Sledding with your family

[Turblue]

I had a conversation with a very respected fellow Snow & Mud member about the future of sledding and how to involve your family. He brought up a valid point that solidified my feelings about it lately, which is that snowmobiling is a selfish sport.

The last few years I’ve been struggling with heading out to the mountains and the family is sitting at home...maybe it’s a age thing. I’ve been so passionate about snowmobiling my whole life, building the sleds, exploring the mountains, meeting a ton of good people, riding a Yamaha , etc , but lately that feeling is changing. So taking a step back and reflecting on everything I think there are various reasons why the change.

I’ve always worked towards trying to involve the kids&wife as much as possible in the sport. I really want my kids to find something that takes you away from the day to day frustrations, which sledding is for me. Sitting on top of a mountain overlooking the valley and your the only one for miles it so satisfying.



I had to bait my daughter a bit on this picture above.....said it will be a good picture for her to snap chat. Lol



Now that my kids are 14 &17 they are pretty interested in it and especially my daughter wants to go...this is exciting for a dad.


In order to involve the family I’ve been fairly crafty. Definitely spent hrs upon hrs fixing, modifying, teaching and pulling my hair out. Lol. The manufacturers sure don’t make it easy for families to all be involved in the sport...especially a new family that’s wanting to get into sledding but it’s totally not affordable. So unless your have some experience or a self taught sled mechanic you probably are not going to give it a try.

I think people are missing out in such a great sport and would like to hear from fellow sledders how they make things work? What do the manufacturers have to do to get more families into the sport? I’m a real advocate for families riding and try to help as many people get into the sport.

hopefully some of the discussions help with young families wanting to get there kids in it. Trust me ....it’s worth the effort.

Cheers.

 

[Lunch_Box]

My daughters are only 2 and 4 but I hope at least one of the wants to give sledding a go. They already love camping and quadding so its a start; hopefully motocross and sledding is right behind. Been trying to get the wife into it for years now but she has no interest, but lucky where I do most of our sledding we have property and a cabin. So the wife and kids come along, hang and play around the cabin and I am able to still see them everyday im off sledding. Which is huge for me because with my line of work im overseas for half the year.

 

[Teth-Air]

Don't do it! It will cost you a bundle if they get hooked. Actually just kidding, if you can find anything that you can do with your kids that make both you and them happy, it is awesome. Sometimes finding common ground is tough.

 

[Billy Boy]

Can not agree with you more!!! The snowmobiling world has to take a serious look at getting families involved. I was like you, where you would take off for a weekend to go sledding in the next province over and hardly turn a track in your own province. Meanwhile your wife and kids are at home although I did get my boys involved later but we where still tracking off to BC to go sledding. The last few years I have been trying to get my wife involved more by sledding closer to home and sometimes that is good sometimes not. Especially if your looking for groomed trails (she loves the groomed trail which makes the experience more positive to her.) The one thing I have noticed is that I enjoy the sledding experience more when the family and close friends are there to enjoy the experience; Nothing better than getting a bunch of friends and family together to enjoy an afternoon of sledding and stopping to make a fire and have a weeny roast. Much more relaxing than heading to the next province every other weekend!!!

 

[Turblue]

Don't do it! It will cost you a bundle if they get hooked. Actually just kidding, if you can find anything that you can do with your kids that make both you and them happy, it is awesome. Sometimes finding common ground is tough.

it definitely started slow for me. Most times getting everything ready took longer than riding. Lol. One of the first rides, I took the kids out on their own sleds. It was a bit to long with my daughter on the Yamaha snosport....she actually stopped in the middle of the trail, turned off the sled and said she’ll walk the rest of the way. Lol. There was no convincing otherwise. Lol. So my son and I shuttled the 2miles back and forth to get things back.

She said after that , I don’t want to do it anymore. Then a few years later she said I want to go and since then she’s been all over it.

 

[RXN]

My mountain riding is more for me and my buddy's. Get out have have.
I used to drag the wife along. She hated it.
I am looking forward to taking my daughter up there when she is old enough. And I'll be darn near 50 then so maybe ill slow down.

However I do fully expect in the next 10 years to get back into trail riding. My wife did enjoy riding the trails I do feel they are more family oriented. As you're not digging stuck sleds every 15mins.

 

[MP Kid]

I had a conversation with a very respected fellow Snow & Mud member about the future of sledding and how to involve your family. He brought up a valid point that solidified my feelings about it lately, which is that snowmobiling is a selfish sport.

The last few year I’ve been struggling with heading out to the mountains and the family is sitting at home...maybe it’s a age thing. I’ve been so passionate about snowmobiling my whole life, building the sleds, exploring the mountains, meeting a ton of good people, riding a Yamaha , etc , but lately that feeling is changing. So taking a step back and reflecting on everything I think there are various reasons why the change.

I’ve always worked towards trying to involve the kids&wife as much as possible in the sport. I really want my kids to find something that takes you away from the day to day frustrations, which sledding is for me. Sitting on top of a mountain overlooking the valley and your the only one for miles it so satisfying.

View attachment 229421

I had to bait my daughter a bit on this picture above.....said it will be a good picture for her to snap chat. Lol
View attachment 229423

View attachment 229424
Now that my kids are 14 &17 they are pretty interested in it and especially my daughter wants to go...this is exciting for a dad.


In order to involve the family I’ve been fairly crafty. Definitely spent hrs upon hrs fixing, modifying, teaching and pulling my hair out. Lol. The manufacturers sure don’t make it easy for families to all be involved in the sport...especially a new family that’s wanting to get into sledding but it’s totally not affordable. So unless your have some experience or a self taught sled mechanic you probably are not going to give it a try.

I think people are missing out in such a great sport and would like to hear from fellow sledders how they make things work? What do the manufacturers have to do to get more families into the sport? I’m a real advocate for families riding and try to help as many people get into the sport.

Cheers.

View attachment 229425

This is a great post, and the industry should take a real close look.... I feel the #1 issue is related to cost!

 

[retiredpop]

First of all Turblue I commend you on taking the time and patience to involve your family in the sport. That is huge.
Cost is a big factor in being a sledding family so buying and fixing used older sleds has to be part of it. At least it is in our family. Younger children are thrilled to ride their "own" sled and don't care if it isn't new. You also need to go to areas which are easy enough to ride for all members of the family. There is nothing that kills off the family aspect more so than making it so difficult or frightening that it isn't fun so they just quit. If everyone has fun then there is a good chance they will want to go again and again. Also you have to remember that a big day might be 30 miles to a kid riding his own sled.
We are lucky enough to have all our grandchildren falling in love with the sport now and it is mainly because of the above philosophy I believe. We frequent the same areas in your pictures. Great place for families in my opinion.
The manufacturers I believe are starting to realize that they need to make some lower powered and lighter sleds in order to attract new riders.

 

[Turblue]

First of all Turblue I commend you on taking the time and patience to involve your family in the sport. That is huge.
Cost is a big factor in being a sledding family so buying and fixing used older sleds has to be part of it. At least it is in our family. Younger children are thrilled to ride their "own" sled and don't care if it isn't new. You also need to go to areas which are easy enough to ride for all members of the family. There is nothing that kills off the family aspect more so than making it so difficult or frightening that it isn't fun so they just quit. If everyone has fun then there is a good chance they will want to go again and again. Also you have to remember that a big day might be 30 miles to a kid riding his own sled.
We are lucky enough to have all our grandchildren falling in love with the sport now and it is mainly because of the above philosophy I believe. We frequent the same areas in your pictures. Great place for families in my opinion.
The manufacturers I believe are starting to realize that they need to make some lower powered and lighter sleds in order to attract new riders.

Awesome comment!!!yes this area is super easy to ride and not long...plus very scenic. I agree promoting a 20k plus sled doesn’t work for everyone. It would be nice to see a basic sled that’s capable sub 10k.

I agree with rxn post that it may turn back into you riding with a buddy when your family had families of there own.

 

[Director]

Great post.. My 7y/o glued to the window as we are loading up to head out - he doesn't understand why he can't come, just wants to go with the boys...

It is expensive to add another machine or two and i found it difficult to organize to ride with other families so you've got another full size machine with you.. I even bought a 4stroke 900 for kid rides as i felt it was more reliable at the slow speeds than my 850 brapping along and overheating..

Snowmobile clubs are doing a good job of attracting new riders and targeting the families.. If you watch for family day rides and hit those we've had some great times, met new riding partners and the days are focused around the kids.. Dad isn't smashing Pow all day but there's something really enjoyable for me ski pulling on the kids SnoScott200...

 

[papajake]

And have some patience you’re kids and your 105 lb wife can’t side hill a sled like you can and they do make mistakes that make you shake your head my wife and I have been sledding together for more than 20 years the problem now is we are getting up in age and we both can’t do what we did years ago but we have fun we have met a lot of people our age that feel the same way

 

[Turblue]

Great post.. My 7y/o glued to the window as we are loading up to head out - he doesn't understand why he can't come, just wants to go with the boys...

It is expensive to add another machine or two and i found it difficult to organize to ride with other families so you've got another full size machine with you.. I even bought a 4stroke 900 for kid rides as i felt it was more reliable at the slow speeds than my 850 brapping along and overheating..

Snowmobile clubs are doing a good job of attracting new riders and targeting the families.. If you watch for family day rides and hit those we've had some great times, met new riding partners and the days are focused around the kids.. Dad isn't smashing Pow all day but there's something really enjoyable for me ski pulling on the kids SnoScott200...

The 4 stroke phazer has been the best family sled due to the radiator and fan. I don’t have to worry is she’s watching the gauges. It’s a GT and the ride is plush. The power is great not super snappy like a high strung 2stroke.

 

[SnowJunkie82]

Had a great ride with kids around the farm over the weekend (sorry no pictures and cant get the video to load). Have a two Snow Scoots for the younger two and just pulled the trigger this morning on a Polaris 550 Evo for the oldest. I still love riding in the mountains, but at this point I would likely make more effort to ride with kids in hopes that in a few years I will have more mountain riding partners!

 

[Bury Me With My Toys]

Girlfriend and I plan to get married in April, and start a family someday, possibly in a few more years. We have had long discussions about getting our future kids involved at the earliest possible opportunity. It is up to parents, to make a conscious effort on getting their kids into the sport. For me, carrying a child in a baby pack, isn't a problem.

 

[Turblue]

Another experience I had was this.

My daughter rode with me and our son with the wife .....wife not super experienced and scared....she hits the gas turning in the parking lot ...sled takes off up a embankment...he falls off onto a rock and knocks the wind out of him. lol. I get everyone calmed down..discussed with my wife that we need to show the kids things happen and to not to get discouraged. So we went with both kids with me on a turbo nytro as mom wasn’t trustworthy at this point.....

It was May long weekend and had snowed a pile the day before and during our ride. Went in , had a fire, wiener roast , Tobogganed...messed around a bit sledding. Heading out my nytro decides the fuel pumps time was up.

Now we need to pull a dead nytro out with 2 kids under 10 yrs and a scared wife. Lol. So I got the pro rmk hooked up and tried to get the wife to drive with me guiding the sled and both kids. Well that didn’t work. So I put her on the nytro and me and the kids on the pro. No it’s warmed up and the trail is muddy.

Both the nytro and the wife were absolutely covered in mud.

we get to the truck ...the kids and the wife leave me to load everything up. They were done.

later in Boston pizza my daughter looks at me a said “ well that was an adventure, is that what sledding is like all the time”. Lol.



the happy faces at the fire and thumbs down on the lower right picture during the tow job.


morel of the story. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID

I was so jacked to get out there with the kids, probably rushed more than I should of. Also the wife shouldn’t of had a kid with as she was scared already. Oh well lesson learned. Hopefully the story will help. Keep it simple and short. Low expectations for new parents wanting to get them involved. Needs to be warm and fun.

 

[Billy Boy]

In my previous rant I mentioned groomed trails. Groomed trails would go a long way to attract more riders to come out and enjoy an afternoon on the sled. Now in saying that I know it involves a lot of work (volunteer) and money (groomer & related expenses) to operate and maintain groomed trails; This is where government support would come in very handy.

 

[vanislerev]

This is a very relatable thread. I started sledding with my old man when i was 7, wasnt long after i was stealing his sled at every break and eventually getting my own iron. After i had my son i ended up selling my sled (first mortgage, truck payments etc) and just picked another one up this year after being out of the game for 6 years. Very much looking forward to getting into the mountains but can really relate to the difficulty in going out to do something fun and leaving the wife and kids at home. Really hope to be able to get my son and daughter up into the mountains when they get older. Going to require another sled in the future for my wife, and eventually the boy to ride.
Would be good to gather a few like minded individuals this year and set up a few family rides. Double up the young ones and bring some sliding toys etc.

 

[rmk600700]

In my previous rant I mentioned groomed trails. Groomed trails would go a long way to attract more riders to come out and enjoy an afternoon on the sled. Now in saying that I know it involves a lot of work (volunteer) and money (groomer & related expenses) to operate and maintain groomed trails; This is where government support would come in very handy.

this is what Saskatchewan does. Portion of the registration for plates goes to the snowmobile clubs divided up based on km of trails. They have to groom and sign and it is inspected by sask snow representatives. For family riding it’s hard to beat the infrastructure unless you head out to Ontario or Quebec. I believe Idaho also has something similar...great infrastructure either way. When riding with family we go east not west.

 

[Lammy]

The fact that you are able to get your family out riding with you is awesome, you are creating memories that will never be forgotten.
We went as a family group this past February to Elk Ridge Lodge north of Prince Albert for a weekend of family riding. On the first day, my oldest grandson (13) was supposed to ride with his Aunt on the back of hers. As it turned out, my son's buddy didn't feel like riding that day and offered his sled up to my grandson. You have never seen a kid smile so big! He took it it easy, but had a wonderful ride and smiled well into the night. The next day his grandma didn't want to ride, so he got to use hers. Having him ride with us made me smile as well and reminded me of when I was his age and got to ride my first sled. Great times and memories.

 

[Lightningmike]

The fact that you are able to get your family out riding with you is awesome, you are creating memories that will never be forgotten.
We went as a family group this past February to Elk Ridge Lodge north of Prince Albert for a weekend of family riding. On the first day, my oldest grandson (13) was supposed to ride with his Aunt on the back of hers. As it turned out, my son's buddy didn't feel like riding that day and offered his sled up to my grandson. You have never seen a kid smile so big! He took it it easy, but had a wonderful ride and smiled well into the night. The next day his grandma didn't want to ride, so he got to use hers. Having him ride with us made me smile as well and reminded me of when I was his age and got to ride my first sled. Great times and memories.View attachment 229471View attachment 229472View attachment 229473

Thats awesome. I love being able to take family with me on rides. My boys have been to mountains with me but not wife and daughter. They love trail riding tho. Biggest thing to remember is to not overdo it for the weakest person.
Chances are if you overdoo it they may not go again.

Also making them feel comfortable that they are not holding you up no matter how things go.

I have had days around home where we don't put on 15 miles and everyone is happy. Thats why I don't really do rallies cuz we have more fun just banging around close to home.

On a side note I heard Elk Ridge closed... any truth to that. We rode ther one time and it was real nice.