# Sled Accessed Riding



## luckboxing (Nov 16, 2010)

Anybody here have a sled? Considering picking one up, but I really have no experience.

I've got a Tundra and some mechanical knowledge (maintained my own vehicles and 4-stroke dirtbike in the past). What's maintenance like?

I could pick something up pretty cheap and upgrade next season if I get onto it.

1999 Ski Doo Summit X - $1200 (Function Junction)

Not much more than a splitboard, kinda tempting. Would this be enough to get out there? Tons of spots around Whistler from what I've heard. Is it possible to ride two up on this?


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## WasatchMan (Aug 30, 2011)

Do you also have someone to ride with? 

How about all the necessary avy gear? Ever taken a course in avalanche safety? Do you know how to test the snowpack?

If you answered YES to all these questions, hell yeah I'd do it. It's just that most people think all you have to do is buy a sled, and then ride all the gnarly backcountry lines - way more to it.

Also, do you _know_ of all the sled accessed spots as well? It is a big area out there, might be hard to find the goods.

But again, yes - do it.


edit: assuming the sled is decent - I know nothing about them.


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## luckboxing (Nov 16, 2010)

Yeah, definitely wouldn't head out without avy gear (and education).

Just don't know anybody else with a sled, guess I should head down the road and talk to the guys riding out there. Looks like there's always a bunch of guys parked there (think it's Brandwine if anybody is familiar).


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## 61ragtop (Aug 7, 2012)

luckboxing said:


> Anybody here have a sled? Considering picking one up, but I really have no experience.
> 
> I've got a Tundra and some mechanical knowledge (maintained my own vehicles and 4-stroke dirtbike in the past). What's maintenance like?
> 
> ...


Been thinking about the same thing........


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## JeffreyCH (Nov 21, 2009)

luckboxing said:


> Yeah, definitely wouldn't head out without avy gear (and education).
> 
> Just don't know anybody else with a sled, guess I should head down the road and talk to the guys riding out there. Looks like there's always a bunch of guys parked there (think it's Brandwine if anybody is familiar).


Don't go out alone, even in easy terrain, anything can happen. Plus if you ride your ski to the top, board down, are you going to walk back up to get the sled? Get your avy gear, training, AND someone to ride with.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

That sled is probably going to be more trouble than it's worth. The track isn't very long which means it's going to get stuck in powder a lot. At least it doesn't look very long. Plus it's over ten years old. I'd look into something a little more recent. 04-05 with a longer track. You should be able to find a deal on one of those for not a whole lot more. 

Maintenance can really add up. With a split, not nearly the cost. Of course splitting isn't for everyone either.

Just my opinion.


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## walove (May 1, 2009)

i picked up a sled this year, after doing some research i found that if you want to double up slopes and do laps off the sled you need a 800 with around a 150 track. $3000 will get you something that will work.

i just use my sled to get me and a buddy up long access roads and then split into steeper terrain. I picked up a 99 summit 500, for $350. with similar miles. had to throw a hundred at it, and clean the carbs to get it running nice.

most companies got ride of the swing arm suspension in the early 2000's, i think it was 04 on the summits. makes the sled ride much better in deep snow.

tgr has a 50 page post about sled skiing

brandywine is a classic snowboard zone, its been in movies for years, going back to the forum 8/wildcat days, and still today in the yes movies. deep snow so you need a big sled. with all that traffic there should always be a road punched in.


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## luckboxing (Nov 16, 2010)

I'm definitely not planning on going out there alone. Not planning on reaching the summit then ghost riding the thing down the mountain, haha. Working on talking a friend into buying one, but looking around for people to ride with anyways. Seems like there's a dozen sleds in our parking lot here, should be able to find somebody.

Didn't mean to compare it directly to a splitboard, just seemed like it might be a cheap way to get into it. Split + sled sounds like the ideal setup.

Walove, have you ridden Brandywine? Any other zones up here that you'd recommend starting out on? I'm not looking for anything crazy, would actually prefer a busier place with some mellowish slopes.

Been reading through that long thread, people seem to speak pretty highly of the exact model I posted. 04-05 800's would be a lot better, but about 3x the price from what I've seen and the reliability isn't significantly (or any) better from what I've read in that thread. I realize that a longer track would be ideal, does it help that I'm 140 lbs and hopefully riding well tracked areas?


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## oneshot (Oct 8, 2010)

whistler and the coastal range is heaven on Sleds!!

consider saving up and getting a 2005 and up, so many advances happened in the mid 2000's you will be left behind on anything older or it will be hard as shit to ride.. you want a good mountain sled, long track, deep lugs so you can get up the mountain in deep pow to do runs. or heck just ride the sled cuz its just as fun if you like gas powered toys! and whistler is the best place in the WORLD to ride snowmobiles
All the sled brands ride different too.. might eb worth while riding a few to see what suits you.. but honestly.. you wont go wrong with a used 2006 to 2009 Arctic Cat M8 or M7.. very reliable.. i just bought my second Cat.. and they both run killer.. the older M6 has 4k miles and runs like a bat out of hell still, and i ride'r hard!

make sure you bring your muscles and never EVER! ride alone.. 

its costly $$ but all the powder riding you will access once you know how to ride will be your payoff.. 
powder snob here, but the only time i ride variable/groomed/hardpack conditions now is when i take my 6yr old boy snowboarding at the skill hill to teach him. i only ride powder.. pFFFFt! :thumbsup::eusa_clap:ccasion14:


super stoner...


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## walove (May 1, 2009)

no never been to brandywine im in bozeman mt., just read about it over years.

you can mod a longer track on that sled, $250 for the kit and $500 for a track. at 5000+ km that top end is getting to the end of its life. Rebuilds aren't that hard but still $1000. so after you put that money into it you could have gone out and gotten a newer sled with a longer track. 

in the deep heavy snow in whistler that summit 670 with a 136 track will get you into zones, but not up them. talk one of your buddies into getting a big sled to double on. 

it would be a great starter sled, offer the guy 750, rip it for a year then sell it and upgrade once you know what you want. 

i've been looking at the utility sleds as my next purchase. i think it would be cool to tow in gear into a zone and set up camp with a wall tent and a little stove.


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## oneshot (Oct 8, 2010)

walove said:


> i think it would be cool to tow in gear into a zone and set up camp with a wall tent and a little stove.


we have a trailer that hauls a crap ton of stuff for spring time BBQ sessions.. attaches to any sled pretty much. similar to this one in the post.. you can ride on it for added woot factor! :thumbsup: be careful riding whoops tho


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## luckboxing (Nov 16, 2010)

Original plan was to grab something in the $3-4k range this summer, but a few cheap sleds piqued my interest. I'll probably just hold off until I can get something nicer.

Anybody know how late people ride around Squamish/Whistler/Pemberton?

I remember running into some guys unloading a sled while I was dirtbiking in Squamish last June.


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## walove (May 1, 2009)

luckboxing said:


> but a few cheap sleds piqued my interest.


buy something really cheap, learn how not to suck (snomobro'n is hard), sell it this summer and buy something nicer. If your handy you can keep a beater running for a while.


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## walove (May 1, 2009)

oneshot said:


> we have a trailer that hauls a crap ton of stuff for spring time BBQ sessions..


i need to build something like that, we have a handful of bc huts that you sled into.


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