I know nothing about snowmobiling. I started looking at some you tube videos, and yours are the best I've seen so far. Thanks for doing such a great job and sharing your expertise.
Awesome! Thank you. I'm in my fourth season, and still learning a ton. Your tips are great. Pray for snow..............................Nolan (Filer, ID)
Dan, you are one of the best riders, but more than that... you are a great teacher, you can explain complicated things and make them easy. Thanks for your skills sharing!!! 80% of beginners don’t realize the magic of throttle and brake music, so it would be great if you could devote some quality time to explaining these tricks!
Thank you very much. You are correct throttle and brake are so crucial to good riding technique. Im sure we will get into this in more detail in the future.
Hey bro thanks. I bought my first sled today. I've ridden like five Times in my life. But i plan on hitting it. Your tips will help a lot. My last ride i had a habbit of locking my knees. Keep rockin.😎🤘🖒
Thank you very much. This was very helpful. Brand new 22 pro rmk matryx slash pickup this next Wednesday. Super stoked. 💯💪a lot of sled for an inexperienced rider.
Loved the video very usable tips for all rider at any level! I would love to see a video about avalanche compression tests and how to avoid causing them, Keep up the awesome work on the vids 👍!
Hi Dan, wow what good info. I loved how you talked about the fundamentals. After being injured for 2 years I’m relearning how to ride my snowmobile. Would it be possible to get some video footage of good riding vs bad?
Body Pos is very similar to Dirt Bikes, also, It helps a little bit to squeeze your sled just a little bit. It helps with pulling and staying in place on bumps and whoops.
Would be nice to see a video on heading down a hill and turning to head back up and also off camber turns. So if I'm leaned down a hill to my right but I have to get the sled up on the left side to avoid getting sucked into a creek or valley or something below. Your vidoes are very informative keep them coming
Thanks Dan I just found your vids you do a great job explaining ,I was out riding the past two days had a blast your tips are going to help with my riding here in Idaho
Dan, thanks's for posting these videos!! Every year in the fall I review the things you've posted in the past. Another great one!! I'd like to see your technique on a 180 turn from a decent. Eg, Going down a hill and no other option but to go back up. Cheers!!
Dan, Absolutely GREAT VIDEO! Lots of very helpful tricks and tips. Please keep these kinda of fundamental-advanced maneuvering videos coming, they are very influential to helping me get my technique down!!
Excellent videos. I’m a novice rider in the PNW and I have come to rely on these videos for guidance. I haven’t been able to catch a nice powder day yet (missed it by two weeks) when I last rode I was having a hard time climbing hills in crunchy snow and crossing other riders tracks. I kept losing control of the sled and having a hell of a time getting back on my path. Would you consider a video on holding your line in poor conditions? I apologize in advance if you have already done so. Can’t seem to find one. For reference. I rider a new 22 skidoo edge summit 165 with 3 inch lugs.
Just one of the guys that have been coming out for years to rent from you. Love your place and love this channel! Thanks for the pointers these are always so helpful for us beginners! Kurt
Dan you have an excellent way about you to instill your knowledge onto others and I'm sure I'm not alone in saying thank you for taking the time to make us all better riders in our backcountry riding experiences. Koodos to you for having the passion and sharing your tallents with us all.👍 One question I have is have you ever tried a lefthand throttle and if so what are your thoughts on them?
Thanks for watching. And great question. We stay away from left hand throttles for the same reason we rarely use the mountain bar and that is because both make you remove one hand from the handlebar and you lose some control over the snowmobile. Perfecting the technique of rolling the sled up on to one ski and hold it there using throttle, brake and body position with both hands on the bars is a much better riding technique.
@@NextLevelRidingClinics Thanks for the reply on the left-handed throttle Dan, you are a true ambassador to our sport! Keep up the great work, your truly making a diffrence in alot of peoples lives and their day to day riding skills.
I have been riding sleds hard since 1984 before that I wasn't the owner.... the left hand throttle is really a personal preference.if you are physically able to climb all over the machine left hand throttle is not needed but on older machines that dont sidehill like the newer machines do it can be an advantage in certain situations but you will always have better control with both hands on the grips......just try one and see if you like it or not......from Wyoming USA 🔫🤠
Thanks !! Great info !! Since you are in good with a few peeps at the developer level, one thing we would love to have in next years sled is .. a tether that locks the brake when the tether is detached .. I have seen a few ghost riding sleds that ended up in pieces and wondered why no one hasn't thought of this yet = )
My dad just got some 2013 pros and we went out on our first ride the other day and it was my first time riding a pro and I just had a very difficult time finding the right place to put my foot on the running boards when rolling the sled over. I have watched all the schooled videos and your videos I do what you say but it is just a lot harder to find that sweet spot on the sled.
Foot placement is something that is drastically different between the different brands of snowmobiles. There's a lot to foot placement and something we could likely do a full video on in the future but a pretty good rule of thumb is to put your foot further forward when you want to go downhill and further back when you want to push the rear of the sled down to make it go uphill. But so much of this is just feel and takes seat time, keep practicing and trying different things. You will get it.
Hey Dan thanks for the sick vids, loving it over here in Idaho! Is there anyway you can do a segment on side-hilling tips? Especially getting off on the right hand side of the sled with your throttle. I feel pretty confident getting on it to the left but not so much to the right with that throttle being a bit wonky. Thanks again man! Cheers!
Dan, good video! A great segment could be how to maintain balance and body position when moving through quick and big terrain changes. Maintaining balance is always a tough one for many riders. How often will you be adding to the channel?
I love the vids and such a great job delivering skills to practice... What GPS or navigation equipment to u utilize for poor visibility conditions. Obviously not a great time to ride in but sometimes the weather changes fast and difficult to get back to familiar area for confident way back to home. It would be great to see your method? Thanks!
We use a SPOT device and phone in case of emergency but honestly don't typically use anything for navigation. We do most of our riding in areas we are familiar with and rare drop in to zones we don't know we can get out of.
Great video, thanks for doing these. One request: All the pro riders are telling me to ride with a finger on the brake, and that's great. However, the manufacturers are still doing nothing to facilitate a lever that is optimized for either one or two finger braking. Please ask Polaris to start putting a brake lever on there that is more optimized for one finger braking. To help them out, ask them to study the progression of brake levers in the mountain biking industry across the last 20-30 years. Mountain bike levers nowadays are AWESOME for one finger braking. Snowmobile levers still look like mountain bike levers from 1988 - made for reaching up and grabbing them with all 4 fingers. There is really no reason for this when ever single Polaris pro rider and ambassador is saying to ride with a finger on the brake. It's a great technique, but it is also aided greatly by equipment optimized for the technique.
Thanks for watching. The stock Polaris brake lever isn't perfect but it does work for a wide range of hand sizes and braking styles. We do use the Skinz adjustable brake lever on some of our sleds, it is more of a mountain bike style lever and works really well for one finger braking, its available in a standard and heated version.
Great vid Dan, I have a request, can you show a demonstration of the "throttle Blip"? I find that there are so many people out there who don't get that one(Harley riders excluded-they know how-at least with the clutch pulled in anyway) :) Especially beginners and/or women(don't flame me-just an observation)
Hey Dan. Just broke an 800 AXYS A-Arm doing 8 mph in light snow conditions. Still not completely sure what I hit but no the less surprised at the break at low speeds. I’ve seen other riders upgrade to aftermarket a-arms with ball joints to act as sacrificial parts on impact and quick replacement in the field. So after spending $280 on a new a-arm I’m wondering if I have the right set up. I know you have been a Polaris guy for a long time. What are your thoughts on running the stock AXYS a-arms vs aftermarket options? A video response would be awesome
I like the “hopefully with a knee pad protected knee” plug for Kilm that usually come with them. Hey, I ride with Klim gear so I’m not talking shit, just think it’s funny. I would never go back to anything else. It may be expensive, but it is oh so worth it. As far as I’m concerned it’s an essential, right below all your avalanche gear. If you can’t afford it, maybe you should buy a little cheaper sled because it really does make a big difference.
How much more difficult is it to tilt the sled and carve on a more hard packed trail or shallower snow, or even more of a trail sled, I have a renegade 1200 still would be fun to learn to ditch bang and get a feel for how to do it
🤘🏻great tips! With #1 on body position I’m 6’4” and 265lbs and have never really felt I “fit” well on a sled. I feel better on the 165s and 174s length wise but always feel hunched over and sore back and wore out way too quick. Any suggestions there?
For your height the stock Polaris bar should be really close for technical riding.Your definitely on the right path with longer track sleds, the extra flotation should really help. Stretching before you ride and doing some exercises to strengthen your core would really help your sore back and fatigue. We will get into some pre-season workout tips in a future video. In the meantime just try and ride as much as possible at the end of the day there is no replacement for seat time.
start shooting segments like this with manual focus instead of auto, it gives me and everyone else a headache when the camera is trying to focus on your face for 6 minutes.
I know nothing about snowmobiling. I started looking at some you tube videos, and yours are the best I've seen so far. Thanks for doing such a great job and sharing your expertise.
Thanks for watching Jose. Much appreciated.
Same
Awesome! Thank you. I'm in my fourth season, and still learning a ton. Your tips are great.
Pray for snow..............................Nolan (Filer, ID)
Tip #2 made a HUGE difference in my riding. Went out today and was able to go places I would have been scared of before...thanks Dan!
Very cool, thats what we want to hear. Keep on shredding.
Dan, you are one of the best riders, but more than that... you are a great teacher, you can explain complicated things and make them easy. Thanks for your skills sharing!!! 80% of beginners don’t realize the magic of throttle and brake music, so it would be great if you could devote some quality time to explaining these tricks!
Thank you very much. You are correct throttle and brake are so crucial to good riding technique. Im sure we will get into this in more detail in the future.
Awesome videos! can you show how to do steep "180 s" and "hopover turns would love to learn about weight distribuition and positions etc, thx again!
For sure, thats a great idea for a future video. We will get it on the list.
Yeah a video showing some tips on doing re entrys would be awesome! Keep up the great work!
T S tip #2 is huge for J turns...that and proper throttle control...
Hey bro thanks. I bought my first sled today. I've ridden like five Times in my life. But i plan on hitting it. Your tips will help a lot. My last ride i had a habbit of locking my knees. Keep rockin.😎🤘🖒
Thanks Tate, keep shredding
Thank you very much. This was very helpful. Brand new 22 pro rmk matryx slash pickup this next Wednesday. Super stoked. 💯💪a lot of sled for an inexperienced rider.
Loved the video very usable tips for all rider at any level! I would love to see a video about avalanche compression tests and how to avoid causing them, Keep up the awesome work on the vids 👍!
For sure, we plan on having more avalanche content available soon.
Well spoken / delivered!!
Hi Dan, wow what good info. I loved how you talked about the fundamentals. After being injured for 2 years I’m relearning how to ride my snowmobile. Would it be possible to get some video footage of good riding vs bad?
Body Pos is very similar to Dirt Bikes, also, It helps a little bit to squeeze your sled just a little bit. It helps with pulling and staying in place on bumps and whoops.
Great video! A video about throttle and brake control in different scenarios would be awesome! Enjoying the channel, keep up the great work!
Thanks Dean, thats a great idea. We will put this on the list for future videos. Thanks for watching.
Would be nice to see a video on heading down a hill and turning to head back up and also off camber turns. So if I'm leaned down a hill to my right but I have to get the sled up on the left side to avoid getting sucked into a creek or valley or something below. Your vidoes are very informative keep them coming
Thanks for watching Rory, we will get this on the list for a future video.
Thanks Dan I just found your vids you do a great job explaining ,I was out riding the past two days had a blast your tips are going to help with my riding here in Idaho
Thats what we like to hear. Thanks for watching.
Dan, thanks's for posting these videos!! Every year in the fall I review the things you've posted in the past. Another great one!! I'd like to see your technique on a 180 turn from a decent. Eg, Going down a hill and no other option but to go back up. Cheers!!
For sure, thats a great idea for a future video. We will get it on the list.
Neal Hillesheim Agreed; to a novice, it’s harder than it looks.
I have been practicing this wrong foot forward and its my left side the toughest however this video just showed me a better foot position.. Thank you
Well done, Dan!
Thanks John, when are you coming to ride with us?
Your an excellent teacher.
I wish my PE teacher was him
Dan,
Absolutely GREAT VIDEO! Lots of very helpful tricks and tips. Please keep these kinda of fundamental-advanced maneuvering videos coming, they are very influential to helping me get my technique down!!
Thanks for watching Bryan
Excellent videos. I’m a novice rider in the PNW and I have come to rely on these videos for guidance. I haven’t been able to catch a nice powder day yet (missed it by two weeks) when I last rode I was having a hard time climbing hills in crunchy snow and crossing other riders tracks. I kept losing control of the sled and having a hell of a time getting back on my path. Would you consider a video on holding your line in poor conditions? I apologize in advance if you have already done so. Can’t seem to find one.
For reference. I rider a new 22 skidoo edge summit 165 with 3 inch lugs.
great videos dan.
Just one of the guys that have been coming out for years to rent from you. Love your place and love this channel! Thanks for the pointers these are always so helpful for us beginners! Kurt
Thanks for the support Kurt, much appreciated
Dan you have an excellent way about you to instill your knowledge onto others and I'm sure I'm not alone in saying thank you for taking the time to make us all better riders in our backcountry riding experiences. Koodos to you for having the passion and sharing your tallents with us all.👍 One question I have is have you ever tried a lefthand throttle and if so what are your thoughts on them?
Thanks for watching. And great question. We stay away from left hand throttles for the same reason we rarely use the mountain bar and that is because both make you remove one hand from the handlebar and you lose some control over the snowmobile. Perfecting the technique of rolling the sled up on to one ski and hold it there using throttle, brake and body position with both hands on the bars is a much better riding technique.
@@NextLevelRidingClinics Thanks for the reply on the left-handed throttle Dan, you are a true ambassador to our sport! Keep up the great work, your truly making a diffrence in alot of peoples lives and their day to day riding skills.
I have been riding sleds hard since 1984 before that I wasn't the owner.... the left hand throttle is really a personal preference.if you are physically able to climb all over the machine left hand throttle is not needed but on older machines that dont sidehill like the newer machines do it can be an advantage in certain situations but you will always have better control with both hands on the grips......just try one and see if you like it or not......from Wyoming USA 🔫🤠
Thanks !! Great info !! Since you are in good with a few peeps at the developer level, one thing we would love to have in next years sled is .. a tether that locks the brake when the tether is detached .. I have seen a few ghost riding sleds that ended up in pieces and wondered why no one hasn't thought of this yet = )
That would be really cool if its possible to do. Thanks for watching.
My dad just got some 2013 pros and we went out on our first ride the other day and it was my first time riding a pro and I just had a very difficult time finding the right place to put my foot on the running boards when rolling the sled over. I have watched all the schooled videos and your videos I do what you say but it is just a lot harder to find that sweet spot on the sled.
Foot placement is something that is drastically different between the different brands of snowmobiles. There's a lot to foot placement and something we could likely do a full video on in the future but a pretty good rule of thumb is to put your foot further forward when you want to go downhill and further back when you want to push the rear of the sled down to make it go uphill. But so much of this is just feel and takes seat time, keep practicing and trying different things. You will get it.
I’m only 13 years old and go riding in the mountains at Albany Wyoming! I watch you all the time... any tips for me?
You are too weak, can't control snowmobile
Буря площадь 51 no I am 11 and I could go in the World Cup but I don’t
Do a video about how to do a 180!
Hey Dan thanks for the sick vids, loving it over here in Idaho! Is there anyway you can do a segment on side-hilling tips? Especially getting off on the right hand side of the sled with your throttle. I feel pretty confident getting on it to the left but not so much to the right with that throttle being a bit wonky. Thanks again man! Cheers!
Thanks Tann, yeah for sure. Sidehilling right is more challenging for most riders for a variety of reasons. We will get into this in a future video.
I rarely stand up on two feet unless I am weaving around trees or other obstacles. I normally stand on 1 foot and kneel on the seat with the other.
Thanks for the tips, been riding for 35 years but bought my first mountain sled, told different ball game than I’m use to
Awesome video thanks dan! Loved the position of your feet on the running boards
Thanks Chris
Great video I love your sled
Learning so much.
Thats what we like to hear. Keep it up
Dan, good video! A great segment could be how to maintain balance and body position when moving through quick and big terrain changes. Maintaining balance is always a tough one for many riders. How often will you be adding to the channel?
We launch a video every Monday morning through the season.
Can u make a good video on how to setup the suspention and spring load? And how to find the sweet spot when the conditions is changing
Thank you for the tips, great video👍
Thanks for watching.
I love the vids and such a great job delivering skills to practice... What GPS or navigation equipment to u utilize for poor visibility conditions. Obviously not a great time to ride in but sometimes the weather changes fast and difficult to get back to familiar area for confident way back to home. It would be great to see your method? Thanks!
We use a SPOT device and phone in case of emergency but honestly don't typically use anything for navigation. We do most of our riding in areas we are familiar with and rare drop in to zones we don't know we can get out of.
love your video technique.
Great video, thanks for doing these.
One request: All the pro riders are telling me to ride with a finger on the brake, and that's great. However, the manufacturers are still doing nothing to facilitate a lever that is optimized for either one or two finger braking. Please ask Polaris to start putting a brake lever on there that is more optimized for one finger braking.
To help them out, ask them to study the progression of brake levers in the mountain biking industry across the last 20-30 years. Mountain bike levers nowadays are AWESOME for one finger braking. Snowmobile levers still look like mountain bike levers from 1988 - made for reaching up and grabbing them with all 4 fingers. There is really no reason for this when ever single Polaris pro rider and ambassador is saying to ride with a finger on the brake. It's a great technique, but it is also aided greatly by equipment optimized for the technique.
Thanks for watching. The stock Polaris brake lever isn't perfect but it does work for a wide range of hand sizes and braking styles. We do use the Skinz adjustable brake lever on some of our sleds, it is more of a mountain bike style lever and works really well for one finger braking, its available in a standard and heated version.
Ski-doo has a perfect lever
Its easy asf to use the brakes with one finger wdym
@@vallu4168 facts
Thanks a lot this is a great summary of the key tips. Thank you for real
Dan, thanks for the tips! It’s always nice to see the different techniques from the pros! Keep those vids coming! Subscribed!
Thanks FASCHO, really appreciate your support.
Great vid Dan, I have a request, can you show a demonstration of the "throttle Blip"? I find that there are so many people out there who don't get that one(Harley riders excluded-they know how-at least with the clutch pulled in anyway) :) Especially beginners and/or women(don't flame me-just an observation)
For sure, great idea for a future video. We will get it on the list. Thanks for watching and happy new year.
Good tips and good video man!
Great video on the fundamentals. What do you guys do for pre season training ?
We do a lot of gym work and stay as active as possible. We will be doing a video on pre-season training in the future. Stay tuned.
Hey Dan. Just broke an 800 AXYS A-Arm doing 8 mph in light snow conditions. Still not completely sure what I hit but no the less surprised at the break at low speeds. I’ve seen other riders upgrade to aftermarket a-arms with ball joints to act as sacrificial parts on impact and quick replacement in the field. So after spending $280 on a new a-arm I’m wondering if I have the right set up. I know you have been a Polaris guy for a long time. What are your thoughts on running the stock AXYS a-arms vs aftermarket options? A video response would be awesome
can you make a video on how to wheelie a 600 long track?
Buy a 850
I like the “hopefully with a knee pad protected knee” plug for Kilm that usually come with them. Hey, I ride with Klim gear so I’m not talking shit, just think it’s funny. I would never go back to anything else. It may be expensive, but it is oh so worth it. As far as I’m concerned it’s an essential, right below all your avalanche gear. If you can’t afford it, maybe you should buy a little cheaper sled because it really does make a big difference.
Could you make a video on how to be able to judge snow for an avalanche? If that’s possible
Thats a really good idea, we will get this on the list.
How much more difficult is it to tilt the sled and carve on a more hard packed trail or shallower snow, or even more of a trail sled, I have a renegade 1200 still would be fun to learn to ditch bang and get a feel for how to do it
Are a lot of these tecniques aplicable to older, mid 90's machines? I have a 98 TMK 700. I am 64 years old and havent ridden since 70's!
Yeah the theory is the same on any machine just body position will be slightly different from machine to machine.
Damn sucks that all of these great coaches are in the US ! We have great places also in Canada but no coaches !
Nice video, great comments, good host 👍
I wish I knew about the “blipping” of the throttle when I rode my first time, to help me maneuver. I’m 6’5” and 220lbs, and struggled to turn the sled
WeekEnd133
Counter steering...
🤘🏻great tips! With #1 on body position I’m 6’4” and 265lbs and have never really felt I “fit” well on a sled. I feel better on the 165s and 174s length wise but always feel hunched over and sore back and wore out way too quick. Any suggestions there?
For your height the stock Polaris bar should be really close for technical riding.Your definitely on the right path with longer track sleds, the extra flotation should really help. Stretching before you ride and doing some exercises to strengthen your core would really help your sore back and fatigue. We will get into some pre-season workout tips in a future video. In the meantime just try and ride as much as possible at the end of the day there is no replacement for seat time.
@@NextLevelRidingClinics Great! Thank you!
How do I know where I’m allowed to go off trail riding?
What are your thoughts on the finger the throttle? Besides the trees excuse it could get hit lol
Havent heard all these tips before...
Nice :)
What sled is that?
Do you have any tips for very tall riders ? I am 6'11" or have any insight what my riding position can be to tackle to back country. Thanks !!
how often do you come over into idaho?
Not that often, we typically ride on the Wyoming side.
blip'n and braaap'n !!
haha thanks Trevor
I can only imagine how uncomfortable that croch strap is
Man this would be a lot more useful if I didn’t have a 1998 zr 500
I’m a big boy
Holy shit my ears .. really need to equalize the volumes between scenes.
Go Polaris!!
Ski Doo Foryou. 5O S ubsCrbers
thottle control vid
start shooting segments like this with manual focus instead of auto, it gives me and everyone else a headache when the camera is trying to focus on your face for 6 minutes.
The autofocus works really good most of the time but yes its not 100% spot on all the time. Thanks for the feedback and sorry about your headache.
Fundamental #1 dont ride a Polarass :D