Too Much?
Most snowmobilers can tend to be a little selfish… What do I mean? We always want the best of the best gear and snowmobiles for ourselves! If you are like me, you are regularly upgrading your personal sled every few years and if you have other family members who ride, they tend to get the hand-me-down stuff. Last season, our family did the unthinkable! Instead of buying me a new sled and then shuffling my used 2013 Ski-doo 154” Summit 800 to my wife Edythe, we bought her a brand new 2015 Ski-doo Summit X 800 174” T-3 to ride when we all go out together. Most people’s reaction to this decision was, “Why the heck did you do that?” And then they go on to tell me that it is too big of a machine for her and she will never be able to handle such an impressive machine.

Let’s explore the benefits of this extremely long tracked snowmobile. When Ski-doo launched the 174” T3 it was and still is the longest and deepest lug track on a stock snowmobile from any manufacturer. Ski-doo wanted to be the king of the hill by offering a machine that had the most floatation and the most traction in the industry. What this technology offers is the ability to float, dig and ultimately go places that other machines are just not able to go.

Now consider some of the challenges and frustrations that a new snowmobiler is faced with: (that the T3 174″ will overcome)
• Getting Stuck
• Hill Climbing
• Keeping Momentum
• Deep Snow Sled Balance
• Side Hilling

With the incredible floatation and traction of the T3 174” Ski-doo Summit you can literally come to a complete stop in most snow conditions and not have to worry about getting it stuck like you would with most other snowmobiles. When climbing with the mighty 174, it has so much floatation, traction and overall length that climbing becomes much less challenging. The overall length of the 174” Summit helps keep the skis planted to the ground far more than any shorter Ski-doo summit. Another climbing advantage that the incredible traction and floatation gives you is the ability to climb at a much slower speed than most other sleds. As far as balance and side hilling with the 174” T3, the combination of the T-Motion, Flex Edge track and the narrow S36 RAS 2 front suspension make this sled a breeze to pull up on one ski and side hill with. The length and floatation of the 174” T3 allows you to side hill without the need to spin the track and carry as much momentum as a shorter 154” summit. You can also slow way down and stop on the hill to regroup and make sure that you are setting yourself up for the best line.

An analogy that I have shared with people when I am describing the difference between the 154” Summit 800 XM and the longer 174” Summit 800 XM is this… imaging that you need to swim across a small lake. Swimming without a life jacket can defiantly be done, but you will not be able to slow down and rest or take a break without sinking. When swimming the same lake with a life jacket, you can take your time and pick your path and stop and rest anytime you want to. With the life jacket you have complete and total control the entire time and you will not sink. The 174” T3 Summit makes riding in deep snow much easier than a shorter snowmobile and is like the life jacket analogy above!

Do you want to spend your riding day digging the sled out of the deep snow as you are learning the ropes or do you want to spend your day with a big smile on your face while you ride your new 174” Summit! This makes riding much more enjoyable for the whole family and allows Edythe to focus on improving her riding skills and confidence. She even lets me ride it once in a while too!

Sharing My Passion!
Jon Ferrian