Your thoughts on the new Arctic Cat Blast Mountain

[stahlecker]

I was wanting to hate the 200s when they came out. Then I got our small for his age 8 year old in the showroom with one and he picked up the sled front and rear that sold me on it. It’s pretty amazing what he has learned in his 2 years on the Scoot. He’s now getting frustrated about the limitations of the 200. So I thought awesome this blast is his next step. Then I started looking farther into it. Yes they lowered the price point by using big sled parts but they come at the price of weight. The front is still 36”. The fuel tank is 11+ gallons so I can’t see the seat being much narrower than a full size sled. I’m just not sold on a $9000 sled with 65hp that’s still going to be difficult for a 60lb 10 year old to ride. Then out grow in 2 more years. Maybe I’ll regret the decision but we’re going to pick up a 600 Alpha and see how that goes. Pretty sure I can get it lighter than this blast for not a lot of money.

 

[Shwinecat]

My son just turned 16 and unfortunately was ahead of the 200 and the blast. He was riding a 120 just after his 3rd birthday. I am so proud of Arctic cat for making machines for youth and smaller people. I hope for the snowmobiling world this blast stays in the market for at least 5 years so several thousand get made. We struggled trying to find a machine he was able to ride. To me the size of the motor was not the big issue, That is throttle and brake control. Speed is not a huge factory on a mountain sled.

My son’s first trip to the mountains he was 9 and weighed 60lbs. I had bought him 05 M6 141. He struggled terrible on the machine. Machine kept washing out on him so by end of trip he was riding my 09 M1000 at over 600 lbs which he rode 10 times better and could side hill on both side and seemed better for slow end throttle control because of low end power. I had it geared down to 55/65. I rode the M6 and cussed it terrible. Sold it the day we got back. We all ride the newer machines because they improve our abilities and make things easier so why would it not be the same for them.
I am super stoked to see how the youth do on these machines. I feel the demensions and size plays bigger role than anything with current sled technology.

 

[Reeb]

I agree. The cost is what pokes me in the side tho.
My daughter is 100lbs and 13yo. Last year I bought her a Switchback Assault 600 because I didn’t have a better alternative. I’ve narrowed the front end, valves it for her, put on new skis and softer torsion springs. It’s still too much sled for her. It’s too much sled for my wife who’s not not bigger in stature than our daughter. And my wife raced MX before we had kids.
Now weighing the cost of each machine, the Assault cost me maybe 6-700 more than a Blast would. I absolutely got a deal on a snow check Assault because of our relationship with the local Polaris shop(shoutout to Backus Racing in Mara Lake BC) and the Blast is at full retail regardless of my relationship with our Cat dealer. Add the shock upgrade I’d do, and I’m thousands more all of a sudden.
We are demoing a Blast in the coming weeks tho so that might change my tune and I might get one regardless. My wife loves her EXT 550 but she’s game to upgrade if she likes it.

As you can tell I’m totally on the fence here. If the sled gets the approval from my wife then I’m on board, if not, then I’m on the hunt for a M6 or Rev 600.


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[Bushwacker1]

We all ride the newer machines because they improve our abilities and make things easier so why would it not be the same for them.
I am super stoked to see how the youth do on these machines. I feel the demensions and size plays bigger role than anything with current sled technology.

Your statement is what the marketing departments need to here over and over again until they actually here it and then act upon it. New riders don't need world class high HP engines they need a sled that fits their body size and weight that they can control and not have the sled so cumbersome that it controls them. This industry has a long track record of offering the older technology to the lower priced sleds and we have all been told that the newest tech is so expensive that it can only be available on top of the line sleds. That may be true on some of the latest offerings (engine tech, high end shocks, instrumentation, and accessories) but entry level sleds have never been offered with those and a price point would never allow for them to be offered. To offer the lightest weight with improved suspension geometry that gives a new rider a leg up to learn is what they need to pull from the new tech bin. If R and D for a complete 3/4 size sled is not possible than using current available tech to get weight down is the only answer. New tech has always been developed for the most expensive sleds under budget numbers intended to get payback from those high end sleds. Why not reframe those lines of thinking and consider that if some of that newest tech was applied to an entry level sled there would be more parts built and sold to share that R and D cost. Once the R and D is done and tooling is made (for most parts) the cost of building a part would be the same if it is the older tech or the newer tech. I am not saying an entry level sled should have all the newest tech that comes on the top of the line sled but there is an opportunity to put some of that tech on the entry level sleds to be able to have a sled that fits the intended rider size and weight and share some of the R and D and tooling costs across more models. Polaris had that opportunity to do that with their Indy Evo but chose not to do so in 2020 and in my opinion fell short of building a true entry level mountain sled under 400 lbs. Now that cat has raised the bar with their new sled it will be interesting to see if Polaris is willing to pull some of those high tech light weight parts (that all the RD and tooling has long been paid for) off the shelf and put it on their EVO RMK to compete with AC. Now if Ski Doo will jump in with an entry level sled the gloves are off on who can offer the best entry level mountain sled possible.

 

[jakey-boy]

I was wanting to hate the 200s when they came out. Then I got our small for his age 8 year old in the showroom with one and he picked up the sled front and rear that sold me on it. It’s pretty amazing what he has learned in his 2 years on the Scoot. He’s now getting frustrated about the limitations of the 200. So I thought awesome this blast is his next step. Then I started looking farther into it. Yes they lowered the price point by using big sled parts but they come at the price of weight. The front is still 36”. The fuel tank is 11+ gallons so I can’t see the seat being much narrower than a full size sled. I’m just not sold on a $9000 sled with 65hp that’s still going to be difficult for a 60lb 10 year old to ride. Then out grow in 2 more years. Maybe I’ll regret the decision but we’re going to pick up a 600 Alpha and see how that goes. Pretty sure I can get it lighter than this blast for not a lot of money.

I think you are underestimating how much easier that sled with way less rotating mass will be to ride even tho the show room weights are not as different as one would hope. This is a huge part of why so many people struggle to side hill on the right side because those rotating clutches on the opposite side throw everything off.

However, I agree with you in that it would have been nice if they could have made them lighter, narrower, and got the cost down even more. Either way your kid will have a great time. It just may take them a little longer to get the technique and feel confident on the big sled especially if they are smaller in size. The 600 is for sure going to fit them longer tho just try to make him develop the right riding habits out of the gate as it is more difficult to break bad habits if he is compensating for an oversized sled than it is to just learn the techniques the first time.

 

[sno*jet]

I think they made this sled a little wider than the full mountain sled because they are damn tippy! unfortunately for some its a newbie ride, not a full mountain ride, but cool thing about it is you should be able to put the narrow front on pretty inexpensively, or try an aftermarket kit if ya want even narrower. maybe the barcode kit?
too bad the 600 is still a couple pounds more than the 8, its goofy, kids gonna hop on yours some day down the road and thats it, back down to the dealer you'll go $$

 

[tmills124]

I really want to try one of these for my wife. I got her to ride my alpha last weekend and shes just not strong or heavy enough to pull it over on edge. Being that shes only about 5' tall and 110 lbs. She was quite sore from even riding the trails all day. I think that the smaller platform would make it much easier to ride and she would be less sore. It would be nice too for the future kids to have something to ride as well. I'm interested to see the aftermarket pieces that become available to add horsepower and maneuverability

 

[AZ800]

Well, since these sleds are about 18 years late for my kids, (They started riding about 8 years ago and I'm too cheap to buy them anything newer than 10 years old = 18, lol) I don't have a horse in the race.
BUT, Cat has the best new midsize sled offering to date.
Think about it. 10 years ago, the only "small" real sleds were either old Yamahas basically or the then overpriced and still expensive Ski Doo Freeestyles. And the Freestyles weren't powder sleds unless you modded it to be one.
120s and then the jump to full size 550s were the only options.
After years of bitsching about it, Polaris finally came out with one last year (albeit, not a great offering, IMO due to the watered down suspension etc. a 550 Fan RMK in the Pro Chassis is actually a better choice in my mind, but not physically mid size).
Now Cat has the best contender.
Zippy liquid cooled, super simple 1 lung 2 stroke. Good looking suspension. Smaller than a full size sled. Not sure what else the market could ask for....other than I'd have trouble dropping 8 large on a beginner sled for my kid.
I hope they sell a pile of them and Poo puts a little brain power into their Evos (as a Indy 550, 144 track is a better overall setup than the Evo) and theres some competition in this market.
Maybe rental outfits will buy a bunch of these and that will help get more into the hands of consumers.
This is definite forward progress by the mfgs in an industry that seems like it's shrinking. This could help keep it going.

 

[Escmanaze]

Well, since these sleds are about 18 years late for my kids, (They started riding about 8 years ago and I'm too cheap to buy them anything newer than 10 years old = 18, lol) I don't have a horse in the race.
BUT, Cat has the best new midsize sled offering to date.
Think about it. 10 years ago, the only "small" real sleds were either old Yamahas basically or the then overpriced and still expensive Ski Doo Freeestyles. And the Freestyles weren't powder sleds unless you modded it to be one.
120s and then the jump to full size 550s were the only options.
After years of bitsching about it, Polaris finally came out with one last year (albeit, not a great offering, IMO due to the watered down suspension etc. a 550 Fan RMK in the Pro Chassis is actually a better choice in my mind, but not physically mid size).
Now Cat has the best contender.
Zippy liquid cooled, super simple 1 lung 2 stroke. Good looking suspension. Smaller than a full size sled. Not sure what else the market could ask for....other than I'd have trouble dropping 8 large on a beginner sled for my kid.
I hope they sell a pile of them and Poo puts a little brain power into their Evos (as a Indy 550, 144 track is a better overall setup than the Evo) and theres some competition in this market.
Maybe rental outfits will buy a bunch of these and that will help get more into the hands of consumers.
This is definite forward progress by the mfgs in an industry that seems like it's shrinking. This could help keep it going.

FWIW, I actually think the Freestyle 300 was a better offering than we have seen since. Not much power? sure. But 370 pounds is the magic number on that thing and the skinny ski stance just helps that much more. This 300 Freestyle has no aftermarket mods except a 1.5" paddle track put on it. And it's still doing great through a half decent amount of fresh snow as well as being light and skinny enough for the 10 year old to be able to fairly easily powder turn and sidehill on it.



And don't forget - there are actually very few parts on this new Cat that are actually any smaller than a full size sled. For crying out loud, the ski stance is actually wider than the adult mountain sled. And it's still quite likely to actually come in heavier than my RMK800. ?‍?‍?‍?‍

 

[rkm]

I havent ridden one yet, but I was told the reason for the wide stance on the M Blast is cause it was so tippy otherwise. Combination of single cylinder, counter balancer, and alpha skid made it want to fall over on itself.

 

[sno*jet]

To me it looks like the freestyle 300 is def. more for younger kids. That 10 year old (85 pounds?) is doing great but you see when it points uphill a couple times on the sidehills it runs out of poop fast. Rob K. looks like a pretty big dude and I doubt he rides lower than 6000 feet and he was climbing stuff a bit in his vid.
wait till someone puts out a turbo kit, like thats even realistic on a evo carb 550 fan...

 

[Dam Dave]

Why are we discussing a kids sled in the Ascender section? it certainly isn't a ascender chassis, we have a youth sled section

 

[Badv2]

Has the same bulkhead I believe

 

[Escmanaze]

Why are we discussing a kids sled in the Ascender section? it certainly isn't a ascender chassis, we have a youth sled section

Well, that's kind of the funny part...and the sad part really. As far as I can tell right now, it seems to have far more parts in common with the full size sleds than it does have parts that are different. From everything I can tell, it appears that they took a full size sled on the ascender chassis, or at least the same bulkhead as @Badv2 mentions, and they changed a couple little things here and there to make it appear like it's a small sled and then they told us all it's a small sled...even though...really...it's not.

 

[madmax]

IMO, for a kids mountain sled, this thing needed a 34” front end, pull start (No e-start) and a 2.25 lug alpha 3.5 pitch track. Would have been sub 400lbs and an incredibly fun starter sled. I know some adults that have riden this sled and really liked it for what it is. If any of you have seen the video of what Burandt had to do to the Polaris Evo to make it a decent mountain sled, the blast pretty much already has it. It’s a great start in the right direction. Just have to remember, it’s not an adult mountain sled. It’s made for a smaller 80- 100 lb rider. The

 

[sno*jet]

wait where do they say kids/youth/small sled? I thought they called it mid-size. theres a utility version also. hoods are smaller at least. maybe the seat too? ES seat on the alpha is a couch

 

[madmax]

I guess we assume any mid sized sled with 65hp isn’t for an adult. Just like not many male adults will ride a ktm 150. They put their girlfriend or kid on it.

 

[bkm20x]

ArcticInsider - Right Sized Ride Review – iRide the Blast ZR and LT

 

[BeartoothBaron]

The Blast looks more capable than I expected, judging by the video. But I have to side with those who find it a little disappointing. Same goes for the EVO RMK. I understand the argument that it's too expensive to build a whole new chassis, and it would be a hard fight to get the accountants at any company to pony up for it, but I believe it could be profitable. Using a lot of components designed for a full-size, full power sled, like the Blast and EVO do, means you're stuck with certain dimensions and excess weight. It might be better for small riders, but it's nowhere near what a clean sheet design could be. Consider that if you took a used Pro-RMK 600 and changed around the seat and bars for a smaller rider, you'd have a sled that's about the same weight as the Blast or EVO RMK, probably won't be much harder to ride, is much more capable, and at the same price. I'm not sure why anyone willing to do that work would buy the Blast or EVO. I'd say Cat has ventured more and has a better lineup, but if Doo were to come out with a new sled a la Freestyle, the Blast and EVO would be history.

You pretty much defeat your purpose here when you decide to use a full-size chassis design and/or raid the parts bin. The only exception I'd make to that is that you could use one motor and clutch/drivetrain across the line (Polaris did ok selecting a fan twin, but the 550 is ooooold!). I don't see any reason why 350lb wouldn't be easy with a 3/4-ish scale, single-cylinder, and 370 with a fan twin. The Freestyle is in the right vein, and the segment is so neglected that they hold a lot of value. Obviously I have no hard numbers on the market – for all I know sleds like the Freestyle and Indy Lite did nothing but lose money. Still, the best way to bring new people in is to lower the price point while not killing the fun. Obviously Cat and Poo are trying, but they're doing it mostly with existing parts, and the result is kind of weak. The other path is to sink some major R&D costs and hope the market comes to you. I'm not just talking about making a pure "kid's sled," but a small/lighter chassis designed to scale around a smaller rider (tween to adult) and modest power and track (<100HP, ≤144, roughly). I can't ignore that it's risky, but done right, it would own the segment and grow it to some degree. Do it well enough, and even some "hardcore" riders might buy one for a changeup.

 

[boondocker97]

So for the guys that are saying this thing should be a 350lb clean sheet design, would you be willing to pay $13k for it? I doubt it.