Three years ago,when rumors began to spread on social medias about the Ski-Doo Summit 174, the Québec manufacturer was radically changing the mountain category with the introduction of the first mountain snowmobile with standard tunnel of 442 cm/174. For 2017, Polaris now introduces the PRO-RMK 174 LE designed as very deep snow snowmobile for fans of mountain models.
Also equipped with track studs of 7,6 cm/3 in, what differs here from the PRO-RMK edition is the revised rear suspension geometry for a perfect fit with a 442 cm/174 in tunnel. It also allows better weigth transfer, like when making wheelies. Also, the snowmobile is even more predictable during off-trail riding which allows you to get to very technical terrain without being scared of a sudden hit from the machine.
The Polaris PRO-RMK 174 LE
In short, with this adjustment, the Polaris PRO-RMK 174 LE is efficient in snow as a 442 cm/174 in snowmobile tunnel, but without letting the pilot feel such a length behind him.
So, is this snowmobile designed for Québec pilots? Like the Summit 174 : no. Will Québec snowmobilers buy it anyway? Without doubt. Personally, I do not think that this type of snowmobile is adapted to our snow conditions. It is rather designed for Western North American conditions where snow is really deep.
Photo taken at the MY2017 Snow Shoot
So, this year, Polaris introduces a very nice snowmobile designed for deep snow. It is extremely easy to handle and predictable, which makes it so enjoyable to pilot. The best example of this is Chris Burandt himself. We know that the best mountain pilot in the world always rides on 393,7 cm/155 in snowmobiles. Well, this year, for the first time, he seemed to say that he was thinking about piloting a 442 cm/174 in for the 2016-2017 season.
