>>Ski-Doo 850 Summit-X: First Ride Impressions

ok big oops from me..i meant the LOW windsheild...the medium in the vid has screws on the side. Where the LOW does not have that, it just pops in the grommets with NO SCREWS...

Well, it's the second son here! I thought I might add my perspective on the first trip out with the new Ski-Doo 850's.

Just to preface, I am NOT a dedicated sledder in the same way my father and brother are... yet. For the past eight years, I've been competing nationally in the Ballroom Dance circuit. I got to the point where I was spending 30-50 hours practicing each week while I was performing with world champions and traveling across the nation. I decided it was time to take a step back and enjoy the other things life had to offer me.

So now here I am getting into the sport of snowmobiling more seriously. This was NOT my first time out riding as I would go out with my father here and there when I had a weekend open, but this was definitely the most fun! These new Ski-Doo's are so much fun! The response time on the throttle is almost instantaneous; they are easy to maneuver, and overall a joy to ride.

I don't think we were even 200 feet out of the parking lot before all three of us stopped and remarked about how much power these sleds had. This was sure to be a fun day of sledding even with the poor snow conditions we had. We spent a good amount of time on the trail breaking in the sleds, but the best part didn't come until we got up on the mountain. We found some snow that was deep enough for us to go play in as long as we were careful of the rocks.

All of my limited riding experience up to this point had been on a Yamaha Phaser that we had owned for a few years now. I'd say the biggest difference that I noticed while riding the Ski-Doo was the confidence that came with it. On the Yamaha, you had to really work to make it do what you wanted, and also be cautious of where you went for fear of getting stuck. Suddenly that fear was gone! The Ski-Doo WANTED to go where you told it to. I fell off a few times from tipping it too far to the side because it was so willing to turn. Overall, this made riding so much more fun! When you're confident in your abilities, as well as your sleds abilities you become a more capable rider.

We spent a good hour up on the mountain playing in the powder and popping wheelies! Luckily, almost no one was out sledding besides us so we basically had the whole mountain to ourselves. I have to say.. I am SORE after that! My shoulders and arms are feeling it even two days after haha but it was worth it.
I am super excited to see what this winter has in store for us as we continue to adventure that we started this weekend, and who better to have with me than my dad and brother. :face-icon-small-hap eace:

christopher said:

This one?
http://www.brppac.com/pac/ski-doo/lisavarusteet/tuulilasit/brp-860201448.html

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yes that one...pops in and out in a second

It's the weight loss that makes you cold--my buddy lost almost 50 pounds a few years back and the first winter he was always cold. Did you ever notice all the real big guys have their jacket open any time they stop -- not so the skinny guys :face-icon-small-disthere is insulation in all that blubber:face-icon-small-blu

Happiness

christopher said:

The day after..

This afternoon my son and I get together to take care of some of his wedding arrangements when he said to me "I Don't Hurt Dad". Looking at him incredulously I said, Excuse me, what did you just say?. I DON'T HURT.

What do you mean you don't hurt, you ALWAYS hurt the next day. Usually you spend the day on the couch just laying there recuperating.

Dad, I DON'T HURT TODAY.

There it was, the words I NEVER thought I would ever hear my son speak. We spent a full day in the mountains, running and jumping and pounding as much as we could, and he didn't hurt the next day. Thank You God, that was way beyond my wildest hopes and dreams.! It was far more than I could have possibly hoped for.



Guys, we have about 6 hours on our new sleds so far.

I am deeply impressed with the Torque and Responsiveness of this normally aspirated 850 e-tec engine.

The Sleds are FAR more nimble& agile than I had hoped for.

They are a JOY to ride in lousy snow (I can only IMAGINE what they will be like in deep powder).


As of right now, I am ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED with my purchase, and consider it a terrific investment.

In two weeks we will be at Togwotee for my son's bachelor party, hopefully we will have some real snow by then and will report back on how the sleds behave in better conditions.


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My Oldest Son's Comments
http://www.snowest.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4006038&postcount=19

My Youngest Son's Comments
http://www.snowest.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4006327&postcount=45

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Christopher,

Thanks for the post and your dedication to the sled industry besides this forum. Reading your post about riding with your older son who no longer hurts brought a small tear to my eye for you and your Family. I also am fortunate and enjoy riding with my son who also works in the Side by Side/Sled Industry for EVO. Please keep up the posts and I am also excited to ride my 850 for the first time.

Thanks,

Chris Webb

The Real Review from the "Broken Son"

Alright I ask you guys to forgive me for my previous simple post, I hope that this will make up for it!

End of Last Season
I had told my Father that the pain in my back was officially at a point that I was ready to give up this sport. I have a bunch of back issues and on top of that I was 250lbs at 5'8. A chubby painful young adult at 24.

Fast forward to where we were 2 months ago, I made the agreement with my old man that we would give these Skidoos a try and see if the lighter sled made any difference on my back and on the riding.

Having spent the last 4 years riding Yamahas I was overjoyed at the thought of riding something that didnt require full back utilization just for a simple sidehill.

Now over the year since the end of last season I have lost 40lbs, and I have been working on building up the muscle in my back to do everything I can to prepare for one last try this year.

To be honest I was very apprehensive to give it another go this year. I was just not looking forward to being in pain to the point that it was all I could do to get up the next day.

Garage Thoughts
Before getting these sleds out into the snow I tried to get to know the sled as well as I could before riding. What stood out was the absolute ease at which it came over even standing flat on the concrete. With a firm pull on the Mountain Strap and both feet planted on the floor the sled would come over. The first time I did it, it took everything I had to not dump the poor thing on the ground as I pulled on it as if it was a Nytro.

The center of the sled was significantly more narrow than that of any sled I had ridden. Having seen the stripped down sled with just the frame I can attest that the pyramid design really is narrow! (And you can feel it while riding)

First Ride Thoughts (10 Minute Out)
The very first thing I noticed was this sleds throttle response. The moment that you engage the throttle the sled responds instantaneously. It was also just a more comfortable ride doing anything, the sled fit me well standing, sitting or really doing anything. Often with my previous sled I felt like it was bowing my legs out. With the 850 I was as comfortable as I had ever been on a sled.

A Few Hours In
My back was feeling a bit sore, but I attribute that mostly to hitting lots of rocks and this sled absorbing rock hits. Its also the first ride of the season so theres that.

But I loved just how responsive the sled was, anywhere I wanted to go I just simply leaned and with ease it responded.

I was also able to get my first perfect tail stander. So that in and of its self was very exciting. Got to that point where it feels like it will wobble left or right and fall over haha.

We found a small little field to play in that hand enough snow to bring the sled over on 1 ski and it was just a cake walk.

The Day After
No lasting back issues, and I was able to go about my day. The previous season I would dedicate the day after riding to just being down and resting. I would never make plans after a day of riding and after church was over I would usually lay on the couch and netflix the day away.

But I had no problem going about my day. This is an absolute game changer for me. I am getting married here in less than 3 weeks and I knew that I wouldnt be able to get away with taking a full day off every week and doing nothing. This sled appears that it will allow me to keep riding with my old man and keep the new wife happy. haha

Final Thoughts
Now I am looking forward to a real day of riding and reporting back. This was just an all day trail ride and I cant wait to see how I feel after really riding. But currently it is looking very promising!

I also want to say thank you to everyone here for all their support and encouragement! It has been a real pleasure to see the positive attitude in this thread.

Dunatic said:

Great review!! Man I am so glad you guys got rid of those Yammies... It brings a huge smile to my face knowing that you will still be riding with your old man Chris. I can't wait to ride with you guys this year! I'll bring my camera and promise lots of cool shots of you guys tearing it up on the Doos!!

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Puts a smile on my face as well! I am looking forward to the ride as well. It should be a great chance to really give these sleds a workout.

DITCHBANGER said:

Jorli must have been drunk when he posted his 850 review..:wine:

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I'm sure Christopher would have written the exact same thing if he had bought T3s instead of 850s.. I too am going from Yamaha to a 2 stroke (Polaris Axys) and even in low snow conditions I'm blown away just as Christopher and his family are, how little effort it takes to have fun. I can see how Jorlii is disappointed. I've personally never preferred a Skidoo, I've had a few. But I never preferred them to a Polaris. But I honestly thought about buying a new 850 before I bought my axys just basically because of the marketing hype that surrounded it.. but I knew it would be very similar to what I have ridden belong to skidoo in the past. No doubt it's better.. but I bet it has the same "feel" especially with the unique steering. Ps Skidoo does a very good job with their marketing...

I'm not taking anything away from the 850, it's just personal preference.

Christopher I absolutely loved reading your review. I'm so happy for you guys and I don't ever really know you. I can't ever imagine giving up Snowmobiling let alone seeing one of my children being forced out of the sport.. The entire time I was reading I could think of myself in 15 years riding with my 2 girls. Gave me chills.

Here's to a smoked out, chest deep powder winter!!:beer;:beer;

Got out on my 850 for the first time today, just road riding with my daughter but still fun. She loves how easily it wheelies..lol. I'll have a better review when I can get out on my own.