2013 Summit

I’m skeptical of the suspension and track. I think they are great concepts, but in the real world they won’t work out that great. Here is the issues I see.

#1. The suspension is actually going to make it harder to put into a side hill. Why, well here is something to think about. you would think that if you soften up your front suspension it will be easier to tip on it side, however it has the opposite effect. To soft and the ski stays flat and doesn’t come up on edge, requiring more effort to get the sled on its side into a correct side hill position. I think allowing the rear suspension to flex side to side is going to have a similar effect.

#2. My rear suspension takes a ton of abuse, having a part that is designed to give has me worried about longevity. Come down off a jump or drop at a slight angle and put too much pressure on the flexing point and bam, your done for the day.

#3. The track flexing I think is going to have a similar effect as the suspension so the combination of the two could double the effect making it that much harder to side hill on a steep incline.

#4. I am concerned that taking out some of the track reinforcement is going to hurt the durability of the track. I have hit several things with the track while sidehilling that could do some serious damage to a track and with that now a weak spot in the track could mean serious issues.

However even though I think these will be issues I also am interested to see how they work out. I’m more interested in the track than the suspension. I already know there are better suspensions out there than what the manufacturers are using that do an amazing job, such as the mountain tamer setup from timbersled. If the track can hold up to the abuse and actually perform like it is intended to, I would like to see other manufactures implement it. Mainly for the weight savings aspect, lighter track means easier to turn, higher track speed and less hp to turn. could be a win win if it actually works.

These are the things I see when looking at the sled for me. Just like the ProClimb this year. I think it is a great sled, but there is a better sled out there for my riding style. I think the improvements to the XP chassis will help the XP but when it comes to my type of riding those improvements aren’t going to help me out.