more cats in the mountains

[hansenmac]

I've been riding for ten years, and the first few years it was mostly M's then when the pro came out you didnt see anything besides them for quite awhile. Seems like since the 18's came out there is getting to be alot more cats on the mountains and ive noticed in sled videos that there are more people riding them also. how many on here have switched to cat recently and does anyone know the sales numbers in the west for the last few years.

 

[BlueDevil]

Cat is lagging for sure but I think the more people that ride them like them.

 

[Deezy]

I really like my 18 Cat and it is hands down better than the 12 Pro I previously owned. Up here in AK, I would say it’s at least 30:1 Polaris and Doo to Cat for new mountain sleds. Really hope they come up with something interesting for 22 in the mountain segment for the sake of Cat and the industry.

 

[DSDRacing]

I snow checked an alpha the first year they came out. Literally the only thing I like on that sled was the power and sound. Past that, I sold it the next week and replaced it with an 800.

Out here in Idaho I’d say it’s 70% polaris, 25% doo, and 5% cat. Maybe it’s just my affinity for polaris but I don’t feel like I see any cats off trail.


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[CB.8]

I snow checked an alpha the first year they came out. Literally the only thing I like on that sled was the power and sound. Past that, I sold it the next week and replaced it with an 800.

Out here in Idaho I’d say it’s 70% polaris, 25% doo, and 5% cat. Maybe it’s just my affinity for polaris but I don’t feel like I see any cats off trail.


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You probably haven’t made it off the trail far enough to find the cats. In all seriousness in our area cats are making a serious come back.

 

[skidawg]

Been a doo rider most of my life and never dreamed about owning a cat. Rented a alpha a few years back and liked it so much, that I spring ordered a 19 and I still have it. It took a while to get used to, but I do believe that it's a solid sled. The track and motor I feel, are it's strong points. I did put a silber turbo on it to keep up with my 21 summit expert turbo. What's funny, is I always delete the t-motion on my doos, but like the cat monorail.

 

[kiliki]

I snow checked an alpha the first year they came out. Literally the only thing I like on that sled was the power and sound. Past that, I sold it the next week and replaced it with an 800.

Out here in Idaho I’d say it’s 70% polaris, 25% doo, and 5% cat. Maybe it’s just my affinity for polaris but I don’t feel like I see any cats off trail.


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ya riding a new platform in one day everybody knows what they like. and most order an 800 to start.

 

[hansenmac]

I am a cat guy but have ridden all brands and my riding partners are all polaris or skidoo. they've had pro's and now axys, and the skidoos have been newer 850's. my polaris friends have always "upgraded" there sleds with things cats have come standard with like fox floats or coolers up by the drive shaft or narrow A arms or a wrap so snow doesnt stick to the tunnel when the cats have powder coating, or stronger A arms that the cats come with. Not saying that cats are or have been perfect, but i think especially now they are better than they get credit for. I dont see where they lack anything that the others have and i think there are things they have that others dont.

 

[Vern]

It’s trendy to ride Polaris, I think that’s the biggest reason you see so many. Polaris has figured out how to market with social media better than any other brand. My group is split between cats and Polaris and nobody in the group will tell you that one brand will do anything the other won’t. Yet you get on social media and everyone’s an expert and their brand is the best whether they have ridden the others or not. Hell, I live in Utah and the other day on Facebook had some guy from the flatlands back east telling me what works and what doesn’t in the mountains. Including that “literally no one rides cat in the mountains” because they’re so horrible.

 

[BlueDevil]

Yep I agree. I will say that the ascender chassis is built to take a beating. I have ridin all colors and currently have a 18 Mtn Cat and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else but maybe alpha? And as far as I can see the flatland guys think a turboed axys is the only sled that works in the mountains. Lol

 

[Snorider]

I think there is a ton more cats in the mountains now. In the hay day of the M chassis there was a ton as well. especially BB M1k's . After riding an alpha several times I would love to own one. the fit and finish isnt all that great but solid sled. I've rode between cat, doo and poo my whole life. well and a Kawasaki drifter if going way back. lol

but for the moment I am more than happy on my doo.

 

[Suzzy-Q]

The thing that seems to frustrate me as a cat owner is the “low hanging fruit” that cat doesn’t seem to jump on for whatever bureaucratic excuse they have. And management decisions they made. When Troy Haulverson(spelled wrong I’m sure, and has since been replaced) was the mountain department manager he came from flat land sleds and he lost me when he made comments like “I’m learning about mountain riding and look forward to learning more about mountain sleds” this was a red flag not having a mountain man lead the exhibition over the mountains let’s say. Hence the flaws in 2012, 2014 version, should have been the first release and a lot of the bad hype never would have happened. And the changes were not astronomical but crucial to basic reliability/performance. “Low hanging fruit.” Yes there has been progression with the pro climb done of them really good. Team clutches, body panels, alpha, etc. But it took them 5years to change the crap skis, 5years to get clutches “right”, 6years for the anchor like hood witch still could be shaved down easily, still haven’t changed the running boards yet offer a great option in their own catalogue. I could go on but I’m sure you get the picture. Easy stuff to improve a good sled to make a great sled. And not wait half a decade to remedy

 

[Suzzy-Q]

but I bleed green, I still like the product, I have hopes for the future as the company has made big changes as we all know

 

[turboless terry]

I've had a 19 165 and 20 154 alpha. Funnest sled ever but 19 had quite a few little things go wrong. 20 has been flawless. I'm riding it one more year and then that's probably it for cat and i. I will probably put an alpha skid under a polaris. They are just better equipped. More power, better boards, better accessories, better fit and finish, easier to work on. You get electric start without having to settle for a trail seat and smaller, heavier tank. I put burandts tank on my wife's kaos and that thing is awesome. Oil off the clutch, lighter, narrower and seat height is perfect now. I also run grizzly gauntlets and they were made for the polaris. I have to bolt brackets on the cat, that suck, and i broke the grip in half from rolling it. I love the alpha rail and track and the fact there is less feedback, through the bars, when on edge but everything else is so far off compared to the others. They would really have to change to keep me for 22.

 

[Bengalfan]

Still don`t get why they have not changed the running boards. Buy a new sled and have to cut on it to fix an issue that has been complained about for years just does not make sense. Their ****ty boards have been around way too long.

 

[Bengalfan]

And where I live there are no Arctic Cat dealers around that sell snowmobiles for 130 miles compared to 3 for Ski Doo and 3 for Polaris both with a dealership right down the road from me, which is why we see more Polaris and Ski Doos in the mountains. Think Arctic Cat lags in their dealer support. But still love my 17 Mountain Cat after upgrades.

 

[hansenmac]

ive never had a problems with the boards lots of guys hate them, dunno if its just something to bitch about or what. polaris boards seam to ice up towards the rear because of the coolers being in the tunnel.

 

[Old & slow]

I don't have problems with my boards building snow either but in the right conditions it does happen. AC has the boards in the accessories catalogue, put them on the machines along with the rear bumper. Fix the snow flap and air box issues. Really the BDX filter is all it would take that, it should be added during manufacturing. They just don't address the details to improve the mountain sleds like the other manufactures do. Hopefully they have a new chassis for next year and the little things are fixed. I am not bashing AC here I bleed Green but they need to step up their game in order to stay competitive.

 

[Suzzy-Q]

ive never had a problems with the boards lots of guys hate them, dunno if its just something to bitch about or what. polaris boards seam to ice up towards the rear because of the coolers being in the tunnel.

The boards are more then just about snow removal. It adds rigidity to the chassis witch I like the feel of. Strength is also a positive, the stock ones either bend or tear or both, can also be punctured by trees.

 

[turboless terry]

I know all about punctures. I was about to have a melt down on my 19 alpha. Shook the bejesus out of it and couldn't figure out why it was stuck. There a 2 or 3 inch piece of wood through my running boards. Pretty thin stuff.