Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska lets see them snowgo's!!...whos riding what??

Fortunately it was only as deep as my boots, so wet feet and socks. But man, that nice light tundra get's aweful heavy when the track is packed full of slush.

My boy managed to get across the overflow and into nice deep wet snow before getting stuck the second time. He saw some open water and wisely shut the machine down. After walking through the overflow and digging the snow I was able to get the nose and tracked moved enough to climb out of the hole he parked it in and powered back across the overflow. He got to walk back

I found a good thread on what to do when dealing with a stuck in overflow situation:

http://www.dootalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=448197

I need to add a few items into the don't leave the trailhead without it kit.

That was actually a pretty cool link Paul. Most important thing you can bring with you is another rider or two... that one gets a lot of people.

If you haven't tried a snow bungee, I'll lend you one.

Why so modest Dan?

Older still, S-2000 chassis.

As to the overflow on Friday I was running from the N-fork Eagle River trail head. It starts off on a side channel and I headed up river, but went across enough overlow that I figured I'd head back. Then I decided to go down river. I got to a section that was too narrow to turn around and decided I'd keep going down river. This is warning #2 after all the overflow up river, I should have just gotten off and moved the sled around and called it a day.

I headed out over thin ice over overflow and could feel the sled going slower and slower. I did manage to get across it. Then I figured I'd turn it around by heading up a bank. I was suprised that it would go through waste deep powder, not fast and the engine was really working, but it did make it. I thought when I headed back down the bank I was on good ice as there was a layer of snow over it. Turns out it was snow over overflow and I wasn't going that fast coming down from the bank.

So many lessons learned, mainly riding solo on a river is a bad idea no matter how short the ride, that warming trends cause overflow, and that you should always bring a shovel and other gear to get unstuck.

Even a light sled is fricken heavy when you're the only idiot on the trail.

I thought when I headed back down the bank I was on good ice as there was a layer of snow over it. Turns out it was snow over overflow and I wasn't going that fast coming down from the bank.

Thanks. Sled-making is a craft which seems to be dying out in favor of plastics. But nothing pulls as nice as a well-made wood sled. And they'll take a lot more abuse than many people realize. I traded cabinet-making woodworking for sled building quite a few years back...with no regrets.

How hard is it to find parts for those older machines? Do good dealers still stock them or is it strictly a fleabay affair? Are certain brands better than others for both longevity and OEM parts support?

I'd really like to own a pair of machines, but am NOT willing to dump $12K+ apiece on 'em. I just want reliable back country transportation, and as fast as they depreciate, the used market likely holds some bargains if I know what to look for.

Ideally, I'd like a skid-doo Tundra, but they're pretty rare down here.