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Nope, I don’t mean I’m switching to telemark skiing. Instead, just as winter is defined by the arrival of the season’s first Backcountry Magazine, so it is also designated by the tempter: Snowest snowmobiliing magazine.
I got on these guy’s media mailing list years ago for some reason, probably back when I owned a sled. So every year about this time the first Snowest issue of the winter arrives in the mail. It’s not the most high quality pub in the world, as it reads more like an industry catalog than an independent voice. But Snowest has gotten better every year and this issue does include some decent snowmobile reviews with a bit of independent opinion snuck in to spice things up.
Snowmobiles are a common tool for much of Colorado’s backcountry skiing, especially if you’re looking to access high peaks and steep lines, or if you own or have access to a remote cabin and want to spend your time above the property, rather than below the place slogging in on a lengthy approach road. Thus, I’ve always wanted to replace our old Yamaha and fantasize every year about doing so. Snowest magazine doesn’t help. A new WildSnow sled probably isn’t happening this year. But as they say, even if I’m not ordering I can still look at the menu.
What caught my fancy is Snowest’s review of mountain 800s, the burly powerful climbing snowmobiles that are not only fun to ride, but are perfect for busting out Colorado powder when breaking trail on the access routes for Colorado alpine goals.
Snowwest’s editors favor the Polaris 800 Dragon RMK, and the thing looks amazing. But for an approach sled I always favor shopping by weight since they do get stuck and you end up muscling them around. While the Dragon’s 487 lbs is mighty light for such a mighty steed, anything less than that seems like a worthy option. Thus, it was interesting to read that that the Ski-Doo Summit Everest/X comes in at a svelte 435 pounds (146 inch track) . Not only that, but depending on your taste this is either the ugliest or coolest looking sled on the planet. I tend to think it’s on the cool side. Anyone got an opinion on that, while I dodge the bullets? Here is a photo of the Everest from Snowest:
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| Ugly or not, the power to weight ratio of this trim sled is something else, and for its size it’s probably quite easy to muscle around, especially from the rear. MSRP around $10,000 — hmmm, can we get a WildSnow season loaner? |
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
