WARNING: What happens in this video is ugly. Probably a 6 or 7 (out of 10) on the Ugly Meter (but for sure an 11 on the Pain Meter for this poor guy).

This video was emailed to me by my friend Rich Jensen, although I'm not sure I should be thanking him. Rich's subject line on his email was, "Good reason for a protective riding vest."

I watched the video and yes, a protective vest would have saved a lot of skin. Literally. I wear a vest probably 95% of the times I ride, so Rich will get no argument from me.

However, I will say that I doubt anyone could have predicted what happens to this sledder. It's a complete fluke, probably a 1-in-a-Million. I suppose that's the point of wearing protective gear: insurance protection in case you strike the Unlucky Lottery.

My question to anyone who cares to answer: Do you ride with protective gear (vest, shin pads, neck brace)?

Why or why not?

I've become a huge fan of the sound that an Arctic Cat King Kat 800 4-cylinder makes. In-person is the ideal experience, but with only 124 of these produced for 1971 (and the reluctance of many current owners), it's a rare treat.

So enjoy the next best thing by listening (and watching) Ken Kranz fire up his for 34 glorious seconds.

FOX SHOX athletes had another remarkable 2013 snowmobile race season, racking up championships in snocross, cross-country and hillclimb.

Click to read the press release and see some pix.

On Monday, April 22, six of us enjoyed an awesome 125-mile snowmobile ride on Minnesota's North Shore (of Lake Superior).

It was the latest that any of us could remember riding in Minnesota (in nearly ideal conditions).

Click to read the story.

Ross Spoonland has my admiration, respect and envy. And for good reason.

In the span of four months he notched 10,294 miles on his 2013 Arctic Cat XF1100 CrossTour!

Yes… that’s TEN THOUSAND!

Click to read about his amazing season.

Northern Minnesota got hammered with another storm last night, with upwards of 24 inches falling along the North Shore.

This shot was sent to me today from Mike Swinehart, who took it while riding in the Emily, Minn., area.

Click to see another shot from Mike.

Decals are like fine art. They need to be displayed somewhere for you to enjoy them.

For many of us, that display surface is a refrigerator or tool box.

Click to read.

With another season of snowmobile racing in the rearview, Team Arctic Race Manager Mike Kloety (R) was gracious enough to answer questions about the team.

In this second of the two-part interview he talks about the Sno Pro 600 race sled, the health of the sport and Arctic legend Roger Skime.

Click to make the jump.

I'm not sure what I want more: to own these two perfect 1988 Arctic Cat AFS beauties or to see how many bowls of hooch the guy smoked before recording this sales video? Tough call.

Definitely worth a watch just for the narration.

Thanks to Randy for the tip!

With all but a couple (hillclimb) races to go, the 2012-13 snowmobile racing season is in the books. And like usual, Team Arctic saw its share of success as well as its challenges.

In this first of a two-part interview, Team Arctic Race Manager Mike Kloety talks about the season from his perspective.

Click to make the jump.

Many of us in the upper Midwest are enjoying a doozy of a snow storm today, April 11.

The talking heads on television and radio are apologizing for the weather.

Friends and relatives are complaining.

What's not to love about an endless winter?

A Before/After of the sweet custom 1987 Arctic Cat el tigre 6000 built by Doug "The Cat Kid" Hanson

Click for some cool pix as well as some background on Hanson himself.

Team Monster Energy/Arctic Cat's Tucker Hibbert put an exclamation point on of his remarkable season, winning Pro Open at the Clash of Nations in Sweden.

His Team Arctic (and practice) teammate Logan Christian finished third.

And his international Team Arctic teammate Martin Moland of Norway won the Pro Stock final.

Click to read the press release.

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.

Once again, Team Arctic's Kyle Tapio absolutely killed it at the Jackson Hole World Championship Hillclimb, taking five wins and the King of Kings title for the second year in a row.

Read the press release about his and the other stellar Team Arctic performances at Jackson.

Snowmobiling, engineers, hockey...

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

If you haven't seen it already, check out this video recap of Tucker Hibbert's 2013 Lake Geneva ISOC National snocross weekend. It's cool!

Riders who can make it to the Brainerd Lakes (Minn.) area March 27-31 will get a chance to demo ride the new 2014 Arctic Cat ZR6000 and ZR7000 machines.

I know this might be a turn-off, but I plan to be there either Wed. or Thurs., hoping to see what riders think of the machines as well as taking a few turns myself.

Anyone interested? Click for more info.

Team Arctic concluded the 2013 ISOC National Snocross season at Lake Geneva, Wis., with five wins and two points championships, including Tucker Hibbert's Pro Open title.

Click to read the press release.