Do's and don'ts of mountain riding

island rider

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How about haveing a new belt as a spare instead of some beat up peaice of crap that might last 10 minutes and a new pair of spark plugs in a dry storage compartment .
 

Unklsnomobile

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Make sure your riding buddies know how to use their avy gear.
On a steep hill, throw your spare belt over a ski.
Sleds don't float. (Everyone knows this, but it's surprising how cold it is.)
When cruising down a trail, remember someone might be coming toward you.
Don't let anyone pressure you to ride beyond your ability.
 

jaredszakacs

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make sure you do a beacon check everytime at the staging area before you go out! try and avoid terrain traps like gullies,tree stands and well you get the point and never ride above your ability! and always bring spare gear you never know when you will have to stay the night!
 

Orrin

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No matter what you ride that sled is the fastest, strongest, best looking, best on fuel and oil, has the most suspension travel and the fastest track speed, it handles the trails better and gets up on the snow the quickest, it has the perfect attack angle, the bestest track, the easiest bumper to grab, the skis were built by god and the muff pot cooks gourmet meals for the entire group oh and it's most indestructable machine on the mountains anywhere ever. Unless it's a Phazer.
 

senorjeem

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Don't feel obligated to climb up to where your buddy is stuck to help him out! :nono:Anyone big enough and ugly enough to highmark and get stuck, is big enough and ugly enough to get themselves unstuck. If you go up, you just doubled the loading on the slope, and nobody is going to be at the bottom watching, to see where people ended up, if the worst happens.

The outdoors are pretty big, if you see my group pounding away at a hill, we don't really want lessons from you! Show us your stuff way over there. We will still be impressed,:eek: I promise.
 

thunder44

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Pack your backpack at the beginning of the season with everything you would need to spend the night. THEN LEAVE IT THAT WAY. Don't take anything out , just add more things as you need them. It sucks when you forget something at home and you need to spend the night.
 

overkill131313

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Don't feel obligated to climb up to where your buddy is stuck to help him out! :nono:Anyone big enough and ugly enough to highmark and get stuck, is big enough and ugly enough to get themselves unstuck. If you go up, you just doubled the loading on the slope, and nobody is going to be at the bottom watching, to see where people ended up, if the worst happens.

The outdoors are pretty big, if you see my group pounding away at a hill, we don't really want lessons from you! Show us your stuff way over there. We will still be impressed,:eek: I promise.

on a steep hill even I can get a turbo tank unstuck......shovel and let it roll!
 

Boblikesfun

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Ride clean! Leave the booze and "other" till the end of the day when the sleds are on the trailer!:)


Great tip !!! I don't think this is taken seriously enough. Nobody rides a sled after drinking better than he did before. Nobody. I was amazed with the amount of booze and weed I saw at the Cabin on Boulder last season.

Don't just wait till the sled are in the trailer. Wait till home or Hotel.:)
 

flow2go

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IF???? you ever happen to get stuck in deep powder;).....pack the snow (by boot stomping your frustration out) beside the trench, and then lift the rear end of the sled over onto the packed 'launch pad'. (if you can't pick up the back end of the sled by yourself, ya probably shouldn't ride in mountainous/avalanche terrain!!!) also pack the snow in front of the sled the same way as to reduce any drag on the bellypan and A-arms. It will also help a LOT if you drag the front end of the sled around so that gravity can assist your take-off. Just remember to pack the snow around the sled to make the drag easiest. The track MUST be out of the trench to drag it around. May sound stupid to write that last bit, but I have seen people work way harder than is necessary.

NOW the trick is........just lightly blip the throttle so as to barely engage the clutch, and ease the sled out of your crater........ only then do you get back hard on the throttle to gain momentum.

often a well-timed ski-tug from a buddy will help the sled to get moving, but don't count on it every time......because sometimes 'Murphy's Law' will ensure that you only get stuck out of sight of your 'riding buddy' :( this, of course, would only happen in non-avalanche terrain because otherwise 'buddies' are always in sight of each other!!! Right????

Oh..........and make sure that you DO communicate with another rider in your group, before leaving the parking lot, to know that you are 'buddies'. Too often in large groups, riders are unknowingly left behind because there are not established 'buddies' within the group. Believe me, it happens! People have been buried in small avalanches and not survived, ONLY because the group did not see that rider become involved.

It's also a courtesy to fill your crater back in some afterwards, so that it doesn't catch a rider off-guard and buck them later in the season. This is especially important on well travelled steeper trails.

Thanks for the other great posts on this thread. Keep 'em coming!
 

sledslut

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constant throttle while on the trail.. none of this brap brap brap brap brap brap brap brraaaappppppp brake, brap brap brap ..... i think you get the drift.. it makes ruts up the whole trail.. and wild brakeing bumps
 

Mayfly

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Lots of rope, lighter, emergency blanket, first Aid kit, vise grips, sm crescent wrench, extendable magnet. Saskatchewan chrome (duct tape), spare belt and spark plugs. Yeah I know it gets heavy but better than not having.:d
 

NosRX1

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There is lots of great info on here of what to do on the Hill!...But please remember to park your truck in a way that doesn't block anyone else for loading and being able to drive out!...Too many times I get to the hill early and by mid afternoon out of fuel head back only to find I am boxed in.:nono:
 
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