Butt sledding haters?

IQuest said:

As long as everyone yields to people below them we should all be able to get along.

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Agree! Sledders, please watch for hikers and their dogs below you -- and be prepared to stop or avoid!

dug said:

Yes, I can confirm a hyper-extended knee being taken out by a sledder on North Hancock. If I couldn't gathered myself in time and caught up to him, I would be able to confirm another injury to the sledder himself.

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The guy didn't stop and come back to see if you were OK? That's pretty lame.

My hiking dog is friendly, but protective of me. If I see sledder's coming, I have to step off the trail and hold his harness tightly, or he will catch them.

peakbagger said:

Funny, I have almost been hit by more skiers than by people sliding over the years.

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Something tells me Rocket21 hikes ALOT and probably as a result comes in contact with more sledders

skiguy said:

If your postholing remember every time you do so a tiny new born kitten dies.

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Did you really think that was going to pass unnoticed?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYivAQbYfoQ

Glissading is fine, any small plastic sleds are cheaper to replace than a ripped pair of Gore-Tex pants. I usually walk down trails but have glissaded down parts of the trails from the Kinsmans, Canon, & off Field on the Avalon trail, never with a sled. It's important to have good sight lines.

Everyone uses the outdoors for different things. The take away is, whatever you choose to do, just remember youre not the only person out there using those outdoors. Etiquette is understanding that fact and considering it before you do whatever it is to choose to do. If the attitude is "F* it, I do what I want." Then we are all in trouble. I have been known to glissade while mountain running and night time sled ride here during storms in maine. However, I do stop and assess scenarios and make decisions based on if I stand to ruin someone's day. This sledding on trails is a lesser version of what we deal with while climbing and skiing in avalanche terrain. In all mountain sports you should be giving pause to do some risk management and not let your stoke allow you to lose sight of those facts.

TJsName said:

I make a distinction between glissading and sledding. I do the latter, and the sled I use has a flat bottom.

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What sled model do you use?

Yury said:

What sled model do you use?

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The Merikan Missile. It is like a Swiss Bob but with more cushionong. They are heavier than the thinner butt sleds, but worth it in terms of control and comfort.

TJsName said:

The Merikan Missile. It is like a Swiss Bob but with more cushionong. They are heavier than the thinner butt sleds, but worth it in terms of control and comfort.

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These sleds seem too heavy to me.

http://blog.emsoutdoors.com/hike-up-sled-down/

Isn't simple TSL Quicky lighter and better?

Yury said:

These sleds seem too heavy to me.

http://blog.emsoutdoors.com/hike-up-sled-down/

Isn't simple TSL Quicky lighter and better?

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Sledding with micro spikes albeit lesser points than crampons, IMO is still asking to break a leg.

skiguy said:

Sledding with micro spikes albeit lesser points than crampons, IMO is still asking to break a leg.

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Some of the worse accidents in mountaineering are a result of glissading with traction devices on feet. It's probably best to never glissade with micros or crampons. Upon looking at the post, it's a blog from a 4,000 foot member, unsure if she was an EMS employee at the time or if they just grabbed it to sell sleds and spikes.

IMO, Liberty Springs isn't steep enough to get much speed up unless really icy which does not appear to be the case on the day that Allison did it. Certainly the potential for enough speed on a steep trail to catch a crampon point causing serious injury is more likely coming off Carter Dome heading to C-Notch, parts of the Avalon, East Osceola & Pine Bend & certainly any ravine wall or slide

I don't worry too much about the micros breaking my leg. (Crampons of course I do) I worry about accidentally hitting someone else with them on. Nothing ends a good day like spikes to the shins. Or a snow shoe. Oof.having said that I try to control my speed so I don't end up on the wrong end of a tree.

Yury said:

These sleds seem too heavy to me.

http://blog.emsoutdoors.com/hike-up-sled-down/

Isn't simple TSL Quicky lighter and better?

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Lighter? Hard to argue. Better? Depends on the conditions. The TSLs don't have any cushion and are difficult to fight a fall line with. They mostly save your pants, but if you're doing a longer hike having less weight might be nice - especially if you only have a few smaller drops to slide. Like most gear, it's all about how you intend to use it and the conditions.

skiguy said:

Sledding with micro spikes albeit lesser points than crampons, IMO is still asking to break a leg.

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I kept my spikes on for the descent on Liberty Springs last Sunday. I do sometimes on steeper terrain and have found them to be more useful for speed control than harmful due to catching. I wouldn't sled in crampons though, and probably not in Hillsound Pros either. I think more people need to try it to get a send of what the experience is like. It's really not hard to stop - the challenge is not getting stuck.

TJsName said:

I kept my spikes on for the descent on Liberty Springs last Sunday. I do sometimes on steeper terrain and have found them to be more useful for speed control than harmful due to catching. I wouldn't sled in crampons though, and probably not in Hillsound Pros either. I think more people need to try it to get a send of what the experience is like. It's really not hard to stop - the challenge is not getting stuck.

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Oh I 've been there. If it is not that hard for you to stop why take the chance of potentially catching a spike. You might even not get stuck if you learned to steer with your heels and lost the random drag of your spikes. Yea I know it is all about style. No worries just being the devils advocate. Conditions can be so circumstantial. As long as you are having fun and yourself or no one else gets hurt I say go for it! Toughest part is not to get snow between your crack.

skiguy said:

Oh I 've been there. If it is not that hard for you to stop why take the chance of potentially catching a spike. You might even not get stuck if you learned to steer with your heels and lost the random drag of your spikes. Yea I know it is all about style. No worries just being the devils advocate. Conditions can be so circumstantial. As long as you are having fun and yourself or no one else gets hurt I say go for it! Toughest part is not to get snow between your crack.

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Well, there are a couple types of easy stops. Going off the hard pack will stop you pretty darn fast, but is work to get back on trail. With spikes on you can easily do a pop-up slide on steeper terrain. On less steep terrain the spikes come off as the coefficient of friction increases. The biggest risk with the spikes is catching them on a root or branch, but generally you hike up what you sled and note any hazards.

As for the snow down the crack, I have found that my solution for my cold belly aslo works wonderfully at preventing that - it's a side-zipped insulated skirt (but functions more like an insulated cumberbun as it covers the gap between my tops and bottoms). My belly gets cold faster, so it's a big part of my layering system.