Cody
Expert
Yellowknife said:
Yellowknife
TY 4 Stroke Master
Well, as i type this sentence, technically it is still Saturday, at least in my time zone, with only 10 minutes to spare.
I've spent a total of 35 hours and counting importing real time footage, screening multiple helmet camera files and viewing almost 300 photo's, over and over again. So many things to try to include without leaving anything significant out. So here it begins!
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke, British Columbia!
On Saturday, January 24th myself and Nate flew down to Edmonton to meet Ray. I was so looking forward to this trip for a selfish reason. Nate and I were renting sleds (2009 Summit Everest 153" 800R's) but Ray was going to be riding his 2008 FX Nytro MTX. He had been using it for half the season, taking it through a handful of weekend mountain trips, and he was growing more frustrated by the day. This was my chance to not only see the MTX in action in the mountains first hand, but it was also my chance to get some video of it all because I had learned for a fact that the MTX can not compete in the mountains in stock form. It is too heavy, underpowered, and disabled by its track. The MTX holds up for what I do with it on flat land in deep snow, but it can not handle the type of riding we were about to do.
As I was on my way to Ray's house, he spilled the beans. We were going to go meet a guy who was interested in buying the MTX. Of coarse, I knew right away that the bonehead had purchased a 2009 Arctic Cat M8, and my dreams of video of the MTX dieing on the hills were gone. Ray also wasn't about to risk the performance of his machine or riding ability with me loaded with camera equipment following him around all day.
Myself, Nate and Ray sold the Nytro that afternoon and headed to Calgary to Brandon's for the night. Sunday morning we were up early and on our way to Revelstoke, trailering a 2009 Polaris RMK Assault 800 and a 2009 Arctic Cat Sno Pro M8.
We got into town Sunday afternoon with half the day to spare, so Nate and I rented sleds early picking up a couple of 2009 Summit Everest 600 E-TEC 146's. We spent the afternoon on them. They are a very nice sled. Granted I've always been of the opinion a day or a week on a unit doesn't make for a review like 1000 miles does, these E-TEC's didn't have any issues, however I did find mine to lack grunt vs. a 600 Carbed version, much like the magazines have said.
What was funny about the E-TEC's is that they sound just like a 4 stroke at idle. Quiet, consistant RPM and low end rumble. As soon as you hit the throttle, they sound like 2 strokes again. I was experimenting with how little I could pull the starter rope out with the sled still firing. I could not get it to have a false start. It fired up every single time, first pull, even with the shortest pull, and these units had been used by various 'renters' since the beginning of winter so they weren't brand new anymore.
As for the handling of the 2009 Rev XP's, they are the same as the 2008's I rode last year in Revelstoke, with the exception of the seat, I liked the seats much better for 2009, they are more firm, but I think they are a little wider and I caught my boots on the side of the seat a couple of times going from running board to running board. Also, the front hood piece likes to fly off if you hit the ground hard enough on a landing. Seems I remember flagging that when I seen the first TNT hit the floor. I should also note that out of all the sleds I have driven in my life, the Summit XP's require the most effort to haul over onto their side and carve. It makes them a very stable and predictable sled in deep powder, but in marginal snow you have to really commit to your carve vs. the M8, the Assault, or the Nytro for that matter. And I will still stand by my word on the other hand that nothing turns over as easy on its side as the Phazer and Nytro. If only that front end could lose 100 pounds.
So the riding Sunday afternoon went great but the hills were tracked up with little to no powder. Things would change quickly in the days to come.
We spent our nights as part of an all-inclusive package at Glacier House Resort in Revelstoke at the base of the main riding terrain. The prices are expensive, but it was well worth it. We had a guide for each day of riding on Monday thru Thursday. All the meals were included, and it was a great experience. This hands down was the best snowmobile trip of my life.
Monday started with orientation, then riding. Tuesday through Thursday we rode each day 9am to 5pm. We averaged 100 km's of mileage per day and burned through all of our fuel in the process.
Monday's view...
Alex, the lodge owner/operator was our guide for the first 2 days...
Steve, whom we had last year on our trip, was our guide for the last 2 days...
I was equiped with a VIO Helmet Camera courtesy of ShadoFire...
The helmet camera was trial by fire. #1, I didn't spend enough time reading the manual, so I was at a disadvantage right off the top. First, this unit retails for prices exceeding $600, so for that price it better work well, and it didn't. The camera has an optional wireless remote that was unreliable. The front of the camera does not have a flush surface so snow accumulates and blocks the lens. The camera's recording unit is tough on batteries, even if they are kept warm, and it incorrectly tells you it is recording when in fact it may not be. This was due to disconnecting and reconnecting the cable to the lens. Power cycling the unit after this process was not enough to allow the unit to record. I found out the hard way that it wasn't recording even though it said it was. The only fix after disconnecting the cable was to pull the batteries and reinsert them. Of coarse, when an entire afternoon of riding footage is missing, you won't be too happy. Trial and error continue'd with the camera. It is certainly not worth its price, and there are many area's in need of improvement. I would not recommend this product, however it may be still the best option if you are looking for a single cable unit that features its own recording device.
Ray was as happy as a pig in stuff with his new sled...
I have no idea who this is, but the snow we encountered by day 3 was unlike anything i've ever experienced...
Can you see me coming down the hill in this shot?
Look really hard, i'm almost dead center, a little to the left.
Brandon was an absolute super star and by far our most impressive rider...
This guy puts his Assault through what it was designed to do, and he would know first hand its capabilities and weaknesses...
This trip was Nate's first time sleding in the mountains, and he had no trouble enjoying himself...
At days end, we were always exhausted, and into trouble...
At its deepest point, we had 4 feet of fresh snow...it was absolutely amazing...
And finally - to kick off your viewing experience, I have 2 versions of Part 1 of this video. The version I will post here is a "G" rated version per site guidelines. If you would like to see the unrated version which contains about 30 seconds of additional visual content, please email me at nalla12@hotmail.com with "UNRATED VERSION PLEASE" in the subject line, and I will reply with the link.
Here is Part One of one hell of a trip - enjoy!
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke B.C. Part One
Update: Here is Part Two;
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke B.C. Part Two
Update: Here is Part Three;
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke B.C. Part Three
Cheers,
YK
I've spent a total of 35 hours and counting importing real time footage, screening multiple helmet camera files and viewing almost 300 photo's, over and over again. So many things to try to include without leaving anything significant out. So here it begins!
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke, British Columbia!
On Saturday, January 24th myself and Nate flew down to Edmonton to meet Ray. I was so looking forward to this trip for a selfish reason. Nate and I were renting sleds (2009 Summit Everest 153" 800R's) but Ray was going to be riding his 2008 FX Nytro MTX. He had been using it for half the season, taking it through a handful of weekend mountain trips, and he was growing more frustrated by the day. This was my chance to not only see the MTX in action in the mountains first hand, but it was also my chance to get some video of it all because I had learned for a fact that the MTX can not compete in the mountains in stock form. It is too heavy, underpowered, and disabled by its track. The MTX holds up for what I do with it on flat land in deep snow, but it can not handle the type of riding we were about to do.
As I was on my way to Ray's house, he spilled the beans. We were going to go meet a guy who was interested in buying the MTX. Of coarse, I knew right away that the bonehead had purchased a 2009 Arctic Cat M8, and my dreams of video of the MTX dieing on the hills were gone. Ray also wasn't about to risk the performance of his machine or riding ability with me loaded with camera equipment following him around all day.
Myself, Nate and Ray sold the Nytro that afternoon and headed to Calgary to Brandon's for the night. Sunday morning we were up early and on our way to Revelstoke, trailering a 2009 Polaris RMK Assault 800 and a 2009 Arctic Cat Sno Pro M8.
We got into town Sunday afternoon with half the day to spare, so Nate and I rented sleds early picking up a couple of 2009 Summit Everest 600 E-TEC 146's. We spent the afternoon on them. They are a very nice sled. Granted I've always been of the opinion a day or a week on a unit doesn't make for a review like 1000 miles does, these E-TEC's didn't have any issues, however I did find mine to lack grunt vs. a 600 Carbed version, much like the magazines have said.
What was funny about the E-TEC's is that they sound just like a 4 stroke at idle. Quiet, consistant RPM and low end rumble. As soon as you hit the throttle, they sound like 2 strokes again. I was experimenting with how little I could pull the starter rope out with the sled still firing. I could not get it to have a false start. It fired up every single time, first pull, even with the shortest pull, and these units had been used by various 'renters' since the beginning of winter so they weren't brand new anymore.
As for the handling of the 2009 Rev XP's, they are the same as the 2008's I rode last year in Revelstoke, with the exception of the seat, I liked the seats much better for 2009, they are more firm, but I think they are a little wider and I caught my boots on the side of the seat a couple of times going from running board to running board. Also, the front hood piece likes to fly off if you hit the ground hard enough on a landing. Seems I remember flagging that when I seen the first TNT hit the floor. I should also note that out of all the sleds I have driven in my life, the Summit XP's require the most effort to haul over onto their side and carve. It makes them a very stable and predictable sled in deep powder, but in marginal snow you have to really commit to your carve vs. the M8, the Assault, or the Nytro for that matter. And I will still stand by my word on the other hand that nothing turns over as easy on its side as the Phazer and Nytro. If only that front end could lose 100 pounds.
So the riding Sunday afternoon went great but the hills were tracked up with little to no powder. Things would change quickly in the days to come.
We spent our nights as part of an all-inclusive package at Glacier House Resort in Revelstoke at the base of the main riding terrain. The prices are expensive, but it was well worth it. We had a guide for each day of riding on Monday thru Thursday. All the meals were included, and it was a great experience. This hands down was the best snowmobile trip of my life.
Monday started with orientation, then riding. Tuesday through Thursday we rode each day 9am to 5pm. We averaged 100 km's of mileage per day and burned through all of our fuel in the process.
Monday's view...
Alex, the lodge owner/operator was our guide for the first 2 days...
Steve, whom we had last year on our trip, was our guide for the last 2 days...
I was equiped with a VIO Helmet Camera courtesy of ShadoFire...
The helmet camera was trial by fire. #1, I didn't spend enough time reading the manual, so I was at a disadvantage right off the top. First, this unit retails for prices exceeding $600, so for that price it better work well, and it didn't. The camera has an optional wireless remote that was unreliable. The front of the camera does not have a flush surface so snow accumulates and blocks the lens. The camera's recording unit is tough on batteries, even if they are kept warm, and it incorrectly tells you it is recording when in fact it may not be. This was due to disconnecting and reconnecting the cable to the lens. Power cycling the unit after this process was not enough to allow the unit to record. I found out the hard way that it wasn't recording even though it said it was. The only fix after disconnecting the cable was to pull the batteries and reinsert them. Of coarse, when an entire afternoon of riding footage is missing, you won't be too happy. Trial and error continue'd with the camera. It is certainly not worth its price, and there are many area's in need of improvement. I would not recommend this product, however it may be still the best option if you are looking for a single cable unit that features its own recording device.
Ray was as happy as a pig in stuff with his new sled...
I have no idea who this is, but the snow we encountered by day 3 was unlike anything i've ever experienced...
Can you see me coming down the hill in this shot?
Look really hard, i'm almost dead center, a little to the left.
Brandon was an absolute super star and by far our most impressive rider...
This guy puts his Assault through what it was designed to do, and he would know first hand its capabilities and weaknesses...
This trip was Nate's first time sleding in the mountains, and he had no trouble enjoying himself...
At days end, we were always exhausted, and into trouble...
At its deepest point, we had 4 feet of fresh snow...it was absolutely amazing...
And finally - to kick off your viewing experience, I have 2 versions of Part 1 of this video. The version I will post here is a "G" rated version per site guidelines. If you would like to see the unrated version which contains about 30 seconds of additional visual content, please email me at nalla12@hotmail.com with "UNRATED VERSION PLEASE" in the subject line, and I will reply with the link.
Here is Part One of one hell of a trip - enjoy!
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke B.C. Part One
Update: Here is Part Two;
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke B.C. Part Two
Update: Here is Part Three;
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke B.C. Part Three
Cheers,
YK
Ported Hornet
Expert
YK thanks for sharing! Looking forward to the next report.
Yellowknife
TY 4 Stroke Master
Part 2 will be available on here Monday.
Cody
Expert
Excellent report and great video 
cant wait for the next ones! and how did u like them summits in the snow? iv only got to ride my dads 146" in like 1 foot of pow. And i love it 800R's KICK! But my tnt seems to be faster on the packed stuff.
cant wait for the next ones! and how did u like them summits in the snow? iv only got to ride my dads 146" in like 1 foot of pow. And i love it 800R's KICK! But my tnt seems to be faster on the packed stuff.
Yellowknife
TY 4 Stroke Master
Cody said:Excellent report and great video
I like the Summit. They perform well. I think the Assault is an excellent sled too, it could use a bit more track length. I also found the M8 not bad. Everyone is making a decent mountain sled for the deep stuff except for Yamaha. The weight and lack of power/proper track has been the hold-back for Yamaha thus far in stock form. Its too bad, because if that sled could get over the weight issue, it would be running with the rest of them for sure.
And as promised, and a little early, here is Revelstoke 2009 Part Two:
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke B.C. Part Two
Cheers,
YK
Cody
Expert
Yeah i totally agree with you, i think all Yamaha really needs to do is to create a new chassis that is a little lighter and was designed for the mountains. And they would have their mountain sled.
Does yamaha even change ski stance on their mountain sleds? compared to their trail sled/sport?
Anyways gonna watch the video now!
-Cody
Does yamaha even change ski stance on their mountain sleds? compared to their trail sled/sport?
Anyways gonna watch the video now!
-Cody
Cody
Expert
Just watched the video, another great report!
stopdropanroll
TY 4 Stroke Master
KICK A$$ man nice work!!!
Yellowknife
TY 4 Stroke Master
Cody said:
I like their chassis - see the thing is, you can lighten up the frame and components as much as you want, but if your motor is still too heavy, it won't make much of a difference, in fact handling and balance becomes a bigger issue because the focus point of heavy weight is the motor, and by lightening up the rest of the sled you affect balance. The longer tracks on these 4 strokes actually help balance them out because of their extra weight out back - this dates back to when I reviewed the Attak, and it needed a longer track to help balance out the weight of its front end. Unless Yamaha loses weight directly in the motor or right next to it, this issue will always be there.
Part 3 will be available Tuesday. It took me 15 hours to edit part 3. It is 17 minutes long, and well worth it. It is the final installment and the best yet.
Cody
Expert
True words Yellowknife, And looking forward to the next episode!
Yellowknife
TY 4 Stroke Master
I have to put out a huge thank you to those who contributed to these video's being made. Ray, Nate, Brandon, Steve, ShadoFire, and Glacier House Resort. You guys were awesome with the camera, supplied me with the stuff I needed, and I thank you for everything.
The final installment...here is Revelstoke 2009 Part Three:
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke B.C. Part Three
Cheers,
YK
The final installment...here is Revelstoke 2009 Part Three:
Sleding Weekend Number 13 & 14: Revelstoke B.C. Part Three
Cheers,
YK
stopdropanroll
TY 4 Stroke Master
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