performance
to the edge.
Rosco gets wild on the new-to-North America Lynx Boondocker DS mountain sled.
Photo by Ryan Thompson
“it’s the best view” or “because we could”. That’s the same logic used by our RMK development team. It’s why for the past twenty+ years we’ve pushed mountain capability with the proven Rocky Mountain King formula of effortless control and unmatched deep snow performance. Because we could. We’re relentless because our riders are relentless. Logging miles on the mountain, hours in the gym and hunting for snow. Why? Because there are few things better than pulling the rope on a day with hood deep snow or climbing that ridge to end another day with a new batch of stories and a buddy to share them with.
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Steve Built
Steve Janes, SnoWest Magazine’s editor and a Vice President of Harris Publishing, retired this summer after an illustrious 40-year career with our company.
Know him or not, you’ve definitely felt his impact on the sport. Steve has test-ridden pretty much every snowmobile manufactured since 1980. And in those early years, there was no such thing as a mountain sled. There were just sleds that folks out West rode in the mountains.
KLIM is upgrading the Lochsa One-Piece, re-engineering the durable and breathable one-piece. The Idaho-based company is proud to improve this gear for more avalanche readiness, more comfort and more refined ventilation.
KLIM made waves in the mountain snow industry with the integrated and harnessed avalanche beacon pocket, first seen exclusively on the 2018 Lochsa. This pocket is marked with a special zipper and holds a fully-harnessed beacon pouch with an included tether. Now they’ve refined the placement and accessibility of this pocket for better compatibility with airbag backpacks and faster access during critical rescue scenarios.
Historically, the Lochsa has been the most durable and ventilated snowmobile one-piece in KLIMs entire product line. For this season, the total zippered vent length has been increased across the garment, and the vents have been relocated for more backpack-compatible placement.
The majority of functions handled by Japan’s Yamaha Motor Co., LTD. and its Research and Design Facility in Wisconsin will now be undertaken by Yamaha’s North American Snowmobile Division, offering further in-market calibration, maneuverability and efficiency.
Dan Adams and his wife Irina started Next Level in the fall of 2008 and have been teaching riders of all skill levels how to be more confident on the snow ever since.
“It takes an amazing team to run things around here,” says Dan, who is quick to deflect the spotlight off himself and toward the others around him. “My wife Irina keeps the entire business running smoothly while my crew of Jason Blair, Dylan Haapala and Austin Cossette help with clinics, sled builds and all the day-to-day stuff.”
What lengths are available this year?
The Lynx Boondocker DS comes in two track lengths for 2022: 3900 and 4100. The Boondocker DS 3900 has a track that is 3,912mm long. It’s the Ski-Doo 154 track. The Boondocker DS 4100 has a track that is 4,178mm long. It’s the Ski-Doo 165 track.
Why is there no turbo?
Simple. BRP developed the factory turbo on Ski-Doo models as an altitude-compensating system. In North America, it’s common for mountain riders to ride at elevations up to and over 10,000 feet. In Scandinavia where Lynx have been developed and primarily sold and ridden, the riding elevation is much, much lower. Sweden’s average elevation is 1,050 feet. Norway’s is 1,500 feet. Finland? 540 feet. A factory-turbo Lynx Boondocker DS just isn’t needed where the brand is based. However, now that the brand is going to be factoring in North America for its future, who knows what will happen.
With regards to other questions along the lines of “Why doesn’t the Lynx have this or that,” it’s important to note that this is a scaled approach to introduce the Lynx brand to North America. While there are several Lynx snowmobile models, only two are being offered in North America for 2022––the Lynx RAVE RE and Boondocker DS. A scaled approach means some now, more later. So expect to see a wider range of options and models in coming years.
These two models require very close observation to notice any subtleties that separate how they perform on the mountain. Although both deliver practically the same performance and ride, the Riot X design has a slightly higher emphasis on taming rough trails while the Hardcore design has a slightly higher emphasis on powering through deep snow.
When Polaris first introduced the Matryx platform on its trail models, you could see some unique characteristics that would certainly migrate to the mountain segment. It moved the rider position forward and made a more centered riding position which would translate into easier sidehilling and better balance control in terrain. It put the rider more in control and more active rather than reactive.
Have you played the psychological game where someone shows you a photo and you have to quickly say the first thing that pops into your mind? Well the editors of SnoWest took our first impressions of five significant features of the Lynx BoonDocker DS and the results were interesting.
Lynx is a Scandinavian snowmobile that has been imported to the North American market for the 2022 model season, although it was only made available via “spring only” orders. So you likely won’t see them saturating the backcountry any time soon. But you will start to see them … and for a very good reason: they are uniquely designed and will shine in certain kinds of western riding areas.
RIDER: Lyle Dahlgren
Location: Idaho/Montana border
Sled: 2022 850 Pro RMK Matryx Slash Patriot Boost 165
RIDER: Lyle Dahlgren
Location: Idaho/Montana border
Sled: 2022 850 Pro RMK Matryx Slash Patriot Boost 165
