SLEDHEADS
(^44)
initiate a directional change on our snowmobile
by letting off of the throttle for a brief moment
to cut the forward momentum.
Just as the momentum is altered, we provide
a slight body and/or steering input. As this input
creates action to one side or the other from our
machine, we are quickly back on the throttle to
complete the execution of the maneuver.
In my riding area we are always dealing
with different snow conditions. We don’t pick
and choose the conditions. I ride every day
and love all snow conditions. The less consis-
tent the snow is, the more precise you must be
with your throttle. Constant partial throttle in
this condition will lead to track spin and trench-
ing. You guessed it: now you’re stuck. In this
situation, quick on/off blips of the throttle help
keep your sled on top of the snow. Staying on
the throttle creates a sawing action by the track
in the snow as it’s constantly clawing through
whatever snow it can grab ahold of.
However, with the quick blips, for the brief
moment that you let off the throttle, the track
stops sawing and digging and it has a chance
to freewheel and coast on top of the snow.
Your thumb is responsible for this action. The
Too much steady, partial throttle led to this
stuck.
Matt Entz working with a client on his foot and
body position.
quicker and more aggressive you can operate
the flipper, the more successful you will be with
this technique.
FOOT POSITION
Where a rider places his feet in relation to
the snowmobile can have major impacts. The
biggest mistake I see riders making when rid-
ing technical terrain is standing too far forward.
By this I mean all the way forward. In this po-
sition, your torso is in/over the handlebars. I
often refer to this rider as T-rex. T-rex has no
leverage and is a terrible rider.
Our body needs space to work with. The ideal
body position is knees and elbows slightly bent.
From here, you have a lot of power and leverage
to manipulate your snowmobile and apply tech-
nique to make it do what you need it to. You can
get too far back on the running boards as well.
From this position you become stretched out and
lose strength, leverage and control.
Foot position is all about finding the sweet
spot for the current situation. That sweet spot