hitting the peak

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Apex Mountain - Boondockers
When he was discussing AmSnow's Mountain Mod ride with Rocky Young, owner, Boondockers, Idaho Falls, Idaho, AmSnow Mountain Test Rider, Kevin Allred tells this story: "Rocky and I were talking about the mod evaluation ride and all the performance sleds when I said to Rocky, 'This sure is a different evaluation from our Stock Powder Sled evaluation, nothing is stock.' Rocky innocently said, as he pointed to his Garrett turbo Apex, 'My sled is stock.'" To him, that is true, OEM skis, shocks, blah, blah, blah. And mated to that stock motor and pipe, was "stock" Garrett GT-25 side mount turbo; yet modified to, uh, Boondocker's specs.

Boondockers had a sister Apex Mountain to knock the mountains down with. Its owner, Kevin Maughn, Island Park, Idaho, is a monster of man who should be in the ring as a pro-wrestler, tweaked his Apex with high-dome pistons that roll out approximately 300 mad-as-hell horsepower. Continuing, Maughn added a Holz Racing Products front end A-arm kit, Simmons Flexi Skis and a Simmons rear skid. To keep the Apex dissecting mountains, Maughn swaped out the OEM Apex Mountain track for a Camoplast Challenger of same length and width.

A turbo-charged Apex Mountain in your hands is like holding a nuclear power plant. Yes, meltdowns do occur - that be a mountain melt down. Yet, when 300 hp is boiling on 8 feet of snow, bear in mind, the horsepower and the sled can be managed. Now, this best-management-practice does not come the moment the throttle is pinched for the first time, this does take time. Yet, when one learns to drive with the bottom third of the throttle, that is minor throttle movements, the Apex thermo nuclear powerplants are easy to handle. But, when leaping out of a large wind-pocket near a large Douglas Fir tree, fight the urge to chock the love flap to the bar, for if you do, sled and driver are mated in a vertical pose and doing the tango. Come to think of it, this is my kind of dancing.

Both sleds were clean and brutish. And yes, the side mount turbo, with its snorkel protruding out the hood on its right side is odd, but oh baby, do these Boondocker/Garrett turbos work.

For more info, contact Boondockers at www.boondockers.com or 877-522-7805.

Tri-City Performance - 600 RMK
This was a new direction for Tri-City Performance, that is turbo, but TCP was in the R&D mode for Steve Packer Turbo. All the work TCP had done for this sled, was in its clutching. Max Maxedon, general manager, TCP, explained to AmSnow that TCP is not in the turbo business, but that it is helping performance create the correct specifications for turbocharged Polaris snowmobiles. With that said, the '06 RMK 600 AmSnow hammered, built its turbo boost on a Steve Packer Turbo.

The RMK was stretched out to a 153 and clamored through the snow on a Maverik track. Up front, directional finding was via Starting Line Products Powder Pro Skis.

In an event where big horsepower built by big turbos was at the command of big cubed sleds, but not this gal. The 600 RMK was a delight. With a quick little spank, the 600 lit up when the turbo spooled up its boost. We at AmSnow are toothpick makers, and we wanted to see how this 600 with turbo boost worked in the trees where the snow was waist deep. Well, no complaints are noted. Yes, a turbo booniemasher is a different creature. One must know how to handle the snappy in-your-face boost when it overhauls the track, meaning, stay sharp and know how to reel it in and light it up as terrain and elevation changes. Like an Apex turbo, gentle roll-into and roll-out-of throttle movements are needed, with throttle travel being half what you and I are use to.

TCP had a good ride, and the clutching set up TCP provided allowed the Steve Packer Turbo to work within its design specifications.

For more info, contact TCP at www.tricityperformance.net or 801-298-8081.

Mountain Vector - Outlaw Motor Sports
Some call it "A Baby Turbo Sled." Nothing baby about it, 'cept it is a three-holer and not four like its brother Apex. A turbo Vector is a wonder to behold when in the hands of an Outlaw Motor Sports kinfolk. It is dirty, mean and nasty - sick to some of you. And these are words that distill awe.

The Mountain Vector used to promote Outlaw's driver and energy was a standard Mountain, not an LE; though I wish it could have been. However, discussing the LE vs. standard topic, the think tanks at Outlaw wanted to built a hyper cross-over sled that did not demand Fort Knox's gold reserves to build.

With that said, Outlaw kept the motor's guts stock but added a Bender Performance rear mount turbo. The turbo spooled up the atmosphere at 10-times its normal rating. With the 3-cylinder, 4-stroke motor huffing on 10 PSI, the Vector Mountain spit out 220 hp, and that, my good friends, is great horsepower for a "cross over sled."

Knowing when turbos come to realize their potential, a snowmobile wants to tail walk. Outlaw understands this. So, like their monster Apex turbos, Outlaw repositioned the chain case and drivers on this rocket ship by dropping and rolling back the chain case. This allowed the nose to stay on the ground and also prevented the track from blowing out. Now, this is highly important because the standard Mountain Vector does not have the great mountain ergos found on the Apex and Mountain Vector LE, and this less-than perfect ergo situation is amplified when global warming heat rolls out the pipes via a turbo - the dropped and rolled chain case is a huge benefit not only to the Vector Mountain, but for all turbo sleds.

Not to let the standard Vector Mountain hide its potential, the 144 skid, tunnel and track was swapped out for a 151. This too allowed the Vector Mountain to keep its nose on the ground and horsepower manageable.

In riding this baby turbo on densely forested mountainsides, this 4-stroke under-appreciated snowmobile performed as a steroid junked-out mule. No, it is not a mind twisting Apex, but it is a creature all its own, happy in its element and predictable; more predictable than your mother-in-law, wife, girlfriend or your boss. Tear open the throttle bodies and off you go, and go and go. The speed is not blinding like an Apex, but it is pretty wicked.

Outlaw calls this the "entry level" turbo 4-stroke. Well, make sure your "entrance" into this turbo world is not wimpy-minded, for this package hauls lunch.

For more info, contact Outlaw Motor Sports at www.outlawmotorsportsinc.net or 541-426-3491.

TJ's Sports - Mountain Vector LE
The Mountain Vector LE is a breed apart from the standard Mountain Vector. With the LE, one receives all the Apex amenities - that is Apex Mountain Ergos, track, tunnel and its wide footprint. These are the reasons why Troy Johnson, owner, TJs Sports, Alpine, Wyo., chose the LE over the standard Mountain Vector. On top of that, Johnson said he likes to "John Deere up a mountain side." Continuing, he said, "The little 3-cylinder motor is perfect for my type of boondocking, especially with a supercharged snowmobile."

Like his Apex Mountain, Johnson cut approximately 40-lbs. from the Vector by swapping out the OEM pipe and exhaust, and seat, for a Performance Lite pipe/exhaust combo and a Performance Lite seat; which by the way, TJs is a distributor for. In addition to these lighter components, Johnson also traded out the OEM battery for a lighter battery. As a tid bit, the Mountain Vector does not use a radiator and fan, as the Apex.

The supercharged Mountain Vector LE may not be a monster like the Apex, but it is a good board to spank a mountain with. And, if you want to poop along in the trees, then the supercharged Mountain Vector is a great, ahem, crossover sled. Do remember though, when lit up, this kid is no 500-class sled, it is all business - and a business that one can manage without gong bankrupt on a mountain slope due to peaky motor attitudes.

Test rider Kevin Allred and myself liked this sled, and we never have had a bad ride from TJs shop - his stuff works. If you can't ante up the money for an Apex, then the Mountain Vector LE, supercharged, is a great thrill ride.

For more info on TJ's supercharged sleds, go to www.tjsportswy.com or contact Troy at 307-654-7815.