powder players

AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com

Whether you're a novice or an advanced veteran, you'll find two terrifically adept snowmobiles designed to get you off trail and into winter adventure at relatively modest pricing.

While there are similarities in what these two sleds can do, comparing them head-to-head is a bit unfair as one is quite a bit less expensive and the other quite a bit more mechanically sophisticated. There's a $1,350 price difference between the two, and you have to decide if the extra cost is worth the extra sophistication.

Both are affordable new machines regardless of what you choose - the Ski-Doo Freestyle Back Country at $5,849, or Yamaha's Phazer Mountain Lite at $7,199!

Time to ride
We were impressed with the overall "snow-ability" of both sleds. Although the all-new Yamaha Phazer Mountain Lite uses a longer 144-inch track, the Ski-Doo Back Country scores greater potential "float-ability" in powder thanks to its 2-inch wider by 136-inch track dimensions. Do the math and you end up with 2,176 square inches of area for the Ski-Doo footprint vs. 2,016 square inches for Yamaha's narrower 14-incher, despite its greater length. But if you're headed straight up a mountain, the longer lugged Phazer is a better choice.

At just 415 lbs. dry-weight, Ski-Doo's Freestyle-based, fan-cooled, powder player weighs about 100 lbs. less than Yamaha's Phazer Mountain Lite at 514 lbs. dry. However, the Mountain Lite is the lightest liquid-cooled, 4-stroke to hit the deep powder this season. Also, the Phazer has quite a bit more power and wins in a riderless power-to-weight comparison.

When we test rode the duo, both machines instantly showed willingness to plane in fresh snow. This surprised us a bit as neither has what we consider a deep snow hull designed to get the front end up and on plane. Heck, just looking at the sleds and you infer the opposite. Both appear as though they would push snow more than rise up on plane. The combination of plastic skis, light front ends and ample suspension deserves credit for getting the sleds atop the powder.

Credit the good power-to-weight and track float-ability here as well. Combine that with very good low-end torque that's steady and ample.

In fact, we invited disaster to see just how good these sleds could be when starting from a dead stop and heading up an incline in moderately deep snow. We were pretty sure the Ski-Doo would handle the challenge as its Rotax fan-cooled engine has an excellent reputation for low-end and mid-range performance. But with the Yamaha and its 12,000-rev twin… well, we weren't so sure. No problem with the new high-revving Phazer twin, we eased in the throttle and felt the twin injectors feed the fuel precisely and unhesitatingly as the track gripped and the engine eased us up the hill.

This is comforting because these machines can handle the Midwestern boonies or mid-altitudes out West. You Eastern riders can confidently hit your narrow, twisting trails well before the groomers get out after a big lake-effect snow drop.

How they do it
Apples and oranges really can't be compared and neither should Rotax fan-cooled twins and Yamaha liquid-cooled twins. Yes, displacement is similar at 550cc for the Ski-Doo and 500cc for the Yamaha. That's about it. The Ski-Doo fan is about 75% as powerful as Yamaha's 80-horsepower, liquid-cooled twin.

The Rotax 550, a modernized version of the old "503" series "big" twin that powered a wide variety of Ski-Doo models through the years, is air-cooled and fueled via a pair of Mikuni VM carbs. As with all air-cooled motors, the 550 is purposely sloppy in its precision. Meaning that moving parts need a bit of expansion room as the motor heats up and power drops off. On the other hand, the liquid-cooled Yamaha twin's tolerances are tighter and more precise to better maintain peak horsepower and performance - even at its nearly 12,000 rev limit!

As with the original Yamaha RX-1 4-cylinder, 4-stroke, Yamaha uses a gear reduction on the new happy revving Phazer twin to bring the clutch speed down to about 8,000-9,000 revs. Yamaha advertises 80 hp as its max, but the Ski-Doo fan engine actually feels more powerful out of the hole. We don't have a comparative hp/torque chart of the two engines yet, but we think the low-end numbers may actually favor the Ski-Doo.

Yamaha has the edge in the clutching department as Yamaha uses its own more expensive YPZ series drive system. Ski-Doo opts for the reliable, but substantially less sophisticated Bombardier Lite driver, whose design relies on plastic innards originally conceived by Securistat decades ago for modestly powered 2-strokes.

Yamaha's Phazer twin is a model of modern high performance snowmobile engine design. It's a five-valve per head 4-stroke twin with digital ignition, advanced fuel injection with ample dual 43 mm throttle bodies and free flowing two-into-one exhaust that exits out the rear under the seat. Although positioned rear of the skis and under the handlebar pod, the engine is liquid-cooled with a large cooling radiator ahead of the rider's right knee.

While we give Yamaha the award for the more sophisticated and "tricked" engine, we have to admit that the performance of Ski-Doo's 2-stroke, fan-cooled engine surprised us. (We're also betting the Yamaha will get slightly better fuel economy this year at our Real World Shoot-Out, while expecting the Rotax 550 to get mpg in the low- to mid-teens.)

The package
If you're shopping on price, the Ski-Doo is great for the budget-minded. The RF - Freestyle - platform is a price-point version of the original REV design. Front suspension design is basic with a single A-arm and linked sway bar. Don't expect REV performance even with the high-pressure gas shocks. The overall chassis is lighter and is manufactured more easily and cost effectively than the REV. However, we still found the Back Country to be a sporty handler and solid off the trail.

Ski-Doo uses proven Rotax power, a durable drive system, reliable rear suspension with more than a foot of travel and a 39-inch ski stance - 7 inches wider than the base Freestyle - that makes maneuvering around mountainside obstacles easy. With the riser bar and mountain strap, the Back Country is easy to lay over for side hilling or steering away from deep blow holes at the tree line.

Add in electronic reverse and the cargo rack as standard equipment, and you have a snow machine that can serve up a good time for younger riders learning sled control in powder or long-time powder hounds just out to have a good time.

The Yamaha Phazer Mountain Lite is all-new and designed to be as rider friendly above the tree line as it is below it. The liquid-cooled, fuel-injected motor offers advantages the Ski-Doo can't match. Fuel injection means you won't need to re-jet because the computerized system onboard the Phazer does it automatically. Liquid cooling means you get maximum performance from daybreak to sunset with no power drop-off common to air-cooled engines.

Like the Ski-Doo, the Yamaha has a lightweight design with a rear platform and suspension designed to clear snow efficiently in deep powder. The track's 2-inch paddles are meant for grip and grab in loose snow and help to float the Phazer Mountain Lite better than the 1.25-inch track profile on Ski-Doo's Back Country.

Yamaha 4-strokes all come standard with electric start, and reverse is standard on the Mountain Lite. Rear travel measures an impressive 15.5 inches, 8.5 inches from the double A-arm front end. Although both of these powder players use plastic skis, we feel that Yamaha's wider saddleless design is more adept off trail, especially in powder.

The bottom line
A straight up comparison is unfair. We said that at the beginning. Is the $1,350 price difference your main consideration? Is there enough value to warrant spending more on the Yamaha?

To set it all straight, the Yamaha is the latest in snowmo-technology. Its 4-stroke advantages are obvious; it will perform as it's advertised and will be a lot of fun to own.

But, looking at the Ski-Doo Freestyle Back Country, you are saving over $1000. You can buy a pretty nice suit and helmet for that.

We feel that the edge in mountain powder climbing goes to the Yamaha due to its paddle track. But for Midwestern or Eastern riders who like to float through the glades off-trail, the Back Country is a great low-cost fun machine. It has trail-proven components and the power is strong for the engine size.

When you get right down to it, we can make many good arguments for both the Ski-Doo Freestyle Back Country and the Yamaha Phazer Mountain Lite.

So now that you've got the facts, what will you choose?

Yamaha Phazer Mt. Lite
Engine: 498cc, 2-cylinder, 4-stroke
Exhaust: Single rear
Front Suspension: FX double wishbone w/adjustable width
Rear Suspension: ProActive FX
Ski Stance: 37.6-39.6 in.
Track: 14x144x2.0 in.
Fuel Capacity: 8.1 gal.
Weight: 514 lbs.
2007 MSRP: $7,199 US

Freestyle Back Country
Engine: 550cc fan-cooled, 2-stroke
Exhaust: Single tuned pipe
Front Suspension: Single A-arm w/swaybar
Rear Suspension: SC-136
Ski Stance: 39.0 in.
Track: 16x136x1.25 in.
Fuel Capacity: 9.0 gal.
Weight: 415 lbs.
2007 MSRP: $5,849 US/$7,749 CA