Have we as sledders become this arrogant

Lund

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I got inspired by this post from another thread by Barry Barton to convey this experience the wife and i had last season. The last portion of Barry's post is what got me.

"Been in the mountains for about 15 yrs and we haven't needed sar yet but I would write a chq for a 1000 or more to help this group of people that risk so much for us. We do carry a lot of extra gear to make sure we can get out plus we have helped lots of other groups,but there are alot of great peaple I have met that will stop by and help if needed."


Last season the wife and i were riding in Owls Head, just the two of us when at one point she zig and i zag and we got separated for a few minutes. In the mean time KB got stuck on a deep hill side. By the time i got to her 2 other riders were there to help her out....nice, i thought.
I got there but miscalculated the depth and angle of the hill and ended up rolling the (my) sled over too much and got dug in sideways pointing up.
Ignoring the problem i went over to the wife and the 2 guys helping and we got her sled out and i was very appreciative for the help. When i got there before having her sled out one of the guys said and i quote "we are not digging out that yamaha"...at first i thought, oh ok. But once we had KB sled out they walked back to their sleds and rode off while KB and i got the Yamaha out.

OK....not a big deal, wife and i both ride together and we are 100% capable of taking care of our selves out there with our experience.
My thought is, was this ethical ? I know i cannot ride by some one if they are needing help, even if they are not needing the help, i will ask.
This guy reasoning was that he hated Yamaha's, at least that is what he kinda implied, so to bad for me hahaha.

Is it my imagination or are some becoming arrogant to what other ride now, i have heard other similar stories but thought of them as a one off thing.

Just thought i'ed post that. Thanks Barry Barton LOL

 
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Lund

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There will always be retards but I believe they are well outnumbered by good people....karma will get the few outcasts...Jmo!

Guess they won the a-hole award!

Thank's, not that it really matter's but i was rather surprised, so was my wife. I even asked her if i heard that correctly, the stuck Yamaha comment.
 

fnDan

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That sounds like something I've said to my buddy and his Yamaha, just before we dig him out. ;)
I would like to think your experience is a rare one.
I look at stuck sleds as a challenge
 

cattechsummitrider

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What goes around will eventually come around,,, Every time I see someone stuck I ask if they need help even if they say they don't need help I will help anyways, And MOST times if I am stuck people stop to help,, One time we were in a creek and came upon a group of newer sledders in BAD trouble and not knowing what to do so we first we calmed them down they were very nervous and thinking they were needing a helicopter,, Then we get them unstuck ( one was down a creek hole) and start packing a trail and doing alot of shoveling to make the path out as easy as possible for them,, Took a break for about 3/4 hour,, They were worried it was getting dark,, explained about letting the snow set up for a while in the path we made would make it easier for them to get out,,Asked why they were down here " It started out easy " Typical answer,,, got them out,, VERY happy crew,, Saw them a couple of nights later at Zalas talked to them for a bit,,, went to pay the bill ( they had already left ) and they had covered our bill,,
They sure didn't have to but it was sure appreciated,,,
 

catinthehat

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Is it possible that they thought you deliberately parked that way when you arrived ?
Not saying that is any excuse for leaving you there, just wondering if it played a part in their thinking.
To me a stuck sled is no different than a stuck/stalled vehicle. If it appears that the situation is under control then I continue on my way.
Would never hesitate to help whenever it's needed.
Can you imagine how you would feel if you did what those guys did and then heard later that a search was underway for someone matching the description of those you left?
 

Catman10

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Now Kanedog has a hit there, this thread should be a sledders list to determine whether they pull someone out or not, Please share man, its gotta be good! I imagine a few on the list are, Is the person drunk or stoned? Maybe the Yamaha factor a bit but I can assure you as an unbiased owner they are not that much harder to get out, beginner stuck vs expert stupid stuck, lady vs man, stupid mistake ( going where they had no business to go) or uneducated mistake( no knowledge of the hill), on a steep climb vs in a tree well, these are just a few that I can think of. I generally pull anybody out but sometimes will give a bit of a tongue lashing for the stupid stuff ha ha. i also believe that if you don't get stuck you aren't trying hard enough and I sure do try hard many times a day.
 

Lund

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Is it possible that they thought you deliberately parked that way when you arrived ?
Not saying that is any excuse for leaving you there, just wondering if it played a part in their thinking.
To me a stuck sled is no different than a stuck/stalled vehicle. If it appears that the situation is under control then I continue on my way.
Would never hesitate to help whenever it's needed.
Can you imagine how you would feel if you did what those guys did and then heard later that a search was underway for someone matching the description of those you left?

I guess thats possible.
They were standing 2ft from my sled as i parked working on the other sled. That was one of the reason i stopped because i got too close and didn't want to clip one of them. Maybe they were pissed at me for getting too close...hhmm.
Eitherway all i needed was a ski tug from them as i never dug the sled in to that point of being stuck deep. The wife isn't strong enough to ski tug effectively so i ended up rolling out.
 

Foxstar45

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Are we this arrogant? Maybe. I read only the original post so maybe this is a repeat. I'm at least 50% of this guy. I'm not going to stop to chirp about guy who is stuck for riding a Yamaha. Maybe that was all that ticked you off. But i'm not digging out stuck riders and I wouldn't expect someone to help me. I often ride with only one other person. If I get stuck taking lines through the trees (a near certainty) I'm prepared to dig for 20 minutes to get myself out. That's how it works. Unless you're upside down in a creek draw or tree well it should never take you longer than this. If it looks like you just need a ski tug, i'll be glad to help. Let me know if I should turn in my snowmobile ethics card and quit.
 
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