I currently own a 08 crossfire 800, about a week ago I was riding with my nephew on some icy gravel country roads that were plowed. In years passed I would from time to time try to put my right ski and my track up onto the plowed snow banks to help lubricate the slides. I would never have any trouble riding up and back down onto the road. This years new sled I installed usi spx after market skis. They are wider than the stock skis and the theory I had was that it would float better in the powder, which is abundant this year. Along with the skis, I installed 8" shaper bars. The track has 166 woody carbide tipped studs compliminting the ripsaw track. Everything else is stock. Well what happened not once but twice was that while trying to drive up and then back down onto the road, my sled abruptly went sidways and then slammed me straight down onto the hard ice. The first time I contributed this to a high bank, about 3 feet, and a steep angle. It knocked the breath right out of me, this hasn't happened in 35 years. Once I was able to catch my breath, I was able to walk over to my sled and set it back onto its track. The only damaged sustained this time was a break to the plastic that surrounds the tank, and my pride. I was sore but was able to ride back the short distance to have my wife check me over. Lots of pain but no fractures as far as we could tell. I was wearing a brand new Arctic Cat helmet and my tek vest, (sport) which I'm sure help significantly with the impact. It amazes me that more people don't ride with a vest on. Since it was still early in the day and my newphew was looking forward to riding, we decided to give it another go. This time being much more cautious and slower due to the continued pain. We again took our same planned route, which was to take us to the groomed trails in the area. Again I tried to make the maneauver to lubricate my slides, but on a much smaller and less angled bank. Probably less than 12 inches. Again the same thing happened, my sled went counter clockwise about 90 degrees and through me to the ground. This time the sled and I were not so lucky. I sustained 4 fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, and according to my wife and doctors, came very close to not walking or riding on the face of the earth again. The sled has sustained heavy damage as well and has yet to be appraised. My questions to everyone are, has any one had any of the same issues with either their sleds or usi skis. I had moved the ski stance to the maximum width. The after market ski I purchased was new and has a tappered profile, thinner at tip and tail and wider in the middle. They also have a edge that protrudes down from the outsides, and have a stepped profile that supposedly gives them more floatation. They are designed for sno-x racing and I presumed that they would be very stable in all conditions. This is the first time I used this style of profile ski and am in-experienced at what to expect. I have used stock cat, polaris and c&a pro before and have never had this kind of a issue.

That's crazy. Glad you came out alive though. When you say it "turns sideways" do you basically mean it's like the ski bites too hard and swings you around almost fish-tail like and when it gets sideways (so you are now facing the bank) it just throws you off? Maybe you have wayyyy too much carbide under the ski. I know you have studs but maybe you should try a 6" carbide instead of 8". 8 is alot of iron under there and could be causing way to much bite. I know on my un-studded xfire 7 6" was a bit much for me and would cause extreme maneuvers with the slightest of steer. Luckily I am unstudded because I think I had the similar thing happen. I was going down the hardpack ice road to my house and saw a friend drive by, I tried to turn around and only moved my bar about 2" of turn and the entire sled swung around sideways then backwards, now I was actually going about 30mph BACKWARDS down the road! Luckily my sled is un-studded so when it swung "sideways" it just kept spinning until backwards. If I was studded maybe it would have turned pependicular to my riding momentum, locked the studs in, and threw me off down the road.

If you can picture a road and a snow bank and a sled traveling down the road and then angeling slightly into the bank. I would start to go up that bank and then the sled would just tip over still traveling straight with the bank, then slamming me down with the sled traveling alone now turning ninty degrees. It reminded me of the vintage sleds when they had about 24" ski width and all thier weight sitting higher than the handlebars. I'm not sure where you ride but in michigan you live with carbides or die without. If you would of had 96 or so carbides your sled would of did what it was designed to do and that is turn.

I have my 06 cf700sp set up exactly like you. I have had to ride several miles along side roads around beachwood mi just like you. I know that if I did not hang on (and I mean use some muscle) the sled will some times go where the snow takes the skis. I also had to sit down low hanging into the tunnel and out over the top of the snow ledge to keep it from lifting the ski and rolling over.I think the
wide ski stance and light rear end is not set up for a lot of sit down riding in turns, s**t I lift my skis in turns all the time and have to make an effort to use my body weight to keep the inside ski down.
hope your feeling better.

Rim ride trails all the time to catch the loose snow and to keep over as far as possible from the throttlejockeys - Toss the sway bar in the trash.