How to pick a sled

I know very little about snowmobiles but when I move/retire to the Koots in 5 years it seems this will be the best way to go up drainages via FSR to allow me to skin/ski more of the mountains out there.

I'm not really into motorized stuff - I like to earn my turns but I find FSR boring and some ranges are a long long way up an FSR (e.g. Valhalla range access). So what I need in a sled is something that will travel FSR (usually unpacked/fresh deep snow), will last a long time (4 stroke I'd assume since I don't need the pop), can carry sometimes 2 people (not standing side by side - wife wouldn't like that). Brands? Size? Used? Anything else I'd need to know?

Thanx

two people on whooped out tracked out FSR is not a good time

id get a higher mileage etek skidoo,(2011 or newer) I sold my 2011 for $5500 with 5200KMS on it Yamaha nytros are cheap becuase they are tanks and you can put on the miles.

but really if your riding fresh untracked FSR's (doubling sometimes) with no experinace your in for trouble. get a decent machine and spend some time riding it first. only problem is they are super fun.

Pretty much what Rat says. I use my sled for exactly what you are proposing. I sold my Skidoo Expedition Sport with the 600 four stroke and moved to an ETEC Summit 800 this year. If you are travelling on FSR only the Expo is a great machine and a lot more capable than one would imagine. Early this season it got me to some unexpected zones. Super quiet, low maintenance, great fuel economy. Canadian Wilderness Adventures sells off their sleds in the fall. High KM but fleet maintenance by a friend. All their sleds come with two up seats, great for FSR cruising but not rooping.

Eventually you will want to go to more advanced places and then you will feel the limitations of the 4 stroke… especially when you get stuck. The Summit 800 has been nice to have a couple of times now and will no doubt take me to new zones. If you don't mind trailering and you can find them, buy two old school fan cooled Tundras. Not a high performance machine but bomb proof and super light. Rolling tandem or squirrel for any length of time on whooped out roads is awful.

Go for low km sleds. Make sure the tunnel isn't cracked. "Sled access only" can equate to "three of us and all our gear pinning it up a mountain" and not be the most pristine machine.

two people on whooped out tracked out FSR is not a good time

id get a higher mileage etek skidoo,(2011 or newer) I sold my 2011 for $5500 with 5200KMS on it Yamaha nytros are cheap becuase they are tanks and you can put on the miles.

but really if your riding fresh untracked FSR's (doubling sometimes) with no experinace your in for trouble. get a decent machine and spend some time riding it first. only problem is they are super fun.

Oh I know I'd need to learn a lot before doubling. I went with a buddy I know out in the Koots tandem - my knees were blown and my quads aching - felt much better when we started to skin, and we only went 10km up a drainage. I fell off twice on the way up and needed a break, managed the whole way down without a break and didn't fall off but it took a day to recover :) So yes I understand it's a learning experience.

Pretty much what Rat says. I use my sled for exactly what you are proposing. I sold my Skidoo Expedition Sport with the 600 four stroke and moved to an ETEC Summit 800 this year. If you are travelling on FSR only the Expo is a great machine and a lot more capable than one would imagine. Early this season it got me to some unexpected zones. Super quiet, low maintenance, great fuel economy. Canadian Wilderness Adventures sells off their sleds in the fall. High KM but fleet maintenance by a friend. All their sleds come with two up seats, great for FSR cruising but not rooping.

Eventually you will want to go to more advanced places and then you will feel the limitations of the 4 stroke… especially when you get stuck. The Summit 800 has been nice to have a couple of times now and will no doubt take me to new zones. If you don't mind trailering and you can find them, buy two old school fan cooled Tundras. Not a high performance machine but bomb proof and super light. Rolling tandem or squirrel for any length of time on whooped out roads is awful.

Go for low km sleds. Make sure the tunnel isn't cracked. "Sled access only" can equate to "three of us and all our gear pinning it up a mountain" and not be the most pristine machine.

"squirrel"?

Yes I learned it isn't fun to ride tandem.

tandem on a new sled is easier then solo on a bucket. that's all I got for you. buy the newest one you can afford.

Sleds depreciate fast out of the crate, especially as they have been getting quite a bit better every year. after they get down below 6k they price drops slow down and appeal to the coors beer drinking Coquihalla crowd, they are also not cheap to fix. Best value in a mountain sled is lower milage 7K - 9K $$$ range IMO, the litte extras add up as well Gas Can and mounts is 300. Full CFR rack with ski brackets is over 500 bux cover is 200 ext

Ive ridden with this guy and id buy this if I was looking at the lower end price range.
http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/snw/5489456791.html

dont forget you have to pay 12% tax when you register them (on declared value)

I'd consider that if it wasn't April:banana:

sled buying season is March/April and Oct/Nov(when guys start getting thier snowcheck sleds)

Are you going E or W koots?
Do you have somewhere to store [HTML_REMOVED] WORK ON the machine indoors with electricity.
If you don't have time, space, tools and ingenuity to maintain your machine, you will be victim of shop fees and downtime. I also suggest buying a summit 800 and getting the manual.
If you rebuild the top end (pistons [HTML_REMOVED] bearings) you can get away with high mileage machines. I ran my 800cc 144cm track to 14000+ km by doing regular rebuilds every 5000km.
You will likely want the 800 for towing your wife behind you on a rope. Check on her occasionally.
You will also want the 800 for ratbaggin the $hit out of the cutblock behind your house at night with likeminded folks.

Are you going E or W koots?
Do you have somewhere to store [HTML_REMOVED] WORK ON the machine indoors with electricity.
If you don't have time, space, tools and ingenuity to maintain your machine, you will be victim of shop fees and downtime. I also suggest buying a summit 800 and getting the manual.
If you rebuild the top end (pistons [HTML_REMOVED] bearings) you can get away with high mileage machines. I ran my 800cc 144cm track to 14000+ km by doing regular rebuilds every 5000km.
You will likely want the 800 for towing your wife behind you on a rope. Check on her occasionally.
You will also want the 800 for ratbaggin the $hit out of the cutblock behind your house at night with likeminded folks.

West Koots
Full workshop (being built now) with power, heat etc.
Summit800 seems popular choice - think that's what my buddy out there has
Towing wife on rope :D :D :D
Um won't be ratbaggin, not my thing.
Thought a 4 stroke would be the best choice given longevity of 4 stroke vs 2 stroke but so far no support on that thought. However 5000km is likely about a lifetime of use for me on one, so maybe it won't matter.

West Koots
Full workshop (being built now) with power, heat etc.
Summit800 seems popular choice - think that's what my buddy out there has
Towing wife on rope :D :D :D
Um won't be ratbaggin, not my thing.
Thought a 4 stroke would be the best choice given longevity of 4 stroke vs 2 stroke but so far no support on that thought. However 5000km is likely about a lifetime of use for me on one, so maybe it won't matter.

Well, you are set with a shop AND someone who knows the summit 800 machines and maybe the engines…
I was serious about the rope. An old length of climbing rope. Use an inner tube and wrap it around her and clip it closed with an old carabineer. Wrap the rope around the biner a couple three times and have her hold the pigtail. If she wants to stop being towed she can simply let go. Great system for FSR.

I was serious about the rope. An old length of climbing rope. Use an inner tube and wrap it around her and clip it closed with an old carabineer. Wrap the rope around the biner a couple three times and have her hold the pigtail. If she wants to stop being towed she can simply let go. Great system for FSR.

yeah 2 of us got pulled on an FSR^^ with a 700 like this

The mtb inner tube is slung down low on yer ass and has some stretchy give to it so the sled doesn't pull you over

the ropes we used had a loop tied 3 ft from the end, rope thru the biner, back thru the loop, the reduction makes it easy to hang on to the end

works really well but don't forget the goggles [HTML_REMOVED] face mask!

Well, you are set with a shop AND someone who knows the summit 800 machines and maybe the engines…
I was serious about the rope. An old length of climbing rope. Use an inner tube and wrap it around her and clip it closed with an old carabineer. Wrap the rope around the biner a couple three times and have her hold the pigtail. If she wants to stop being towed she can simply let go. Great system for FSR.

When I went tandem the deep sharp water drainages across the decommissioned FSR were tough to cross in the sled and even on the easier sections the wavey nature of the sled (powering/down powering to steer) created an unpleasant ski terrain (I debated about skiing down the FSR for the return but decided I didn't want to ski something like that and torn up by the sled track - but even off to the sides the deep water crossing would suck to ski (plus the long flat or climbing segments on the return). And that's me who would suck it up if necessary. That might work better on packed snow I guess and on a good FSR.