Last winter I got cozy with a 2018 Arctic Cat ZR 8000 Limited.

Smooth...refined...dialed-in...it is exactly what you'd expect from a machine that's seen continuous improvement and upgrades over the past six years.

Click for a reveiw.

This is on my bucket list for the coming winter.

The 2018 edition of Sno Baron's Hay Days extravaganza came in like a '03 Firecat and left like a 9000 turbo. And somewhere in the midst of the high speed whirlwind of horsepower, thousands of snowmobilers paused long enough to soak in a just a bit of the sport's biggest, loudest, rockingest, stinkiest, drinkingest, coolest, craziest and mostest event.

Here's just a sampling of what happened in the first three minutes of the weekend...

Enjoy 60 seconds of backcountry groove with the all-new M 6000 ALPHA ONE.

Want the hard facts, specs and story about it? Click HERE.

I'm telling you, the Annual Snowmobile Hall of Fame (SHOF) induction ceremony and Ride With The Champs (RWTC) weekend in St. Germain, Wis., is an incredible weekend of people, history, stories, riding, laughter and even a few tears.

The inductees for 2019 are: Dick Bahr, Team Goodwin, Jim Kedinger and Todd Wolff.

They along with dozens of past (and future) inductees, as well as a couple hundred fans of the sport, will make St. Germain the epicenter of snowmobile history Feb. 15-16, 2019.

Click to read a brief bio of each, as well as details about the upcoming event.

Arctic Cat unveiled the new 2019 ZR 6000R XC cross-country racer at Hay Days. Not a lot of new stuff, but some nice upgrades for Team Green racers who want the latest-and-greatest.

Click for a quick recap of all the details.

When you pretty much conquer every single snocross class the season prior, you can be forgiven for not completely reinventing a new snowmobile for the upcoming season.

Still, Arctic Cat did NOT rest on their laurels for 2019, as evidenced by the all-new ZR 6000R SX snocross race sled unveiled this past weekend at Hay Days.

They added the Dual Stage Induction (DSI) system to the C-TEC2 engine, made new forged aluminum spindles while retaining last year's outstanding geometry, recalibrated the FOX shock package, fixed a bunch of little gremlins and more.

Click to read the goodness.

Arctic Cat unveiled three new 2019 snowmobiles at Hay Days this past weekend, one of which is the M6000 ALPHA ONE, which features the stunning single-beam rear suspension and track system that has pretty much revolutionized backcountry riding since it's debut last spring.

It's little surprise that Cat will equip an M6000 with the new ALPHA ONE system, complementing the M8000 version. In presenting the newest machine at Hay Days on Saturday, Arctic Cat reiterated that it's aimed at riders who are looking to learn and hone their backcountry skills.

Click for the whole scoop.

The most badass handling off-road side-by-side blasts into 2019 with more power, more options and more comfort.

I'm talking about the race-winning Wildcat XX from Textron Off Road. Now with 130-hp naturally-aspirated.

Plus a new Limited Edition model that features a factory-installed SSV^® premium audio system features marine-grade integrated amp, two Kicker^® speakers, custom enclosures and wiring harness. The system is controlled with a Bluetooth® controller and LCD display that includes an AM/FM tuner and AUX input.

Click to serve up some badassedry.

Textron Off Road just announced some new-for-2019 side-by-sides, including what is now a trio of Havoc play/work crossover machines.

The all-new Havoc base model and Havoc Backcountry Edition join the Havoc X in the performance/play/work/do-it-all category.

Click for pix and info.

Arctic Cat unveiled three new 2019 snowmobiles at Hay Days this past weekend, one of which is the M6000 ALPHA ONE, which features the stunning single-beam rear suspension and track system that has pretty much revolutionized backcountry riding since it's debut last spring.

It's little surprise that Cat will equip an M6000 with the new ALPHA ONE system, complementing the M8000 version. In presenting the newest machine at Hay Days on Saturday, Arctic Cat reiterated that it's aimed at riders who are looking to learn and hone their backcountry skills.

Click for the whole scoop.

"Decide which hand you want to use, and pump away."

There you have it.

Want to know what happened at Hay Days without having to brave the crowds, overpriced parking and other sundry stuff?

Well, here's what happened...in 1978. Courtesy of Minnesota Snowmobiler magazine.

For those who want something a bit more fresh, I'll see you the Annual Sno Baron's Hay Days extravaganza happening in Minnesota this weekend. Be at the Arctic Cat booth at 1pm on Saturday to see the unveiling.

Booya!

Kids...DEFINITELY try this at home.

I'm thankful for the Arctic Cat Prowler (1990-1995, RIP).

I'm thankful for the nearly 4 decades of Suzuki engine power in Arctic Cat snowmobiles, and the strong connection that existed between the two companies.

I'm thankful for those dedicated few who couldn't say goodbye to either the Prowler or Suzuki power.

And I'm thankful it's Friday, Aug. 31, 2018.

Now begins the time of year when Arctic Cat shares news and a tighter focus on some of the cool new stuff that's available for the coming snow season with the lowliest bottom-feeders on the planet (aka: guys who publish websites and magazines).

Also right here and right now, is the Arctic Cat Modular Helmet with Electric Shield.

It's a popular skid lid for a whole bunch of riders, and for good reason.

Click to read them.

Now begins the time of year when Arctic Cat shares news and a tighter focus on some of the cool new stuff that's available for the coming snow season with the lowliest bottom-feeders on the planet (aka: guys who publish websites and magazines).

Right here, right now, is the Interchanger 3-in-1 Jacket.

Click for a quickie.

Check out the scorching-fast 1/4-mile runs by Team Arctic's Glenn Hall (far lane, on the ProCross 9000 Turbo) and Matt Ernst (near lane, Twin Spar 9000 turbo) in the Pro Stock Snowmobile final at the NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., last weekend.

Ernst actually had the quicker run -- a 8.242 second burner compared to Hall's 8.273 blast -- but it was Hall's nearly instant .104 reaction time that delivered the VERY close victory.

Both ran 155-plus MPH, and both looked smooth as silk cruising down BIR's tarmac.

Congrats to both!

Textron Off Road Factory Race Team’s Ray Bulloch and co-pilot Kaleb Myers delivered a mossive win the Pro UTV NA Class the Desert’s Vegas-to Reno-race this past weekend.

The 1-day, 531-mile race is considered one of the toughest and most prestigious of the BITD Series events.

Bulloch piloted the nearly-stock, naturally aspirated No. 1835 Wildcat XX to an absolutely crushing win 11 hours and 26 minutes, nearly 18 minutes faster than the second place UTV. 

The win was a true testament to the durability of the Wildcat XX and its racers, who only stopped for a belt, tire change and fuel while leaving nothing but dust for a class full of custom-built vehicles.

Congratulations to the team for proving the new Wildcat XX is truly the best in the desert.

Here's the First Wave of 2019 Side-by-Side models from Textron Off Road, with at least one more wave to come at a later date.

These new models join the recently released Prowler Pro and the earlier Wildcat XX models.

Click to check out what's new.