After 20 years of riding in the mountains I have finally started wearing mine. Had a real close call that was a total eye opener. Was messing around on the banks along the trail in some nice deep snow. Went up this one steep bank and sled arse end washed out. Tried salvaging it by pinning it and switching directions. Lost my footing though and came off the sled. Sled rolled and came down on me with the track spinning. My leg was caught so I couldnt move (plus the snow was super deep so I was kind of planted). Spinning track comes down on top of me but luckily the throttle went back to zero. I put my forearm up to protect myself, and from the 2 seconds that it took the track to stop spinning it burned through my Klim valdez parka, motorfist midlayer, and underarmor base layer. Has left a big scar about 6-8 inches long on my forearm. Can not imagine how bad it would have been if the throttle had been pinned.
They are a pain at first but you get used to them fast.
The crash where the guy gets caught between the tunnel and spinning track actually happened to my brother in law too! His torso and upper thigh got beat up so bad as the spinning paddles tore right through his jacket and bibs instantly. He was in the hospital with internal injuries and even now has a inch deep groove in his leg from the paddles. The main point is at least wear a tether of any kind! A truthful plug for the Phantom Teth Air from me is they work great, no hassle, and you never have to worry about forgetting it! I've got them on both my Pro's and love them. Great product and support! Thanks Chris!