Blewett protocol?

Randy nails the core issue. Those big spaces they leave look tempting to us uninitiated in the fine art of loading a trailer, but it's not worth it. You also don't want to park too close to the front of their rigs, as I've noticed that many sledders don't like to have to back up their rigs before pulling out of the parking spot. And unlike the likely case of booting in a skin track, these folks may get back at you assuming they return to the parking area before you do. Before I was savvy to this issue, I experienced minor vehicle vandalism when parking in one of these "between rigs" slots, and also got an earful (though didn't learn anything about my sexual orientation from that lecture...) from one other sledder. I'll add that it was clear from these interactions that the average culture of the sledding world is just a tad different from the average culture of the TAY world (not saying better or worse, just different)... I have since strived to build nothing but goodwill with the sledders.

On the other hand, I've parked many a time among sledders' truck/trailer combos with no ill will on either side. I simply parked at the end of the lineup with a decent amount of room between the truck behind me and my bumper. No stink-eye from them or the next guy to park in front of me (dunno about whether there is some different, more segregated culture at Blewett). Sometimes it has just meant that I needed to walk a little further to the trailhead than I'd hoped, despite all those slots that looked plenty big enough to hold my vehicle. And almost all the sledders I chatted with as I walked from/to my car were pleasant enough and seemed to get that I was just another person looking to have fun out in the hills.

Randy nails the core issue. Those big spaces they leave look tempting to us uninitiated in the fine art of loading a trailer, but it's not worth it. You also don't want to park too close to the front of their rigs, as I've noticed that many sledders don't like to have to back up their rigs before pulling out of the parking spot. And unlike the likely case of booting in a skin track, these folks may get back at you assuming they return to the parking area before you do. Before I was savvy to this issue, I experienced minor vehicle vandalism when parking in one of these "between rigs" slots, and also got an earful (though didn't learn anything about my sexual orientation from that lecture...) from one other sledder. I'll add that it was clear from these interactions that the average culture of the sledding world is just a tad different from the average culture of the TAY world (not saying better or worse, just different)... I have since strived to build nothing but goodwill with the sledders.


On the other hand, I've parked many a time among sledders' truck/trailer combos with no ill will on either side. I simply parked at the end of the lineup with a decent amount of room between the truck behind me and my bumper. No stink-eye from them or the next guy to park in front of me (dunno about whether there is some different, more segregated culture at Blewett). Sometimes it has just meant that I needed to walk a little further to the trailhead than I'd hoped, despite all those slots that looked plenty big enough to hold my vehicle. And almost all the sledders I chatted with as I walked from/to my car were pleasant enough and seemed to get that I was just another person looking to have fun out in the hills.

I almost hate to admit that I am both a fanatical tourer AND sledder. One begot the other and I'm sure you can guess the order. You're pretty much 100% right Jim about the sledders attitude and their tendency to take action when they feel they've been wronged in the parking lot. Why they can't pull out to load up I'll never know, but they pretty much always give each other that much room when parking, so they'll take great umbrage when a non-sledder squeaks in-between. Most won't resort to vandalism, but there are some with just the right amount of "mullitude" to do something stupid for no good reason. And, as for the gay comment, I have to admit that I was (and continue to be) shocked at the level of homophobia displayed by the sledder community on their version of TAY. They're practically obsessed with calling each other and anything they disapprove of "gay". Whenever I see/hear that I always reflect on the fact that I've known some gay folks who are pretty tough, and wouldn't be afraid of a confrontation. I am looking forward to the day when one of those sledder knuckleheads makes a disparaging comment to the wrong gay person (hopefully in a snopark when I'm there to watch).

Interesting. I know some people from mid-state Maine who use "gay" as a generic slam term, and it is clear that in their case, the usage has completely lost its sense as "homsexual," though that was of course likely where it began. These folks also own sleds .

If you ever need help getting that sled/ski combo out to a nice spot, count me in! I've got no problem with sleds or sledders, unless they break my parking mirror of speed up right as they approach me on the trail (one of which was a one-time event, and the other has been an every-few-winters event - both pretty rare).

If you ever need help getting that sled/ski combo out to a nice spot, count me in! I've got no problem with sleds or sledders, unless they break my parking mirror of speed up right as they approach me on the trail (one of which was a one-time event, and the other has been an every-few-winters event - both pretty rare).

You mean like this spot (near Mission Peak)? We've hit it the past two weekends. Very nice terrain and snow. I've also had sledders give me a roost as they go by while I'm skinning. They're lucky they didn't stop or they would have been walking out (with a limp). If you ever see me up at Blewett, (I have a SkiDoo XP and I pretty much always have my skis on my snomo rack), flag me down and I'll be happy to tow you in.