Welcome to the new look and feel of ArcticInsider! The relaunch of the website has been quite the undertaking during the past 6 months, but it’s up, looks fresh, and it’s my promise to continually evolve it to bring you all the Arctic Cat brand information you crave.
If you are a new visitor, I think it’s important to share a bit of back history on how the site came to be, the players behind it, and their authentic ties to Arctic Cat.
In 2004, I entered the corporate powersports industry when Arctic Cat hired me into their marketing group where I held various positions within the department until 2020. One of my initial duties was to manage Arctic Cat’s consumer publications, PRIDE (snow) and RIDE (dirt), both of which were being written by Arctic Cat’s original brand ambassador, John Sandberg, and mailed to nearly 200,000 consumers.
During the economy crunch of 2008, mailing & printing prices skyrocketed, and marketing budgets shrunk, leading to the terribly tough decision to end both PRIDE and RIDE. With every ending though, is a new beginning, and that’s where Sandberg launched ArcticInsider, a place where he could continue sharing information centering around Arctic Cat’s product, its employees, dealers, racing, events and history for Arctic Cat enthusiasts.
Shortly after I left corporate Arctic Cat in 2020, I purchased ArcticInsider from Sandberg, as he had entered a corporate marketing role in the bicycle industry several months earlier. (Talk about role/life reversals for both of us…hahaha!)
Fast forward a bit, and here I am posting the first story with the new relaunch. (I’m also swearing behind the scenes trying to figure out what buttons do what, and why. Bear with me…old dog, new tricks)
The new site should help you locate the 2,100+ stories posted here, easier, via the breakout segments (Features, News, Racing, Trending Now or Latest News etc.) and via The Google thanks to the voodoo magic of SEO search words. I’d also like to add, this is now a secure site, so you can sneak off to the supply room during work hours to indulge. Hooray!
There is a section of the homepage dedicated to the latest ArcticInsider social media posts. Don’t forget to LIKE, FOLLOW and TAG us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for additional content that may not make its way to this site. On the Facepage alone, I have invited thousands of you to LIKE the page (Including my mom). Go in there and hit that button!
Another new addition is the online store, which will carry our new AC1 branded products. The first of which, our Rewind Wrap kits, were launched at Hay Days earlier in September for all Blast, ZR200 and ZR120 models. For a vast number of you asking for the same kits for “fullsize” models, you’ll be happy to know we’ll have those available before Halloween for all GENII bodywork. If wrap kits aren’t your thing, our hats are moving out quicker than a box of donuts at a Weight Watchers convention, and if you want a deal on Flex-Tec handguards with mounts, I don’t think you’ll find a cheaper price. (I purchased some excess dealer inventory and am passing the savings on to you.)
That’s it for now, I hope you enjoy this site, I appreciate your support, and the support it gets from our long-time advertisers – please support them. And I also appreciate Arctic Cat for continuing to let me in their Factory doors to experience their product, employees and events. I’ve seen their future, and it is good! – Kale
AWESOME ARE YOU GOING TO DO PODCAST BY ANYCHANCE ???
I keep getting asked for a Podcast, and its crossed my mind. If I were to do one, what would you like to hear and how long should they be? – Kale
30-60 minutes or a case of Grain Belt Premium bottles
Thanks Kale, the new site looks great! Winter is coming baby!
Good job Kale, Can you tell us if Octane Ink will be the company that will be the supplier of the wrap kits. I’ve installed two of the Octane kits and they use very nice materials to work with. I would be interested in installing the above wrap on my 20 800 Ltd.
Hi Jim,
These are ArcticInsider’s own brand wraps, AC1, and are designed and printed in-house. All vinyl materials and laminate are made to suit the demanding needs of power sports and are easy to apply if you have experience with graphics. – Kale
Exciting to see kale!
keep up the great work!
i love and have almost all those old pride mags!
I miss getting them in the mail,
But times are changing i guess,
arctic insider is a great fill in though
Haha
Thanks Darin! Im half-contemplating on launching an electronic ArcticInsider magazine. If anyone would like to see that, please comment here, or send me an email: arcticinsider@gmail.com – Kale
Great job on the graphics! great to see the site moving forward and expanding. keep up the good work!
What happened to all the comments on the older posts?
Who authorized this new site that, in my opinion, was not needed?
Also, don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but are we going to see the 22 racers soon? In years past, those were the first stories, then Haydays stuff.
Economy crunch? No, it wasn’t a bland cereal. It was a recession, brought on by irresponsible banks giving irresponsible loans to irresponsible people who didn’t deserve them. Kinda like buying on margin…
Also, it sounds like you are not a big fan of this yourself Kale. If you are having problems with it, than this new site is not fun.
I had no problem locating a posting…the site search engine worked everytime.
The store IS cool though.
The wraps remind me of better times, when this company was lead by it’s OWN interests.
Just my typical negative 2 bucks. The USD ain’t worth much these days, so the price went up.
Well, considering I own ArcticInsider, I authorized the new site. (Which really was needed to stay relevant)
Keeping the content of 2,100 stories alive was my main concern and focus during the transfer to new site. It was a judgement call on my behalf not to carry over all comments due to the manual transfer of them, and the associated costs. The good news, everyone still gets to comment, and quite frankly, this is a far better interaction opportunity for me to connect with AI fans, than the old site.
I think its human nature to get a bit disgruntled when we face change, which may include things like posting stories to a completely new website! (There’s lots of cool features for me on the backside of this bad boy. Its like flying a new space ship) I wouldn’t have invested in this site, if I didn’t enjoy it. Like I said, Im an old dog being taught new tricks…Ive learned to jump through some hoops, but I aint rolling over yet! – Kale
Your wrap kits are exceptional. They actually make the Blsst really look like an Arctic Cat. Nicely done. Same for your changes here. Here is hoping for continued progress on your computer skills. I enjoy your articles immensely!
Thanks for the kind comments. My compooter skilz ar jus fine…
Can you start selling Sno-Pro mid height windshields in your online store? Line up a drape former like Cobra or ??? I’ll buy four if you do.
https://www.countrycat.com/arctic-cat-5639-615-mid-height-smoke-tint-windshield-2008-2014-sno-pro-500-600
Appreciate all you do, even though I’m a pot stirrer. 🙂
Windshield shortage is a real thing…if anyone is looking for a tall window, find one now. OR, I can get you a good deal on Flex-Tec handguards with mounts. 😉
Wow Kale! This is great! Nice job on updating ACI! Absolutely love the new wraps! I’m partial to the 1996 graphics. Especially the 1996 ZRT. Now can Cat make a C-tec2 triple engine? I would purchase along with the ZRT wrap. Seriously how cool would that be?
Nice to see some positive energy about Cat. Been to much negative lately.
Race Sleds PLEASE !!!! and THANK YOU !
Love the new site and the the hard work you put into it, congrats!!!! Love the new wraps! Went a new direction for a new snowmobile ( Renegade 900 Turbo) this year. still a Arctic Cat guy in the heart, I am one of the folks who does not care for the direction that Textron has taken Cat, still want a El Tigre, Wildcat, Cougar, EXT and the list goes on and on. Keep up the great work!! How about some stories about where are they now? Jim Dimmerman, Brian Sturgeon, Brad Hulings, Dennis Zulwaski, Roger Skime, etc etc Thanks
Kale, Thanks for the info. on the wraps. Sometimes I wish Cat would just save the money and send the sleds out without decals so a guy could just do his own thing. The idea of having your own electronic magazine is a good one if you have the time. Thanks again Kale.
When will you announce the new Black Cats team? I put in my application but never heard back.
Digging the new look! I for one truly appreciate your commitment to the brand and the industry, Kale. Lately I’ve been critical of a lot of moves Textron/AC has made but it comes from a good place. Like you mentioned above, change is almost always difficult. I’m still far from convinced Textron cares about the Arctic Cat legacy… especially now 4-5 years in. I can only hope someone up there shares your (and my) passion.
The new format looks nice. IMO it would be nice to get back to more ‘insider’ information. Interviews, highlighting the people at AC; spotlighting technologies, etc. Maybe Textron corporate doesn’t want to let the Cat out of the bag on much or maybe the rumor mills make it hard to do these days but there’s a lot to be shared.
Come on kale: Give us some of the goods on the race sleds ASAP! we are in the Abys right now and need some snowmobile info to keep us going.
YEAH I’m wth JimR… Race Sleds PLEASE!!!!!