So this is a follow up to my thread from a few weeks ago looking for suggestions for lodging areas, riding areas, etc. in Wyoming/ CO. We ended up staying in Saratoga at the Coppermine Lodge and had a great time. The Coppermine is a nice place to stay with what seemed to be great owners from the little bit I had the chance to chat with them. Walking distance to town (10 minutes) and a nice spot for Breakfast right up the road. We rode out of the parking lot at the end of the road going past 10 mile and the Rendezvous. Had great snow although it was starting to settle some on Thursday as temps rose. Hired a guide on day 2. Cameron from 3c did a nice job of getting us into new areas that we would not have explored on our own.
I was a mess on the the 141 High Country on day one. Stuck at least a dozen times in silly places. That was really my second experience riding the deep. Previously ride was on a 165 ski doo so it was much more forgiving to my lack of skill. By day 2 I was progressing well. Still got stuck a few times but definitely got better at how to park and how to get it moving in the deep without burying it. I was actually mind blown at how far the sled would go. Day 3 I perhaps got a little over confident. I decided it was a good idea to see how far the sled would go up a steep hill. Turned out to be a horribly poor decision. 3/4 of the way up the hill were a few groups of tall pines. I thought I'd really blow the groups mind by going up through them and around the back side. Any guesses how that turned out????
My eyes got really big really fast as I realized that the terrain turned incredibly steep as soon as I entered the point of no return. I eventually ran out of track and had to turn back down. When it became obvious that I wasn't going to clear the group of trees below me I bailed. The sled smacked head on into a large pine with me sitting comfortable above it in disbelief. The damage initially looked a lot worse than it was. The tree ended up going just inside of my left ski and wedging itself between the ski and body of the sled. The impact knocked the side panel mostly off and popped some other body panels loose. I thought for sure the sled was unrideable. Ended up pulling it out of the tree and put it back together the best I could. The ride back down the hill was about as scary as the ride up!
After a closer look over the panels were all able to be popped back into place. I actually was able to drive the sled the rest of the day although much more cautiously. The obvious damage at this point is the left side a arms and the bumper. The side panel has some damage but I don't know that I'd replace it unless I submit a claim. I did see that the exhaust is bent from the side panel impact as well. I arrived home late last night so will be taking a closer look at the sled from the comforts of my heated garage today. I'll have to make a determination on whether or not to submit a claim through my insurance. I have a 250 deductible through State Farm. I also have my home and several vehicles, boats, etc with them. Should I expect a rate hike if I pursue the claim? Anybody deal with State Farm before on something like this. Do they send an adjuster or do I need to take the sled to a dealer? We don't really have many dealer options around here and I don't know if I want the sled tore down the rest of the winter for insurance and the dealer to get things straightened out. If its just bolt on repairs I'd probably do the work myself. Is it poor practice to have a dealer get me an estimate and then pick the sled up to repair on my own?
One of my bigger concerns is having damage to the bulkhead or tunnel that I may not notice. Would a dealer have a way of verifying that everything is still square and true outside of just the naked eye test? The sled only has 800 miles on it and was like new before this trip. Maybe its as simple as bolting a couple a arms on on my own dime and dealing with some cosmetic defects. I'd just hate to find out down the road that I can't sell or trade the thing because unbeknown to me the bulkhead or tunnel got twisted in this accident.
Sorry for the long read and thanks in advance for any input.
I was a mess on the the 141 High Country on day one. Stuck at least a dozen times in silly places. That was really my second experience riding the deep. Previously ride was on a 165 ski doo so it was much more forgiving to my lack of skill. By day 2 I was progressing well. Still got stuck a few times but definitely got better at how to park and how to get it moving in the deep without burying it. I was actually mind blown at how far the sled would go. Day 3 I perhaps got a little over confident. I decided it was a good idea to see how far the sled would go up a steep hill. Turned out to be a horribly poor decision. 3/4 of the way up the hill were a few groups of tall pines. I thought I'd really blow the groups mind by going up through them and around the back side. Any guesses how that turned out????
My eyes got really big really fast as I realized that the terrain turned incredibly steep as soon as I entered the point of no return. I eventually ran out of track and had to turn back down. When it became obvious that I wasn't going to clear the group of trees below me I bailed. The sled smacked head on into a large pine with me sitting comfortable above it in disbelief. The damage initially looked a lot worse than it was. The tree ended up going just inside of my left ski and wedging itself between the ski and body of the sled. The impact knocked the side panel mostly off and popped some other body panels loose. I thought for sure the sled was unrideable. Ended up pulling it out of the tree and put it back together the best I could. The ride back down the hill was about as scary as the ride up!
After a closer look over the panels were all able to be popped back into place. I actually was able to drive the sled the rest of the day although much more cautiously. The obvious damage at this point is the left side a arms and the bumper. The side panel has some damage but I don't know that I'd replace it unless I submit a claim. I did see that the exhaust is bent from the side panel impact as well. I arrived home late last night so will be taking a closer look at the sled from the comforts of my heated garage today. I'll have to make a determination on whether or not to submit a claim through my insurance. I have a 250 deductible through State Farm. I also have my home and several vehicles, boats, etc with them. Should I expect a rate hike if I pursue the claim? Anybody deal with State Farm before on something like this. Do they send an adjuster or do I need to take the sled to a dealer? We don't really have many dealer options around here and I don't know if I want the sled tore down the rest of the winter for insurance and the dealer to get things straightened out. If its just bolt on repairs I'd probably do the work myself. Is it poor practice to have a dealer get me an estimate and then pick the sled up to repair on my own?
One of my bigger concerns is having damage to the bulkhead or tunnel that I may not notice. Would a dealer have a way of verifying that everything is still square and true outside of just the naked eye test? The sled only has 800 miles on it and was like new before this trip. Maybe its as simple as bolting a couple a arms on on my own dime and dealing with some cosmetic defects. I'd just hate to find out down the road that I can't sell or trade the thing because unbeknown to me the bulkhead or tunnel got twisted in this accident.
Sorry for the long read and thanks in advance for any input.
