On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

...a snowmobile trip that I'll remember for the rest of my life.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

...five in a Cat family*.

* Awesome photo of the Johnson's from a handful of years ago.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

...four honking cylinders on a sweet King Kat snowmobile.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

...a wedding with Mother Nature, Waiting for Winter Guy and Tucker.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

...this ridiculous inflatable snowmobile toy.

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

...An electric start kit for my snowmobile

When the advertising agency is told to hype the Puma, they know EXACTLY the kind of photo that will sell some sleds. Even if the photo makes zero sense.

Think all goggles are the same? Think again.

Like snowmobiles, goggles are on a "continuous improvement" cycle as manufacturers test, tweak and improve the product for better optics, comfort, fit (especially in modern helmets) and reduced fogging.

The new Authority Goggle from Arctic Cat is the latest example.

I'm thankful for my trusty Panther, saw and red scarf.

I'm thankful for all those cowpokes back at the ranch.

I'm thankful for the lone cow trail that'll lead me back home.

And I'm thankful it's Friday, Nov. 16, 2018.

It's been 11 years since legendary snowmobile journalist CJ Ramstad and his son J.J. died in a tragic automobile crash.

Today would have been CJ's 73rd birthday. I’m remembering his life by sharing this awesome column he wrote in his Letter From Pops column for the November 1982 edition of Snowmobile magazine.

Letter From Pops and his book The Collected Works of Pappy were mainstays of his early career, as well as entertaining reading for snowmobilers all over the world.

I grew up reading this stuff and it's still very dear to my heart.

Happy Birthday CJ. And thanks for the gifts you gave us.

I was at the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in St. Germain, Wisconsin, over the weekend, where winter delivered a few glorious inches of snow to announce the beginning of winter at one of my favorite places in the world.

Click to see a few pix of what's happening at the SHOF, including the brand-spanking-new display museum.

Snowmobile Show season is coming to an end in North America just as Winter is nicely beginning to introduce itself (a light dusting of snow is on the ground outside my window as I write this).

For as long as I can remember, hitting the closest autumn snow show was central to the yearly snowmobile experience. It was THE place to grab trail maps, brochures of cabins and resorts that catered to sledders, as well as catalogs from every company doing business in the sport.

Recently I ran across a few photos of one of the early first-ever Wisconsin Snowmobile Show while perusing some of the historical artifacts at the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in St. Germain, Wis.

Click to see some pix and read a few thoughts on the matter.

Waaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy back 27 years ago on Halloween, Mother Natured delivered one of the all-time great weather events for a large swath of the Midwest. Dubbed the Halloween Blizzard (10 inches of snow fell that night), it was a trick-and-treat of epic proportions, with upwards of 30-40 inches of snow that eventually blanketed parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

It paralyzed cities and caused hardship for some. But it gave snowmobilers the greatest candy of any Halloween ever.

For two days friends and I snowmobiled all over the Twin Cities. On freeways, highways and throughout neighborhoods where snowmobiling wasn't legal. It was incredible.

This happened in the days before decent storm prediction, and the weather people completely missed this one until it was already happening. Thus nobody was ready for it, myself included. It was a gift for winter lovers, and a scary-as-hell fright for everyone else.

Nothing like that predicted for tonight, however I'm hearing reports of snow up north this coming weekend.

Winter's coming, happy Halloween!

Now click to see some pix of the great blizzard.

Autumn was in full swing during my 2-day trip to Arctic Cat and Textron Off Road in Thief River Falls last week.

New snowmobiles, new dirt toys and familiar faces make trips like this my favorite days of the year.

Click to jump into this brief factory tour with me.

It's been 40 glorious years since Arctic Cat launched Cat's Pride club. Tens of thousands of Arctic Cat fans can count themselves as members during those four decades, participating in various events and contests, reading the former Cat's Pride magazine and proudfully wearing clothing emblazoned with the club's name.

While the club and its offerings have evolved since 1978, Cat’s Pride Club remains the longest operating brand snowmobile club in the world, with members across the globe.

Celebrate the history and join (or renew) the famed club with the 2019 edition Cat’s Pride Club Member Kit.

The 2019 edition kit features pre-shrunk flannel shirt with the embroidered Cats Pride Club logo; a premium collector’s hat; and membership pin. These items are designed exclusively for members and not available anywhere else. Buying the kit makes you a member as well as renews a previous membership.

Click HERE to become a member and enjoy free shipping with each kit. Join today for $49.99 U.S./$66.99 Canada.

Blessed with a few inches of fresh snow and a projected high of just 31 degrees, Arctic Cat engineers got an early jump on winter today by laying down some tracks in the ditch outside of the factory.

Piloting just-built 2019 ZR 8000s, Jeff Olson and Wes Selby are spending the day breaking-in some of their test units, gettiing the sleds through Stage One of the procedure (wonderfully ironic in light of yesterday's post) so they're ready for bigger days ahead.

Snowmobile tracks in fresh snow in TRF on Oct. 11...just like that, everything's right in the world!

Thanks to Joey Hallstrom for the sweet pix! Click to see a few more.

A fresh coat of snow blanketed Arctic Cat in Thief River Falls today, bringing smiles to everyone there who loves winter.

No, it's not going to last. And yes, warmer days are ahead.

But it's a beautiful reminder that winter is bearing down upon us.

(Thanks to Rhob for the photo.)

"After racing, nothing goes down as smooth and easy as Old Style Beer. Whether you're racing or a spectator, take a case along to your next race."

That was the message hitting readers of Snow Week magazine waaaaaaaaay back in 1983.

I suspect there are some people who take great offense to these ads. Such as those who drank/drink Busch Light, Zima and Bud Dry.

One thing's for sure: Snowmobilers do it with style.

Four years ago the core of Team Arctic's legendary Sno Pro team reuinited for the first time in more than three decades.

Larry Coltom, Dave Thompson, Bob Elsner, Jim Dimmerman, Roger Skime, Bill Ness and Bill Decker gathered, told stories and relived a part of their lives that was as magical as it was magnificent. 

Well, they did it again a few weeks ago...this time in Eagle River, Wisconsin.

And once again Dimmerman takes us there and shares the story with us.

Who: DJ Ekre

What: Day 3 of the 2010 USCC I-500 cross-country.

When: January 17, 2010.

Where: One mile from the first fuel stop just outside of Goodridge, Minnesota

One of the best cross-country racers of the era, Ekre was on the cusp of what would have been his first-ever win in the I-500 XC. He led after day one, and again after day two. Heading into the first of two fuel stops on the final day, Ekre’s lead was several minutes. But his date with destiny would soon unravel, in the form of track failure.

In a cruel twist of fate, the Ripsaw track on Ekre’s sled ripped lengthwise in two areas, effectively ending his race at the halfway point of the final day. The same fate befell his teammates Cory Davis, Ryan Simons and Chad Kyllo.

It was a heartbreaking end to Ekre’s I-500, a race that he was never able to claim during an otherwise storied career.