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The subscriber pages have articles going back to 1988.

https://www.startribune.com/john-thompson-survived-his-farm-accident-30-years-ago-surviving-his-fame-has-proven-harder/600177362/ Sounds like he has good use of his arms but his hands are limited.... and struggled both physically and mentally on and off over the years. Best wishes for recovery to Travis Muller and his family.

I have the digital subscription so there may be earlier access than the print? I should also add that the article Caddisfly is referencing is considered the October issue according to my digital access dashboard on snowgoer.com

The Polaris used in the issue was the 650 so that's not surprising against 600s. The 650 gives big bores a run up to 70. The crew cited the stock skis as the item holding the Catalyst back from great handling, a sentiment I've shared on Cats forever. Really their only true gripe was engine noise which they said was exceptionally loud. They described the Catalyst as light agile and balanced with an ideal riding position reminiscent of the sno pro 500.... "All snowmobiles should be this fun!" Sounds like a winner to me. They also gave it Sled of the Year honors in the November issue.

That's interesting. I didn't realize these engines were configured that way. Given the fact that they're mounted in parallel to the ski due to direct drive, and the engine already directly beneath the rider, you wouldn't think there's a positional advantage like there is in a sled.

A couple things developed on the snocross track now found on the Catalyst off the top of my head: Ratio steering (Cat) Slide-action skidframe (Cat) Widely spaced a-arms & tall spindles (Cat) Rider forward ergos (Doo)

Interesting too that in the interview, Phil Jhant emphasized dealer needs especially and expanding presence. That flies in the face the Textron slash-and-burn strategy that we have seen thus far. How do you grow without presence and representation? Hopefully he can make progress there.

At 8:15, Andy is literally talking freely about having to "choke" out a critical, remote location data acquisition session from the bean counters at Textron Specialized Vehicles lol. Had they not gotten that session the whole project would've been pushed back another year. He then talks about the Cat engineers refusing to stop working during COVID. It's clear here the passion is still there in TRF, despite the Textron muzzle.

*Waiting for the Textron loyalists to swiftly refute your claims via exceptional keyboard denial-ism

Leftovers are typically not a big deal at all if you sell a ton of sleds in season, which Polaris does. Excess inventory absolutely helped the demise of Cat during the Procross years because they weren't selling them in season, to your point.

As much as it absolutely devastates me to find corroborating evidence of our favorite pathological liar's claims, my preferred dealer has 18 MY 2023 Polaris sleds in stock. This is a large volume multi-brand dealer fwiw. 850 (7), Boost (4), 650 (2), V4 (4), 550 (1) https://www.nelsonsspeedshop.com/

The 08-11 sno pro was 100% rider forward and much more so than the 2012+ Procross.

So, to summarize: We now will have the new chassis that was never needed with a more ergonomic riding position and a substantial diet that was never needed, the new big bore that was never needed, and the new gauge that was never needed. Did I miss anything? Kudos to Cat/Textron for doing what absolutely had to be done to be competitive and not listening to the guys with more green underwear than brain cells.

He wouldn't want that though. He can't swap it on the fly to other machines. Also, he doesn't need an 8" screen because at the speeds he rides there is no trouble seeing single digits.

Got one! New valve design looks very coo! I imagine it will provide a responsive experience with broad power delivery. Cat says: Push & Pull design 250% greater port height change auxiliary port can grow 33% taller roof of port remains smooth valve remains tight to piston at all times

Yup Real hater here. Currently 4 Cats in the stable, never owned anything but Cats, Cat banner on the garage wall flanked by signed posters from Tucker, Burandt and Tapio. I've had plenty of praise for the Catalyst. Not that you would notice in your green kool-aid induced rage at any fair criticism of the brand. Absolutely

Interesting that holding Cat/Textron to a high standard makes you a hater. No wonder they're digging themselves out of a huge hole with customers that have that mindset. "In our conversation, Beavis points to the Torque Control Link (TCL) as an example of one of the systems that uses a composite material. The long-fibre composite technology was championed largely by one of Arctic Cat’s managers, Ben Langaas, who wrote his Master’s degree on composite technology and its application for this very part. The composite TCL was developed for use in Catalyst, but since the carbon-nylon part was tested and validated early on, the team decided to use it ahead of schedule in the Ascender platform in 2021. The actualized success of the composite TCL through testing, validation, production and real world use proved to Arctic Cat the value of finding other ways to use the technology on a wider basis." https://sleddermag.com/arctic-cat-catalyst-design-insight-engineering/

This specific part and it's material was promoted and championed by the brand during the rollout of the Catalyst, but scrapped in the 25th hour. AND the material was already in use on the analogous part on the Procross. Maybe the new Textron corporate transplant/bean counter will be able to confirm (after referencing their iPAD) they did it to save $20 a sled.

Sounds like you got stuck behind some terrible riders. I am every bit as fast in the twisties, if not more so, on my buddy's Matryx XCs vs my Procross R-XC. Those XCs are way more fun to goon ride though.

Some of is like to have a sled that responds to your input, whether it's carving corners or yanking the skis up. The Polaris sleds do this amazingly well...

Fixed it for you

Heidi says all you need is a 400 single that no one asked for and a 600 twin!

Our skier pal Gunnar has left Textron. https://investors.albint.com/news-releases/news-release-details/albany-international-appoints-gunnar-kleveland-president-and

Ahhh the revolving door of corporate transplants continues to spin.