Although the turbo has captured the interest of mountain snowmobilers, when it comes to the battle for supremacy in the 154/155 track lengths on the mountain there are 15 specific non-turbo models, including three 600cc class sleds, which offer performance, comfort and value.

Any one of these sleds are capable of taking you into the steep and deep. Some may lack the best suspension, lightest components or creature comforts as the more expensive sleds. But don’t be fooled. They are all mountain sleds with mountain tracks, mountain design and mountain experience. They are built to fit your specific needs and priced to accommodate your specific budgets.

Comparing the Polaris Khaos Slash Patriot Boost with the Polaris Khaos Slash 9R is basically the same thing. You got ultimate knockout power matched up against strong bottom-end torque and performance. Both will get you where you want to go. But if you have an approach that allows the turbo to spool up, raw horsepower and track speed will carry you much farther up the slope.

However, if you’re working your way through technical terrain where you are reliant on the bottom end to shoot you from one slope angle to the next as you navigate through the trees and twisted terrain, the lighter 9R is much easier to throw around and much quicker to respond.

Since we’re focusing on the naturally-aspirated engines and 154/155 tracks as we compare the 9R with the Expert, we need to look at the other factors which balance price and performance.

The Expert is built on the REV Gen5 deep snow platform with the Rotax 850 E-TEC engine. It is lightweight and has a narrow design for technical riding. For 2024 the Expert features the tMotion XT rear suspension with a rigid rear arm for a more predictable ride in technical terrain. It also has Ski-Doo’s PowderMax X-Light track which features full-width rods to make the edges stiffer to match the rigid suspension. It comes with Shot starter—a lightweight ultracapacitor to turn the magneto to start the engine with the push of a button. You only need to pull the rope once to initially start the sled. Shot will do the work the rest of the day.