Rear suspension system for a snowmobile

A snowmobile comprising:

• a chassis;
• at least one ski steerably secured to a front of the chassis;
• and
• a skid frame that includes one or more slide rails extending longitudinally, the one or more slide rails including a first slide rail and a second slide rail, rear idler wheels, upper idler wheels connected by an upper cross member, and a rear suspension, wherein the rear suspension comprises:
• a rear shock positioned between the first and second slide rails and connected to the upper cross member;
• a rear shock link;
• a rear cross member connected to the first and second slide rails;
• and
• a lower shock pivot member pivotally connected to the rear cross member, wherein the rear shock is connected to the lower shock pivot member at a location rearward of the pivotal connection to the rear cross member and the rear shock link is connected to the lower shock pivot member at a location forward of the pivotal connection to the rear cross member.