For the 2026 model year, Ski-Doo is introducing significant upgrades to its Summit X, specifically the Expert Edition. The main design focus of the Summit X 2026 with Expert package is to make it the sled of choice for the rider who wants to push the limits on the mountain. A serious mountain rider needs a sled that’s very powerful, while being precise, predictable and inspiring confidence. Ski-Doo’s modifications and enhancements of the 2026 Summit X with Expert Package were focused and particularly aimed at enhancing their most serious backcountry mountain beast, the Summit X with Expert Package. Let’s take an in-depth look at all the modifications and enhancements that add up to a much better handling Summit X with Expert package.
Weight Reduction: Lighter and More Agile
The Summit X with Expert package for model year 2026 has a six-pound reduction in weight for the 154′ length and an eight-pound reduction for the 165″. Weight reduction is always welcome in the world of mountain riding. As riders, we all know that. But hold on, folks, there’s much more going on with this sled than just weight savings. What completely overshadows this, in my option, is how much Ski-Doo has improved the handling and performance of the 2026 Summit X with Expert package. So, first, let’s look at what changes Ski-Doo made to reduce weight. Second, but more importantly, I’ll tell you what they did to improve the performance and handling of their most extreme big mountain performance snowmobile.
Twin Link Steering System: Precision and Control
The new Twin Link system may sound simple, but it’s anything but that. It has improved handling and performance of the 2026 Summit X with Expert package in a major way. Here’s a breakdown of the engineering behind the Twin Link Steering System and what makes it handle so well.
The new Twin Link System reduces and virtually eliminates any free play in the steering system. This gives the rider maximum precision and predictability with the machine. This was accomplished by a redesigned Twin Link System, hence the new name. With this new design, it also has tighter tolerances to the linkage and tie rods in the steering system. By removing the free play, it gives the rider a smooth and connected feel to the skis, causing the sled to be much more precise and predictable. The Twin Link Steering system is only available with the Expert Package in the 2026 model.
Major Handling Improvements With Twin Link System
The Twin Link system also reduces bump steer by allowing the ski and suspension to track straight while side hilling or cutting across old tracks, ruts and bumps. Bump steer happens when the ski opens up or slightly twists under compression and doesn’t track in a straight line. This causes the sled to move around with less predictability. With the new front suspension design, Ski-Doo reduces bump steer by 52%. Yes, you read that right. 52 % is a big number, and it’s very noticeable while riding. Indeed, the Twin Link system worked surprising well while having the sled in various “bump-steer-friendly” conditions.
I figured the new design would be an improvement to the Expert package, but I didn’t expect it to have as much of an effect on the handling and performance of the machine as it did. The performance enhancement to the ride quality was massive and quite possibly my favourite benefit of all the changes in Ski-Doo’s mountain line up for 2026.
30% More Steering Angle
Another major enhancement of the Twin Link steering system is the additional steering angle. Indeed, the new design allows for the skis and handlebars to be turned further, adding 30% to the ski angle. This is a huge improvement, in my opinion. It allows the rider to turn the skis and handlebars more aggressively on a steep side hill, giving the rider benefits in two ways.
First, the sled naturally wants to tip into the hill more on its own because of a sharper ski angle. And second, the rider now has the handlebars turned further and more parallel to the hillside and sled. This gives better geometry to pull the sled towards the hillside or push it away if it comes over too far. It simply adds more steering range and offers a better position to control the sled.
32″ Front Ski Stance: Better Balance and Control
Ski-Doo has done it again. The 2026 Summit X with the Expert Package now offers a narrower front ski stance. The Expert package goes from a 34″ adjustable to a 32″ non-adjustable ski stance. The narrow 32″ stance handles so well, I’m not sure why a rider would adjust it anyway. So, having a non-adjustable ski stance doesn’t seem like an issue from my perspective.
For a Better Balance
Narrowing the ski stance adjusts the balance point towards the centre of the snowmobile or the rider. What this means is that the rider doesn’t have to tip the sled as far over on edge to get the snowmobile to balance. While this sounds like a simple or small thing, it’s actually a very big deal for a mountain rider. In effect, since our sleds are going from side to side constantly, this modification saves rider input and energy with every turn.
For Better Control
The other area where this is very noticeably better at performing is in very steep sidehills. The rider now doesn’t need to force the sled into the side of the hill to maintain the balance point and not lose the sled downhill. Not having to tip the sled as far to maintain the balance point allows the rider to stay in a more neutral position, thus allowing for quicker input to the sled. This provides better control because of body positioning.
Being able to tip the sled less and maintain the balance point also allows the machine to have much more traction in a sidehill, which is very important for the performance of the machine. We prefer when the sled is in a flat position because that’s where it has maximum traction. For example, on a 45-degree slope, the track has 13% more surface contact with the slope. This gives the sled more traction, reducing track washout and improving performance. I found a couple very steep sidehills and will say the better balance point and increase traction was noticeably better. Now, with the 32″ ski stance, the Expert Package will have more traction on steep side slopes, a welcome enhancement for all mountain riders.
Is the New 32″ Front Ski Stance too Tippy?
Before I rode the new design with the 32″ ski stance, I was anticipating a very tippy sled that would be darting around off trail and would be easy to override. This was not the case at all. I found the combination of the narrower 32″ ski stance, the Twin Link steering system, and new front-end geometry to all complement each other very well and be a very nice balance between being stable and controllable both on and off the trail. While riding down the trail, or in certain off trail areas, a rider wants some stability in the machine to keep it from darting around or feeling tippy. In these conditions the sled felt stable. But when riding in the backcountry, a rider also wants the sled to be nimble and quick to react, while still maintaining balance and control. It’s not easy to have a nice blend of stability, nimbleness and quick response, while still maintaining a controllable and predictable sled. Ski-Doo did an exceptional job engineering the 2026 Summit X with Expert package to do just that.
Shock Modifications and Shorter A-Arms for Improved Handling
Modifications and geometry changes were made to the front end of the sled to maximize performance in a 32″ ski stance. The A-arms were made shorter while still maintaining enough space for the high-performing reservoir shocks on the Expert package. The reservoir shocks on the front suspension have also been redesigned. The engineers put the reservoir higher, so the shock assembly properly fits the new front suspension geometry. During the redesign, engineers also reduced weight by half a pound on the front shock set. The ski spindle also boasts a new design that is 8 mm taller than the previous design.
Shorter Heat Exchanger System for Weight Reduction
Next, the heat exchanger system has also been modified. It’s now shorter and doesn’t go back as far on the tunnel. The use of less material also removes 2 lb of coolant from that machine. Having a shorter heat exchanger reduces the heat in the tunnel, causing less buildup of snow and ice. On top of saving weight, it also improves the overall performance of the sled. Ski-Doo engineers claim that the cooling capacity, while being reduced, is better than previous models. I can attest that, during the day of testing, the sled stayed cool and performed properly on and off the trail.
New Air Box Materials
Ski-Doo has also modified the air box materials, shaving 1 lb off the naturally aspirated sleds. The air box material modification is only available for these sleds, not the turbo models.
Overall Thoughts of Performance About the 2026 Summit X with Expert Package
During testing, the terrain we were riding in was not the most aggressive technical terrain for properly testing a sled as capable as the 2026 Summit X with Expert package. However, I was able to hunt and find a few technical sections that allowed me to truly test the performance of this machine. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised at all the changes that Ski-Doo made for the 2026 model. At a glance, it doesn’t look much different than last year’s Expert package. But I can assure you that how it handles and performs is a big improvement.
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