Nearly as shocking as the news of Arctic Cat/Yamaha partnership was that it happened without the industry catching wind of it.

In a sport that feeds on rumor and innuendo, there were no real hints or clues about it from either company prior to the official announcement.

Or was there?

Recently I perused a stack of old sled magazines and brochures to see if there were indeed hints that foretold of this historic event.

I was blown away by what I found!

I can think of no better way to spend the last Wednesday of March than on a 235-mile snowmobile ride with friends.

Bonus: We rode to Brainerd, Minn., to demo the new 2014 ZR6000 and ZR7000!

Click to read about a fantastic end-of-the-season ride.

Snowmobiling, engineers, hockey...

... Check out some of the sights (and even sounds) of what was happening at Arctic Cat this past Friday.

Who says this was a forgettable winter?

Yep, January sucked for winter lovers in most areas this year. But February and March have been outstanding!

And I'm betting on WEEKS of riding remaining in many areas.

Click to read.

What do the new 6000- and 7000-Series engines ride like in the new 2014 Arctic Cat ZR packages?

How do they compare with each other?

Click to read my answer to those questions.

The new Arctic Cat 600 C-TEC2 with Dual-Stage Injection found on the 2014 ZR 600 el tigre is a gem of an engine that features new technology in the snowmobile industry.

Here's a breakdown of those highlights.

Click to make the jump.

See all the new 2014 Arctic Cat snowmobiles, along with their Yamaha, Ski-Doo and Polaris counterparts, at a Sneak Peek stop near you.

The shows start this weekend and run through much of April.

Click to see the schedule and locations.

There are a few locations in the Midwest and West where you can test ride some of the 2014 Arctic Cat snowmobiles beginning this weekend.

Click for the current schedule.

New (old) names... new engines... new tracks... it's a lot to keep straight.

If you want a Cliff's Notes version of what's new for Arctic Cat snowmobiles in 2014, here's my version of what's-new-in-a-nutshell.

Click to read.

Thief River Falls is the epicenter for Arctic Cat snowmobiles, of course.

But Island Park is the company’s annex for mountain the testing and calibration and calibration of its mountain sleds.

Click to see what's inside (and outside) of the company's R&D Test Facility.

If you've had a moment to digest the news that Arctic Cat and Yamaha are expanding their snowmobile business relationships, then check out my analysis of what we know and what can be speculated.

Click for more.

This past weekend marked the 2013 Snowmobile Hall of Fame weekend in St. Germain, Wis.

There were rides, friends, laughter, a few tears and the induction of four great men.

Click to read some of what happened.

Read about his wicked crash, how he hits ditch approaches so fast, his career and how he won the 2013 USXC I-500 cross-country in this interview with Ryan Simons of Team Arctic/Christian Brothers Racing.

Click for the jump.

Want to know how Ryan Simons won the 2013 I-500?

Check out this photo sequence of him hitting the very FIRST ditch approach on day-one of this year's race.

Unreal!

Here's a very interesting and informative video comparing the weights of 2013 Arctic Cat, Polaris and Ski-Doo mountain sleds both in the snow and out of it.

Freerider Rob Kincaid sums it up nicely: "Who cares what it weighs when it leaves the shop?!"

Click to see pix and results.

I admit to having mixed feelings about my 11-year-old son racing snowmobiles.

Despite the nagging mental gymnastics, we raced the USXC cross-country in Oslo, Minn., last weekend. It was awesome!

Click to read about the experience.

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.