BY STAFF REPORT

Those were just the opening questions after Adam Paulson of sunny Long Beach claimed the top prize at the Big East Classic vintage snowmobile show with his stunning 1971 Skiroule RTX 800.

From the raised jugs of the 793cc Hirth free air engine poking out of the hood to the triple exhaust pipes exiting near the right footwell and the brilliant green and gray paint job, Paulson’ s Skiroule grabbed the professional judges’ attention and didn’ t let go, despite very strong competition.

In fact, the same exact sled also won the top prize at the Vintage Snowmobile Club Of America’ s National Show in June.

The sled was cool. The story behind it was even cooler.

The Big East Classic

The Big East Classic attracted nearly 120 snowmobiles at the Big East Powersports Show in Syracuse, New York, on a sunny first Saturday in October.

The front row of the classy display in the broad parking lot was mostly painted orange, as the“ featured sled” brand this year was Moto-Ski. They came out in droves. In fact, the 48 Moto-Skis on display were likely the largest gathering of sleds from that Quebec-based brand in decades.

There was a broad selection of other sleds on display too, from the early 1960s to the late 1990s. Brands we recall( and we’ re sure there were more) seeing on display included Sno * Jet, Rupp, Arctic Cat, Polaris, Ski-Doo, Larven, Skiroule, John Deere, Speedway, Alouette, Chapparal, Sno Clipper, Skidaddler, Yamaha, Mercury and Scorpion.

One star attraction was the appearances by eastern racing legends Ron Hall and Jim Fonger – each showcasing re-creations of famous race sleds that were built by others. The 1973 Arctic Cat EXT that Hall brought harkened back to his days winning Adirondack Cups for Abold Racing. The two Sno * Jets with Fonger included his fabulous Thunder Chicken designs – with large dancing chickens emblazoned on the hood.

“ That was the highlight for me – having both Jim Fonger and Ron Hall there,” said Big East Classic organizer Ron Fesko.“ I believe it was the first time either of them showed those sleds at a show.”

Two oddballs that caught a lot of attention were a Lenko Larven and a 1964 Arctic Cat 1000. The Larven was an odd contraption that the rider straddled and rode while wearing cross-country skis. The Cat 1000, meanwhile, was more or less a cross between an old tractor and what we now call a side-by-side or UTV.

Fesko, Eric Melfi, Tim Scouten and the rest of the organizers were greeted with beautiful weather for the Big East Classic for the fifth year in a row, and the classic iron absolutely sparkled in the sun.

36 / JANUARY 2026 / SNOWGOER. COM