Complete Newbie Perspective

[TonyD]

I am a brand new owner of an Apex MTN SE. The only time I have spent on any sled has been with 500 CC 2 stroke sleds with short tracks, and then only for a day trip / as a rental.

Day one ride: Tried to climb a mountain during a snow blizzard, and an invisible giant pulled the front end to the left and I nose dived into the powder. I have been broken-in!

Ride two: Spent time on the flats rocking the boat and making waves in the deep powder. Adjusted the rear suspension to carry my 200 lb arse over the bumps. I can now do sweeping turns! (Not what I would call "carving.")

Ride three: Rode 45 miles of mostly off trail powder, with plenty of hill climbs and the occasional small jump. Did not get stuck once. (Always came to a stop facing downhill.) I now have 100 miles on the OD.

Ride four: This next weekend. Hope to practice my turns until I can actually "carve" instead of making a quarter mile sweep. This is my biggest weakness.

Any newbie advice you might share with me? Anyone here located in the SLC, Utah area?

 

[mtnkid]

Carve in an flat open area if possible. Your bound to fall off a few times and you dont want the sled heading for trees. Start small just leaning from side to side standing up. Then try sitting down if you want. when I carve I turn my skis the opposite way Im carving.

 

[TonyD]

Carve in an flat open area if possible. Your bound to fall off a few times and you dont want the sled heading for trees. Start small just leaning from side to side standing up. Then try sitting down if you want. when I carve I turn my skis the opposite way Im carving.

He, he, I am giving a whole new meaning to the term "powder puff", believe me!

Curious as to the sled / track length you ride? Do you find that you place your feet further back, center, or forward on the rails? I am also trying to figure out how deep the powder needs to be as a general rule?

 

[mtnkid]

I ride 06 apex with a 162" track. I put my feet where ever feels right. Usually the same position I use when standing up while driving.
And Its easier to carve in deeper snow but ive dont it before in 6" of snow.

 

[TonyD]

I ride 06 apex with a 162" track. I put my feet where ever feels right. Usually the same position I use when standing up while driving.
And Its easier to carve in deeper snow but ive dont it before in 6" of snow.

I appreciate all the input here mtnkid. I never thought I would feel so behind the curve with these mountain snowmobiles, no pun intended.

Anyone care to share about how long it took practicing before they really felt confident when carving? I know I have only been out 3 times, but it would really help me feel better if I knew what to expect.

 

[snow_knight]

It takes be around 5-6 good long trips before I can really get the feel for carving with a new chassis.. I personally carve with one leg on the sled.. one off.. Like when carving left.. i have my left leg off the sled.. hangin straight out.. then have my right leg on the middle or back a bit from middle on the left running board..

It takes a little bit of time to get used to it.. however once you do.. you can carve very very tight little circles or turns ..

If you really want to get good at it.... crank that thing on its side till you fall off.. then again and again and again.. and so on.. you will start to get the feel for what point you can hang on..or going to fall off.. that is the point you want to almost get too everytime..

well have fun riding.. and be safe.

 

[Blown14psi]

COUNTERSTEER with both legs on the running boards when you are carving in the deep POW or get on one side or the other when you want to turn really sharp. It is far easier than you think.

You can completely tip the Apex on it's side in the POW by countersteering.

Also alot of peeps like to fight with the Apex when you are going through tracks in the POW ,the sled is tippy when you go through the ruts, just let the suspension do it's thing and ride it out. You'll be a lot less tired at the end of the day. I used to get a lot more tired riding my old MM than I do on the Apex.

 

[TonyD]

It takes be around 5-6 good long trips before I can really get the feel for carving with a new chassis.. I personally carve with one leg on the sled.. one off.. Like when carving left.. i have my left leg off the sled.. hangin straight out.. then have my right leg on the middle or back a bit from middle on the left running board..

It takes a little bit of time to get used to it.. however once you do.. you can carve very very tight little circles or turns ..

If you really want to get good at it.... crank that thing on its side till you fall off.. then again and again and again.. and so on.. you will start to get the feel for what point you can hang on..or going to fall off.. that is the point you want to almost get too everytime..

well have fun riding.. and be safe.

OK, cool. Glad to know what to expect. It helps.

We had between 1-2' of new snow yesterday, and more to come on Thursday. Looks like I know what I will be doing this Saturday!

I am going to take everyones advice here and stay in the flats leaning her over till I fall off and get used to the ballance point.

Until I get there, here's to all you who have this down! I'm not worthy.....bowing down......I'm not worthy.......

 

[bdm]

I am far from a good rider, I have had to learn on my own so it has been tough. I hope that this might help with the weight of the Apex. One thing that helped me was to keep reminding myself to relax and not fight it. I found that if I was trying to muscle the sled around it meant that I was doing something wrong. That balance and throttle could more easily accomplish whatever I was doing better than using muscle and leverage. If you find yourself muscling during a move try to figure out how you could accomplish the same move by steering/countersteering, using body english, and using the throttle. Usually there is a way.

 

[GotJuice]

I feel ya!

I'm in the same boat, can carve wide circles fairly good and carve back and fourth from left to right but haven't figured out how to lay it on it's side and cut an 8ft. circle or turn on a dime....self taught with little experience...slow learner I guess...LOL
I have tipped it on it's side many times but haven't gotten the correct throttle amount when laying it on it's side technique/rythm down yet. I can't quite get my self to stab the throttle when it's on it's side...I'm getting there though.
So much funner to ride being able to carve a little.....then riding like a trail sled having to lean to trun every where. My upper body is tired after 3 hours of trying to carve so I definately need to learn some grace and balance so I can go home feeling normal and not beat like a red headed step child...LOL

 

[canuck5]

I ride 06 apex with a 162" track. I put my feet where ever feels right. Usually the same position I use when standing up while driving.
And Its easier to carve in deeper snow but ive dont it before in 6" of snow.

I appreciate all the input here mtnkid. I never thought I would feel so behind the curve with these mountain snowmobiles, no pun intended.

Anyone care to share about how long it took practicing before they really felt confident when carving? I know I have only been out 3 times, but it would really help me feel better if I knew what to expect.

It is much easier to learn how to carve and whip circles in deep snow. If you have been on the sled three times you already have lots of feel for the machine. Remember that you have to try stuff and fail miserably to get better at it and when better than in really deep snow. Lay it on it's side and get bucked off but, keep the throttel down and burn some more fuel and balance comes quickly. Have fun

 

[TonyD]

This is all great advice. I think a lot of us are having very similar experiences. It helps to know that, and to listen to your insights.

I'm heading back out this Saturday into a ton of new sow that just came through here, and looks like maybe some more dusting Thursday / Friday. I'll try to take some pics!

 

[GotJuice]

I don't mean to jack your thread

I'm glad you made this thread...excellent tips and the more information those of us get that don't have a teacher the better! Don't you wish someone would come out with a damn "how to" video for sledding....then show illustration film on how to do certain things with balance and technique.......anyway thank you, excellent stuff!

 

[adrenaline junkey]

make the sled do all the work counter steer and lots of throttle i know it sounds a little bazaar but until ya manipulate the throttle tight carving will seem hard.

 

[REXX]

I am a brand new owner of an Apex MTN SE. The only time I have spent on any sled has been with 500 CC 2 stroke sleds with short tracks, and then only for a day trip / as a rental.

1....when you ride a 500 cc shorty through the powder, your skis are pointing at the sky; hence a wiggle of your bum will make it change direction. easy to steer while sitting. A long track is easier to steer standing up similar to riding a dirt bike. On a bike if you gently pull on the right handle bar the bike leans to the left and hence goes left. Try this on some of your long sweeping turns...you should notice the same thing(don't steer, but just gently pull the bar a bit to the right as you lean left, pretend your ski tip is a rudder) Note: at very slow speed you have to turn so try this in an open area at 20 - 30mph+.

Day one ride: Tried to climb a mountain during a snow blizzard, and an invisible giant pulled the front end to the left and I nose dived into the powder. I have been broken-in!

2....You were probably sidehilling (climbing on an angle). If you are nosediving, your front suspension is too soft. (As an added note; the longer the track the more tendancy to push the front, hence a wider ski will keep you up on top better when you let off the throttle...Gen II Flexiskis are 10" wide)

Ride two: Spent time on the flats rocking the boat and making waves in the deep powder. Adjusted the rear suspension to carry my 200 lb arse over the bumps. I can now do sweeping turns! (Not what I would call "carving.")

3...to carve you need to get your skis off the snow, hence less stiffness in the rear suspension, and more weight transfer (those two rods coming down beside the rear shock) With your rear suspension too hard, or not enough weight transfer you have to "catwalk" in order to lift the skis. For this you need a turbo and four feet of snow. The guys that are doing the tight donuts with stock sleds are in deep snow and most likely have a 151 or 155" x 15 track. If you attempt to manhandle a tight 360 in anything less than 15" of powder you will most likely rocket ahead, catch an edge and fly over the handle bars...bin' there done that.

Ride three: Rode 45 miles of mostly off trail powder, with plenty of hill climbs and the occasional small jump. Did not get stuck once. (Always came to a stop facing downhill.) I now have 100 miles on the OD.

Ride four: This next weekend. Hope to practice my turns until I can actually "carve" instead of making a quarter mile sweep. This is my biggest weakness.

Any newbie advice you might share with me? Anyone here located in the SLC, Utah area?

Please note I stuck 3 comments into your quote.... ....


....This sled to me really behaves best when stand up riding (in fact now it seems foreign to ride sitting down.) It is important to be positioned correctly for best maneuverability. Hence, with the bars straight up, I position myself at the front of the rails and hold the bars at my waist while standing straight up with my arms straight. If you are taller than 5' 8" or 5' 10" and feel hunched over, you'll need a riser block, otherwise you'll restrict your movement and your weight shifting will feel all out of wack.
....When I ride I move my feet all over the running boards depending on what I'm doing.
....As a final note; if you look at your sled...you'll notice the rearend is way up in relation to the front end. As a starting point try to achieve a horizontal line while sitting on your sled. What I mean by this is draw a straight line from your front bumper through the top of your tunnel (bottom of seat)(disregard the angled tail of the tunnel). To achieve this on my sled I have the air shocks on the front at 68lbs; I have the Gen II skis; My mid shock 1 click less than medium; and my back shock on medium. By starting off with equal weight distribution you can then move your weight subtly ahead and back to control the amount of ski pressure you have on the snow; thereby increasing your ability to carve and decreasing the dive affect.

Sorry for being so voiciferous....You own a great sled! Hope this helps. It's what works for me and my 200++ lb. arse .

REXX
---------------------------------------------
2007 Apex mtn SE. turbo
Western Canada.