The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) recently announced a special Christmas gift for snowmobilers.

Santa brought the good news that all OFSC Prescribed Trails presently operated under existing land use agreements on Crown Lands used by Ontario Hydro remain in place for this winter.

These OFSC snowmobile trails will be available as soon as local snowmobile clubs have them ready for riding, this despite persistent rumours and considerable misinformation throughout the fall that hydro corridors might be off limits, when in fact only a few were ever at issue.

Over the last several months, the OFSC worked closely with the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure to protect public recreational access to the Crown Lands used by Ontario Hydro under Secondary Land Use Agreements.

Thanks to the proactive assistance of ministry staff, all OFSC Prescribed trails where previous land use agreements were in effect with Ontario Hydro are being honoured for the 2014 season.

The OFSC remains confident that the new approach developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Infrastructure will help secure snowmobiling trails on these Crown Lands for the foreseeable future.

“The OFSC’s top priority is to maintain the integrity of the provincial snowmobile trail system that many riders take for granted,” said Paul Shaughnessy, OFSC Executive Director. “While we don’t usually get directly involved in local issues best handled by our clubs or districts, we have a strong track record of working behind the scenes on issues of broad provincial scope and importance such as this access to Crown Lands or providing the appropriate insurance coverage required to protect our trails, clubs and landowners.”

The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs is a volunteer led not-for-profit association, which through strong leadership, provides a wide range of quality programs and services to, and on behalf of, its member organizations.

Our provincial network of organized snowmobile trails connects Ontario communities providing responsible riding experiences that are safe, enjoyable and environmentally sustainable.

If there were any questions about which snowmobile brand would start the cross-country race season on top, Team Arctic racers answered with a crushing performance at the USXC Gerald Dyrdahl Memorial 200 at Pine Lake near Clearbrook, Minn., winning 11 of 18 finals including the prestigious Pro 600 final.

Armed with the new ZR6000R Sno Pro and Sno Pro 500 race sleds, Team Arctic racers and crews proved triumphant against the bitter cold conditions, the competition and an 11-mile lake course that rewarded speed and cornering prowess. Christian Brothers Racing pro Zach Herfindahl established his place at the top of the class, winning the Pro 600 class ahead of Team Arctic teammate Wes Selby and fourth place finisher Jordan Torgerson.

All totaled Team Arctic racers captured 37 of 54 podium places at Pine Lake including the 11 class wins.

“There’s always a question mark going into the first race of the season,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager, “And we’re definitely pleased with the answer. Herfindahl and Selby both raced exceptionally well, with each taking a win in one of the two Pro 600 finals that were combined for an overall score. Plus we have three top Semi Pro contenders in Casey Pries, Jon Arneson and Lance Efteland. We’re also very pleased with the strength of our 2014 ZR6000 RR in the new Super Stock class, where Jon Arneson and John Koch finished 1-2 on the consumer-available machine.”

Arctic Cat’s strength and depth in cross-country was underscored by the team’s capture of 36 of 54 possible podium positions, as well as the 10 different class winners. The same strength and depth were on display by the snocross team at the ISOC Regional event in Hill City, Minn., where Team Arctic combined to win 25 of 46 class finals.

Team Arctic cross-country racers return to national competition on Jan. 4, 2014, at the USXC event in Detroit Lakes, Minn. The next ISOC National race for Team Arctic national snocross competitors is Jan. 3-4 in Shakopee, Minn.

Arctic Cat Inc., based in Thief River Falls, Minn., designs, engineers, manufactures and markets all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and snowmobiles under the Arctic Cat® brand name, as well as related parts, garments and accessories. Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the ticker symbol ACAT.

More information about Arctic Cat and its products is available on the Internet at www.arcticcat.com.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) are reminding snowmobilers that no ice can be considered 100 per cent safe to ride on with a snowmobile.

This is especially true this winter when ice is forming earlier than usual in many areas and may look safe, but is not yet thick or strong enough.

This ice warning also applies during any prolonged period of thaw or rain, and late in the season after ice begins to deteriorate from milder temperatures.

To avoid unnecessary risks, the OPP and OFSC recommend that snowmobilers stick to available, land-based, OFSC Prescribed Trails whenever possible.

OFSC clubs provide many trails that avoid water crossings altogether and also provide many bridges and culverts to pass over known water crossings safely.

If you do make the personal choice to take the risk of travelling on ice by snowmobile, wait until a marked stake line is in place and cross only when you can follow it directly from shore to shore, without stopping on the ice.

While ice crossing is never a sure thing, snowmobilers can also reduce their risk by:

– Checking ice thickness and quality before riding onto any frozen water.
– Understanding that ice conditions may vary from day to day, from hour to hour and from place to place.
– Never travelling on ice alone, at night or while impaired.
– Avoiding slushy ice, untracked ice, or ice near moving water or dock bubblers.
– Watching out for obstacles like rocks, stumps, docks, ice roads and fishing huts.
– Wearing a buoyant snowmobile suit and carrying ice picks.

The OPP is committed to saving lives on Ontario’s highways, trails and waterways through the reduction of preventable injury and death. Initiatives are developed and delivered through the Provincial Traffic Safety Program.

The OFSC is committed to proactive leadership in promoting safe, responsible riding, on and off Ontario snowmobile trails, by building safer snowmobiling knowledge, attitudes and behaviours through rider education, safety legislation development and enforcement.

For more information, visit ofsc.on.ca.

Battling the elements is something cross country snowmobile racers know all about.

On this first USXC weekend of 2013-14, there were plenty of elements to go around. As some racers showed up early on Friday to dial in their sleds, single digit temps and a biting wind greeted them.

Saturday dawned still with a steady snow shower and as the snow began to taper by late morning, a brutal breeze kicked up again.

The wind helped with snow dust for racers, but for spectators and crews, the chill was relentless. As Saturday’s eight lap pro race wound to a close, the skies cleared ushering in more cold. Both sun and cold carried over to Sunday morning, with race time temps approaching 20 below and the high was a balmy -5 degrees.

Besides the cold, Pine Lake veterans noted the amount of snow pack on the lake was unusual for so early in the season. Despite his local roots, event coordinator and cross country veteran Chad Dyrdahl was even surprised by the snow. “I don’t remember this much snow on the lake for this race,” Dyrdahl commented. “It should make for an interesting track.”

The snow kept the Pine Lake course down to a single line with huge corner berms reminiscent of a snocross track. A foot off the racing line, it felt less like a lake and more like a northern Minnesota ditch. The USXC crew staked out a 10 mile course of eye watering straights bookended by left and right hand turns requiring a demanding setup. Temps made ice conditions rock hard and many riders were happy for the berms as traction products had a hard time digging in on the corners.

This year’s USXC Pine Lake event was also noteworthy for providing some evidence of a changing of the guard in cross country snowmobile racing. The always hard working Polaris pro, #74 Gabe Bunke, battled with two Arctic Cat drivers Saturday looking to build a resume of their own, Zach Herfindahl and Wes Selby.

The cold impacted Christian Brothers Racing rider Brian Dick’s season debut, as he lost his Cat’s engine on Saturday to take him out of contention. The Yamaha team of Corey Davidson, Matt Piche, Re Wadena and Ben Lindbom were still working out some first race bugs, as was Ross Erdmann on his new Ski-Doo ride.

In the end Herfindal, Dick’s teammate, was able to outpace the veteran Bunke to walk away with the Yamaha Pro Stock win. In another generational shift, the On Snow Magazine Women’s division had been predictably dominated by Cat’s Jolene Bute. Not so this weekend, as Polaris riders Jill Tangen and Anne Pladson finished one and two with Bute capturing third.

USXC owner Brian Nelson felt the kick off to the second season was a success. “We’re growing and that’s the main thing,” Nelson said, “The amount of people who signed up for this race and came out to brave the weather proves the dedication of cross country racers.” Nelson also noted the difficulty the snow pack caused in setting up the course. “It would have been nice to plow the whole track to give some room to pass, but with the snow you have to be so careful of slush and weak ice out on the lake. Our racers did a tremendous job of battling though that and putting on a good clean event and they should be commended.”

Up next on the USXC schedule is the J&K Marine Beach Bar 200 in Detroit Lakes, MN, January 4, 2013.

The Duluth National Snocross Pro podium was crowded with FOX athletes, with Tucker Hibbert, Andrew Carlson, and James Johnstad leading the charge on one of the venue’s largest, roughest tracks.

Last weekend, the competitive snowmobile season launched with a bang as the International Series of Champions (ISOC) kicked off its national snocross tour in Duluth, Minnesota. The Duluth National Snocross (DNSX) event has become the premiere snocross race of the season, consistently drawing the best racers from around the globe and tens of thousands of fans to one of the tour’s most demanding tracks.

FOX athletes were well prepared to face some of the largest, most intense DNSX tracks in the race’s 22-year history. FOX athletes dominated the pro podium, and ultimately claimed 11 out of 12 box positions at the famed event venue.

From the sport’s most recognized and winningest racers, to those getting their first taste of competition, a simple stroll through the pits was all it took to identify FOX as the preferred shock technology for racers of every age and caliber.

FOX’s support also included the mobile FOX Service Center, where FOX technicians assisted racers with set-ups, calibrations and rebuilds, as well as answering questions about FOX shock technology and tuning.

That support, along with the world-class performance and quality built into every FOX shock, was one of the reasons FOX athletes dominated both Pro-Open finals.

In round one on Saturday evening, Tucker Hibbert led the charge, followed by Cody Thomsen, and Kyle Pallin. In Sunday’s round two action, Hibbert once again bolted from the start to quickly take the lead, while Pallin took home second place. Ross Martin followed in third at the finish line of the 22-lap main event.

Duluth National is one of the most unique and electric venues in snowmobile racing. The track is practically “shoe horned” onto the slopes of Spirit Mountain, creating a tight track that often makes passing nearly impossible.

The relatively short track length and quick lap times leads to one of the roughest, most punishing tracks on the circuit. To succeed, racers must have the ability, the guts, and the equipment to throttle through the rugged terrain…and those with the suspension capabilities that help them remain in control quickly rise to the front of the pack.

FOX’s domination continued in the Pro Lite ranks, where once again the podium was crowded with FOX athletes. In Saturday’s main event, James Johnstad led the charge with Andrew Carlson and Marcus Johansson in tow, creating a FOX podium sweep. On Sunday, FOX athlete Andrew Carlson returned to the podium, taking the win with an impressive flag-to-flag performance.

“My sled was so fast all weekend,” said Carlson. “Ricky (Rick Strobel, FOX Snowmobile Race Manager) helped dial in our shock package and it worked flawlessly. I could hit the uphill section wide open and the suspension just swallowed it up.”

“Obviously we take a great deal of pride in the accomplishments of top athletes like Tucker and Andrew,” said FOX’s Strobel, who was on hand the entire week, working with athletes and tuning suspensions for optimum performance and control. “But we’re also here to support athletes of all experience levels, as well as their families who are learning all they can about snowmobile racing—we want them to win as much as they do.”

Headquartered in Scotts Valley, CA, FOX designs and manufactures high-performance suspension products primarily for mountain bikes, side-by-side vehicles, on-road and off-road vehicles and trucks, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, specialty vehicles and applications, and motorcycles. For more than three decades, FOX’s team of enthusiasts and professional athletes has been improving vehicle performance through a unique commitment to redefining ride dynamics. FOX is a registered trademark of Fox Factory Inc. ISOC is a registered trademark of Long Haul Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.

The slopes of Blackjack Ski Resort in Bessemer, Michigan, played host to the second round of the ISOC National snocross schedule.

Bitter cold greeted the Christian Brothers Racing team for the Northern Clearing Snocross event December 6-7, 2013. A Friday-Saturday double-header, this race marks CBR’s third visit to the Bessemer venue, which again featured a massive track laid out on the slopes of Blackjack Mountain. It is typically one of the largest tracks and longest lap times the team sees during the season.

Pro Open: Arctic Cat/DRIFT Racing rider Logan Christian went 6-3 in heat racing on Friday and was sent to the back row in the main along with four other riders for jumping the start. He finished 15th after having to sacrifice his race to avoid hitting a downed rider on the track. He came back Saturday to finish 10th in a race plagued by snow dust and bad visibility.

Rookie Pro Open rider Dave Joanis won his first ever Pro Open heat race on Friday and cruised to the main where he finished 13th. Saturday was much kinder to the Arctic Cat/Royal Distributing rider and he nearly matched his career best Pro Open finishing spot taking 9th in the main.

Pro Am Women: It was a perfect weekend for Arctic Cat/Polarbear Boots riders Marica Renheim. She went undefeated in heat races and in a very exciting main passed the leader on the last lap to take the win, making it her second straight win on the season.

Sport: Tyler Adams looks like the rider to beat this season in the ISOC National Sport class. Adams had a stellar weekend at the opening event in Duluth taking his first career Sport National win and backed it up in Bessemer with a 3rd place podium finish on Friday. Adams racked up points in the heats taking two heat wins, one 2nd and a 4th on the weekend.

Jr. Novice 10-13: Arctic Cat/Finley Motors rider Evan Christian improved on his opening weekend performance finishing 6th in the Jr. Novice 10-13 final at Bessemer. A standout rider in the 120 and Transition classes, Christian is working at climbing the finishing order in the highly-competitive Jr. Novice classes.

Quotes:

Logan Christian – Because it was so cold there was a lot of snow dust and that made it hard to see if you were in traffic, especially on Saturday. I’m just happy to walk away from this race healthy. Our Arctic Cat snowmobiles are working great and we are looking forward to Canterbury.

Dave Joanis – I came into Bessemer looking to finish at least as well as I did in my first weekend of Pro Open racing. I think I achieved that and I think I can finish on the box real soon.

Marica Renheim – I would like to thank Arctic Cat, Polarbear Boots and Christian Brothers Racing for their support. I am 2 for 2 in Pro Am Women this season and hope to keep the momentum up headed into the next race in a few weeks.

Tyler Adams – So far this season is going great. I feel like I’ve found the pace and our Arctic Cat snowmobile is really working good – I just need to keep finishing at the front to keep the points lead.

Dwight Christian – Two weekends into the season and our Arctic Cat snowmobiles are working great, we have three wins, the points lead in two classes and both Dave and Logie are Top 10 in Pro Open points. This shows how hard our whole team has been working, from the mechanics to the riders and everyone else.