The annual pilgrimmage to see the new snowmobiles from all four sled manufacturers is set to begin on March 5. Most shows are FREE to attend. However, some shows run in conjunction with other events and gate admission must be paid to see the Sneak Peek sleds. For additional information, visit www.snowsneakpeek.com.

Here's the show schedule and places.
Eastern and Midwest U.S. (all shows are from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.)
March 5-6, SnoDeo grounds, Colebrook, NH         
             
March 12-14, SnoFest grounds, Old Forge, NY

March 16, Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, ME

March 19-21, Geneva Grand Resort, Lake Geneva, WI

March 23, Delta Plex, Grand Rapids, MI

March 26, 4 p.m.- 9 p.m., Rock Financial Showplace, Novi, MI

March 29, 4 p.m.-9 p.m., Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH

March 31, 4 p.m.-9 p.m., On Center, Syracuse, NY

April 1, Erie County Fairgrounds, Buffalo/Hamburg, NY

April 5, Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, Minneapolis, MN

April 7, Shopko Hall, Green Bay, WI

April 8, Holiday Inn, Stevens Point, WI

April 15, DECC, Duluth, MN

Western U.S.
(Except where noted, the shows are from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and are free)
March 12-14, West Yellowstone Expo, West Yellowstone, MT
Show Times
March 12, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
March 13, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
March 14, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Gate Admission is $15 each day and includes race venues.

March 17, Merchandise Mart, Denver, CO

March 22, Davis Conference Center, Layton, UT

March 25-28, Jackson Hole, Jackson, WY

March 31, Expo Idaho, Boise, ID

April 6, Greater Tacoma Convention Center, Tacoma, WA

April 8, Spokane County Fair & Expo, Spokane, WA

April 13, Fargo Dome, Fargo, ND

Three "snow dogs" collected the Bent Skag trophy at the Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association (MnUSA) Winter Rendezvous in mid-February.

As always, MSPN, the official publisher of Minnesota Snowmobiling, the publication of MnUSA, has encouraged sledders from around the state to ride to the Winter Rendezvous. At the event, riders tell of their "Mud Dog" riding journeys and the best stories are awarded the Bent Skag trophy for the year.

This year's recipients of the traveling trophy were Chuck Hausladen, Ed Kuklock and Jeff Hoppe. They traveled 610 miles in three days from Freeport, Minnesota, to Hinckley, Minnesota, where the Rendezvous took place. They are members of the New Munich Snow Gliders in Freeport. Here is their winning essay, written in the form of a poem.

This year, several riders took part in the annual Mud Dogs ride and submitted many great stories. MSPN staff members had a difficult time choosing whom the Bent Skag trophy should be awarded to. In the end, it was based on a good story and number of miles driven. Look for other Mud Dogs essays in the coming months on Sledder.net.

Wednesday, February 10
Depart Freeport, MN, at 9:30 a.m., arrive at Ed's cabin in Vargas, MN, at 10:45 p.m.
A very long day for the musketeers three,
Who started out the trip as anxious as can be.
Found beautifully groomed trails in Minnesota's heart,
But the tales of their adventure were just at the start.
They saw an eagle wins easily over a bunny,
And sometimes their trail smarts were rather funny.
Ed claimed to be a master of the lake and road ditch,
But really they found he didn't know which way was which.
So around open water, combines and farmers land,
They found themselves turning sleds around by hand.
After moisture so thick they rode with shields open wide,
Finally they reached the cabin's warm inside.

Thursday, February 11
Depart Vergas, MN, at 11:45 a.m., arrive at Chuck's cabin in Longville, MN, at 10 p.m.
A bit shorter day with a much later start time,
Jeff's sled needed a jump but then started just fine.
Ed's balance this day must have been a bit down,
Because he toppled right over in Parker Prairie's town.
Chuck's cabin they found after a few missed trees,
Was not warm like Ed's, it was only 20 degrees.
So they fired up the stove and headed to the Anchorage Inn
And ate some fine food till just before 10.
By then Chuck's place had significant heat,
They all hit the sack, as they were pretty well beat.

Friday, February 12
Depart Longville, MN, at 9:30 a.m., arrive in Hinckley at 7 p.m.
This day seemed too easy, all sleds running well.
But, of course, Chuck makes it interesting so we will tell.
He seems to break down more often than not,
Good thing his mechanic skills surpass the lot.
He had his spare parts that were needed by luck,
And borrowed the socket set from a bar patron's truck.
This break down was lucky or we would have missed out,
On this great Tower Tap Bar we knew nothing about.
A few minutes later, he was the mechanical winner,
And we all enjoyed the most fantastic walleye dinner.
So we finally arrived at Hinckley our end,
610 miles later and some how we're still friends.

Tucker Hibbert will represent the USA at the FIM Snowcross World Championship in Mala, Sweden, on March 27.

Hibbert hopes to become the first American rider in history to win the World Championship at his first attempt competing outside of North America. 

Hibbert recently finished his scheduled race season with nine national victories.  The season was highlighted by his 50th career win and fourth-consecutive gold medal at the ESPN Winter X Games 14. He made the decision to race the World Championship at the beginning of February and is not something he has taken lightly. Unlike the National series he competes in, the World Championship has sound and fuel restrictions and does not allow the use of traction products. These restrictions have forced him to change his sled set-up and riding style dramatically. To properly prepare, he built a track at his home to resemble past World Championship courses. He has pounded out countless laps and implemented different riding techniques that he believes are crucial to being competitive on a European style track.

“I’m honored by the opportunity to represent the United States at the World Championship.  I’ve never traveled overseas so to prepare for this race has been a completely new experience for me. I guess this is my Olympics. I always go into a race focused on winning but now I feel an obligation to win for my country," Hibbert said.

The FIM Snowcross World Championship will take place at a ski hill in northern Sweden and will feature three 15-minute races with an overall score crowning the World Champion.The highest an American rider has finished in the past is fourth overall. For the first time in the event’s 11-year history, it will also feature an national team challenge. Hibbert’s score, along with two other rider’s scores from the USA, will count toward the national team title. 

The event will be broadcasted live on www.freecaster.tv.

Orlando, Florida, February 24, 2010 – At its annual meeting of Ski-Doo snowmobile dealers and distributors, BRP introduced the first in a new family of Rotax four-stroke engines that sets new standards for fuel efficiency, lower emissions and value.
 
Available in the 2011 Ski-Doo line-up, the first engine of this family, the Rotax 600 ACE (Advanced Combustion Efficiency) engine delivers outstanding fuel economy at *29 miles per gallon (8 L/100 km) with a fuel range of 310 miles or 500 kilometres. And its lower emissions (8 g/kw-hr HC and 90 g/kw-hr CO ) surpass the US EPA standards for 2012 (75 HC & 200 CO) and the stringent Best Available Technology (BAT) standards (15 HC & 120 CO) required to ride in Yellowstone National Park.

The lightweight 60-horsepower four-stroke dual-overhead cam two-cylinder engine uses unique technologies to optimize combustion, minimize frictional losses and free intake and exhaust breathing, without a trade off in power output. For instance, the valve train is a high acceleration design and key components are coated with a sophisticated “diamond-like coating” that greatly reduces friction.

"BRP sees this new engine as key to getting more people to try snowmobiling. The fuel consumption of BRP's 2011 Ski-Doo sleds equipped with the new Rotax 600 ACE engine is up to 45% lower than our closest competitor," said Bob Lumley, vice president, Sales and Marketing, Ski-Doo/Sea-Doo. “Its outstanding fuel mileage rivals most automobiles; not to mention the fact that it is quieter than most other snowmobile engines and requires very low maintenance," concluded Lumley.

For the 2011 Ski-Doo line-up, the 600 ACE engine joins other cleaner Rotax two-strokes including the new Rotax E-TEC 800R (new for 2011) and the E-TEC 600 H.O. engines.