A buddy of mine said he was out to colorado for his first mountain trip, he rented a 700 mt sled, and he said that he didnt like the mountains that much cause the snow is too deep and you get stuck all the time?

Whats your opinion on this


Thanks

Its not the snows fault, or the sleds. Your buddy must not know how to ride very well in the deep stuff. Thats just about all I do and I only got stuck a few times last season. getting stuck once in a while is just part of the fun. I have seen sleds with short tracks with no paddles go just fine in the deep snow. well thats my opinion.

Hes a realy good trail rider, but i suppose that dosnt mean a lot in powder. What things do you suppose he did wrong?

I dont know, I didnt see him ride. Its quite a bit different from trail riding though. I dont think there is such a thing as to deep of snow. when your riding in the powder it can be a work out, the only way to manuevor your sled is with your body the skis do pretty much nothing. and there are sometimes when you just have to keep her pinned and dont let up. Its not hard to stay on top once you get used to it, it just takes some practice. Once you get the hang of it its a blast. I think there is nothing like playing out in the deep powder you just float like your on water.

Its just like your first time riding anything else. Its a completely different ball game then riding on packed trails. Your uncomfortable with it at first, but it just takes some time. Once you get the hang of it, it is great!! :D

sor sure trial riding is totally different than powder riding. When in the pwoder you really have to spend some energy to get around. There isnt much use for a seat when in the powder. I ride 90% trials but really injoy the fresh powder when avialable.

My personal experience from quite a few years of trips to the mtns:
When you get tired and sit down you get stuck, although the newer
mtn sleds with the incredible track lengths and HP should be more
more forgiving. Over the years we have seen guys that loved trail riding
hated off trail deep powder riding in the mtns. It is a lot of work and if
your not used to altitude the first few trips can be brutal. Kind of like
running 500 yards with your nose taped shut and a straw in your mouth
to breath through.

Good Luck

How much more performance would a 800 rmk have over a 800 switchback?>

the rmk would probably float alittle better because you can get it with a longer track and it has taller paddles, but if your on and off of the trail alot the switchback would probably be better, the shorter track and smaller paddles are more trail freindly. alot of it depends on the rider though, I have seen people with smaller paddles and shorter tracks do just as good in the powder as ones with the longer tracks.

Originally posted by vern650@May 27 2004, 01:08 AM
I have seen people with smaller paddles and shorter tracks do just as good in the powder as ones with the longer tracks.
I'll second that :wink: But like anything else, they will have their limits.

Bottom line is, buy a sled that is more oriented as to what type of riding you do the majority of the time :wink: I must say again though, I have yet to hear from even one dissatisfied Switchback owner. They all like them. Those that ride in the powder with them are amazed at its ability in the deep stuff. Do not underestimate the Switchback :wink: If you so desire, you can always upgrade the track to a bigger paddle if you wish, it's only money :lol: :lol:

Here are a couple of other reasons for shorter mtn tracks (136).
You are a lot less likely to get high enough to break your neck or your sled.
Plus it makes it more of a challenge and you will actually Have To Learn How To
Ride Deep Powder and your sled will be lighter and more maneuverable.

Now here is another important point to consider in picking track length.
TourboAl from Revelestoke over at snowest has said that a rule of thumb learned
from his chassis dyno from 1000's of pulls is this "for every pound of track weight
you add you will lose about 1 HP to the snow". Now here is the other part to get
1 HP to your track, it takes about 2 HP at your engine. Which means if you put on a
paddle track that weighs 8 lbs. more. you will need about 16 HP more at your engine
to maintain the same track speed as the shorter and or lighter track.

Also for every 40 lbs you can take off your sled is the same as adding about 5HP
in the power to weight ratio at the track. Again that would take about 10 HP at the engine.

And if you really want your sled to work in deep powder at altitude the most top
speed to gear for is around 75 to 85 MPH. The only time you will even see that
is on a groomed trail, in powder will only be in the 40 to maybe 50 mph range
depending on HP and track and weight of whole rig.

Good Luck

I took a stock '89 Polaris Indy into the powder once and actually did quite well. I didn't get it stuck but I wasn't trying any crazy stuff either. Some of the snow had also melted a little and created some icy stuff which i'm sure helped me float around better. But I was hanging with an RMK on the hill climbs and little powder excursions that were off trail. It's mostly rider skill if you ask me.

heh, we got right around 8 feet in 24 hours in tahoe this feb...dont let you buddy come here...he'll die :}

Originally posted by ski bum@Jun 25 2004, 10:51 PM
dont let you buddy come here...he'll die :}
LMFAO