Stuck Snowmobile
When you lose speed and your snowmobile gets stuck let off the throttle. Never continuing to accelerate the engine because it will often cause your machine to sink even further into the snow. Be careful when assessing your condition or trying to move your snowmobile by yourself. If you’re on a flat landscape, wait for other riders in your group to come and help you. It is generally unsafe for others to come up on the slope to unstuck your snowmobile on a vertical hillside. It can often trigger an avalanche.
How to get a Snowmobile Unstuck
Getting stuck in snow can be a normal event for pro snowmobilers and is not an emergency. Riding alone or overdoing things to get your snowmobile out of the snow will create hardships. So never park or stop pointed uphill or without a clear compacted track in front of you.
First of all you will drive in a short circle and stop on your track to avoid getting stuck. The heavy snowmobile can easily sink if the snow is loose, light, or deep powder. In these snow conditions keep your engine RPM and power high enough to maintain speed. You will get stuck in case of overpower the machine because it will point it to the snowmobile’s track to spin out, which will result in your getting stuck.
How to get a Snowmobile Unstuck on Flat Ground
- Stand on the running boards with your feet flat and tilt the snowmobile slowly from side to side while gently pushing the throttle.
- If tilting the sled doesn’t work, shut off the engine and clear snow away from the track, and then try to pack the snow under the track into a strong base; have other riders help raise the rear of the snowmobile up and it will come out of the rut it dug.
- Tramp a pathway in the snow in front of the machine to help reduce discomfort on the machine.
- Use a shovel to dig the snow out from around and beneath the snowmobile.
- Once the snow has been packed around the snowmobile, riders from your group pull on the ski loops and you have to move the throttle gently. Repeat until the sled is unstuck.
How to get a Snowmobile Unstuck on a Hill or Steep
If you’re in avalanche geography (slopes between 30 and 60 degrees) remember that half of all avalanche fatalities are when a rider goes up to help other riders stuck on the slope— so always ‘One at a time on these slopes’
- Shut off the machine and get off on the uphill side to keep the machine from rolling onto you.
- Evaluate which approach is the safest and easiest to turn the snowmobile downhill.
- Shovel snow from the side of the snowmobile you choose and dig out the ski loop on that side to gain a good hand-hold.
- Get the ski loop on the side of the snowmobile you are shifting toward and begin dragging the snowmobile around.
- Use extreme caution when on steep slopes to ensure the machine does not roll over onto you.
- Stay aware that your steps could potentially activate an avalanche in the snowpack around you.
- Continue to turn the sled 180 degrees or until it’s pointed toward a clear downhill path.
- Start the snowmobile and drive it back down the hill while using a combination of engine RPMs and light manual braking to control the snowmobile’s descent safely into the run-out zone below the slope.
Snowmobile gets stuck in Deep Snow
If you get stuck in deep snow then you have to use a rope to pull it out and if the machine is facing uphill, turn the skis to the side and pull the front end around so that it faces downhill. Then drive forward. Tramp down the snow in front of the machine, “rock” the machine from side to side, and then drive forward.
Conclusion
A Pro snowmobile rider can stuck in the snow it’s a normal thing for them but if a young snowmobiler gets stuck and does not know how to unstuck a snowmobile. It will be very difficult for him to manage or survive in that situation. Make sure you have all the gadgets and tools to get unstuck if you get stuck.
