techsledder
Member
Looks like you guys had a great time. Nice panoramic pics!
L
lenny
Guest
Wow, what a trip!!!!!! I left for the Big horns last Tuesday about 1 pm, drove to Stevens Point, hooked up with Bob, drove to LaCrosse and hooked up with the other 6. We left LaCrosse area about 7 pm. Drove through the night and pulled into da Elk View Lodge at about 10:30 am. We drove 4 guys in a Duramax crew cab and open 4 place, the other rig was a new Denali (sweet!) pulling a 4 place open. We ran the rigs about 80 mph all the way. Roughly 800 bucks for fuel for each rig, slightly less on the duramax. We were anxious to ride so were able to check in early. Our lodging per person for the 4 nights came to $134 each, not bad at all. We stayed at the cabin they had which was roomy but just a little rough, not complaining, just needed some attention to make is much nicer. The Elk View Inn had a pool, hot tub but we didn't learn about that till the last night we were there. The Lodge was nice, great dinning room and good food, priced right in the middle. You can get a steak, burger ribs,,,, good salad bar. Wi-fi right there in the main lodge. Satellite phone you can use for a buck, no cell reception 
D). We only ate out 2 times the entire trip. We brought our own food and worked out great.
That first day we rode from about noon till close to dark. I didn't experience any elevation change in energy the first day. We all rode hard and had an incredible time. The snow was firm and tracked up in most of the place which is endless as far as the eye can see. The terrain was what I always dreamed of and the lack of new snow was not all that concerning. My new sled hooked up too good. I could go anywhere I wanted basically. At the end of the first day of riding I was beat, long road trip with no sleep and a hard 5 hr ride. This first day was eye opening because there was endless terrain and you just go, mtn over mtn. We had a map that showed wilderness areas that we couldn't ride but there is way too much area to even be concerned about that. Right out the cabin is the trail. You drive through the parking lot and your there! Endless mtns to explore and that we did. There are many fences, wood posts with wire all over. The snow was mostly over the posts so there is things like that to watch out for. Usually you can see them in a row and drifts cover some. As far as I know we never smacked anything hard. I think one of us kooked a wire on a carbide but was going real slow and just got it off with no problems.
In the beginning I wasn't sure how easy it would be for 8 guys to ride together and have things go along smoothly but we pulled it off. None of us had done any Mtn riding before. None of us were highly skilled riders that needed every moment to tear it up. Surprisingly, we were all very compatible personality wise. We all woke up on our own at about 6 am and took it easy for a few hrs, had food, coffee, water etc,,,,,so we usually hit the Mtn by 9. We had talked about some basic ideas to stay together so we would ride to a spot we liked and tear it up. Near the end of the first day one of us got a major stuck and we couldn't find him. We looked and looked. We didn't think he would go back but we figured we better head back to check. We were 15 mins from the cabin and got back and still he wasnt there, we go back and he was walking up the trail. He doubled up on one of our sleds and we dug him out. It was a good learning experience for us to look at all possibilities of problem. Good thing we all had a good common sense and it worked out fine. We all had water and gear for the unknown. If your considering a trip out west or for that matter, any type off trail adventure, always have a plan for uncertainties that could arise. Ours was minor and common sense worked it out. You would not believe how easy it is to loose site of a guy and your alone for a while, or all 7 others. Can be scary out there so talk it over. A guy can easily get seperated, hurt or whatever. HAVE A PLAN!!!!!!!
I was a bit discouraged the first day with the snow conditions. Everything close was tracked up but being in the mtns you have steep crazy terrain and it never gets boring. I wanted powder so off in the tress some of us searched and we found it. We found steep and deep snow, not fresh fluffy snow but very deep and untracked. We tore it up bit time and not to mention some serious stucks. I couldn't get enough of the tree riding. There was stuff I didn't even attempt because it was way steep and I didn't want to roll the sled down into a tree. I did push the envelope and stopped thinking about some things and mashed the flipper. I do better without thinking about it. There were some small cornice drops that I didn't hit that the others did, not my thing. Maybe if I had taken the MTn Max I would have but I was on a new sled and mainly was scared of the drop, I believe they were dropping 20 ft.
Andrew (local897) was probably the most aggressive rider we had. He'd hit everything (trees also, he he he) He dropped of ledges, rode the trees, climbed everything, side hilled like a crazy mug. I learned to side hill much better that I had been before I went but the lack of loose snow made it difficult for me to. I watched how Andrew feather the flipper real good and maintained a steady side-hill. I still think the power claw track on steep tracked hill is a hard combination to deal with. Even the meadows were firm in most areas. We did find find some deep meadows and I practiced spinning around and was much easier with looser snow.
We rode almost 4 full days and a total of 225 miles. I never burned a full tank of gas for a day but close. I did have 2 extra gallons on my sleds as many of us in our group did but never once did we tap into the reserve cans. With our lack of super aggressive riding and deep powder we didn't burn a tank a day. Each day I would put about 6-7 gallons in my sled and the price at the lodge was 3.49 for premium ().
We did manage some carnage of our sleds. One guy smacked a stump and may have totaled it. Another guy came separated from his sled and it rolled down the hill a bit and smacked solid into a large tree. Another guy ripped the track in half the last hr of the last day so no big deal. We tied it up with a strap and got it off the MTN riding it out.
Would the fresh snow have made me happier,,,,yea,,,but my first trip out was very good. If it had been deep, some of the guys on 136's would had been stuck all the time. As it was, we were all able to do what we wanted. We all had a level of experience that was just right for each other. We all helped in the stucks which were not a huge number. We all were able to hold our own and compliment each other. I wouldn't trade the trip for anything. I was privileged to meet 2 new guys who now are friends and furthered my friendships with the other 5 and that's valuable to me. My hope is to meet up with the same crew next time, that's how good it was. Now for some pics!
D). We only ate out 2 times the entire trip. We brought our own food and worked out great. That first day we rode from about noon till close to dark. I didn't experience any elevation change in energy the first day. We all rode hard and had an incredible time. The snow was firm and tracked up in most of the place which is endless as far as the eye can see. The terrain was what I always dreamed of and the lack of new snow was not all that concerning. My new sled hooked up too good. I could go anywhere I wanted basically. At the end of the first day of riding I was beat, long road trip with no sleep and a hard 5 hr ride. This first day was eye opening because there was endless terrain and you just go, mtn over mtn. We had a map that showed wilderness areas that we couldn't ride but there is way too much area to even be concerned about that. Right out the cabin is the trail. You drive through the parking lot and your there! Endless mtns to explore and that we did. There are many fences, wood posts with wire all over. The snow was mostly over the posts so there is things like that to watch out for. Usually you can see them in a row and drifts cover some. As far as I know we never smacked anything hard. I think one of us kooked a wire on a carbide but was going real slow and just got it off with no problems.
In the beginning I wasn't sure how easy it would be for 8 guys to ride together and have things go along smoothly but we pulled it off. None of us had done any Mtn riding before. None of us were highly skilled riders that needed every moment to tear it up. Surprisingly, we were all very compatible personality wise. We all woke up on our own at about 6 am and took it easy for a few hrs, had food, coffee, water etc,,,,,so we usually hit the Mtn by 9. We had talked about some basic ideas to stay together so we would ride to a spot we liked and tear it up. Near the end of the first day one of us got a major stuck and we couldn't find him. We looked and looked. We didn't think he would go back but we figured we better head back to check. We were 15 mins from the cabin and got back and still he wasnt there, we go back and he was walking up the trail. He doubled up on one of our sleds and we dug him out. It was a good learning experience for us to look at all possibilities of problem. Good thing we all had a good common sense and it worked out fine. We all had water and gear for the unknown. If your considering a trip out west or for that matter, any type off trail adventure, always have a plan for uncertainties that could arise. Ours was minor and common sense worked it out. You would not believe how easy it is to loose site of a guy and your alone for a while, or all 7 others. Can be scary out there so talk it over. A guy can easily get seperated, hurt or whatever. HAVE A PLAN!!!!!!!
I was a bit discouraged the first day with the snow conditions. Everything close was tracked up but being in the mtns you have steep crazy terrain and it never gets boring. I wanted powder so off in the tress some of us searched and we found it. We found steep and deep snow, not fresh fluffy snow but very deep and untracked. We tore it up bit time and not to mention some serious stucks. I couldn't get enough of the tree riding. There was stuff I didn't even attempt because it was way steep and I didn't want to roll the sled down into a tree. I did push the envelope and stopped thinking about some things and mashed the flipper. I do better without thinking about it. There were some small cornice drops that I didn't hit that the others did, not my thing. Maybe if I had taken the MTn Max I would have but I was on a new sled and mainly was scared of the drop, I believe they were dropping 20 ft.
Andrew (local897) was probably the most aggressive rider we had. He'd hit everything (trees also, he he he) He dropped of ledges, rode the trees, climbed everything, side hilled like a crazy mug. I learned to side hill much better that I had been before I went but the lack of loose snow made it difficult for me to. I watched how Andrew feather the flipper real good and maintained a steady side-hill. I still think the power claw track on steep tracked hill is a hard combination to deal with. Even the meadows were firm in most areas. We did find find some deep meadows and I practiced spinning around and was much easier with looser snow.
We rode almost 4 full days and a total of 225 miles. I never burned a full tank of gas for a day but close. I did have 2 extra gallons on my sleds as many of us in our group did but never once did we tap into the reserve cans. With our lack of super aggressive riding and deep powder we didn't burn a tank a day. Each day I would put about 6-7 gallons in my sled and the price at the lodge was 3.49 for premium (
). We did manage some carnage of our sleds. One guy smacked a stump and may have totaled it. Another guy came separated from his sled and it rolled down the hill a bit and smacked solid into a large tree. Another guy ripped the track in half the last hr of the last day so no big deal. We tied it up with a strap and got it off the MTN riding it out.
Would the fresh snow have made me happier,,,,yea,,,but my first trip out was very good. If it had been deep, some of the guys on 136's would had been stuck all the time. As it was, we were all able to do what we wanted. We all had a level of experience that was just right for each other. We all helped in the stucks which were not a huge number. We all were able to hold our own and compliment each other. I wouldn't trade the trip for anything. I was privileged to meet 2 new guys who now are friends and furthered my friendships with the other 5 and that's valuable to me. My hope is to meet up with the same crew next time, that's how good it was. Now for some pics!
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lenny
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lenny
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Lenny, are you sewing that track back together in the last pic? I gotta hear the story on how that turned out! Did the sled make it back to the lodge under its own power? Looks like you guys had a blast!
L
lenny
Guest
Just a quick mention, many people on JD's site go out west riding. Cuzzolif made a list a while back, take it seriously, you never know when you need that stuff. Hopefully most of it will not be needed but the point is to be prepared. The glow stick or strobe light sound dumb at first but if you are stranded at night you may just be found with those things. Back packs are not for wannabe's, it carries essentials for survival if the need arises.
I started to mention in the first posy about not being effected by the elevation in the beginning. It did catch up with me after a few days. I tire much easier and with 3 days of riding, low sleep, it takes a toll. If you go out west, do cardio, dig yourself out slowly. Take lots of breaks and drink lots of water.
Out~
I started to mention in the first posy about not being effected by the elevation in the beginning. It did catch up with me after a few days. I tire much easier and with 3 days of riding, low sleep, it takes a toll. If you go out west, do cardio, dig yourself out slowly. Take lots of breaks and drink lots of water.
Out~
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lenny
Guest
The track was completely severed, I mean ripped in half. We did sew it back together with a ratchet strap, I had cut the end off earlier to tie my gas can to my sled. Nick did ride that sled down the hill and through and open area, up a small hill and over to the road. The first truck came by with the nicest guy and he hauled it back to the lodge 5 miles. Talk about being in the right place in the right time. We think think the smaller drivers changed the pitch enough for the track to stab the rails. He did have the plastic rail caps on but one may have come off, anti stab kit may have been needed. Good thing it happened at the end of the last day ha?
We're not sure how far he could have ridden the sled but getting it down that steep hill with no track would have been a problem. He did ride it probably a 1/2 mile as it was. May wanna add that to a list in da back pack just in case, Large tie straps would work also.
winterrules03
New member
Thanks for the pictures. Looks awesome. We are heading out in a couple of weeks. Those pictures get the blood pumping!!!
Glad to hear it worked out. It's so true that you can never be to prepared!
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lenny
Guest
Boondocker82
New member
I just wanted to add that I had an absolute blast! out west. I couldnt have asked for a better group of guys to spend my first trip to the mountains with. As for the track, its still holding together. Pulled it off the trailer and loaded it up in the shop under its own power. I cant wait to get out there again, hopefully this will be an anual trip for all of us. The highlight of my trip was definetly the cornise drops we did. Lenny, that picture of Drew dropping is awesome by the way!
polarisrider1
New member
Very good info. Thanks Lenny. Glad to see you had a great time!
misty_pines
Member
Lenny - I was out there in the Bighorns about the same time you were. Man, some of the days were windy. Didn't get the snow that was forecasted on Thursday night, 3/10 but I agree, the condition were still good enough to have a lot of fun! We also found some real deep snow, just not a ton of fresh powder. Thanks for posting the pics. I will post some in the Guest Shots section soon of our trip.