SLEDsmart! USA Knowledge Base

Check in with the National Weather Service (NWS) before heading out for a trip, to find out if there is any potential for bad weather or extreme weather hazards where you’ll be riding. Getting caught on a trail in foul winter weather conditions can be potentially life threatening.

Reschedule your trip if the forecast is calling for poor conditions like freezing rain, extremely cold temperatures or wind chill or a snow storm. If there are extreme winter weather warnings in the forecast, you should NEVER ride.

Consider the time of year and the distance you’ll be traveling in a day (i.e. will you be traveling through different weather zones and types of terrain with different conditions?). You do NOT want to be a full day’s ride from home when a bad storm rolls in. Basically, consider all of the possible worst-case scenarios for your trip and pack accordingly. You may not be able to control the weather, but you can prepare for it.