If you haven’t ever attended Hay Days, let me suggest you put it on your bucket list and make plans to go this year. I get asked loads of questions about Hay Days, year round, from people planning to attend for the first time. The number one question I’m regularly and consistently asked is: How big is it?

After spending too much time on emails and the phone explaining the height, width and length of the 180-acre facility, here is my all-purpose answer, “If I told you how big Hay Days is you wouldn’t believe me anyway – and you’ll figure I’m lying.” How’s that for an answer?

Yes, Hay Days is big. In fact, it is the hands-down biggest consumer event in the snowmobile industry. Here’s more. I suspect Hay Days is the largest attended consumer show event, either indoor or outdoor, in the whole powersports industry. The only thing we’ve seen that’s bigger are deep south boat shows.

Making this year’s edition of the event even more attractive to witness is the arrival of Ski-Doo’s MX-Z X-RS 850 Turbo R. Even though the Grass Drag part of the event is still alive and kicking, Hay Days has become so much more than Grass Drags.

As a result of this seminal part of the weekend not being the ultimate attraction it once was, this year may be different. Not to say there isn’t enthusiasm for Hay Days Grass Drags; there is! However, there are so many other powersport activities including snowmobile, ATV and motorcycle freestyle events and the events that have really grown in popularity the past five years – SxS stadium racing and ATV mud racing – to watch at the enormous Hay Days facility.

Back to Ski-Doo’s Turbo. I predict if the new Ski-Doo X-RS Turbo and the Polaris 850 Indy BOOST are allowed in the stock 850 class there won’t be enough fence trackside for people to line for a front row viewing location.

There hasn’t been as much excitement for a new consumer available, production snowmobile than there is for these new, 2-stroke trail turbos, in over a decade. We’ll update you when we can decipher the eligible entries listed by the Sno Barons.

Next snowmobile Grass Drag class to watch this year will be Stock 600. For many years this class was the benchmark at Hay Days. The past few years the lack of anything substantially new in the 600 class (I didn’t say 650!) has calmed crowds’ anticipation of the annual 600 stock shootout. With Arctic Cat unveiling the new Catalyst 600 this time last year its all new 600 class sled will be getting heroic attention.

Okay, so Grass Drags are admittedly not the center of everything at Hay Days. However, this year they may again rise to be one of Hay Days most popular events.

Hay Days 2023 is September 9 and 10 in North Branch, MN. Visit haydays.com for more information.

We get a lot of mail griping about the cost of snowmobiles so I thought I would take a run at explaining what’s still going on in the sno-mo retail marketplace.

Here’s the real issue: The COVID reality the past two and half years created never-seen-before pressure on both the new sled and used sled marketplace. When the COVID lockdown came into effect, people went nuts buying up powersports vehicles. The reality of being trapped at home for an indeterminate time made people seek out other forms of recreation to replace cancelled warm weather vaycays.

While the powersports industry literally reeled at the volume of early orders that first year of COVID, the real estate industry completely blew itself off the Richter scale with rapidly accelerating, then skyrocketing prices – particularly on properties located in what might affectionately be referred to as “Cottage Country” which, coincidentally is most often “Snowmobile Country”.

Where I live in Central Ontario, prices on recreational lakefront properties pretty much doubled in less than one year. Cottages would go up for sale and literally dozens of offers above the asking price would roll in so fast buyers were in a spin. This real estate reality was and to some degree still is (in some locales), unprecedented. It has been a 100-percent seller’s market for almost three years just about everywhere.

Back to snowmobiles. While this unprecedented demand for sleds was ramping up so were used resale values. I can say this with conviction: Never have I seen people pay such inflated prices for a used sled.

We get a fair number of asks around here about what we think a certain sled (used) should sell for. We are not the “Auto Trader” of the sno-mo-biz but do have a pretty good view of what the market looks like and what it will bring for used iron. The numbers we have seen are incredible.

Stuff that’s five years old has been selling for often just a few hundred bucks less than a comparable brand new sled. Why? Because there are so few unsold new sleds available. Supply in the snowmobile-biz has been outstripped by demand for three years and, in fact, still seems artificially strong (not enough supply) again this fall sales season.

So yes, the price of sleds is going up – but there are some hopeful signs. First, if you’re in the game – that is you own late model sleds – you are no doubt finding you can pretty much get what you paid for your rides. I have a good friend who took his 2020 sled to his dealer to use as a trade on a new 2023.

The dealer offered him $9500 as a trade. Under normal market conditions this would have been a generous offer. He took the sled home and posted it on a local buy-and-sell site for $12,500 and sold it in hours. Actually, he claims he could have sold it more than once.

As you can see dealers are challenged to get sufficient trade-ins because owners can sell their trades for more themselves. This means dealers are putting bigger money into trades than makes sense – or maybe it does make sense? In any case, I’m confident you can see how this incredible upscaling of prices is being fuelled.

If you want to get into the sport and are looking at used (or new) sleds, things do look kinda pricey. If you’re already in and negotiating a deal to move up to a new or newer ride, the cost to do so isn’t as prohibitive as you might think when considering the upscale value of your trade.

Make sure you shop wisely. This is a volatile marketplace.

You see, in this business, the only way to increase profitability is to grab a bigger piece of the pie. And that pie is limited because of the relatively narrow proportions of the sno-mo-market – although there has been growth during the pandemic.

So… if you were in charge, what would you do?

Try this: Build the fastest, best riding best handling sled in the biz! Okay, both Yamaha and Arctic Cat have been on this page for several years now with the Thundercat and the SideWinder and the sales results speak for themselves – but not in an earth-shaking fashion as far as brand switching goes.

Okay then, let’s look at the possibility of building low-cost models that will get entry level customers interested in your brand – and then keep them in your fold so in the future they will buy your products instead of the competition’s.

The current high-value Venom/Blast sleds, although solid entries, haven’t set the world on fire and converted masses of buyers over to their respective brands. At the same time both Ski-Doo and Polaris continue to hold or even grow their market share numbers.

Well, what if an OEM just cut MSRPs way low – and still offer their premium models with all the bells and whistles at a price that is ridiculously rock bottom low? Some OEMs tried this a couple of years ago with some early-order sleds – and although there was good activity for a while in showrooms, there was no significant, lasting gain on the rest of the market.

We think the most successful approach is to come to the market with cutting-edge brand-new technology – something the competition doesn’t offer and is the kind of tech that is completely fresh in the marketplace.

Once again, we have to look at Arctic Cat. By allowing us to get a sneak peek at the new 2024 Catalyst, all eyes were pointed straight at the Thief River Falls, Minnesota sled-maker.

This ploy has likely done much to perk the imaginations of buying customers who may be predisposed to Ski-Doo, Polaris or Yamaha. I mean, how cool would it be to show a new Catalyst off to your buds for the first time next winter? Way cool, we think.

BTW: This kind of marketing in the sno-mo-biz isn’t anything really new. Well, maybe revealing a sled this early is new, but it’s not new to bring out new tech when the stuff you already have is good. It’s the reason Ski-Doo has a Gen5 now and Polaris replaced the AXYS with the new MATRYX.

New is better, and in this biz, you better be bringing new stuff out every couple years or you’ll be quagmired at the bottom of the market. Yup, no matter how good the current model is in your brochure, you better have something radically new – whether engine, electronics, handling, ride, turbocharging… whatever.

Today’s snowmobile OEMs simply cannot sit still: you’ll stagnate to the point of no return if you do – worse yet, the competition will continue to leave you in their snow dust!!

Okay, it is a Polaris. Yes it’s an Indy but cast in a different mold than the current crop of Indys, that have been mostly marketed as a value brand, not top performance models.

Yes, we’ve seen the acronym XC before but it’s been a long time, and this latest Cross Country (XC) is so different from the late 1990s genre it isn’t even worth talking about. Here’s more new: Under the hood there’s an all-new 850cc 2-stroke twin that’s gonna rock the entire industry next year.

… AND MORE
Finally, a 129-inch track – something we’ve been crowing about for the past three years. Finally – Pro CC – for “Conventional Coupled”. It’s been a while since Polaris has used double coupling on a top performance model.

The new Patriot 850 is as new as new gets. Everything, including the cases, crank, cylinders, pistons, heads, semi-direct injection system (no longer referred to as “Cleanfire” on the Patriot) and the list goes on, is new. While the new 850 does use a slightly heavier crank than the Liberty 800, it’s lighter than the competitions’ and employs the largest PTO bearing we’ve ever seen.

The new Patriot wins the vibration control contest producing less rumble, ski-tip shake and windshield chatter than even competitive 800s. This enormous improvement in big bore NVH is linked to both the new engine’s crankshaft and a radical, never-seen-before mounting system.

The 850 produces what Polaris claims is 9-percent more HP than the Liberty 800. Hmm… our calculator sez the new 850 delivers 170 ponies. On the trail the engine’s power curve is flat, seamless and smooth with great low-end chug and corner-to-corner wheelie power that’s easy to modulate.

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Race organizers built a challenging, half-mile track set at the base of Snow King mountain, complete with an uphill run and a mix of turns and jumps. The track, combined with the 6,000-plus foot elevation, made the race tough for racers and crew members alike.

After a great start to the season in Duluth, Pro rider Logan Christian (doc/AMG Peterbilt/Arctic Cat) came out charging Friday. After going 3 and 4 in his heats, Christian jumped off the line in the final near the front of the pack, working his way from third into first place where he lead for much of the race and finished in the 2nd position.

The next night he came back and swept his heats, finishing 3rd in the final, eighteen seconds ahead of fourth place.

“Jackson went great for the team,” said Christian. “The crew worked hard and our sleds were great at the line and on the track. I’m feeling confident going into the break and I plan to work on some things on the practice track and come back faster for Canterbury.”

Christian Brothers Racing rider Jacob Yurk had a career weekend in the Pro Lite class at Rounds 3 and 4 of the snocross championship, taking his first ever victory Friday night and backing it up with a third place finish the next day.

Yurk (Country Cat/TDS Equipment/Arctic Cat) kicked off the weekend with two Top 3 heat finishes. In the final he took a massive hole shot lead and never looked back, leading the race flag to flag to take his first career Pro Lite class win. The next night he came back and swept his heats then nearly won again, running as high as 2nd place before eventually finishing 3rd.

“Jackson was exactly what I needed,” said Yurk. “I knew I could do it, but right now I’m able to ride on the edge yet stay in control. Jackson went well for the entire team, with all of us earning multiple podium finishes. We are all pretty confident and excited!”

Coming off a huge weekend at Rounds 1 and 2 in Duluth, Anson Scheele (Country Cat/Speedwerx/Arctic Cat) narrowly missed the top step of the podium at Jackson Hole, taking 2nd place in Sport Lite and 3rd in Jr. 16-17.

After four rounds Christian sits 3rd in Pro points while Yurk is just three points out of the lead in Pro Lite points.

Christian Brothers Racing also gave away its second Troy Lee Designs Helmet to Teagan Cronquist. As the drawing winner, Teagan took home a Troy Lee Designs SE 4 Youth Factory Helmet. In addition to Troy Lee Helmets, at every event, race fans also have the chance to enter to win an Arctic Cat ZR 200 snowmobile.

The giveaway is open to fans 17 years old and younger and they must be signed up by a legal parent or guardian. Only one entry will be allowed for each eligible fan per event. The winner will be drawn Saturday, March 17, 2018 at the ISOC Lake Geneva Grand Finale in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and need not be present to win.

Next up for Christian Brothers Racing is the Canterbury Snocross, January 5-6, in Shakopee, Minnesota.

For more information on Christian Brothers Racing visit christianbrosracing.com.

This according to preliminary results from a yet-to-be published University of Guelph study entitled “The Physiological Assessment and Analysis of the Physical Demand of Riding a Snowmobile”.

“This news will come as no surprise to snowmobilers across Canada who ride all winter,” commented CCSO President Dale Hickox. “Snowmobiling gets you outdoors, breathing fresh air and being active with friends & family – and that simply makes you healthier and better able to cope with life’s challenges.”

But the fact is that many North Americans fail to get at least 150 minutes weekly of moderate to vigorous activity as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. This deficiency is compounded in the winter as North Americans burn 15-20% fewer calories in weekly recreational activities. It should be noted that physical inactivity accounts for 15% of the 1.6 million chronic health conditions diagnosed each year. Typically, chronic health conditions consume 67% of all direct health care costs and cost the Canadian economy $190 billion annually in treatment expenses and lost productivity.

This snowmobiling health study indicates that participating in snowmobiling is one good way to achieve the better physical conditioning that keeps people healthier and helps prevent chronic health conditions. Conducted in 2016/17, the study evaluated the physical demand of snowmobiling, considering both cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal demands. It also examined if activity location would play a role in the physical demands.

Considering early results researchers compared the snowmobiling health study results to the American College of Sports Medicine’s Compendium of Physical Activities. This tool defines activities by their aerobic demands as a metabolic equivalent (MET). A MET is a unit that represents the amount of energy required to maintain human function while sitting or lying awake at rest. Therefore, an activity of 3 METs would be 3 times more demanding than rest.

Moderate intensity activities range between 3-6 METs. Snowmobiling falls into this category, as the average METs for groomed trail riding scored almost 4 METs, while mountain riding came in closer to 7 METs. All in all, this puts snowmobiling in the same physical activity range as other winter activities like chopping wood, snow shovelling, and recreational ice-skating and snowshoeing.

A balanced lifestyle also includes good mental health. According to a major depressive disorder study by researchers at Duke University, physical activity is also effective in beating those winter blues. Together, these findings suggest snowmobiling is good for both body and mind.

The CCSO and its snowmobiling health study funding partners: the International Association of Snowmobile Administrators (IASA), Arctic Cat Industries, Ski-Doo (BRP), Off Road Business Association (ORBA), Royal Distributing Inc., Colorado Snowmobile Association (CSA), Snowmobile North Dakota (SND), Glacier House in Revelstoke BC, Haliburton Forest Wildlife Reserve in Haliburton ON; are committed to winter family recreation and the healthy, active lifestyle benefits associated with recreational snowmobiling.

The whole premise of the DSI slot injection mill was to get as close to DI’s precision fuel management as possible without actually using a cylinder head injector to get fuel into the combustion chamber when the rising piston closes the exhaust port.

The side-mounted injector on the C-TEC shoots right through the cylinder wall and not into the transfers like on current SDI systems. This difference is significant.

The injector is aimed at the piston dome and squirts fuel intermittently up to about 7000 rpm. This angled orientation and on/off sequence means there’s little (if any) unburned fuel escaping out the exhaust port.

In fact the injector is precisely timed and aimed to keep fuel from exiting the combustion chamber until the exhaust port is closed. This description puts DSI at a higher level of precision than typical SDI systems.

When the throttle is whacked open and RPMs pass the 7K mark the injector stays on full time shooting fuel on top of and underneath the piston (through the piston slot) to be scavenged up the transfers with the incoming air.

The always-on injector’s mixed fuel coming up the transfers is contained effectively by the expansion chamber’s reverse pulse – which is at its sweet spot at 7000 RPM and above.

What does all this mean? Our 2014 El Tigre 6000 has carded the highest non-DI 2 stroke mileage we’ve seen with a legit 20 MPG (US Gallon) and regularly exceeding 16 MPG on hard pulls. The motor sips oil as well as a result of its electronic stepper pump system and is the 600 to beat in MY14.

The XF 137 chassis is as happy with the light 600 DSI as the 129-inch ZR platform.
There’s a hint of understeer common in all Arctic Cat’s 137-inchers using dual staggered carbides. To correct this, we’ve installed 6-inch single runner carbides instead and have seen the understeer erased.

The 2015 XF’s ride quality is improved substantially by an new valve code spec for the rear arm Fox damper and a move to lighter factory air pressure settings on the Fox air shocks up front.

All in all we think this is one sweet X-over ride for MY 2015. Great power sets the new standard in the 600-class with excellent ride quality in a trail biased 137-inch chassis.

Not only was the DSI 2-stroke a hit but it literally sold out as soon as the details were made available to the public.

Cat followed up the unprecedented demand with a new 6000 RR and even a mountain version with the new DSI engine.

For MY2015 Cat has assured us there will be more 6000 series available and has expanded the engine’s availability into 137-inch XF models (LXR and Sno-Pro) and also 141-inchers (Sno-Pro and Limited).

The engineers told us the skidframe’s rear arm calibration has been softened a bit on all 137-inch Sno-Pros this year and the sleds will ride even more closely to Ski-Doo’s rMotion.

In the trail segment, besides the 129-inch El Tigre, Cat will offer an LXR version of the 6000 with a higher windshield, coilover shocks up front, heated seat and plusher suspension settings.

There will also be a Sno-Pro 6000 version besides the premium El Tigre. It shouldn’t be hard to find any 6000 this year at your dealer.

Besides all the model variations, Cat has assured us there will be more built this year than last. With the success of the new 600 twin and the satisfaction level customers are reporting, we think demand will still be very high for this engine in all platforms.

2015 will bring both standard and Sno-Pro versions of the M6000 to the mountains with improved skidframe calibration (the SnoPro will use a Fox Float 3 on its rear arm) and very aggressive 2.25-inch tracks.

An all-new M7000 4-stroke is a first stab into the mountain market with a naturally aspirated (EFI) 4-stroke for Arctic Cat.

New this year, the M7000 Sno-Pro will be offered with a 153×2.25-inch track and severe tweaking of the skidframe (Fox Float 3) to allow the heavier 1049cc 4-stroke to climb out and perform strongly in deep powder.

Cat is whipping momentum throughout its model line-up and the strong sales results and market share gains the company made last year are sure to continue with such an exciting model mix.