Snowmobile Products | Christopher Whiting's Blog

SPLIT RAIL – Dual Axis Snowmobile Skis

October 9, 2010 chriswhitingsblog 1 comment

Unveiled to the public at haydays on Sept 11, 2010 in North Branch MN, the split rail ski is new to the snowmobile market this year. With the Split Rail Ski being marketed at many of this falls major snowmobile and power sports expo’s by two sons of the inventor and recently featured in the March 2011 SuperTrax Magazine this ski is sure to have the guys talking in the shop, bragging on the trail and gloating around the dinner table; that is if you can get your hands on a set. Three years of testing have gone into these skis and they claim they will hold up to the abuse that hardcore sledders tend to put their sleds through.

What the Media has to say.

In a letter to Rob Wrightman, the president of the Split Rail Ski Mark Lester, the Publisher of Supertrax International Magazine wrote: “To say [the ski] is unique is a huge understatement. Based on looks alone the ski is literally dripping with appeal and bonafide sizzle.”, “you’ve got something here which will improve and further both handling and control on most modern snowmobiles.” and “It’s got great potential to re-write the rules and carve out a new identity for itself in the snowmobile industry.”

How do they Perform

Where to get them

Manufactured in Canada, home to the birthplace of snowmobiling, the only way to purchase a set for yourself is to contact Split Rail Ski directly. If you made up your mind and you’ve decided these are a ‘must have’ item for this snowmobile season, Split Rail can be contacted at:

Sales & Product Testing
1-888-771-9872
1-705-645-9872
Box 191
Bracebridge, ON
P1L1T6
markw@splitrailski.com
http://www.splitrailski.com

What do I think

With an emphatic thumbs up from the president of Snowtrax Magazine and the Split Rail Ski claims to “eliminate darting” with the catch phrase “‘It’s like Riding on Rails ‘ No longer just a Figure of Speech… … It’s a Reality” it’s difficult not to buy into the promise of a better handling ride however, the near $800 price tag may be a bit limiting to the masses though. I would love to get a set of these on my sled for a season and tell you hands down you’ve got to get a pair. But, unfortunately for Split Rail Ski my sled is only a year old so I don’t have a need for a new set of skis. If for some reason I damaged a ski however I would definitely be replacing it with the Split Rail Ski. My guess is the manufacturing costs are comparable to existing skis and, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the big four snowmobile manufacturers would be interested in purchasing either the patent or manufacturing rights. Maybe we’ll see these or something similar on future factory production sleds. The Split Rail Ski is eye candy for your snowmobile that not only looks good but claims to perform as good as they look.

While at the Big East Powersports Show in Syracuse, NY I spoke with the Split Rail Ski folks and inquired about the possibility of demoing the product. There are many places around the country where the big four manufacturers( Arctic Cat, Polaris, Skidoo and Yamaha ) provide demo rides. I always attend the Snodeo at Colebrook, NH. Maybe next year Split Rail Ski will attend and provide demo sleds so interested would be buyers can ‘kick the tires’.

If you get a chance to ride a sled with Split Rail Skis or if you’ve purchased a pair, I’d be really interested to hear about your experience and get your opinions.