So far, the winter of 2013-2014 has answered the hopes and prayers of snowmobilers living in most areas of North America.

Click HERE for the NOAA site, where you can find detailed analysis of anywhere in the U.S.

On the 11th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

...a Merry Christmas to the unknown night rider from all those years ago.

(Click to read his story.)

(NOTE: You need to READ THIS for today's TGIF to make sense)

I'm thankful for the great experiences during my recent trip to Sweden.

I'm thankful the hotel in Farsnas didn't charge me extra for the bed sheet that got tangled in the track.

I'm thankful the guy was fumbling with his camera phone on my approach.

And I'm thankful it's Friday, Dec. 20, 2013.

You can demo ride several 2014 model year Arctic Cat snowmobiles this Dec. 27-29 in Hazelhurst, Wis.

Click for all the details.

Merry Christmas from Arctic Cat!

It's winter in Thief River Falls (and most of the world, it seems), which I happily discovered during my trip to Arctic Cat this week.

Click to see what's going on at the home of the Cat.

I'm thankful the bitter cold that's enveloped the northland won't penetrate the comfort of my snowmobile cab.

I'm thankful that I can launch off this cornice in full confidence (and if an avalanche does occur, I'm safe inside my own snowmobile's biosphere).

I'm thankful that I can wear my wool suit and cap during this week's poker run.

And I'm thankful it's Friday, Dec. 13, 2013.

Recently I enjoyed an afternoon in the Wanderscheid Race Shop, where World Champion P.J. Wanderscheid and his brothers Mark and Dave played host to World Champions Jim Dimmerman and Steve Thorsen.

It felt like World Champions' Day!

The conversation was about Champ 440, engine building and of course Eagle River.

Click to go a few laps with these champs.

I'm thankful that aftermarket companies are finally addressing the needs of snowmobilers who are constantly confronting barbed-wire fences while out chasing fox, coyotes and other critters.

I'm thankful I could easily mount this wire-cutter on the hood of my sled, with only a couple lag bolts.

I'm thankful I haven't come to a sudden stop and flopped onto the hood.

I'm no dummy... I'm thankful it's Friday, Dec. 6, 1971 2013.

I'm thankful some companies are REALLY pushing the envelope when it comes to rider-forward.

I'm thankful we've FINALLY figured out how to solve the decades-old rift between skiers and snowmobilers.

I'm thankful for Ski-Dog.

And I'm thankful it's Friday, Nov. 29, 2013.

In the 2013 edition of the Alaska Iron Dog race, Team Arctic’s Brian Dick and Eric Quam paired as a potent team capable of winning the rugged event.

Running a pair of Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600 race sleds with a host of modifications, the duo were running in second place heading into the final few hundred miles of the event, with a shot at the win, when two component failures ended their bid.

What does it take to build a potential race-winning sled for Iron Dog? Scroll the pix to see and read the modifications that Dick and Quam incorporated into their 2013 sleds.

And be sure to read the update on their sled choice for 2014.

I'm thankful that teaching you how to drive the snowmobile has brought us closer together.

I'm thankful we stumbled upon the stashed fuel in the middle of this wilderness.

I'm thankful our preparation for this year's Alaskan Irondog race is going so smoothly.

And I'm thankful it's Friday, November 22, 2013.

I spent last Thursday and Friday at my favorite place in the world: Arctic Cat.

Click to see some of the stuff that was going on those two days.

I'm thankful for that "top-of-the-world" feeling I get from being with you.

I'm thankful that, when the snowmobile breaks down, we still have each other.

I'm thankful for the warmth, protection and mysterious confidence that comes from always wearing goggles.

And I'm thankful it's Friday, Nov. 15, 2013.

Last season, Team Arctic’s Zach Herfindahl burst into the USXC cross-country Pro class like a tornado through a trailer park, upending the status quo en route to four class wins, multiple podium finishes and a cat’s whisker from winning the Pro 600 Championship.

It might have been the most impressive Pro debut in a generation, especially considering he turned 17 halfway through the season!

Click to read what he says about his amazing 2013 season, his background and his goals for 2014.

From VintageSleds.com:

...“How did it ever get out of Arctic Cat?”

With Larry’s statements, one of the biggest, most important questions about what happened to one of the winningest Cats in SnoPro history was answered...

The 1976 Arctic Cat Sno Pro and Team Arctic's Larry Coltom were an awe-inspiring combination to a generation of snowmobile fans. But what happened to the famed sleds that Coltom and his teammates piloted that Championship-winning season?

CLICK HERE for a jump to VintageSleds.com to read a cool story about one of them.

In Part II of the interview with Brian Dick, the Arctic Cat engineer-racer talks about which of the 2014 snowmobiles he'd pick for certain riding conditions, and Roger Skime.

Click for the remainder of this month's interview.

I'm thankful for the wonderful period of early 1970s, when there were no rules for what a snowmobile "should be."

I'm thankful for snowmobile designs that don't require the use of a helmet, allowing for more stylish headwear options.

I'm thankful that no sober person would actually consider driving a Ridgerunner on a ridge.

And I'm thankful it's Friday, Nov. 8, 2013.

Cut from the same cloth as Kirk Hibbert, Larry Coltom, Roger Skime and many others, Arctic Cat's Brian Dick blends equal parts "racer" and "engineer" in his role as High Performance Product Team Leader.

Click to read Part I of this interview with him, in which he discusses the highs and lows of last race season.

With the ramping up of winter comes the much-anticipated increase in entertaining Craigslist snowmobile posting.

This week offers three excellent examples from Arctic Cat owners in the Twin Cities.

Click to enjoy.