Maggot snowmobile thread

[adrenalated]

One of my sled ski buddies got Hoji 130s this year and I gotta say, that one lever to open walk mode and loosen the cuff looked pretty damn nice for doing sled laps.

[teamdirt]

Was out with three buddies smashing out sled ski laps. Hoji 130 for the win. My Lange xt 140 sucks for sled skiing. Had garmont shogun before that were awesome.
Just finished trying on some 130 hahaha

Aka “Sled slippers”

[the Dr.]

Question: 1st sled. Been looking for either a later model summit or Polaris with low'ish miles (under ~1500 miles) per earlier suggestions in this thread. Prices continue to seem high though from what I gather (stupid covid again). I've found a 2017 summit with 1500 miles @ ~ $9K. I also found a brand new 2020 Summit SP 850 165 track @ a local dealer that will do $11K (excluding taxes, fees, etc.).

Mostly looking to sled ski and use for access when travelling. Local to Tahoe, but spend time in WY, BC and AK most winters. Thoughts from the more experience folks here? Should I get a cheaper 1st sled so I'm less pissed when I wreck it learning?

Thanks,

[North]

Question: I've found a 2017 summit with 1500 miles @ ~ $9K. I also found a brand new 2020 Summit SP 850 165 track @ a local dealer that will do $11K (excluding taxes, fees, etc.).

Should I get a cheaper 1st sled so I'm less pissed when I wreck it learning?

The 2017 is not a good deal. If you're going used keep looking. I've been wrong on every market prediction since COVID, but most seasons right now-ish would be peak used sled prices. New models will be released in 2wks and people will start pre-ordering the new new and listing their older sleds. Hopefully that adds some inventory to the used market.

If you're worried about wrecking your sled, insure it. Actually, if it's anything decent and you aren't worried about wrecking your sled, insure it. As always, buy the newest/nicest one you can afford.

[Judo Chop!]

The 2017 is not a good deal. If you're going used keep looking. I've been wrong on every market prediction since COVID, but most seasons right now-ish would be peak used sled prices. New models will be released in 2wks and people will start pre-ordering the new new and listing their older sleds. Hopefully that adds some inventory to the used market.

If you're worried about wrecking your sled, insure it. Actually, if it's anything decent and you aren't worried about wrecking your sled, insure it. As always, buy the newest/nicest one you can afford.

I'd agree with all of this.

also, skip the 2017 summits. 2015/2016 good. 2017 shit. 2018 good. newer great.

As for skidoo vs polaris... get whatever your buddies ride, and whatever the best local shop supports.

[Wapow]

I pretty much agree with the Dr and Chop, although I have a '17 G4 and it's been very solid. But I'd still agree that you should get a new sled if you can afford it. Regarding Doo v Polaris, Doo is the better commuter sled for skiers. It's the easiest for a beginner to learn to ride, it has better cooling for the icy road approaches and it also has a much better overall durability reputation. Conventional wisdom is that Polaris motors need a top end refresh after 2000 miles, whereas for Doo it is more like 4,000 (maybe even a 5000 miles now with the 850 motor, depending on how hard those miles are). Polaris is the lightweight "expert mountain sled" and is optimized for real mountain sledding, e.g., deep snow climbing and sidehilling. The Doo will still take you pretty much everywhere a Polaris will, it just takes more skill and/or effort.

[anotherVTskibum]

If you prefer riding to wrenching, $9k for a four-year-old sled versus $11.5k (guess on taxes and such) is a no brainer, IMO--dig through the neighbor's couch and find the loose change to pay for it if you have to.

If you don't mind wrenching, I'd shop for something cheaper so as to also make the crunchy noises less painful, but my sled miles per mechanical rate is abysmal, so take that with a grain of salt.

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[skibrd]

Get the newest, most powerful, longest sled you can. Everyone of my friends thought I was crazy when I got a 2021 Ski-Doo Summit 850 Turbo 175, but then we went riding. Anyone with a seld more then one generation old is gust rated and grumpy by days end.

As for the Polaris/Ski-Doo discussion, get what your friends have, and/or find a mechanic you like, and get what they have in stock. All my friends ride Ski-Doos, and the shop literally around the corner is a Ski-Doo shop, so I went Ski-Doo. I like my Ski-Doo, but if the shop changed to Polaris and my friends did too, I would change right away.

As for what’s a better sled for what type of riding conversation, eh, they all are good machines. Some do some things better then others, but the difference isn’t that big for the vast majority of riding.

As for track length, most of the sled skiing guys I see have 165s. I’m 6-4 and don’t have issues with daily riding a 175, same with a buddy who is 6-2 (has the same sled). A friend who is 5-6 gets on my sled and it feels huge to him, he is super happy on his 154. The taller you are the better you can handle the longer sled. Having the longer track really matters when doubling or tripling. Mine climbs just fine with 3 people on it in over a foot of snow.


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[~mikey b]

for your reading and viewing pleasure

https://snowbrains.com/head-on-a-swi...che-awareness/

[zion zig zag]

I’m just thinking out loud, and I’m sure someone is going to bro-down on me but....would you need a mountain sled to go up flat drainages, possibly towing a skier? I think the drainages would typically be packed from other sled traffic. Could you get away with one of the more utility type sleds in that scenario?


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[skibrd]

I’m just thinking out loud, and I’m sure someone is going to bro-down on me but....would you need a mountain sled to go up flat drainages, possibly towing a skier? I think the drainages would typically be packed from other sled traffic. Could you get away with one of the more utility type sleds in that scenario?


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Rarely are flat drainages flat? And the mountain sled gives you access to a lot more then flat drainages.

I’m the sled noob, having sledded for a year and a half, but I have yet to put skins on when sled skiing. It’s always been easier to sled to the top of what we wanted to ski, or at least sled close then boot the rest of the way. This might also be just the stuff we sled ski.

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[BCMtnHound]

Quite a few backcountry skiers here have 550s & 600 tundras for sled access. As long as there is a packed trail, they do just fine. Put them on over 15% grade on a foot of fresh on the trail, or untracked powder, and you might be spending more time with the shovel than on the skis.

[anotherVTskibum]

Quite a few backcountry skiers here have 550s & 600 tundras for sled access. As long as there is a packed trail, they do just fine. Put them on over 15% grade on a foot of fresh on the trail, or untracked powder, and you might be spending more time with the shovel than on the skis.

It's worth noting that freeing a stuck mountain sled can be a pain, but if you manage to get a trail sled properly stuck, it can be a whole different level of stuck. I'm grateful that when I got the work sled partially buried, the local college ski team happened to be finishing training and was able to help me get out; even so, it took some effort, and that was maybe 18" from the groom line.

That said, I've seen beat-looking and somewhat ancient sleds in places I didn't expect. I'm just not sure I'd want to try that.

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[kootenayskier]

I’m just thinking out loud, and I’m sure someone is going to bro-down on me but....would you need a mountain sled to go up flat drainages, possibly towing a skier? I think the drainages would typically be packed from other sled traffic. Could you get away with one of the more utility type sleds in that scenario?


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My friends and I use a range of ancient, lower powered, and utility sleds, and generally have no issues getting to the end of the road for ski touring access. For this, something like a Tundra LT is perfect. Doing sled laps is a completely different use.

[m2711c]

[skibrd]

My friends and I use a range of ancient, lower powered, and utility sleds, and generally have no issues getting to the end of the road for ski touring access. For this, something like a Tundra LT is perfect. Doing sled laps is a completely different use.

This is probably the best answer.

Know yourself and what you want a sled for. If you are just going down a groomed, or flat snowy road, then a trail sled will be no issue at all. If you are going for sled laps, mountain sledding up ridges/mountains to ski, and using the sled for uphill access, then you want a mountain sled. Know yourself and what you want a sled for.

Hell, if I was using a sled for ski tour access, I would have gotten a trail sled with their heated seats way before I got a mountain sled.


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[Foggy_Goggles]

Snowmobiles + Skiing = different things for different people at different places

Around here with my friends it is almost almost ride your mountain sled for 30mins to 1.5hrs to an area to go ski touring for the day. The avalanche hazard, route finding and trees make tandeming and towing impractical. On the low angle stuff where you can double, we usually powsurf or otherwise fuck off. Utility sleds would not work because it is mostly off trail and boondocking.

So short answer, nobody can tell you want sled will work for you because they don't know how you will be using it. Regarding how much to spend...good news for the non-dentists. Any Cat, Doo or Polaris Mtn Sled 2012 or new is totally fine for most people. Go spend $15K (or more) on a new one if you want, and they are amazing, but $5K well maintained low miles whips are out there and are a ton of bang for your buck.

Port Tack Racks - The rednecks in BC make a pretty sweet rack for less than half of a CFR and they are available.

[Judo Chop!]

I’m just thinking out loud, and I’m sure someone is going to bro-down on me but....would you need a mountain sled to go up flat drainages, possibly towing a skier? I think the drainages would typically be packed from other sled traffic. Could you get away with one of the more utility type sleds in that scenario?


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buy nice or buy twice.
it's cheaper to spend the money on the right thing.
all those sayings...

you'll likely end up wanting to sell that setup to get a proper mountain sled pretty quickly. yeah, you can do it. If you're a good sledder. are you? big 'ol long mountain sleds aren't just about getting rad. they're about making things easy. I have a 174 and it's a mellow train ride to the top of ski runs.

[skibrd]

Foggy, perfectly said. What my friends use for sleds in Steamboat don’t work in Jackson, and my sled is OVERKILL in Steamboat (and probably will overheat spending that much time on trails).

Any new (newest chassis) mountain sled will work. They are all good. I’ve never seen a group that’s so brand loyal and judgmental if you have a different brand sled, but fuck the haters.

Another option might be to wait until the spring/fall, a LOT of people bought sleds for this year and will probably be dumping them when the seasons over. People who bought mountain sleds are realizing it isn’t as easy or as cheap as they thought it was.




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[zion zig zag]

All good advice. I'm way preliminary on this and getting ideas. Thoughts were to use a sled after roadside attractions are tracked and I was wanting to get away from crowds, hence my thinking that the way in would probably be packed in by then.

[simple]

Fuck I love having my own chairlift

[skibrd]

So if the answer to this question is fuck off, that’s ok.

Are there any sled to hot springs in the Vail/Breck area? I’m headed to Vail/Breck the last week in February for a family ski trip and have a day to burn. Im bringing my sled. We have a few sled to hot springs in Jackson that you can ride right up to, one is a National forest attraction. I tried the google first and got nothing. Figured I’d ask here but also figured they might be secret local spots.


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[NBABUCKS1]

All good advice. I'm way preliminary on this and getting ideas. Thoughts were to use a sled after roadside attractions are tracked and I was wanting to get away from crowds, hence my thinking that the way in would probably be packed in by then.

if you find a good deal on ksl for a trail sled and you pass, pass it along. Need one for next winter in for the hoback area and monte cristo.

[skibrd]

if you find a good deal on ksl for a trail sled and you pass, pass it along. Need one for next winter in for the hoback area and monte cristo.

A buddy has two Summit 850s for sale up in Jackson.


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[NBABUCKS1]

would love a pm if it's on craigslist/ksl/fb. I know nothing about sleds tho so i guess I could start doing some homework lol

edit just googled it they sound expensive as hell and way sled then I need right now.. Need a little sub $5k sled to get to the property for now