"Mousetrapped" Lets Talk About It

[climbmax]

As a sledding community I feel its the right time to talk about this amongst ourselves. I've had 2 incidents where I had to use my radio for group rescue. I don't want to have a third. For those that don't know its when a sled usually "over-transfers" and basically loops out. Often the sled will land on top of you and pins a person. Even worse when it comes back over and pile drives you into your own trench. I can tell you when you are pinned and usually an extremity or two is compromised its is near impossible to move that sled on top of you. Combined with panic, snow ingestion, and fear, it really freaks a guy out quick. I'm sure there are many stories of near misses and humor, but there are also some of sorrow. And that is sad.
Best precaution is keeping "eyes on your guys", Radio chatter every minute or so, buddy system.

Please post your thoughts and lets keep this going.
Safe sledding
RS

 

[Lightningmike]

I was pinned just like that once. Sled on top of my back and still idling. I know. Forgot to put my tether on... snow was somewhat hard But still could not move it. I could see my group and they saw it happen so I knew they would be right there. They just touched the throttle gently and drove right over my azz. Haha

I was pretty lucky and doo always wear my tether. Not sure why I didn't that time

 

[RXN]

Like you said knowing where your buddies are at all times is key on this one.
Twice now I've done it. And didn't let go of the bars. Couldn't remove my hands from the bars while being pinned under. And the teather didn't pull either time.

Couldn't even call on the radio for help. I could hear them calling me on the radio. But I couldn't answer. The more you squirm the worse it seems to be. Best not to panic. And just hope. 1 they saw you and 2 they can get to you.

 

[snoflake]

Eyes on is the key. Our group is too comfortable riding close, but not eyes on all the time. I had a near miss trying to punch in a trail through the trees while both buddy’s were stuck below me. Managed to get out, and decided to go to diffeeent terrain for the day. Eyes on is one thing, but even if they could see me they couldn’t get to me for 20 min. Could have been bad.

 

[gdhillon]

Is this just happening with the newer short/cut tunnels?

My khaos is a 155 with a 163 skid, from looking at the rear bumper it doesn’t appear it could loop out unless maybe I was climbing a gnarly hill

 

[ferniesnow]

Thanks Randy. Good information.
With the masses going to turbos and shorter tracks, bow ties and the fancy/fun stuff are becoming more popular. With those decisions comes more responsibility. Are the newer riders with less experience the ones that are getting into the most trouble?

 

[Turblue]

I found over the years that keeping the riding group smaller 2-5 it’s better to keep track of people. 3 is my go to group size. Enough people to get a sled unstuck and easy to keep track. We typically ride tight tree areas and creeks. Its not easy to have a line of sight. Having a radio within arms reach is key. Also we typically all have garmin rinos to keep track if someone strays.

Sleds are definitely to the point you can get yourself in a sticky situation fast.

 

[fynnigan]

For some of us older riders picking a line didn’t include 27 directional changes . Not to say I haven’t made more than my share of poor choices. But the trend to somewhat shorter tracks and more power than skill is really starting to show with the latest oem offerings .Situational awareness and making the right choices .

 

[pfi572]

How lucky do you feel I guess ? Want to keep pushing the odds , keep flipping 600lbs over on yourself..
If not set the sled up so it doesn’t and quit pushing the odds .

 

[ctd]

Dangerous direction IMO where this is headed. It's one thing to have sledders lost headed down some drainage they have no idea & should not be. Now this.

 

[mclean]

This is like bikes and cars such. 99% of the users can't use things to their potential and accidents happen.

This situation is slightly different but same idea. I'll be honest, before Ken Blocks accident, I've never even heard of mouse trapped or had something like that happen. I'm very aware of it now and watching all these sled videos, you can see how easy it could happen

 

[2kDoo]

Do they need to install traction control and ECD like the new vehicles have ?

 

[snoflake]

Everyone wants to wheelie, and do bo-ties. So the sleds are set up to lift in the front, and it’s exciting to ride like that, but you need to be aware of the outcome. Also, the power of the newer sleds when transitioning from powder to traction, with the track speed, the sled hooks up and Boom, it’s on top of you.

 

[RGM]

Lots of guys/gals learning and doing rentries can be a problem. I always wear my tether on my wrist so I have a much better chance of pulling it off than if clip to clothing. The new turbo have enough power to go over backwards vs NA sleds. and you need to learn throttle control.

 

[E-Zmoke]

Great post Randy and a hot topic that everyone should be aware of. Eyes on your guys is absolutely critical, radio contact, and most importantly move quickly when this happens. I have 2 stories to share. First happened a few years ago eyes were on the guy, sled flipped over backwards pinning him underneath. I was able to get to him quickly, he was pinned underneath he could not get the sled off of him as gravity was working against him. No harm no glory in this situation. Rider made out ok. Eyes on your guys was key in this situation.

2020 I wasn’t so lucky, a simple bow tie gone wrong everything happened so fast, I Mouse trapped myself, sled pinned on top of me foot stuck in the stirrup bars stuck behind knee, head pointed downslope with entire weight of sled on my leg hyperextended my knee, stage III tears in my ACL, MCL, and PCL, the impact also broke my tiba going into the knee. I was in a lot of pain and could not for the life of me get the sled off of me, my radio and great riding partners saved me. They were there within seconds of it happening. It took 2 guys to lift the sled and a 3rd guy to pull me out from under the sled. Damage was already done though. Even though my riding partners were quick to the scene, this was a season ending injury for me.

It can happen fast and it can happen to anyone experienced or not experienced. This should not be taken lightly and should be talked about in all pre ride safety meetings as this issue is getting more and more common in this ever changing ever evolving sport.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Got boost want snow]

Had 2 slightly different situation but similar. Had a riding partner get dumped off in the powder sled ended up on top of him pinning him face down. I was following and within seconds had it off him but could have been bad. Second I chose a line through the trees branch hooked the throttle cable jamming me into the tree I was on my back under my sled in a tree well. Riding group came and rescued me. I still thank Yamahas tors for that because it pinned the turbo viper but the tors shut my sled down. Luck was on my side. Now wear a tether all the time.

 

[greenthumb]

Agree with majority of what's already been said.

Performance level of machines and the aspiration of riders has progressed so rapidly recently that it is exceeding experience and judgement.

Hopefully things don't get out of hand. A few more high profile accidents and some regulating bodies might start noticing.

 

[The Kickass One]

Last season in the trees I got trapped under my sled face down for 10-15 minutes until my son found me. I thought I was done. Took me easily 15 minutes to recover. I definitely ride differently now.

 

[ABMax24]

It's only a matter of time before the horsepower wars end, is 200hp the line, I'm not sure, but the same thing happened with streetbikes in 2000, where OEM's agreed to a 300km/h speed limit for safety.

Snowmobiling is becoming widely known in the insurance world as a dangerous sport. I highly suggest everyone make themselves aware of the exclusions on their life and disability insurance policies, especially those with families that depend on their income. My life insurance provider will no longer payout on a new policy if death occurs while "back country" snowmobiling, which they define as any riding off a groomed and maintained trail, which covers 95% of most peoples riding. Highmark/avalanche exclusions used to be about it for sledders, but more widespread exclusions are become more common. My old policies don't have any exclusions, but I'll have to find a new provider if/when I want more coverage.

 

[raven-lunatic]

Great topic, and agree the best practice is to make sure you guys that are executing these maneuvers, have a buddy close by to help if needed. Judging by what's going on with the You Tube crowd obviously others are usually pretty close. I've also noticed that there seems to be more than one person on any given slopes more frequently these days which is another concern.