Arctic Cat’s ‘Pride’ magazine turns 30

It’s rare that an in-house publication can live to see its 30th anniversary, but that is exactly how long Pride magazine has been delivered to Arctic Cat enthusiasts worldwide in print. To compliment the print editions, it can now be delivered via a new medium; electronically on the Arctic Cat snowmobile website.

During the Fall of 1976, Arctic Cat decided to produce a regular magazine for the Arctic Cat owner that would do a similar job for the loyalists who bought and rode the product. The first attempt at this magazine was called Thumbs Up, a full-color, glossy magazine featuring stories about the new models with celebrities like Team Arctic racers Charlie Lofton, Larry Coltom, and well known personalities like Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant. A 1972 Panther ‘classic’ story appeared along with a fashion story and an ad for Silverline boats.

The first issue of ‘Pride’ from 1978.

The response to the magazine, produced as a one-time run by the ad agency, was so good the program was later expanded to a full four-issue schedule for the following season as part of a new promotion for an Arctic Cat owners’ club. The Cat’s Pride program went on to be a big success and is still one of the largest snowmobile enthusiast clubs of its kind. In order to promote the club more effectively, Thumbs Up was given a name change face lift appropriately titled, Pride magazine for 1978.

Currently, Pride is mailed to over 200,000 Arctic Cat enthusiasts providing the same great information on the latest snowmobile models and technology, racer coverage, vintage stories and reader submissions that are all encompassed around what Arctic Cat calls the best snowmobiles ever built.

To read Pride magazine electronically, visit the Arctic Cat snowmobile website, http://www.arcticcat.com/.