i cant understand, you guys lean all the way to one side and the sled looks like it is gonna tip, but it dosent...i tried some off trail riding and i cant even boondock period...and when your on thos hills, how do you highmark without tipping? i dont wanna try that...last one- when you do a wheelie (or whatever you guys call it), what stops you from doing a total backflip? thanks for putting up with my stupidity

ok i cant awnser about the boondocking from experience but i will give it a shot because i got a pretty good idea...i think it has to do with the speed you are going and it propelling you like floating? kinda like plaining a boat out, you can turn sharper when up out of the water than if you are floating along and try to steer. as for the "wheelies" or as i like to call em' ski stands, it has to do with knowing your limits, kinda like a motorcycle, how do they do it w/o tipping over backwards? ballance and speed control is my guess.

I've wondered that too cuz I want to try it but i don't want the sled to fall on me and crush me.

It is all a matter of power and weight. Put you weight on one side of the sled and give it some power.You can control the amount of tip with either. You do end up checking out the bottom of your sled sometimes,but in deep powder, nothing hurt but pride.It is alot easier in a foot or more as the powder tends to hold the sled at a good angle.In high mark turning keep all your weight on the uphill side power around and get the heavy part of the sled pointing downhill[the front end].When in doubt on a steep hill just bury it and drag it around or roll it out.Lifting the skis is the same as drift_jockey says both in turning and lifting the skis it is a balance of power and weight.Practice on a clear area and check your carbides when your sled is on its side.Best thing to remember is ....get your butt OFF THE SEAT. :D

Doc what could you possibly know about this stuff you live in Flordia and watch birds! and ride a hopped up raskel! :p

but see from experience i know that its all about know your sled and your limits and also doing it quite abit helps to :withstupid:

You mean like this. :lmao:

If you want to experiment with leaning your sled over without too much risk, find a field with at least 6-12 inches of fresh snow, put all your body weight to one side, then turn the skis outside of the turn (opposite the direction of the lean). You can practice this over and over until you get it right, and eventually you can hold one ski off the snow while going straight down a trail. This is good practice to get yourself out of a tight spot, particularly when you need to sidehill to get out of ravine.

I ride in Colorado and used to live in Wisconisin where the snow is much more shallow. When you ride in snow that has a six foot base and about two feet of fresh powder on top, it becomes the only real way to stear the machine. It becomes much like riding a jetski...when you lean the machine will start to tip and to counter you turn the skis the opposite direction which with throttle and momentum pulls the sled forward instead of tipping over. I have come to be very spoiled in the deep snow and hardly ever ride on the trails anymore. While high marking the trick is to know when you are as high as you can get and still have enough momentum to make the turn...i ride sometimes too aggresively and and if you make a mistake it can be very dangerous. while learning this lesson in 2002, i rolled a '98 zr 600 at least 70 times, at the peak of the high mark i turned to curl back down and the down hill ski broke through the crust and rolled once with the machine were i was left peacefully sittng in the snow while i watched the once pretty sled roll w/out a doubt 70 times before stopping at the bottom minus the hood. Imagine a sled in a very big blender with a few hundred pounds of snow. Have fun and take your time figuring out the dynamics of riding in deep snow, expect to dig yourself out alot until you get the hang of it.

i think it would be easier to do this with older sled.something lighter and smaller

I remember thinking the very same thing, back in the day.
You do tip over when boondocking and you also get stuck alot and you hit trees and stumps and rocks.
Even so... it is the best type of riding, IMHO.
When you weigh half as much as the sled it is much easier also.
Pactice, and take DOCRMK's advice about your ars.

:bash: Why does so many people ask the same question..... if you learn to balance the sled correclty its not a problem and learn what the little black lever does...it acutally quiet fun.. and can give you a thrill you thought you'd never had...but most of all don't mind fallin off.. its fun too... :D

I tried to teach myself out at Kingston Plains last year in the UP. It took a lot of attempts, some of which left me falling off from leaning too far and being drug 20 feet or so. :bash:

Either way, after several attempts I did get one or two self gratifying carves made. It's pretty cool to do, and fun trying.

By the way, I was on my 2003 Viper ER with the 136" Ripsaw.

JOel

your sled would have to have alot of power and lots of hookup to flip it right over backwards from a dead stop on a flat surface. :)

When I do this on a trail with my 440 fan long track lol, I put my opposite foot on the running board and jerk it to the side my foot is on while giving it a shot of gas and put my weight back on over the track and just fly like the wind baby, on one ski :cool: :blahblah:

Like surfing, jet skiing, snowboarding in powder, forward momentum and speed is key. Can't mind falling off. Friends got me into snowmobiling who predominantly ride trails. Surprising how many of them can't stand to fall off their sleds. :) Take the heavy coat off, put both feet on one running board and free that ski dude! Like skiing- if you ain't falling some, you're learning curve's a flatliner :p
Keep trying man, once you get it you'll forever be looking for the wide open spaces!

This is what happens when you practice :)

All you have to do is lean to one side ant turn the skis in the opposite direction then balence it. It"s porbably the best part of snowmobiling. Oh yeah in real deep powder when you tip to far to the inside you get to find out what Superman felt like!! Absolutly no down sides to boondocking!!!!