I always have a shovel on sled, but atleast in the powder, I shovel less and less every year,,, depending on the stuck - if relatively flat and deep - I usually kick out the snow from under the running boards, and make a little track by walking in front of the sled as a little launch pad, and then slide under the belly pan on your back and kick snow up against the track so it has a firm spot to grab, then a little throttle and it'll usually climbs up and gets enough speed off the bump to get me out,,, If pointed up a steep hill, then kick out one side and pull her around by a ski so gravity will help you out,,,, so only about 1 out of 20 powder stucks will I bother to start digging with shovel,,,
but ya, in hard pack or firm snow (which I don't like much), I have to dig out with shovel, a 162" threnched in to hard snow is pretty anchored as far as pulling it around by a ski,,, Powder, hardly ever use one,,, A bud on a ski loop always helps a ton too,,, If trees are involved, specially if impaled pointing down into a tree/well, that's where "buddies" come in handy,,, they usually want to take pics of the real good ones before they help you
May have to negotiate a beer for the real ugly ones,,,
