thenhoc

So here is the link for those of you interested in the Red River Rocket Sleds that look amazing. You know you want one cause I know I do. Best part is we get them for nearly 50% off! Better yet, if 10 of us put an order together (or perhaps some for the club too) we can get them for only $45 a pop! That's a steal for these puppies. The model we would be getting the discount on is the 'Killer B'. Here's some videos too!!

http://www.madriverrocket.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDHqdnzsfFU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PujguRpJk_Y

Since this is the Gear Review forum, I feel compelled to report on my experience with this sled. My father and I rented a couple of these and sledded down a mountain pass in Vermont last winter. I must say, we found them extremely difficult to control. We were on packed snow on a closed mountain road, and the sleds turned MUCH too aggressively on this surface. Anything other than the very lightest lean to one side sent the sled careening towards the road's edge. Our attempts to compensate for these wild turns often resulted in erratic, progressively worsening swerves that inevitably ended in us crashing spectacularly. All I can say is it's a good thing we were wearing our ski helmets, because we both managed to slam our heads into the ground multiple times. Also, I can assure you that hurling your upper body sideways into the ground while your legs are strapped to a large, stiff board does not exactly do wonders for your back. In addition, the kneeling position was pretty uncomfortable on my feet, because I was effectively sitting on them. Within minutes I felt like I was cutting off circulation. If I put my feet more to the side so I wasn't sitting on them, my knees were torqued in an uncomfortable direction.

So as you can see, my experience with this sled was, shall we say, less than stellar. There are a few footnotes though. First, my dad and I had never used this sled before, and sledding down a steep mountain pass was a pretty steep (hehe) learning curve. Second, the packed snow we were on offered a lot of lateral grip, which surely exaggerated the turning capabilities of the sled. It is deeply grooved on the bottom, and on that snow we basically had two choices for turning: Not at all, or absurdly sharply (to the point where a fighter pilot's G-suit might have been useful). I noticed that the video footage of this sled tends to show people in deep powder, which surely gives a very different experience on this sled.

You can all interpret this review any way you want (I'd actually call it more of a "first drive" than a full review). But in my 20+ years of sledding experience, I have never been all that impressed by sleds that claim to allow you to carve and turn just by leaning. If nothing else, it at least requires a lot of practice. And top speed seems to suffer on harder snow compared to a decent classic "tub sled." Plus, I like my jumps to be punctuated by the alarming tendency of the sled to separate from my butt while airborne, which ensures a truly coccyx-shattering landing. OK, maybe I could live without that...

this comes from a man who controls a "regular" sled like a god.

I want one too..it'd be the perfect present to give to my brothers..they're sledding fanatics.