From Total Access, Spring 2004

Canada waits for the snow to melt, BC’s Tyler Tingle will be enjoying the white stuff well into June.

Tyler, a T4 complete paraplegic, enjoys sledding in the mountains well into June, as that’s how long it takes for the snowpack to completely disappear in his part of the country.

Tyler had some childhood experiences with sledding before being injured in 1989 at the age of 19. But it wasn’t until about 10 years after his injury that I got fanatical about the sport. “I had already purchased a ATV years earlier and friends had snowmobiles; it seemed like a natural thing to do,” he says. “I happen to live in an area that gets a lot of snow in the winter, so I figured if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”

The main attraction for Tyler is speed. “I’d been drag racing cars for a number of years when some friends started asphalt racing a snowmobile in the summer. I would take my car for a pass then park it and ignore it because I was so interested in what my friends were doing with the sled. The entire drive train is so different from cars; I found it very interesting. The power-to-weight ratio in a snowmobile is incredible. My snowmobile has more power than my commuter car and the sled weighs 500lbs vs. a 3500 lb. car. At the end of the season one of the guys that raced at the track sold me his racing chassis. It snowballed from there—pun intended.”

What makes sledding an equal opportunity pursuit is the fact that snowmobiles only need two hands to operate—left hand brakes, right hand accelerates, both hands steer. Tyler found that his feet would sometime fall of the edge of the running board on his first snowmobile, a problem he solved by adding a 1" high piece of bent aluminum angle to the outer edge of the running board.

“People have often asked me why I don't strap my legs to the sled,” says Tyler. “Personally, I don't want to be attached to a 500 plus lbs. machine that's rolling out of control down a mountain.”

Currently, Tyler rides a 700cc Yamaha Mountain Max, with a lightweight hood and some light suspension parts. “The lighter the sled is, the less it gets stuck and the better I can use my weight against it--sometimes it’s me against the sled!” he says. “To get more power from the engine, I’ve added a performance exhaust system—too much is just enough.”

He explains that reverse is almost mandatory for a wheelchair user, and electric start might be necessary depending on how difficult a particular machine is to pull start. Most importantly, he adds, is riding with a good group of willing, knowledgeable friends.

“A person in my situation should never ride alone. Its not a great idea for anyone, but if I happen to get my snowmobile stuck, it would be very difficult for me to get it out. In BC, we get tons of fresh powder snow. That can be good and bad. How badly stuck I get dictates what has to happen to get it out. If it's real bad, a couple of the guys will drag me off the sled and chuck me in a snow bank and start digging. After they give me a hard time about it, always in jest, they grab me and throw me back on.”

Tyler concedes that riding a sled does pose its share of challenges for wheelchair users. “For example,” he says, “crossing a slope sideways can be quite difficult. Most people can stand up and use their body weight on the up hillside of the sled to keep it balanced. Because I always sit, I can't get as much leverage. Often after someone has broken a trail to follow, this situation improves somewhat.”

To aid in side-hilling, Tyler’s added a second throttle to the left side of the handle bar, which allows him to lean off each side equally and not be limited on the left side because of his reach to the throttle.

Another consideration is that heavily travelled trails often develop deep moguls. “People often stand going over these and use their legs to help take the impact. How well the rear suspension can take these bumps is very important when you’re sitting all the time.”

Getting your sled to the trailhead may also require a custom solution. Tyler built a ride-on, ride-off snowmobile trailer with folding front and rear ramps, which allows him to load and unload the sleds himself if he needs to. And he adds that good winter clothing is a must. “My legs will get very cold even on the warmest of winter days. Polar fleece, Gore-Tex and Thinsulate are the words of the day.”

Would he recommend sledding to other Canadians with SCI?

“For sure!” he says. “The sport is physically demanding but rewarding. I know of at least four other paras in the Kamloops area that ride sleds. The modern snowmobile has decent suspension and handling, this makes a world of difference. It has made winter much more tolerable—when it starts to snow, it brings a grin.”

He admits that he hasn’t heard of anyone with a higher spinal injury riding snowmobiles solo. “Without arm and hand strength, riding a snowmobile in the mountains of BC would be quite difficult. But in a country as vast as Canada we have other types of terrain. Places like Quebec, for example, have almost unlimited amounts of groomed trails. These areas may make it possible for someone with a higher injury to enjoy the sport.”