Any tips for a newbie mudder?

[whoDEANie]

It's a sensitive topic Momma. On one hand, we get bad press for just about everything we do. On the other hand, there's some that just take it way too far. These days, our numbers alone kill us since even the most responsible riding impacts the terrain, especially when you are talking thousands or tens of thousands of riders over the course of a season. Even then the extent of the damage is debatable particularly when compared to that of commercial operations.

I usually stay out of these dbates since I can be a little hypocritical at times, but the plain and simple fact for many of us is that muddign is fun. There's got to be some kind of happy medium where we can have fun and not be painted as hooligans all the time. If more of us belonged to AOHVA sanctioned clubs and contributed more to trail maintenance, we might have a better leg to stand on. However for now, the quadding community is not nearly active enough to offset the negative press that comes our way. ...and as such, we unfortunately need to watch our p's and q's.

 

[medler]

And considering there's a thread on here called worst stuck pics
So if we're gonna shoot ourselves in the foot that thread is doing it for sure

 

[Sledderglen]

It is sad that a few of the sledders on here continue to bash the the quadders for the "land use issues" .Yet i NEVER see the quaders bash the sledders for ,cut fences,gargage along the trail,avalanche tragedy`s ETC ETC.This ride could be on private land for all we know,or a MULTI USE trail where quads are permitted..........
I used to farm and had far more "issues" in winter with sledders than quaders on my land.
Not picking on anyone but this is a litle ridiculous to single out members who belong to Snow & MUD and treat them differently than some other members..........IMO.
We all use and love the out doors,and it is a mistake to only blame one segment of our membership for our problems..........

Alienating a large group will have long lasting negative results,of that there is no dought...........

I`ll change my user name to Quadder/Sledderglen . I use them both, probally put the same amount of KMs on both sleds and quads. Was even out today riding closing gates to keep ATVs out of private land on our snowmobile trails. I also work on the Snow and Mud Jamboree on the trail most of the month of June to try to make the trail as best we can for the members that come. I am a sledder and a quadder.

 

[MOMMA]

I have talked to her also. Where does it start and end? We are not the only people watching on this site. We cut our own throats every day. ESRD and team green looks at these pics and videos and start painting our activity with a pretty big brush You being new to the province coming from pristine BC would you do that there? What would people think? You being new to mudding I thought I would give you my idea of how to mud as you asked. Friendlier to the environment is all I am asking. I have changed my riding a lot and try to avoid ripping and tearing as much as possible. Whos trail is that? Is it a snowmobile trail? What happens when the club wants to use that trail next winter and its all rutted up? Momma your all about education and making things better. We all need to be educated on better riding ethics on the trail use or we will loose our ability to use the bush areas in Alberta and other provinces. I`m not here to single you out but your new, may as well get a feeling on what could happen if we all continue to use the muddy trails as your pictures have shown. You are in no way doing anything different than others but some riders are changing their ways I thought I would just give you some tips on mudding for in the future. You had all your gear right, style right but to some you were doing wrong. I will get a pile of negative responses to this but it has to start somewhere to change the way. Hope you continue to have a wonderful time in the bush with your family riding the quads but don't forget the impact we all make to the recreation activity negative or positive. Thanks

Your tips for Mudding is to Not mud.. disregarding the fact that perhaps care was taken to ensure we were following not only rules, but common sense while having fun. While I appreciate any care and concern you may have for me and my family, an attempt to paint all mudders with a tainted brush is hypocritical in my opinion. What you have just done is no different than Greenies who try to justify a sense of superiority by assuming negativities are amidst because mud is involved. So do not mud correct? Is this your opinion?

I am told the summer camp out is so much fun. Lots of laughter good people, and lots of mud to be had. Do you come to the camp out and not ride? Do you use this as a time to "educate" others about your views on Mud? If this is what our family has to look forward to, there most certainly will be an opening for the snow and "do not mud" camp out, for being from BC, you get quite tired of the arm chair policemen who think they know what's best for everyone. Have fun.

Perhaps if you sent a PM stating your concern I'd believe it was for the benefit of my family, however you chose to utilize this thread as a platform of superiority because I'm new to Alberta. I've actually just come home. Out of my 42 years, 30 of it was as an Albertan.
You are making a lot of assumptions in your replies, and you accuse me of "outing" us to the greenies. Sticking to the trail, in a designated area, following all safety regulations this is what I did. The trail is not the trail the snowmobilers utilize to go to the cabin in the area, that was pointed out to me yesterday when I was taken on a ride to show me the ins and outs of the area, as we always scope out an area before taking the kids with us.

Would I drive through mud in BC? This too was on a trail.

 

[Sledderglen]

And considering there's a thread on here called worst stuck pics
So if we're gonna shoot ourselves in the foot that thread is doing it for sure

Agree 100%. Thanks Mike

 

[whoDEANie]

I`ll change my user name to Quadder/Sledderglen . I use them both, probally put the same amount of KMs on both sleds and quads. Was even out today riding closing gates to keep ATVs out of private land on our snowmobile trails. I also work on the Snow and Mud Jamboree on the trail most of the month of June to try to make the trail as best we can for the members that come. I am a sledder and a quadder.

Unacceptable! You must pick a side.

 

[lilduke]

Ive been using the "D8" angle for years.. Trust me doenst go far with ASRD comparing Industry that has to "reclaim the land" to recreational use.

I totally agree that if you are on the "trail" cutline or what ever you wanna call it giver.(not all greenys see it that way unforunatly)

Some Pics on this site you gotta shake your head at tho. Take these 2 for example..WTF is that,,, where is the trail??

Not picking on these guys as I was young and dumb once too,,, doesnt hurt to point out the potential problem with what they are doing, does it?

 

[MOMMA]

Ive been using the "D8" angle for years.. Trust me doenst go far with ASRD comparing Industry that has to "reclaim the land" to recrational use.

I totally agree that if you are on the "trail" cutline or what ever you wanna call it giver.(not all greenys see it that way unforunatly)

Some Pics on this site you gotta shake your head at tho. Take these 2 for example..WTF is that,,, where is the trail??

Not picking on these guys as I was young and dumb once too,,, doesnt hurt to point out the potential problem with what they are doing, does it?



View attachment 155493

I suppose that is the whole, common sense thing as well eh. A fine line.. The catalyst for my writing came from complete frustration of how we were portrayed in the media, compiled by some misinformed "do gooders" on this site. In complete ignorance one woman defended her position about Mountain Riding. She was not a rider, but an ATVer. Riding in the Mountains is Dangerous, plain and simple, was her point of view. She paid no mind to the many people who tried to tell her that there are safe and unsafe ways of riding in the mountains. This is no different. Unless we are the voice of reason even when we tread close to the line, we will lose our voice. It's up to us, because ultimately have a voice. It doesn't have to be Against someone, it can simply be a voice, a presence. Am I a hooligan? hmm who knows.. all I know is I try to be the best person I can, follow the rules, and set a good example for my kids while enjoying as much time together with my kids and husband as possible. Life is short. I'm not perfect, by any means. So perhaps Mud is my new vice.. My metaphorical crack...... pretty sure I love it. I believe mudding can be done in a responsible way.
Are there jackarses out there.. hell ya.. but I've seen some jack arse quilters, dart players, and even tennis players. Jack arses exist.. but I am pretty sure there are more people with common sense and ethics than the jack arses.

 

[Sledderglen]

Where do most trails in Alberta come from? Are you new? The D8 that made that trail (cutline) and the 20,000 miles of other "trails" in Alberta did a lot more damage that the vehicles that subsequently use these "trails". Many of these pristine "trails" that we are tasked with not "ruining" drive to huge tracts where all the trees have been logged. I sure hope the quads don't ruin the clearcut after the faller-buncher, skidders and trucks are done.

DaveB if ESRD has a wish list they would want all those old seismic lines all grown in. The access these old lines created is now causing them (ESRD) grief. When these old lines were brushed thru the bush motorized users were not able to access what was opened. 30 or so yrs later we come along with our quads,sleds dirtbikes, 4x4s Argos whatever and follow these old lines. Now we are going into areas that ESRD don't want us to be there for whatever reason they can come up with. Oil and Gas, logging all have made these trails, lines for years and ESRD are stuck with the problem. I have been in many meeting and discussions with ESRD and they have said just that. They are trying to slowly close us out of areas. Any new logged area replanted are told to cover over old cutlines, pipelines are told rollback the vegetation onto the line all to control access. These are just a few examples of their problem. Its to bad that the government doesn`t see the $$$$$ that our activity brings to the province like Logging and oil and gas does. O&G and logging has power to do what they want to do. Pipelines, clearcuts whatever we all in one way or another benefit from these industries. As trail users or builders for motorized recreation we are always fighting to make any headway. We are blamed for lots of things and have little power to make any changes if we could. The future is up to us. We all need to get organized. Off highway vehicle numbers are huge and we can make a difference if we all get together and along. The AOHVA needs help. They need clubs, members and a strong association working together to get things to change. ESRD has now gotten out of any trail responsiblilty and passed it onto public lands and parks. ESRD still has say on what happens on Crown Land even trail use issues.

 

[lilduke]

Tinfoil time people...lol

What is ASRD or ESRD? Alberta Enviroment& Sustainable Resourses and Development.
They are a buruacrazy(read not elected) that are in control with what happens on all of our land(even Private land)

The part to look at closely is the "Sustainable Development" part this is a buzz word for the Global elite.

ASRD was created in the 90's as part of United Nations Sustainable Development mandate Agenda 21.
UN= world government, with there nose in our buisness.

Sounds unbelievable hey? well its true...lol

Here is a Link to United Nations website.

 

[Drty Sphyncter]

Grab a box of condoms before you hit the trail, cuz if you really have to ask those questions, it sounds like you're gonna be f#*^@d!

 

[MOMMA]

Grab a box of condoms before you hit the trail, cuz if you really have to ask those questions, it sounds like you're gonna be f#*^@d!

have no fear Mr. Sphyncter... it was A OK.......... I enjoyed the action..... Woo hooo!!!



K peeps.. I think it's time for an article. I need epic help writing this one.. Points of views.. please send me some emails to trishdrinkle@yahoo.ca I'd love to cover the good, the bad and the ugly.......... Sphyncter maybe that is where you come in... baa ha haa.. just kidding.. i'm so funny....

I want it to be done well, so in a rush I will not be, but can you send me some thoughts.. we can brain storm.. perhaps conference call, or if you're close enough I can buy you a beer... I want to know everything.

 

[Taminator]

Soooo...I'm curious. Is the Iron Horse Trail only a sledding trail? Is that the issue? If it's not...then when you are on the trail and hit a mud pit what are you supposed to do? If you chose to go through it, you're wrecking the trail for sledders or seen as destroying nature even though you're on an existing trail. BUT you are a worse person if you go around it, cuz then you're starting a new trail and bypasses which destroy even more land...kind of a catch 22 situation. No?

IMHO it's time that backcountry users in general work together and become one voice for power sports so we can help each other and not work against each other just because some use land with snow and some don't. As power sports users we are after the same things, access to the backcountry and we are fighting the same enemies, which unfortunately includes other power sports users sometimes. Lots of peeps are multi season riders, so instead of losing the battle to use the land, we should perhaps strengthen our forces and become one big voice instead of a bunch of ineffective little voices/groups who get tired of the fight. The one thing you see over and over are Clubs looking for members/directors whether it's sled or ATV - a lack of volunteers for work and for fighting for land use....yet they all have basically the same mission and goals. What's the benefit of these small groups who can't or won't work together to make a stronger power sports community in general? Put all these groups/people together and things can start to happen! My new agenda....who's with me?

 

[GYMBRAT]

my list: "rather simple I know"

(1) Helmet/Gogs
(2) Gloves
(3) Fox Boots
(4) Speedos
(5) Beer
= GTG

 

[TylerG]

Soooo...I'm curious. Is the Iron Horse Trail only a sledding trail? Is that the issue? If it's not...then when you are on the trail and hit a mud pit what are you supposed to do? If you chose to go through it, you're wrecking the trail for sledders or seen as destroying nature even though you're on an existing trail. BUT you are a worse person if you go around it, cuz then you're starting a new trail and bypasses which destroy even more land...kind of a catch 22 situation. No?

IMHO it's time that backcountry users in general work together and become one voice for power sports so we can help each other and not work against each other just because some use land with snow and some don't. As power sports users we are after the same things, access to the backcountry and we are fighting the same enemies, which unfortunately includes other power sports users sometimes. Lots of peeps are multi season riders, so instead of losing the battle to use the land, we should perhaps strengthen our forces and become one big voice instead of a bunch of ineffective little voices/groups who get tired of the fight. The one thing you see over and over are Clubs looking for members/directors whether it's sled or ATV - a lack of volunteers for work and for fighting for land use....yet they all have basically the same mission and goals. What's the benefit of these small groups who can't or won't work together to make a stronger power sports community in general? Put all these groups/people together and things can start to happen! My new agenda....who's with me?

Taminator basically just said the exact same thing SledderGlen is saying. Hundreds of small groups have no leg to stand on, however, if everyone would play nice in the sandbox (sledders, quadders, bikers, 4x4's, horses etc) we could make a much larger impact. Unfortunately, the Snowandmud Jamboree Trail last year wound up having a large mud pit, according to our agreements with ESRD this is a HUGE no-no. Our trail this year will not have a mud pit. Those of you that have ridden the trail have also noticed several "log bridges" that we have made over soft bottom creeks to help keep the soft bottom creeks in good condition for years to come.

Trish I would love to sit down with you and bring all the stuff we (SledderGlen, Rknight111, SBR, Murminator) got earlier this year from the Land Use Secretariat, its a lot of reading. The best reading and research for you would be to start looking into the LARP (Lower Athabasca Regional Plan), this directly affected your current area, and now they are working on the SSRP (South Saskatchewan Regional Plan), next is the NSRP (North Saskatchewan Regional Plan) as well as the Upper and Lower Peace region. I have lots of documentation on all this stuff and definitely I want to share.

We need to educate our back country users, snowmobilers, ATVers, Side-by-Side Users etc..... We are all under the microscope, and yes "Big Brother is watching"

 

[Mike270412]

It's too bad the greenies got such a hard-on for powersports enthusiasts.I work in the oilpatch and we do more damage in 5 minutes than all the quads in the province but that's ok cause its big business.And trashing a bit of muskeg is hardly noticeable a few months later anyway???

 

[TylerG]

It's too bad the greenies got such a hard-on for powersports enthusiasts.I work in the oilpatch and we do more damage in 5 minutes than all the quads in the province but that's ok cause its big business.And trashing a bit of muskeg is hardly noticeable a few months later anyway???

you are correct Mike, there again, club involvement needs to happen, same as snowmobiling. There is a lot of potential for the AOHVA to have a similar push with the governments as the ASA does, but people need to start joining clubs, paying their dues, and volunteering their time to enhance trails.

 

[RZR101]

I'd be all over it, anyone know of a club around Red Deer looking for members?

 

[TylerG]

I'd be all over it, anyone know of a club around Red Deer looking for members?

As far as I know right now the only club is the Big Horn ATV Society in that area.

Here is a link to the club listing on the AOHVA Website:

Let me make some phone calls this morning, I'm going to try to get a list of all clubs in Alberta to post so we can all find our closest one!

 

[medler]

Count me in T