The Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby turned 50 this past weekend.

As always is the case at the Derby, there was plenty of pomp, ceremony and celebration. There was even a little bit of racing.

Click to read my review of the birthday party.

He got it done in time to bring to Eagle River!

I'm referring to the 1979 Arctic Cat Sno Pro Bob Elsner replica sled that collector Tom Ische built for this weekend's 50th Anniversary of the Eagle River World Championship.

This was the surprise I referred to in yesterday's post.

Click to see the pix of this beautiful machine.

As a tribute to Team Arctic legend Roger Janssen, and to help commemorate the 50th Anniversary Eagle River World's Championships, collector Tom Ische built a replica of Janssen's WC-winning 1969 Arctic Cat Panther mod.

Both the sled and Janssen will be at Eagle River this weekend, making a few laps together around the famed oval. What a sight it will be!

Click for the story.

(Special thanks to Brianna Ische for the great photos of the sled and Janssen.)

I will never forget the first time I saw Blair Morgan race.

I will never forget the shock and disbelief upon learning he was paralyzed.

And I will never forget the genuine and honest discussion we had last week about his life and career.

Click to read an interview with a real Superman.

As far as years go, 2012 seemed about as random as most.

To celebrate the end of this year and the beginning of another, here are some mostly Arctic Cat pix that are pretty random.

There are also some trivia questions for you hotshots.

Happy randomness this (and every) year!

Half of the United States is covered in snow this Christmas.

Most of Canada has some serious snow cover. And there are some wonderful purples in the Rockies (especially the Canadian Rocks)

Awesome!

Keep it coming Ma.

Christmas came to the Zedshed this December, when a flock of Arctic Cat people gathered  in a barn to enjoy an amazing collection of Arctic Cat snowmobiles and to share in the wonderful gift of fellowship.

Click to read about this remarkable evening.

There is no weather event that so completely (and quickly) transforms us as snow.

Snow brings instant joy. And optimism.

Click to read what I mean.

The four 2013 inductees into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame have officially been announced.

They are Blair Morgan, Norman Ball III, John Zeglin and Bob Bracey.

Congratulations to them all!

Click to read their bio's.

Last week I spent the afternoon at the FOX Shox Midwest Center at their new location Baxter, Minn.

Click to see some of the cool stuff going on there.

Plus there's a BONUS TRIVIA Contest at the end of the story.

Last week while at Arctic Cat, I stopped by my friend John Anderson's shop to see what kind of cool projects he has cooking.

As usual, there was a lot to see.

Click to read.

I was at Arctic Cat in Thief River Falls for the past couple of days.

Here's a snapshot of what (and who) I saw.

Click to see it all.

For women who want to learn the skills to ride confidently in the backcountry, or for couples who want to learn together, check out accomplished mountain rider Amber Holt's Backcountry Basics.

Click to read more.

Here's Part II of the "Masters of Styling" story about Leon Raiter and Leroy Kapsner, two remarkable influences on Arctic Cat snowmobiles and products.

Click to read.

You're looking at Leon Raiter, master stylist at Arctic Cat until 1981. He penned some of the all-time classic snowmobiles.

I had the immense pleasure to spend this past Saturday talking with him and Leroy Kapsner about their years at Arctic Cat.

Click to read Part I.

Trick or Treat? Both!

I wish you a mischievious Halloween.

Special thanks to Todd S. from Waupaca, Wis., for sending in this year's Official Pumpkin for ArcticInsider.

Jim Dimmerman is synomous with the heyday of Sno Pro oval racing, with Team Arctic and the World Championship.

Dimmerman has lived an amazing history; has the gift of storytelling; remembers nearly EVERY detail. He and I are talking about some ideas for more of this kind of stuff.

This thread contains some of his memories about the iconic Phantom.

Updated 11-2-12

Here are some more photos of Dimmerman's almost-restored 1984 World Championship Phantom.

The pix were shot a couple days ago at Nielsen Enterprises and illustrate how close this sled is to becoming a runner.

Click to make the jump.

Financially it was another strong quarter for Arctic Cat. The highlights:

*Net sales grew 12 percent

*Record net earnings and earnings per diluted share (17% and 57%)

*Operating expenses as a percent of sales declined to 11 percent versus 12 percent;

*Operating profit rose 18 percent to $38.8 million, up from $32.9 million;

*No long-term debt.

Click to read the financial report.

The Phantom Returns!

Jim Dimmerman is restoring the 1984 Eagle River World's Championship-winning Phantom racer for celebrations commemorating the event's upcoming 50th Anniversary.

Here a few pix of the progress.