AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com
The camera makes us do fun things! Like taking tough lines to challenge your skills and determination
Thankfully, in our group I hold the camera, and people usually look at our Western Test Rider Lonnie Thompson when they say, “Hey, do you think the 850 would make it up that?” This year, we had a serious case of K.C. (Kodak Courage) as the 850 provides confidence to climb and jump just about anything.
Living up to the hype
The combination of the camera-based courage and the 850’s climbing capacity made for some great pics this year. While Lonnie attributes all the social-media love to his rugged good looks, the fact is, the 850 made us all look good. It is the choice sled to learn on in the mountains and the perfect sled to let loose on too.
Ski-Doo did not just tweak a previous model with the Gen 4 platform, they threw out the playbook and gave the engineers at BRP some serious wiggle-room. Having met the engineers and getting to ride in the backcountry with them, they obviously put their heart and soul into every aspect of this sled. A huge shout-out to the people behind the scenes!
The new Gen 4 platform is a completely new sled. Having received the most hype and talk in the 2017 lineup of sleds, the AmSnow West Team members were eager to throw a leg over it. Lonnie said it best, “Our first rides of the season resembled a game of musical chairs. When the 850 shut off, it was a mad dash to get behind the handlebars. The ride was so fun the sled was passed around like a piece of gum at a teenage game of spin the bottle.”
It became clear we needed to establish rules if we were going to remain civil. We decided us test riders would rotate the sleds each full ride. The premise was you had the vehicle for the whole day unless there were some extenuating circumstances, or specific conditions that we all needed to try - like unicorn snow. This allowed time for muscle memory to be established, and kept us from fighting.
The power behind the new 850 is just awesome. We love that Ski-Doo kept the 2-strokers going! The 850 E-TEC engineered in unison with the pDrive primary clutch has set a standard for higher horsepower motors in the future. This combination has also lowered motor vibrations more than any big bore twin we’ve ridden. The 850 is incredibly crisp and reacts almost instantly through the entire range of power, no matter the load on the motor. For an entire season, this machine put a constant pull on our arms and smiles on our faces.
The running boards offer you a larger foot platform, both wider and stronger than previous models. When jumping from one side to the other, we never worried about finding footing. Snow build-up is a thing of the past as the boards sifted through the snow without additional drag. This is a big deal in deep snow and really makes a difference.