Taking the Girlfriend for her First Mountain Trip

[etecheaven]

I love my wife, but its important to have things of your own to do without one another. I enjoy trail riding with her and will do a family trail ride in the mountains this year with her and the kiddies but i will never take her unless she insists and i make her aware of what to expect. On top of that i am 100% sure my wife will not enjoy anything but the trail ride up and the cabin.

One year i sent her to New York to shop while i rode.... she was happy, i was happy........ then kids happened and New York is not an option anymore. lol

My new plan is to get her good friends husband into riding so that the two of them can hang out, and the kids can play together while us guys go riding. It a win all the way around!

 

[MOMMA]

I love my wife, but its important to have things of your own to do without one another. I enjoy trail riding with her and will do a family trail ride in the mountains this year with her and the kiddies but i will never take her unless she insists and i make her aware of what to expect. On top of that i am 100% sure my wife will not enjoy anything but the trail ride up and the cabin.

One year i sent her to New York to shop while i rode.... she was happy, i was happy........ then kids happened and New York is not an option anymore. lol

My new plan is to get her good friends husband into riding so that the two of them can hang out, and the kids can play together while us guys go riding. It a win all the way around!

I guess I am blessed. My husband loves sledding as much as I do. We met because of riding so for us while we do some rides without one another, usually we are out together. A bonus is we always have someone to ride with, always ready to roll at the drop of a hat! I am thankful that my husband doesn't feel I'm cramping his style.

The flip side, before we got together I went out with my ride guys and "was the boss of me".. he tends to get over concerned, worried when I'm out without him. I think he almost had a nervous breakdown when I went to Golden to meet my sled sister without him. He says he just always worries about the what ifs. He knows I'm safe, I'm a solid rider and all, but he just likes to be there with me. I love his perspective when we ride. If he tells me I can make a climb, or drop something I believe him and try.
Point being, sometimes a husband wife shred relationship is a good thing, and not all women would like to go to New York rather than riding.. he can however, send me to Chile in the summer... I'd be totally ok with that.

 

[Quattroman]

Yep, Plan ahead and in that plan, plan on not getting much 'pin it to win it' time in. The first time i took the better half to the mountains it was up Clemina and she had a blast for awhile. Then we got past the cabin and up into the bowl and it got socked in and started dumping... then she got cold.... and wet... As as soon as she lost confidence in herself it went down hill... and so did we... back to the warm up cabin....

We've gone since and had a great time, But you gotta go at her pace and encouragement goes a long ways....

I would wait for a better base to set up...

 

[pete gads]

I think everyone has scared him off too. Hasn't answered back from first post. I take my wife up late jan. early feb. Snow is good and a little warmer.

 

[snochuk]

Went once with wives about Dec 15 abut 10-12 years ago, no grooming started. Snowing - 1 1/2' fresh. Was no a good day at all. We now go with the kids every family day weekend. My three girls are 16, 18, 20 and have a riot on the trails very year and packed cow paths up top.
Powder hounds they ain't - mountain top trail riders the are - we even did Lucile at midnight once on a clear night.

Gauge carefully how you want your ride to go - both of them.

 

[neilsleder]

I ride with my wife all year November to May. She is a great rider and underestimates her self. We are not riding this year. But the biggest mistake that guys do when getting there girl friend into mountain sledding is buying them a sh!ty mountain sled. If your girl friend has the same sled as you it won't be as bad as guys make it out to be.

When we would go riding I would keep my eye on her try giving her tips when I could, but when we would get to a climb or a side hill I would tell her to stick on my bumper and listen to my sled you hear me punch it you punch it. Be patient and things will work out.


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[2Quickrides]

I guess I am blessed. My husband loves sledding as much as I do. We met because of riding so for us while we do some rides without one another, usually we are out together. A bonus is we always have someone to ride with, always ready to roll at the drop of a hat! I am thankful that my husband doesn't feel I'm cramping his style.

The flip side, before we got together I went out with my ride guys and "was the boss of me".. he tends to get over concerned, worried when I'm out without him. I think he almost had a nervous breakdown when I went to Golden to meet my sled sister without him. He says he just always worries about the what ifs. He knows I'm safe, I'm a solid rider and all, but he just likes to be there with me. I love his perspective when we ride. If he tells me I can make a climb, or drop something I believe him and try.
Point being, sometimes a husband wife shred relationship is a good thing, and not all women would like to go to New York rather than riding.. he can however, send me to Chile in the summer... I'd be totally ok with that.

This was my plan with trying to get my ex into it.
Met riding? Is there a sledding dating group or site? Where do I sign up?!?!?! I'd even pay for that. LOL

 

[JustChilling19]

Thank for all the input, there is a lot of information here, I appreciate everyone's comments.Definitely wasn't scared off.. Just been a very busy day...

Anyways, the original plan was to take her to Bell day one and play it by ear on day two. I am going to take her to Bell and see how she does, will likely stay clear of Renshaw altogether this weekend.The whole point of this trip is for her to get her feet wet in the mountains. No group to keep up with or people wanting to go exploring. If I wanted that this weekend I would have planned a different trip.

I understand the early season conditions and no base. Getting stuck/unstuck is part of the learning process. If we head up the trail and she only wants to ride three hours thats fine. If we don't make it more then a kilometre past the cabin that is fine to. I just want her to see what its all about and work on some of the basics. As I said in my original post she does have sledding experience, she just doesn't have mountain experience. I can tell you that I have been with far worse riders in much harder areas.

I will be sure to have my shovel ready. We have also been talking for the past two weeks about all the different situations and things that can happen. I have told her many times that eventually something will break (hopefully not this trip!!), **** will happen, and talked about the importance of planning for emergencies. I guess we will see how it goes when something happens. At the end of the day she knows that safety is first and whatever happens to the sled happens, they can be replaced.

In regards to the comments about her coming on every trip ext. That is not going to be the case. She knows some trips will be guys trips (there is one coming up to Revy at the end of Nov). That being said Im hoping she falls in love with the sport and come along on most trips. We will see how it goes. I also made sure she got the right gear and sled to maximize enjoyment.

Thanks again for all the input!

 

[0neoldfart]

I ride with my wife all year November to May. She is a great rider and underestimates her self. We are not riding this year. But the biggest mistake that guys do when getting there girl friend into mountain sledding is buying them a sh!ty mountain sled. If your girl friend has the same sled as you it won't be as bad as guys make it out to be.

When we would go riding I would keep my eye on her try giving her tips when I could, but when we would get to a climb or a side hill I would tell her to stick on my bumper and listen to my sled you hear me punch it you punch it. Be patient and things will work out.


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My wife has been the most reliable riding partner over the years, and neilsledder speaks the truth: Put her on a good sled that is set up for her, buy quality gear, and offer encouragement rather then criticism. Early season riding is a bit more challenging for a newbie, so be prepared to spend some time digging, and do it with a smile, not grumbling under your breath. Usually when I see a husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend combination in the mountains, he's riding the latest and greatest, and she's on the machine that is older and simply not set up for her. Not a good start...

 

[team dirt]

Make sure you put your girlfriend on the best sled you have between the two of you. Good luck with your trip. It will be a big test on your relationship. The wife and me have been sledding together for 12 years now but let me tell you there have been some pretty good scraps. She would always end up doing something dumb and I would have to find her. I would tell her what I thought and that's when it started. Now she will out shred 90% of the people out riding. I still want to kill her but I think that's how love feels. Good luck this weekend it's going to be deep and sh!tty visibility.

 

[Uturn]

I would stay off Renshaw until the groomer has filled in the deactivation ditches. Took a newbie up early season, killed all of us before we got to the cabin.

 

[retiredpop]

Thank for all the input, there is a lot of information here, I appreciate everyone's comments.Definitely wasn't scared off.. Just been a very busy day...

Anyways, the original plan was to take her to Bell day one and play it by ear on day two. I am going to take her to Bell and see how she does, will likely stay clear of Renshaw altogether this weekend.The whole point of this trip is for her to get her feet wet in the mountains. No group to keep up with or people wanting to go exploring. If I wanted that this weekend I would have planned a different trip.

I understand the early season conditions and no base. Getting stuck/unstuck is part of the learning process. If we head up the trail and she only wants to ride three hours thats fine. If we don't make it more then a kilometre past the cabin that is fine to. I just want her to see what its all about and work on some of the basics. As I said in my original post she does have sledding experience, she just doesn't have mountain experience. I can tell you that I have been with far worse riders in much harder areas.

I will be sure to have my shovel ready. We have also been talking for the past two weeks about all the different situations and things that can happen. I have told her many times that eventually something will break (hopefully not this trip!!), **** will happen, and talked about the importance of planning for emergencies. I guess we will see how it goes when something happens. At the end of the day she knows that safety is first and whatever happens to the sled happens, they can be replaced.

In regards to the comments about her coming on every trip ext. That is not going to be the case. She knows some trips will be guys trips (there is one coming up to Revy at the end of Nov). That being said Im hoping she falls in love with the sport and come along on most trips. We will see how it goes. I also made sure she got the right gear and sled to maximize enjoyment.

Thanks again for all the input!

Just don't go overboard on the what if's etc. No sense filling her head with things to worry about before you even get out there.

Most incidents have a lighter side to them if you can get over the moment. It's better to laugh together about things rather than yell.

 

[Quattroman]

This is a great thread. And il agree with the right machine and gear part. The better half has the same sled as me, a '13 M8 Proclimb, Yes lot of people say its a bit much, and she was scared of it at first, but once she learned its only as fast or powerful as her thumb wants it to be the confidence level went up. As much as she disagreed at first, its way better then stickin her on an old heavy clunker that we all grew up ditch-bangin with. I set up the machine for a lighter person and once she got the hang of it she was doing pretty good.

I also set her up with all the right gear to keep her warm/comfortable/safe/happy. That goes a long way too. If i get cold/wet hands or cold feet, i suck it up and still hava blast.... Her... not so much.

 

[MOMMA]

Make sure you put your girlfriend on the best sled you have between the two of you. Good luck with your trip. It will be a big test on your relationship. The wife and me have been sledding together for 12 years now but let me tell you there have been some pretty good scraps. She would always end up doing something dumb and I would have to find her. I would tell her what I thought and that's when it started. Now she will out shred 90% of the people out riding. I still want to kill her but I think that's how love feels. Good luck this weekend it's going to be deep and sh!tty visibility.

Omgosh Dirt you speak the truth!! It's so funny. My husband has higher expectations for me sometimes than the other dudes we are riding with. We were way back into a super cool play place we have, a little techy to get into. Husband spent quite a bit of time unsticking the other dude riders that were with us.. I pulled one run out of talent move and he started chewing my azz out... One of our ride guys said.. dude... take a step back and look at how she rides! Sometimes I can get a little wee bit pizzy when I know I have pulled a bone head move and we get into a husband wife moment. lol. All part and parcel.. Again, I'm thankful for all the moments he drags me through hell and I end up upside down. He pushes my skill level all the time, and really looks out for me. Last season I was pretty sick and hospitalized a few times. When we went out riding I actually had a melt down because he was handling me with kid gloves and not dragging me through hell lol. Husband wife dynamics is sometimes hilarious, but always awesome when both of you share that same passion.

 

[Vipertonytro]

I totally agree with putting her on the best sled you own. Few things I learned in the past when we had a big group and would take the wives out. We used to buy them 600's and we were on 700's and they would have trouble on hills where we would zip up. Don't go where you normally go. ( To start with anyway) Find that sweet meadow and small climbs. Park your sled and let them experiment. Teach them how to power turn, teach them how to sidehill, let them fall off and get stuck and always come help with a smile on your face first asking if they are ok. Don't tell them to follow your bumper (Worst Advice ever!) Have you ever tried to follow someones tracks in two feet of snow? You get bounced all over unless your a seasoned rider. Encourage them to choose their own lines and learn from their decisions. Just remember this trip is about her not you. If you remember that you will have a woman who excels at the sport not hates it.

Just my two cents.
Been there many times

 

[X-Treme]

Been there many times

Exactly how many wives do you have?

 

[MOMMA]

Exactly how many wives do you have?

That would actually be a logical question in this town lol.

 

[tmo1620]

In other words... Are you out of your mind!!???
Last year a couple friends were up in Renshaw to make first tracks, both with new 'Doo 174's. The story around the hot tub was it took them 2 days to make the cabin.

Yep we were first into lucielle last year after that huge early season dump and that took 8 hours, stay home might be ex gf after the werkend


Sent from my iPhone because I'm sledding or to lazy to get off the couch

 

[neilsleder]

Yep we were first into lucielle last year after that huge early season dump and that took 8 hours, stay home might be ex gf after the werkend


Sent from my iPhone because I'm sledding or to lazy to get off the couch

Maybe that's what he's after.


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[a.m.c]

I'm 24 and I tried to improve my riding with my hubby...
I was taught the basics by my dad. So that really simplified things, but I wanted to be better! Learning with Hubby was hard because I always felt like I was holding him up, like I would wreck his day of riding because I wasn't up to his level.

My best learning day: Hubby was working one weekend, so one of our friends took me out. He spent the entire day with me, just teaching me. It wasn't about getting to the cabin, or putting on miles. It was about me getting comfortable on my sled. NO extra spectators, no pressure. He showed me some tips, then said "go get stuck" and I did! The most important part is that she goes into it KNOWING she will get stuck, and that it WILL be hard, but that you are there to help her.

Good Luck!