Let ’ s face it : Snowmobiling is a cold weather sport , and often times the best riding conditions are found on particularly crisp days and nights , when the cloudless skies seemingly permit every bit of the earth ’ s heat to escape .

In those frigid conditions , the sleds run great due to all of the ambient oxygen , the trails get set up firmly to allow for particularly spirited rides , and those trails are often less crowded as the “ chickens ” stay home and fret about the “ feels like ” temperature being talked about on TV .

Dedicated sledheads gear up for the conditions and get out to enjoy what Mother Nature has provided . And that ’ s just what we did last season after adding a Cobra windshield from PowerMadd to our REV Gen5 Ski-Doos . You may have noticed that Ski-Doos was plural : We only had one Cobra Gen5 Mid ( 19-inch ) window , but we liked it enough that we moved it back-and-forth between two Ski-Doo demo models on various test days .

Frankly , installation was more cumbersome than expected . Considering how easy the stock windshields come on and off using Ski-Doo ’ s toolless design that utilizes press-fit rubber grommets , the process of installing the Cobra startled us . Once it was in place the first time , however , it all made more sense and it was very stable .

We started by removing the stock window and side flares . Next , we had to reposition some of the stock rubber grommets that came with our machine , and then used PowerMadd-provided well nuts and Torx-head screws to mount the new windshield in place . PowerMadd offers both written instructions and an installation video online to help guide folks through the process .

The first time we installed it , a couple of the well nuts spun within the grommets , but once we learned the right amount of pressure to apply , we got pretty good at it .

We first mounted the Cobra Gen5 Mid ( 19-inch ) windshield onto our 2024 Renegade Adrenaline demo and were surprised with how erect and how far ahead of the driver the windshield looked .

Cosmetically it looked very good , matching the lines on the snowmobile well . But from the cockpit , the windshield felt like it was about a mile ahead of the rider . “ Won ’ t the wind just wrap around this thing and get ya ’?” one of our riding buddies asked . We took it on an initial spin and no , there were no wrap-around breezes or turbulence , but it still seemed oddly far ahead of the driver .

Later in the winter , we installed that same windshield on our 2024 Renegade Backcountry X 850 E-TEC 146 before a trip out West , and one of the justifications for the distance between the rider and the window became clear .

That machine comes stock with Ski-Doo handguards . If we were to install a tall Ski-Doo factory windshield , we would have had to remove the handguards – it was an either / or proposition ( either a shorter windshield with

INFO

Cobra REV Gen5 Mid Windshield – $ 225 PowerMadd Wyoming , Minnesota Powermadd . com

PLENTY : Our test unit was a Cobra Gen5 Mid , but at 19 inches it was one of the tallest and more protective “ mid-height ” windshields we ’ ve ever seen .

CLEAR : Sight lines through the clear windshield were good , though it has a thick , black outer edge treatment that isn ’ t a part of Ski-Doo ’ s upgraded windshield designs .

STYLISH : Though it seemed distant from the cockpit , the Cobra looked very stylish on the two different sleds on which it was installed .

guards or a taller shield without ) because the handguards smack into the tall window in full-lock turns .

With PowerMadd ’ s more stand-up design ( for lack of better term ), we could have our cake and eat it to . Admittedly , handguards become less important with the tall screen , but they still look good and provide a bit more protection . PowerMadd officials say the added distance between the rider and windshield also benefits the most aggressive riders , giving them more forward room when crawling all over the machine or standing through moguls .

The PowerMadd Cobra windshield was made of sturdy optical-grade polycarbonate . It featured a high center section for maximum protection to the rider ’ s body . It then tapered at the sides before jutting out again in front of the hands .

Overall it worked well , looked good and was adaptable to our situations .

- John T . Prusak JANUARY 2025 / SNOWGOER . COM / 49