tough as nails

The Arctic Cat M 8000 Hardcore and the Ski-Doo Freeride both offer two things the backcountry rider seeks: Strength and resiliency. From horsepower to shocks, these sleds are engineered to stand up to the chronic abuse the mountain and aggressive riders administer, then bounce back for more. Simply put, they can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.

The Freeride is no newbie to the mountain scene. It’s designed for the aggressive rider, with the smooth shifting 165 horsepower 850 E-TEC engine, KYB suspension and sleek Gen4 chassis. The Western crew seemed at peace to know that there weren’t any major changes. With great clutching out of the box, and an easily controlled throttle, the Freeride is a steep-riding, tree-dodging, boondocking animal. The Freeride, however, has not been without controversy. There have been many mixed reviews regarding the tMotion and FlexEdge technology that allow the track to conform to the mountain slope for additional traction and control. Our experience with past Freerides has been that this technology improved performance in most conditions, but had a tendency to washout in hard spring snow conditions. Really it comes down to personal preference; some riders don’t even notice it, others say it’s all they notice (usually the person that also hears every little squeak and rattle that no one else can hear). Others are just indifferent and don’t really care. But sales of tMotion delete kits have been high.

The Rotax 850, combined with the pDrive clutch makes the Freeride responsive and easy to control in difficult lines. This easy-to-manage machine makes the experienced rider feel like a rock star, and will inspire the novice to venture into previously unknown terrain. The Freeride puts the rider in control with a linear acceleration and exceptional response with the slightest foot movement. This sled just goes where you look and is never fighting you. The slim stance of the Gen4 chassis makes it comfortable to hold a sidehill, and the KYB suspension allows the rider to morph from a bumpy trail beast to a steep mountain-hugging machine. One of the features that feels luxurious is the SHOT start: this technology allows the rider to only pull start the machine once per ride (in our experience) and saves the shoulders on the over-50 crowd.