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SW: Do you find yourself changing your riding position, or moving your feet more because of the way this sled reacts or handles?
Jenkins: You definitely have to be quicker on your feet because the Expert pivots a lot faster and turns a lot faster.
Kuster: It’s a super reactive chassis. It’s a very lively ride, like when you ask it to do something, it does it right now.
SW: What’s the big deal about new springs and new shock calibration on the Expert? It’s the best-handling Summit 850 we’ve ever ridden. Why?
Kuster: The front shocks are Kashima-coated, which helps with the initial plushness. It’s a really good high-end product. There’s new coil springs that are nearly at titanium spring weight. And with the stiffer calibration, you can rip it down the rough trails into the backcountry. And when you decide to huck it off a drop or do a big jump, it’s definitely got the capability to handle that.
SW: It seems like you ride the Summit X with Expert higher in the shock stroke than the Summit SP or the Summit X.
Jenkins: The Expert has more stability and that gives the rider more confidence to do things that are a little more technical or difficult. The shock calibration holds the sled higher in the shock stroke, so there’s more shock available for upcoming terrain.
Kuster: It lets you ride faster and ride harder. And it’s more forgiving at higher speeds, so if you’re ripping trough the trees and you hit a big hole, you can just leave it pinned and keep your momentum and it won’t bottom out and won’t scrub your momentum that you need to carry you up your line. A softer calibration would bottom out and deflect you off your line.
SW: How does the new updated ski spindle and rubber damper block make that big of a difference in handling? Because it was a significant improvement on our test ride.
Jenkins: It creates a flatter approach for the ski, so the ski doesn’t stand up and slow the sled down when it hits a terrain feature. When you’re going downhill or in a firm snow layer. The changes create a flatter profile for the ski, and hold it better to precent it from standing up. Basically there’s three things that help: The spindle design has been changed on the bottom surface to interact with the rubber ski stop, then there’s the ski rubber itself. And then there’s some added plastic to the ski itself in the saddle where the ski contacts the rubber. The sled’s definitely going to handle easier.
Kuster: Instead of the ski pushing through the snow and creating resistance because it could stand up a bit, it now stays flat and slides through the snow. Now the different parts force the ski to always slice through the snow, which also lift the nose of the sled up. When you tilt the sled on its side, the ski doesn’t turn into a big snow plow. It will actually pull it up on top of the snow and help lift the sled out of the snow at all times.
The updates improve the sled’s speed and stability in bumps, too. When the ski is totally flat, they tend to get up on top of moguls. It slices through the bump instead of, you know, hitting the bump, tilting the ski, ski hoop up, you know, and then having to push through the bump if that, you know, so it slices through rather than push through.
SW: Last question: What are your reasons why it’s worth it to switch to the Expert this year?
Jenkins: I was shocked at the price difference between the Summit X and the Summit X with Expert. You get all this stuff that the Expert comes with, plus the new lower 4.7-inch handlebar riser and the machined lower grip profile handlebars and the new mountain strap. There’s so many things that change this sled in a big way. In my opinion, the Expert can’t be compared to a Summit X or SP. It’s a sled in it’s own league. Keep in mind when you’re looking at the Expert, you need to realize that it’s going to perform quite a bit different than a Summit X, and it’s targeted for an expert rider. This is a cool sled.
Kuster: I think the Expert is the sharpest knife in the drawer. It’s the spiciest jar of salsa that Ski-Doo has ever built, you know what I mean? A beginner could still get on the Expert, but it’s definitely a livelier sled to ride. It’s very instantaneous for handling. If you lean one way or ask it to do something, it does it immediately. It will turn around on it’s rear idler wheels and go right back the way you came in. It’s super fun to ride. It’s an exciting ride. The Summit is a nice, predictable ride, whereas the Expert is like riding a bolt of lightning.