It all comes down to personal preference, but here is mine. My first two snowbikes were 500 with wide ratio. Last build was an 450 so close ratio. I found the close ratio much better for everything except top speed trail riding. With this bike, I cruise at about 40 - 45mph to keep the rpms down on the wide open trail (will hit 55+ mph if I really want to). A 40 - 45mph cruising speed is plenty in the twisty section of trails and not a huge deal on the open sections of trail since I ride with a lot of sleds (they can go much faster but choose not to because 3" paddles don't like high-speed, hard trails and so they cruise around 40 - 50mph anyway).
For me, off trail I found the close ratio much MUCH better. No frustratingly huge gap between 2nd and 3rd gears like on the wide ratio. In any terrain including up the steeps, clicking down one gear takes a small bite and gets me back in the sweet spot of rpm range rather than bouncing off the rev limiter immediately like my two wide ratio bikes.
Also, on my two wide ratio bikes and the kit gearing, 1st gear was uselessly low and so was frustrating because I could not just tap-tap-tap all the way down and be in a useable gear; I either had to track what gear I was in to know how many downshifts got me to second or tap all the way down then one up to get to second. I have none of that with the close ratio. I was worried a close ratio 1st gear would be too tall for some things, but with my stock 2020 Yeti 129 kit, 1st is perfectly useable for loading in the trailer, burping out of stucks, and slow/tight tree riding (and I do not use a Rekluse; I'm factory clutch).
I was a bit concerned that moving to a close ratio would mean a lot more shifting, but that has not been the case. I found that the extra 2,000rpm ceiling of the 450 over the 500 allowed me to stay in a gear longer and so really no more shifting than my 500 close ratio bikes (that would be a different story comparing a 450 close to a 450 wide, but then, a 450 wide wouldn't hold/pull a given gear as long as a torquey 500).
I agree that ideally, I'd have a close ratio with a tall 5th from a wide ratio that some have done, but for me, really not a big enough deal to split the cases just for that even though I usually have a 8 - 12 miles trail ride in.
I have 20 - 30 minutes a day of trail riding total and with a tall 5th, that would still be 15 - 20minutes. That savings of 5 - 10 minutes a day isn't worth it to me because the rest of the day the close ratio is perfect in every way. Even if I could only go 35mph instead of my current 40-45mph, it would be worth it.
I'll never go back to a wide ratio snowbike again.
