Major Snowmobile News Shocks New England Riders

Here in New England, we are blessed to have major outdoor activities in all four seasons.

During the spring, there’s hiking and biking. In the summer, we have dozens of activities including camping, fishing, boating, and mudding. In the fall, there’s hunting and leaf peeping. And, of course, winter is loaded with activities.

One of the most popular winter activities in New England is snowmobiling.

There really is nothing like zipping down a well-groomed trail on a winter afternoon. This is especially true if you are lucky enough to own one of the high-performance sleds from companies like Polaris, Can-Am, and Arctic Cat.

However, a big change will soon come to the snowmobile industry.

Arctic Cat Ends Snowmobile Production 'Indefinitely'

According to a recent article on The Drive website, Arctic Cat has announced that it will pause production indefinitely.

In a letter sent to Arctic Cat dealers on December 18^th, the company explains that it will end production at its Thief River Falls and St. Cloud, Minnesota factories after the first of the year.

The letter goes on to explain that it will resume operations in order to fulfill customer commitments. So, if you have pre-ordered an Arctic Cat sled, you will be getting it.

After those sleds have been built, however, the plants will close for the foreseeable future.

The company will stay in operation in order to provide service to snowmobiles already in use.

It is important that they have chosen to use the term 'indefinitely'. That does not mean permanently. It just means they have chosen to close the plants for an undetermined amount of time. It is still possible that the plants will reopen.

The halt in production is as a result of the changing nature of the power sports industry.

Future production will depend on the valuation by Textron, Arctic Cat’s parent company. The company is reportedly looking into alternative directions to take the Arctic Cat company in.

Hopefully, they will be able to find a path forward that will keep the company in operation. Arctic Cat reportedly employees about 1,200 people.