Last Friday, while getting his sled and himself ready for this weekend’s USXC race on Pine Lake in Gonvick, Minn., 18-year-old Hunter Houle suffered a crash on his snowmobile and died a short time later.

For friends and acquaintances that want to celebrate his life and share their love with Hunter’s brothers Lucas, Jeremy and Larry, sister Jenna, his dad Steve and his mom Charlene, there will be a visitation on Tuesday, Jan. 10 from 4-8pm at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Forest Lake, Minn.

As well, Hunter’s funeral is from 10-11am on Wed., Jan. 11, also at Hosanna (9300 Scandia Trail N, Forest Lake, MN 55025).

I have some thoughts I’m going to share about Hunter here on ArcticInsider, but I’m not ready yet.

This past week I was part of a group that spent a day at Skime Ranch, the nearly 4,000-acre cattle farm in Skime, Minn. (yes, seriously) owned by Arctic Cat legend Roger Skime and his wife Bernice.

It was a day of watching Roger be Roger. It was perfect.

Click to see a few pix from the day.

Oh man, 2017 started out better than I could imagine, with a 140 mile snowmobile ride on Minnesota's North Shore State Trail with friends.

Either this is going to be the best year ever, or it's all downhill from here?

Regardless, winter is alive and well in Minnesota's arrowhead region. Click to see for yourself.

Since he burst onto the cross-country scene a handful of years ago, Zach Herfindahl of Eagle River, Wis., has been a veritable juggernaut of speed and success, notching wins at most venues and claiming multiple USXC championship titles along the way.

At the ripe old age of...(wait for it)...20, Zach heads into the 2017 season poised for continued success. This year he paused his college career in order to concentrate on racing full-time. He’s fitter, smarter and presumably faster than ever.

I chatted with the reigning Pro Stock champ about the season, his new Arctic Cat ZR 6000R XC race sled and what he eats for dinner with housemate Logan Christian.

Click to read the interview.

I'm thankful for the outstanding riding experiences of the past year.

I'm thankful we've made it through the detours, trail closures and rough patches.

I'm thankful we can still hang onto the handlebars while going WFO into the new year.

And I'm thankful it's the last Friday of 2016.

I've been diggin' the engine audio on this year's race recap vid's from Tucker Hibbert. Here's the latest edit from his dominating performance at the ISOC National in Winter Park, Colorado, last week.

Spend much time riding a Wildcat 1000/X? From a comfort standpoint, a pair of High Back seats are probably the most impactful upgrad.

Click to read about the new, premium cockpit items from the new Arctic Cat SPEED line of accessories.

Rideable snow within a trailerable distance for most of us. Pretty good for this time of year.

Click HERE for the NOAA site to get every kind of snow depth info you might need.

Wishing you a genuinely meaningful and peaceful Christmas.

God bless.

This past Tuesday our gang of regulars made VERY last minute plans for a day's ride in southeast Minnesota, where snow depth reports suggested there was just enough white stuff for decent riding.

112 miles, one buried 850 and two disgusting roller-dogs later, I'm here to confirm the reports were correct.

Click to see the evidence.

With 8 wins out of 19 classes, Team Arctic snocross racers left little doubt which brand was the best at the second stop of the ISOC National tour, held in Winter Park, Colorado.

Click for a list of the winners, as well as some quotes from Tucker Hibbert (who crushed it by winning both Pro Open finals in Colorado).

Check out the sweet custom Arctic Cat Wildcat X build from KICKER/SSV Works featuring their Stage 1 Audio Package.

This is pretty amazing, and something that Bobby Flame could only dream of.

Glorious fresh-fallen snow, sunshine, brand new snowmobiles...

...plus chisel-plowed fields, fear and white-painted bowling balls littering the ditches.

What's not to love about setting the first tracks of the season?

"Before I even clicked off a mile, I (_____fill_in_the_blank____) to my sled," are words that live in infamy with a group of my snowmobile friends.

But as much as we joke about it, there actually are a few things I do to a new sled before I take that first ride.

And with enough snow on the ground here in the Twin Cities area, here are some pix of the process before I take my first ride this afternoon.

Just in time for the gifting season, Tucker Hibbert just released his 2017 line of merchandise, giving fans (and dogs) a chance to wear and use some sweet gear.

From Hoodies to T-shirts and onesies (that Otis dog LOVES to wear) to hats, beanies, coffee mugs and more, there's something for every fan.

Click for some cool pix and info on how to stock up.

If you're a fan of snowmobile racing and appreciate stunning photography that captures the action and the actors, then this year's Flight 365 Photo Annual is truly a must-have.

The third volume book is at the printer and will be available in time for Christmas. For Arctic Cat fans in particular, there are major features on Zach Herfindahl and Dale Lindbeck, as well as the sport in general.

It's large format 13 x 10 x 1-in. and only $10!

This is one of those books you love, keep, and then keep loving for decades.

Click for more info. Or click the photo above to order one.

Got an ATV or side-by-side? Then you either already have a winch, or you will within 24 hours of the first time you need one.

The newest ProVantage Winch Kit and accessory Wireless Remote from Arctic Cat are exactly the kind of saviors you'd expect them to be.

Click to see what I'm talking about.

Winter's here! And wouldn't it be nice to drive a sweet new Arctic Cat HDX that's equipped with a comfy Soft Cab Kit!?

Click for your ticket to fully enclosed comfort.

Want to know the easiest way to save the world from the dark forces of destruction?

Unleash the inner-super hero snowmobiler in your kid with a Comic T-Shirt from Arctic Cat.

Yep, it's that simple. Click for more world-saving info.