‘Merica — Livin’ free and ridin’ easy
We only have one ‘merican on staff at Mountain Sledder, and she wouldn’t tell us nuthin’ ’bout the ridin’ south of the border. All we know is what we’ve seen in the sled flicks: everyone rides a turbo Pro, Colorado is littered with some dang steep and tight tree riding, and that sledding down in the good ol’ U. S. of A. involves pushing with one leg all the time for some gall darn reason.
So we went to the straight to source, and grilled well known pro rider and guide Randall Merritt on what the riding scene is actually like a way down yonder, dadgummit!
– Editor
Here’s what he had to say for hisself…
“Located just 45 miles south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming is my hometown of Alpine. Situated right on the border of Idaho, we are close to quite a bit of riding. Locally, we have Greys River, which can take you all the way to the southern end of Star Valley 45 miles away, and offers areas to play and explore for years. Heading towards Jackson, we have the Snake River, and all the wonderful canyons you can explore up there as well. Not too far away is Island Park, Idaho and West Yellowstone, Montana, which make your riding desires almost endless! The Alpine, Wyoming area—which is part of Star Valley—is home to some of the greatest backcountry pros and pro hillclimbers, including Dan Adams, Luke Rainey, Sahen Skinner, Jay Mentaberry, Troy Johnson and Gavin Balls!
Randall Merritt enjoying some fresh Teton air.
We have miles and miles of groomed trails that can take you to some of the most beautiful and scenic areas in Western Wyoming, and right off of these trails you can dive into untouched meadows or a range of tree riding from gentle to very technical tree riding. We also have big chutes to climb, and open bowls that allow you to get high enough to see for miles and miles of beautiful natural features in the Tetons and other local peaks, lakes and valleys.
Overlooking Palisades
There are so many different access points to the riding areas here. You can experience different areas on the same trip, but with all the country we have you will never get to experience everything. I have to say that every year I can find new areas that I have never been to before, and with these new sleds the possibilities are endless.
We usually start receiving enough snow to start riding in late November. But I have seen it come as early as mid-October and last all the way through July on a good snow year. On average we can see between 8ft to 12ft of snow up high, and as of right now in January we are sitting just above 5.5 ft. for snow, which is about average for this time of year. We have stretches for a week or weeks at a time when we will ride nothing but fresh powder, which you can do all the way through springtime.
Since I have never had the opportunity to travel North to Canada I can’t speak personally of the terrain difference, but only know from what I have been told, heard or read. It sounds like there is a lot of the same kind of tree riding for sure, but after that it tends to be a lot different. And so with that said, every place has to be experienced for itself.
Merritt, with two clients from Sweden.
I spend most of my time in technical tree riding, where I like to advance my skills and push myself in situations that tend to make me uncomfortable and even scared at times. This helps build a higher skill level and to push the limits so you know what you are capable of if you do find yourself in a situation that requires you to use your skills.
My days are spent riding and guiding for Lincoln County Customs out of Alpine, which truly is an amazing experience. It’s such a diverse place to ride. Less than a mile away from town, the adventure begins when we unload and hit the trail that takes us up the canyon. That means not a lot of trailering time, and even more time with your legs wrapped around your sled. With our backcountry guiding program we like to cater to the experience that the customer wants. You name it, and we do our best to provide that for you.”
Merritt’s home base of Lincoln County Customs, located at the mouth of Greys River Canyon.
– Randall Merritt
