By Nathan
Hey everyone, I have seen the pics of Lou’s sled and home made ski carry system, and just saw the new post by Caleb and his ski carry system and I thought I would share a few pics of mine. The problem I see with Caleb’s is that in the event of a roll-over with the sled, the skis could possibly be damaged as the angle of the skis is not in line with the sled as well as the metal tubes used to wedge the skis is not flexible. Same with Lou’s system. I would predict that your skis would just break away from your sled if you tipped it over with those snowboard bindings. Not to mention that, Lou, your exhaust extension is one of the ugliest things I have ever seen, no offense. Bear in mind I’m talking about the worst case scenario here. You do have a college age son with friends and I am that age too, and well, lets just say we have more balls than brains when a throttle is involved.
Snowmobile ski carry for backcountry skiing uses ATV gun racks.
My home made backcountry ski carry system is made of two ATV gun racks bolted to the rear floorboards and the tunnel. Virtually bomb proof. And the gun racks are rubber so they won’t damage the skis. I utilize bike tubes as my strapping as they flex going down bumpy trails to prevent unnecessary ski flexing as well as in the event of a roll-over they stretch to prevent damage to the skis. As you can see the skis are almost perfectly in line with the rest of the sled if it did roll. And your poles are strapped with your skis (a complaint made by Caleb). I also had a sheet of aluminum bent to prevent my first aid kit (or boot bag) from sliding back into my exhaust turn-out (sold by Yamaha). I have yet to have any problems with this system over the last three years. A buddy just bought the same snowmobile and we built the exact same system on his sled and he can attest to the functionality of it as he has rolled his sled with skis attached.
I hope this helps other backcountry skiers in the future.
Another view of the rig, showing my bicycle tube bungies.
Snowmobile ski carry for backcountry skiing.
Aluminum partition prevents gear damage from hot exhaust turnout.
Note how the skis follow the front/rear axis of the sled, thus preventing damage in the event of a sled rollover.
One last thing. My sled is for sale. Located in Missoula, MT. If anyone is interested??
Thanks
Nathan
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