Fun looking zone
Fun looking zone
it really is especially great for a noob like me.
kind of a country club for the cabin owners in my area (at least I think it is) on fed land it's jackson adjacent up the hoback towards pinedale. The hills in the background that kind of look shit are the south facing ones that only recently held snow.
Deep today in the central sawatch
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Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
Cletus: Duly noted.
Broke some shit but had pretty scenery while we were working it out
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Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
Cletus: Duly noted.
Well set up pow with blower on top and a late exit.![]()
Sorry to rehash but the sled search continues. Specifically wondering how eff'ed I'd be as a new rider on a 175. I can get a screaming deal (7K) on a summit 850, or I can pay 5k more to get a new 600 with a 154 track. Are the 175's that hard to turn?
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My Driggs buddy loves his 175. He's a solid sledder and doesn't have any complaints about turning. Track speed (better motors) and better tracks generally have made the long bois obsolete but I doubt you'd be bummed with that as your first legit access sled.
Don't get a 600. I personally think a lower displacement, ultra maneuverable and ultra lightweight option would do more to keep this sport alive than the current displacement arms race, boost, and 25K sleds. But that sled doesn't exist yet, so for now get something 800cc+.
Last edited by North; 01-05-2025 at 09:19 AM.
Any modern sled will do while you develop your riding skills. Yes, a long track like that 175 is gonna be less nimble but it's only by degrees.
I rode a 2024 Polaris 600 on Wednesday and absolutely loved it. Super agile, especially with the fancy upgraded khaos shocks and track. Prolly not popping hudge wheelies on the flat but it has plenty of juice to get up on a plane in the deep stuff.
Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
Cletus: Duly noted.
You will take a bath on a 600 when it comes time to sell because of dogmatic beliefs (mine included) that the weight savings and maneuverability gains of the 600 are not enough to outweigh the hp limitations. You may not find the limits hp-wise, but a good chunk of potential buyers will eliminate your sled as an option because they think they will find the limit. I'm a very intermediate rider and I've found the limits of my 800 on very deep days at high elevation (with bad clutching, to be fair). YMMV.
The "nicest you can afford" maxim applies. If you are considering dropping $12K on a brand new sled, why not get a new 850 w/165? In my area 2024 holdovers are ~$12.5 (includes fees, prior to tax) depending on options.
Last edited by North; 01-05-2025 at 09:19 AM.
But the 175 850. It's like buying talent. You won't find the limit of that thing anytime soon. My main riding partner has that and I have a 165... Minimal difference
Don’t you just press the button? No talent needed
Granted I live in the world of 8-10 year old sleds and minimal talent but unless you are an expert rider and very adept at maintaining momentum, my opinion is that you're far more likely to find the limits of the 600 engine vs an 850 rather than a 175 track vs 154.
I haven't ridden a 17x but I have ridden 16x and 15x in both 800s and 850s (all Ski Doos so we're talking XM vs Gen4)
1) 16x isn't harder to turn than 15x on the same chassis for beginner/intermediate riders. It probably matters if you're good enough to do hopovers and shit, which I am not
2) 16x floats better with less momentum than 15x and IMO is easier to ride for beginner/intermediate riders because the track will stay on top more and trench down less when you're fucking up
3) Gen4 is easier to turn than XM (duh)
4) 850 power vs 800 power is noticeably helpful in deep light snow at keeping track speed up and keeping you moving forward vs digging down
5) observations in 4) also apply to 3" lugs vs 2.5"lugs
tl:dr I would buy a 175 850 all day over a 154 600.
I feel so inadequate with my ‘11 doo with a 600 and 146”. But then an artist never blames his brush, eh?
And I won’t have to redo the top end every 4000km.
IMO, bracing the front end and tunnel are the most important if running variable terrain and carrying skis. And upgrading the cooling, especially for the poos.
Strange to hear that 600’s can’t be sold. Around here, you can’t find a late gen 600 to buy if not from the dealer. A couple show up typically late season, and disappear fast.
All that said, very likely to be finally getting a trailer and a late model 850 in a 6xx” track. Wife has been very happy taking the 600 doo out with her hen party getting the goods sled-skiing. The 600 has been too small to carry the two of us off set trail.
TLDR: Newer more expensive sleds are just better
But if you are just getting into snowmobiles, it is probably best to just get one and see if you like it. But the newer the whip, the more you will like it. So the mental gymnastics of shoe horning "good enough" into your budget is on you. "I like the XM more than my Gen 5" or "I think the Axys rides better than the Matryx" said nobody ever.
Lets think about access sleds a different way. Yes, you'll strap your shit on the back. But its still a snowmobile for snowmobiling. When I live and we still, its straight up mountain riding to get to the skiing areas. This ain't no Buff Pass or Vail Pass. And no doubling ever for skiing. But doubling occasionally for Pow Surfing. So you just get the best sled you can with a rack.
Other places and scenes may have more of a cruise up the road and park or doubling. If you double or tow a lot with a snorty pony, you will burn up belts. So carry an extra and learn how to change it out in the field.
Track length - 50x/60x/70x Think about it like ski width in mellow pow. The more floatation you have the slower you will have to go to stay on plane. So the longer the track the more time you have to plan your lines and creep around. A 174 is a fine choice, as North noted, they have just become a bit out of favor because the 165 is basically good enough. And I guess I'll just punt on the maneuverability, turning radius question. Is we are talking pow turn i.e. counter steered and on edge I think skill is 10/10 more important and if we are talking on trail who cares.
600s I think there are two reason they are not as popular as they used to be. One is that as the sleds got more capable the tracks got longer with bigger paddles. a 165 track weight about 50 lbs. So the displacement is needed to generate track speed. Two is that a 600 is a 850 with smaller cylinders (I think). So everything else is the same and the weight savings is minimal. If the whole idea is lower weight at lower cost the manus would need to basically redesign everything which would probably bork the cost thing.
Set up - clutching and suspension are super important. So understand how they work and make sure you are baselined properly. I'm not saying get aftermarket shit, just make sure your stock shit is tight.
Snowmobiles work on magic. The sled part of the magic is mostly the clutching. The rider part of the magic is figuring out the different between speed and momentum and getting enough throttle time to be in sync with your chassis and understand that weight shift, gas, steering and brake all need to be added and subtracted judiciously and proactively as needed.
When the homeboys and homegirls get stuck they love to ask "what did I do wrong?" "Yes, all of it". Thats part of what makes snowmobiling so cool. Its really hard and kind of a puzzle. And you get to plenty of tips and pointer but really you have to solve the puzzle for your self.
And ignore 90% of what see/hear about sled performance. What you want is a sled that is easy to ride. And that will get you back out of the woods.
TLDR: Newer more expensive sleds are just better
But if you are just getting into snowmobiles, it is probably best to just get one and see if you like it. But the newer the whip, the more you will like it. So the mental gymnastics of shoe horning "good enough" into your budget is on you. "I like the XM more than my Gen 5" or "I think the Axys rides better than the Matryx" said nobody ever.
Lets think about access sleds a different way. Yes, you'll strap your shit on the back. But its still a snowmobile for snowmobiling. When I live and we still, its straight up mountain riding to get to the skiing areas. This ain't no Buff Pass or Vail Pass. And no doubling ever for skiing. But doubling occasionally for Pow Surfing. So you just get the best sled you can with a rack.
Other places and scenes may have more of a cruise up the road and park or doubling. If you double or tow a lot with a snorty pony, you will burn up belts. So carry an extra and learn how to change it out in the field.
Track length - 50x/60x/70x Think about it like ski width in mellow pow. The more floatation you have the slower you will have to go to stay on plane. So the longer the track the more time you have to plan your lines and creep around. A 174 is a fine choice, as North noted, they have just become a bit out of favor because the 165 is basically good enough. And I guess I'll just punt on the maneuverability, turning radius question. Is we are talking pow turn i.e. counter steered and on edge I think skill is 10/10 more important and if we are talking on trail who cares.
600s I think there are two reason they are not as popular as they used to be. One is that as the sleds got more capable the tracks got longer with bigger paddles. a 165 track weight about 50 lbs. So the displacement is needed to generate track speed. Two is that a 600 is a 850 with smaller cylinders (I think). So everything else is the same and the weight savings is minimal. If the whole idea is lower weight at lower cost the manus would need to basically redesign everything which would probably bork the cost thing.
Set up - clutching and suspension are super important. So understand how they work and make sure you are baselined properly. I'm not saying get aftermarket shit, just make sure your stock shit is tight.
Snowmobiles work on magic. The sled part of the magic is mostly the clutching. The rider part of the magic is figuring out the different between speed and momentum and getting enough throttle time to be in sync with your chassis and understand that weight shift, gas, steering and brake all need to be added and subtracted judiciously and proactively as needed.
When the homeboys and homegirls get stuck they love to ask "what did I do wrong?" "Yes, all of it". Thats part of what makes snowmobiling so cool. Its really hard and kind of a puzzle. And you get to plenty of tips and pointer but really you have to solve the puzzle for your self.
And ignore 90% of what see/hear about sled performance. What you want is a sled that is easy to ride. And that will get you back out of the woods.
bigger engine = easier.
bigger track = easier.
90% of feedback to new rider is "more throttle". no downsides to more power, other than $.
Harder to get stuck on the big track, but when you do get stuck you get stuuuuuuck. Either way, you'll be digging the same. Long track makes doubling up for laps easier.
"access only" isn't really a thing where I live. You're basically always mountain riding to get to the goods. so your sled skills directly relate to what you get to ski. It's realistically probably like that everywhere.
Most important is probably just to buy what your buddies have. so everyone can fix things in a jam, and you can probably get good local service.
Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
Cletus: Duly noted.
I’m getting closer to buying my first snowmobile or two. I need to carry passengers and be reliable. My understanding is that I can only have one passenger legally if I have a seat for a passenger. Cheaper the better because I might have to buy two since I have two kids. Force my girlfriend to take on riding snowmobile…. Anybody want to help me look for one on facebook marketplace in/around Spokane?
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More info needed
Firstly, WTF with "legal"? Snowmobiles = Freedom. Put a sticker on it and stay out of the Wilderness Areas and you are GTG. The cops ain't coming.
What's the use case? 2up trail sleds? How old are the kids? Whats your budget? Do you want 4strokes?
Uncle Buds
Legal meaning going inside the state park with the rangers there all the time. My understanding is that I have to have a passenger seat and even then, I can carry one more passenger. My kids are 4 and 7. I want to use it for getting around the trails. Ideally I’d carry both of my kids on my snowmobile but I feel like that’s not gonna work for what I want to use it for: get around the trails in the state park. I’m thinking about spending around $2k but that’s including everything, tax/registration etc. I just want it to be as reliable as possible over a performance.
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