Is this becoming to expensive to do?

Lund · Oct 15, 2016

Funny how this might even kinda tie in with the on going thread of trail passes.
During the off season i generally stay in contact with alot of the guys i sled with, 90% of them are BC residents, middle age and financially stable and set. I've know some of them for nearly 20yrs and sledding has always played a huge part of their lives.
But lately, interestingly i have heard through having conversation that the sport is just getting too expensive.
In fact one friend said that he is considering selling.
I remember when this sport was considered a family sport that the whole family could enjoy as a whole, while skiing was for the rich. But i'm wondering if that is still the case. I know families with large income this is not an issue but what about the more average income family. In BC stat Canada says 76,000 is the average, funny cause i know more people that are below 50,000 and working. LOL.

I totally agree that the sport has evolved 1000 folds from years past but is it becoming a sport for the wealthy like many other's? Is the industry pricing it self out of a certain income earner? Is the government/clubs/BCSF putting too many restrictions, fee's and regulation's that at the end of the day comes out of our pocket's?

It would be interesting to see how people feel about the cost of sledding vs maybe other entertainment they participate in. Maybe you use to sled but no more because of the cost or you do sled but don't go to the cool places many do, you just ride near your house to help keep cost down.

My personal experience is my son grew up sledding and now 26yrs old he hasn't sledded for 4 years because its just too expensive and sold every thing. He instead has takin up another sport because its more affordable.

snochuk · Oct 15, 2016

Definatly an expensive sport for a family. Three or four sleds with maintenance is just ridiculous. Most sleds I have are 10-15 years old with low miles that take a long time to find. And most riding is done locally at the farm.
Family riding to the mountains all the time and your yearly income better be way over $76,000.
Present economy and it is not an activity that many can afford any more.
There is all the side costs of trailers clothes safety gear.
Not a cheap game to play.

lman · Oct 15, 2016

There is no doubt that this is one of the most expensive sports out there. If you include the price of machines, parts, gas, travel expenses and gear. The big question is can you keep it affordable?

A person would have to decide do theu need the latest and greates in equipment and machines? When we first got into it we bought 10 year old machines, used what we had for existing winter clothes and got best deals on needed gear. We tried to stay local to keep costs down.

I think there are ways to keep it affordable but it all depends what you want out of it.

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ippielb · Oct 15, 2016

Saskatchewan it is still a family thing. Buy any cheap $500 beater and you can go almost everywhere the $15,000 brand new sleds can. Just a little slower. I feel that BC is where it's getting too expensive for some. It's a monopoly, they can do whatever they want because they now they can and people will still pay.

HotShotHarry · Oct 15, 2016

It is expensive, but every sport is. The demographics of the typical sledder hasn't changed since I started sledding again back in '95. If you are a serious sledder, you are either young,working with no kids or your kids have grown up and you have time and disposable cash again. The number of sledders in my age group [60-65] is decreasing mainly due to physical restrictions but I find the younger guys like to ride with us because of the experience and knowledge we have. I don't forsee much problem getting us to purchase a provincial permit if it were mandatory. I don't know why but I sure have a difficult time convincing people to purchase a local membership even though they agree its a good thing to do. Mostly it a rush to get to the staging area and ride. They don't want to stop in town to purchase one it seems. I would like to see local memberships sold at the trailhead booths. I don't believe that too many people would get pissed off with waiting in line.The longer waits would mainly be in the early season anyway. If a trail pass discount was applied after a provincial permit was purchased, it would be more acceptable. Either way, I am going to ride until I no longer have the physical ability regardless of the cost. Its the sport that I love te best!

kimrick · Oct 15, 2016

This is a very interesing post!
I can agree that that the sport has become a very expensive gig!
The price of a new sled, let alone two or three for the family. A vehicle to tow, lodging, food, safety gear, clothing, etc.
If a guy was to add every penny spent, it would be outrageous.

I love seeing the smiles on all the people we take up to the hills and cabin and truly beleive that I have made a differance to show them gods country.
But the cost is deffinately start to bocome a factor.

The economy and small old age security that we paid into all our lives dwindles quickly. LOL!

Got boost want snow · Oct 15, 2016

So the provincial permit is above the cost of the trail pass and your provincial licensing hmmm sounds like another money grab from the government. I like the fact that we pay for an Asa pass in Alberta and our provincial license. No trail pass at every clubs trail head.

Lund · Oct 15, 2016

The reason i started the thread was that last night i was on the phone with a long time sledding friend in Vancouver. Basically making plans for the season as we usually do.
We got on the conversation of the season provincial pass and this lead to him telling me that as it stands today sledding might be something of the past for him.
He is in his early 50's and for the last couple of years sledding has drained his savings substantially every winter. Even with no major mechanical breakdowns its the whole cost of the sport. Fuel, motel and trail passes that really add up. He was at the dealer show the other day and looking at the new sleds and said it was retarded what they want for new iron. With his current sled aging, its reliability is now an issue. Plus his aging gear he said, some needs replacing.
He figures to upgrade new with some replacement gear he would be near $20,000 with taxes and fee's now day's.

brian h · Oct 15, 2016

i feel the sport has gotten very expensive and seems to get more expensive every year. it use to be familys would have 3 or 4 sleds and the whole family enjoyed it.now adays its more of a sport for the individually .i usually buy a sled and run it for close to ten years,you look up on the mountain my sled is usually one of the older ones you see.current ride 08 xp,mechanically a1,gets me anywhere i want or need to get to.but i see so many people who every other year buy a new sled,trailer,then they need to get new riding gear to match new sled,what do they spend ?yes its nice to have the latest and greatest but when will the cost ever make people realize the expence they put into sledding.i rode lots as a kid,then lots when young and single but riding was cut back when raising a family,cost was to expensive to be out as much as i would of liked and it seemed with raising a family running older sleds was alot of work to keep all sleds going.kids growen up now and back to riding alot more but the expense seems to increase every year to the point of wondering if a person can continue riding as much as they have in past years

snopro · Oct 15, 2016

We pretty much exclusively ride Revelstoke. We used to buy our fuel out there till it went crazy. Now we haul it. Now the rooms are spiralling higher and higher. We will probably ride less there and ride more closer to home in area's that are not as expensive. Sledding should never be an open cheque book no matter how much you love it. You can still have a stellar day in Fernie or Golden. Snow may not be as good as Revy but we are still on the snow. Sleds aren't getting any cheaper either. Just need to adjust to keep it as reasonable as you can IMO.

HotShotHarry · Oct 15, 2016

But after spending the 20 grand, he is good for the next 5 years or so depending on how much he rides. So say 4g a year in equipment-minus what he could still get for the sled after 5 years-say $5000 and he is down to 3g a year. About the same as a yearly golf pass somewhere. People will generally travel to other places to persue their choice of sport no matter what it is.... For the amount of fun sledding gives.... its not too bad. IMO.

Mike270412 · Oct 15, 2016

I agree. It's all about priorities.I quit hookers and blow and started putting all that money into snowmobiling.

HotShotHarry said:
But after spending the 20 grand, he is good for the next 5 years or so depending on how much he rides. So say 4g a year in equipment-minus what he could still get for the sled after 5 years-say $5000 and he is down to 3g a year. About the same as a yearly golf pass somewhere. People will generally travel to other places to persue their choice of sport no matter what it is.... For the amount of fun sledding gives.... its not too bad. IMO.

snowcannon · Oct 15, 2016

I hope A LOT more people keep feeling the need to have the latest and greatest gear or sled. Makes the hobby that much more affordable for me to. Or should I say affordable at all! And keeps the dealers in business as well. Coming from the prairies and getting ready for my first mountain riding season, I have to agree. Quite a bit more cash required than for trail riding.

Merc63 · Oct 15, 2016

Mountain riding for us Albertans is a 500 to 700 dollar trip every time. Food, fuel, trail pass, oil, equipment and depreciation of that equipment when you buy it new one year and lose 4 to 5k to the next year's.

Everyone I know that rides mountains is wealthy, have to be, it's crazy expensive, then again anything with a motor or tits is expensive.

imdoo'n · Oct 15, 2016

don't forget the cost of theft in the parking lots, and trail heads. hassels with law enforcement, etc etc. just getting easier every year to ride closer to home or find something else to do. unless there is a large amount of snow this year, my stuff will be on the sales block.

Quattroman · Oct 15, 2016

It depends when you ask me... mid season with great conditions its totally worth it. But in spring/summer when i add up what the season cost me and the stuff i need to fix for the next year i wanna say f&ck it.

But I'll agree, Mountain riding is getting borderline too expensive, especially with work being as slow as it is. Alot of the guys i used to ride with have gotten rid of their machines or dont go much anymore... Because yea, for us AB guys it adds up to almost a grand to go for afew days. And thats if you dont break anything. This last year i was seriously considering selling the sleds... but when i saw what 5yr old cats are going for in the flooded market.... not even worth selling. So il keep at it for another year and hope for a couple good trips to make it worth while.

Now if your talking about flatlander trail riding for the family... That hasnt changed much in cost at all. You can get a decent 2up ditch banger for $2500 that will get you there just as easily as some 174 mountain monster... just alittle slower.

oler1234 · Oct 15, 2016

I have been riding 20 years now and seen a lot happen and let me tell you this. realtively speaking it is bout the same as it was in the 90's relative to a persons income I think.

now though it just everyones standards are much higher than back in the day. Case in point

going to sport check for gear, no crazy price "sled" gear
the introduction to safety gear and training. 15 years ago, mountain riding, we never had anything
everyone day tripped
more people rode locally, in alberta I remember caterrac/etherington parking lots full
everyone wants 3 course meals
no trail passes
sleds didn't need as much maintenance because they generally didn't make enough power to wear it out
people on rode December to march, shorter season
for years everyones attitudes was "if you can afford a sled, you can afford the trail pass". well all this small stuff adds up to a big bill

Caper11 · Oct 15, 2016

There is a huge increase in the cost of a trip in the past 10 yrs, and have considered taking a year or two off with the conditions and the uncertainty in the economy it seemed not practical to invest in the sport.

I've been doing a lot more day trips in the past which helps scratch the itch so to speak, along with bringing gas and diesel with me to reduce costs during those longer trips. The cost of motels, fuel, consumables, and meals it's not uncommon anymore to spend close to a grand on a trip.

Can I afford to do it like in the past? Yes, but I see a shift of priorities to my kids attention versus wanting to to spend 3-4 days on a trip.

But after picking up a almost brand new 16 used, my excitement has been restored along with what will look to be a great season, but I will be definitely looking into the cost vs reward after the end of this season.

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catinthehat · Oct 15, 2016

The sport has definitely gotten more expensive for those that want the latest and greatest of everything.
I think a lot of this has to do with the desire to go farther back than before to find the less ridden areas.
We have been riding the same areas for 40 years but it sure is easier to get there now than back then.
Most of our group ride the same sled for years before replacing it, usually with one a couple years old. That is the only way we can afford to keep going.

struglin · Oct 15, 2016

What isn't expensive? Dinner and movies with wife and one kid $200 camping for a weekend $200 per day and that's with trailer lot paid for kids hockey, skiing ect... Nothing is cheap it's all relative sledding has never been a cheap hobby but it's not anymore expensive then boating or mx ect

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Is this becoming to expensive to do?

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