, then skiing down. Not being towed.I have done something like this on areas where there are no slopes, both with skis and snowboards. Think water ski on snow. The advantages are you’re upper end speed is controlled by how fast the driver can go, how long the tow rope is and finally how much nerve you have. I’ve clocked well into low to mid 100mph range on one or two occasions through turns and the whip effect (more of a snowboard than skis), side note I was wearing a full face helmet so there was some safety consideration
Now your play area is truly 3d, on the way up, On the way down and going across the slope.
Just remember any injuries are cause by your own making, but you can’t beat the rush
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There is a lot of sled skiing in our region, the main concern is always the avalanche hazard.
A sled makes it very easy to rapidly get into a questionable area while looking for that perfect untouched run.
If this is what you have in mind remember most avalanche deaths per year in our area are from sledders.
Using a lot of caution or better having good knowledge of snow stability will make it a lot safer.
Pretty sure that applies to all snow covered slopes, doubt being buried under a slide on a small hill is really any better than being buried on a bigger hill.
Most tend to go in small groups. , Solo (one sled 2 skiers) is the riskiest. Less possible help should something go sideways.
start small and local, you may be surprised at how many in your area are already doing this and are looking for others to join in.
A sled makes it very easy to rapidly get into a questionable area while looking for that perfect untouched run.
If this is what you have in mind remember most avalanche deaths per year in our area are from sledders.
Using a lot of caution or better having good knowledge of snow stability will make it a lot safer.
Pretty sure that applies to all snow covered slopes, doubt being buried under a slide on a small hill is really any better than being buried on a bigger hill.
Most tend to go in small groups. , Solo (one sled 2 skiers) is the riskiest. Less possible help should something go sideways.
start small and local, you may be surprised at how many in your area are already doing this and are looking for others to join in.
Just ghost it. .
I've never used a sled to bump you to the top of a run, but have utilized them to get to a more remote hill then toured from there. Without the sled it would have take a couple extra hours of walking just to get to the bottom of the hill.
As mentioned above...be aware of avalanche terrain. Sleds create more vibrations than people walking...remote triggering slopes is more prevalent than while touring. Also, be aware and do research of the area you're going, lots of land is closed to motorized vehicles even in the winter. Other than that, enjoy!
As mentioned above...be aware of avalanche terrain. Sleds create more vibrations than people walking...remote triggering slopes is more prevalent than while touring. Also, be aware and do research of the area you're going, lots of land is closed to motorized vehicles even in the winter. Other than that, enjoy!
Aww... the video stopped too soon. I wanted to see where the snowmobile wound up.
Have you done any avy safety courses yet?
Me too, I had high hopes of seeing him ski alongside the sled and jumping on sidesaddle
I gathered as much, but if you ride up why not ski up??
Well Mothertucker I never thought of that idea. My sled is already totaled so if it hits a tree on the way down it’s not a big deal. I’m from the Midwest. I haven’t had any avalanche training but have been backcountry snowmobiling in Colorado and Wyoming several times. I’m comfortable in the backcountry on a sled but skiing adds another level to it. It looks like a lot of fun even if the resorts aren’t shut down. If they are next year or severely limited I will need to get some skiing in somehow and this seems more practical for me than touring. If I’m driving 10 hours to ski I want to spend more time going down hill then up. I don’t know anybody personally that skis like this so I would have to find a partner. Hopefully it’s a non issue though and the resorts are operating like normal.
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3 is the ideal group size, 2 skiers 1 driver.
It's better to tow the skiers rather than load up the sled with a bunch of weight. Use a bike inner tube and a deadman's link to attach the skiers to the rope.
It's better to tow the skiers rather than load up the sled with a bunch of weight. Use a bike inner tube and a deadman's link to attach the skiers to the rope.
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I've considered this too. Sounds a lot safer if you use maintained sled trails to summit rather than try to ascend a 20 degree slope in deep snow towing somebody on skis. Also the snowmobile will cover the skier with snow.
When we were kids we would grab a pint of schnapps and pull a plastic sled behind snowmobile or jeep in the sandpits. It was fun but those rocks and stumps would leave your but and hips black and blue. The jeep was better because it sprayed less snow in your face.
When we were kids we would grab a pint of schnapps and pull a plastic sled behind snowmobile or jeep in the sandpits. It was fun but those rocks and stumps would leave your but and hips black and blue. The jeep was better because it sprayed less snow in your face.
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When I was a kid, before there was any organized skiing in our area, our family and another drove cars to a place where an open meadow ran beside a long hill on the roadway and took turns being the "lift" back to the top.
@Alumacraft3, I was Midwest born and raised. In the '70's we would ski behind snowmobiles with a water ski rope on a frozen lake. Sleds in those days were far less stable, and if you cut too hard the sled would turn over on its side, so we just used a full size Chevy Blazer.
20 degrees? With competent riders on a modern mountain sled, you can definitely tandem stuff much steeper than that, and a good solo rider can get places that blow my mind.
To the original point, riding a sled is a sport, just like skiing or dirtbiking, and having a reasonable skillset and knowledge base is fairly important to manage risks in the backcountry. It sounds like the OP has that side covered, but beyond avalanche risk, you've got a lot of more mundane but still safety-critical considerations, starting with your ability to control a sled in three-dimensional terrain and potentially above exposure (or just places where it will take a very long time to extract a sled). Then there's fuel range, mechanical ability if something stops working or the sled has a loud discussion with a tree or rock, etc. And if you can't ride out due to personal injury, do you have a way to communicate and the ability to camp out until help arrives?
As the Wyoming atv brochure says, you can ride further in a few hours than you can walk in a day; what's your emergency plan? Having skis and skins along does mitigate that substantially, even if it might make for a long and uncomfortable day and night.
With all that said, there are places where a sled opens up all sorts of skiing options, whether just to eliminate a long rolling approach or even to do laps, just try to have your eyes open as to what you're getting in to.
And yes, my first day out with sleds involved me hitting a tree and breaking parts, as well as my other sled (ridden by a friend) deciding that it preferred not to have the engine running. I learned a whole lot, but it wasn't cheap.
