Arctic Cat M 8000 Alpha One Named 2019 Snow Goer Snowmobile Of The Year

For its truly innovative, single-rail rear suspension and the results the machine that wears it creates in deep-snow mountain riding conditions, the Arctic Cat M 8000 Mountain Cat Alpha One 165 has been named the 2019 Snow Goer Snowmobile of the Year.

The much-coveted award annually recognizes the most innovative, forward-thinking designs and machines in the snowmobile industry, along with the Top 10 Snowmobiles of 2019.

To see further analysis of these and other machines, plus aftermarket product reviews, interesting feature stories, informative how-to articles, vintage snowmobile profiles, riding destinations stories and much more, click here to subscribe to Snow Goer magazine.

The M 8000 Alpha One is the 29th sled to be honored by Snow Goer‘s annual award. Click through to see a complete list of past Snow Goer Snowmobile of the Year honorees.  

Snow Goer Snowmobile Of The Year

2019 Arctic Cat M 8000 Mountain Cat Alpha One 165

Though from its origination, the Snow Goer Snowmobile of the Year award has always been about product innovation, fresh thinking and the challenging of industry norms, some years the vehicle that is honored – based on what else is new that year – merely features a tweak on existing designs, or a half-step forward in one direction or another.

Clearly, the winner for 2019 does not fit into that category – at all!

The Arctic Cat M 8000 Alpha One snowmobile and, most specifically, its rear suspension is about as game-changing as it gets. The crafty mountain crew at Cat didn’t just tamper with geometry, add or subtract a few inches in length or width, or throw more horsepower at the challenge of supreme backcountry domination. Instead, they blew up popular conventions and developed the first single-rail rear snowmobile suspension in the last 40-plus, and the only one that was specifically designed with deep-snow mountain riding in mind.

Arctic Cat M 8000 Mountain Cat Alpha One 165
The 2019 Snow Goer Snowmobile of the Year: Arctic Cat M 8000 Mountain Cat Alpha One 165

The concept of the Alpha One suspension dates back almost a decade, and Arctic Cat designers first had working, hand-built prototypes of a single-rail design (about which the engineers didn’t even tell the top brass at Arctic Cat at first, by the way) way back in 2012, with patent paperwork filed in 2015. It wasn’t until model year 2019, though, that Cat finalized the right combination of geometry, exotic materials and condition-specific track design to launch it into the world.

It was worth the wait! The end result is a rear suspension design targeted specifically at the deepest of deep-snow conditions, and that’s where it truly shines – with great traction and a new level of agility.

Rest assured, the Alpha One is not a gimmick or gadget, a one-off creation or a rapidly passing fad. It is an engineering masterpiece that will push other factories to answer with their own revolutionary designs. That is what makes the Arctic Cat M 8000 Alpha One 164 an ideal recipient of the Snow Goer Snowmobile Of The Year Award for 2019.    

8 thoughts on “Arctic Cat M 8000 Alpha One Named 2019 Snow Goer Snowmobile Of The Year

  • Avatar for Wayne Anderson

    Wish they would make snowmobiles look like snowmobiles they look like a jet ski with a lot of wasted space behind the driver. There just plastic and circuit boards. If it breaks down on the trail your screwed like your gonna hook a scanner up to it in the middle of nowhere and order it online.???? The older sleds you can fix on the trail most.of the time!!! Wayne.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Tyler

      You must own a Polaris

      Reply
  • Avatar for Adam

    It’s 2018 man, snowmobiles, like every other modern vehicle out there, are going to have more advanced electronics and expensive use of plastics. My Arctic Cat Firecat (which isn’t new anymore by any means) as well as our Polaris Dragon both have electronic fuel injection, haven’t had an issue with them in many thousands of miles on either one. They are more reliable then the older Cat ZRs we had in the fleet.

    The ergonomics, which include the jet ski style seats, make the newer machines much more comfortable and put the rider in a better position to go over rough trail.

    The one negative with newer machines is the ease of access to some underhood components. The Polaris IQs were probably the last modern machines with a traditional opening hood and very good access to just about all underhood areas.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Steve

    A long time ago someone wrapped rubber around a wooden wheel and put air in it. Thanks goodness. Technology is a good thing. We don’t hang out on the side of the trail working on our sleds anymore. We are not messing with jetting and clutching and tuning as we climb elevation. We just pull the rope and ride. With the help of technology and these ugly jet skis, we are seeing country you will never dream of with your snowmobile that looks like a snowmobile.
    Let go of the wooden wheel.

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  • Avatar for KEVIN

    Will they change their mind when they see all the broken rails and Arctic cat not standing behind a failed design?

    Reply
    • Avatar for CJ

      Please show us links to all these broken rails. Only one I’ve seen is some clown who did an X-Games style jump with it and landed on a stump.

      Reply
    • Avatar for Todd L Scholze

      Its not a failed design. Its revolutionary! Most of all it works. Polaris and skidoo riders are switching by the thousands. I’ve only heard of one that broke and that’s because he hit something. That post on facebook has since been deleted too! Twin rail suspension would have broken also. I’ve heard of many guys breaking their twin rail sleds. Ever hear of company called Ice Age Rails? They make after market rails for twin rail sleds…. because they break too.

      Reply

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