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Riding impressions
The main positive is that this Lynx sled was extremely versatile. It is aimed almost solely at off-trail riding, but it does well in the widely varying conditions that you get in places like Iceland, Greenland or Finland. These places tend to have a bit flatter terrain than say the Rocky Mountains in Colorado or British Columbia. But they still get lots of snow, and often they see more “setup,” or firm snow. Also, personal riding styles differ widely in Scandinavia and other places where you might find a Lynx like this. In my experience, many Europeans can be more aggressive riders, but often less accustomed to technical sidehills (like the “Rasmussen or Tony Jenkins style” Ski-Doo mountain riders). This riding style may have took off internationally after it did in the U.S., but that’s a “chicken or the egg” discussion for you to have with your Scandinavian friends sometime!
Personally, I enjoyed the front end in the wide stance, and it was extremely stable with the sway bar attached, so you could hit any jumps, cornices or drifts you wanted and still stay flat. Once we disconnected that bar, we really had to “drive with the track,” because the big 2.5-inch lugs dig in and have lots of grip, even in a shorter 146-inch length. In the hard setup snow, there was also A LOT of track/driver noise with such a tall lug turning around in the tunnel.
It was AMAZING what this sled would climb even though we were at fairly low elevation (mostly less than 5,000 feet). What was most impressive was the difficult sidehills you could ride at slow speed, especially when climbing in soft afternoon snow. That is probably where this sled shines the most, but be careful, because changing conditions and steeps can cause it to trench sometimes due to the shorter track. You can’t get too comfortable with it, and relying on being able to quickly build track speed to get you out of hairy situations doesn’t always work.
Subtle differences in styling – the LED lights on the cowl, a wider-looking front, a sportier seat and perfectly calibrated shocks for the type of riding we did in Iceland – all helped make my overall impression positive. Of course, this sled did feel heavier than the Renegade X-RS we were riding alongside it. But, like anything else, you often get used to it.
Finally, the spec sheet calls for 95 octane for the Boondocker 3700 … Wish we could get that here!