Photos by Ryan Harris
As many of you probably already know, the 38th annual World Championship Snowmobile Hillclimb was last weekend at Snow King in Jackson, WY. With 474 entries representing all four major snowmobile manufacturers, 12 states and three Canadian provinces, there was plenty of hillclimb action to be had.
Polaris boasted the most entries with 194, but Ski-Doo (152) and Cat (105) weren’t far behind; Yamaha was represented with 23 entries. More entries at the Jackson Hillclimb—178, to be exact—hailed from the host state of Wyoming than from any other state. Neighbors Utah, Idaho, Montana and Colorado were represented with 101, 68, 36 and 21 entries, respectively. Washington State sent 32 entries. Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nevada, Oregon and South Dakota were also represented as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
Kyle Tapio of Battle Ground, WA, repeated his dominance of 2012, winning both the King of Mods and King of Improved Stock as well as the King of Kings championship on his mod-stock Arctic Cat. He accomplished all three feats a year ago in Jackson as well. Luke Rainey took second in the King of Kings race in his King of Stock-winning Polaris; Tapio’s improved stock Cat was third.
And so, without further ado, let’s get to the results.
Juniors
Eleven racers competed in the Junior division, with five qualifying for the final. All three Utah racers qualified on Polaris sleds. Five Wyoming racers also competed, along with one apiece from Idaho, Washington and Minnesota. Eight Polaris, two Cats and one Ski-Doo were entered.
1. Kameron Lindsay Wellsville, UT Polaris 1.00.030
2. Rayden Gladfelder Smithfield, UT Polaris 1.00.254
3. Costner Eborn Ovid, ID Polaris 1.00.544
4. Kayden Woodie Alpine, WY Arctic Cat 1.08.941
5. Tristan Spencer Collinston, UT Polaris HM
Non Pro Master—5 Qualifiers
Of the 18 competitors, 14 were from Wyoming. Eight rode Polaris sleds, six Ski-Doos and three Arctic Cats. A homecourt advantage was evident, as all five qualifiers were Wyoming riders. And while 10 riders made it to the top in qualifying, none were able to in the finals.
1. Jason Schneifer Afton, WY Polaris HM1
2. Scott Neison Jackson, WY Polaris HM2
3. Jim Lee Green River, WY Polaris HM3
4. Rick Budge Thayne, WY Ski-Doo HM4
5. Brett Ritter Kemmerer, WY Polaris HM5
Semi-Pro Stock—5 Qualifiers
Two Yamahas, four Cats, 10 Polaris and 11 Ski-Doos competed in the Semi-Pro stock division. Twelve riders were from Wyoming, six from Utah, three from Idaho, two from Colorado and one each from Minnesota, Washington and Montana. Polaris was the most well-represented here, with four of the five qualifiers riding Polaris sleds.
1. Toby Shepherd Jackson, MT Polaris 1.44.408
2. Jake Kilroy Afton, WY Polaris 2.00.820
3. Justin Thomas Idaho Falls, ID Polaris HM1
4. Mitch Sherman Blackfoot, ID Ski-Doo HM2
5. Taylor Wilkes Afton, WY Polaris HM3
Semi-Pro Improved
Toby Shepherd was at it again, winning the Semi-Pro Improved division. Twelve of the 25 racers in this division were from Wyoming. Ten rode Ski-Doos, nine Polaris, four Cats and two Yamahas. Three Ski-Doos and two Polaris sleds qualified for the final. Mitch Sherman and Justin Thomas were also top-five finishers in both the Stock and Improved races.
1. Toby Shepherd Jackson, MT Polaris 1.41.595
2. Clay Coleman Rock Springs, WY Ski-Doo HM1
3. Justin Thomas Idaho Falls, ID Polaris HM2
4. Nate Suter Thayne, WY Ski-Doo HM3
5. Mitch Sherman Blackfoot, ID Ski-Doo HM4
Semi-Pro Mod
Toby Shepherd completed his sweep of the Semi-Pro races with his win in the Semi-Pro mods. Mitch Sherman and Justin Thomas posted their third top-five finishes and Nate Suter his second.
1. Toby Shepherd Jackson, MT Polaris 1.44.578
2. Mitch Sherman Blackfoot, ID Ski-Doo HM1
3. Mike Thompson Providence, UT Ski-Doo HM2
4. Justin Thomas Idaho Falls, ID Polaris HM3
5. Nate Suter Thayne, WY Ski-Doo HM4
Women’s Stock
Shelley Heap won the Women’s Stock hillclimb while defending champion Amy Zollinger finished sixth. Kaycee Balls and Christy Frisby, 2012’s second- and third-place finishers, finished the 2013 Women’s Stock race fourth and second, respectively. The division represented Arctic Cat well, as four of the six qualifiers rode Cats.
1. Shelley Heap Evanston, WY Polaris HM1
2. Christy Frisby Caldwell, ID Polaris HM2
3. Jan Ottobre Jackson, WY Arctic Cat HM3
4. Kaycee Balls Afton, WY Arctic Cat HM4
5. Whitney Archibald Richmond, UT Arctic Cat HM5
6. Amy Zollinger Providence, UT Arctic Cat HM6
Women’s Improved
1. Christy Frisby Caldwell, ID Polaris HM1
2. Amy Zollinger Providence, UT Arctic Cat HM2
3. Jan Ottobre Jackson, WY Arctic Cat HM3
4. Raysha Nielsen Logan, UT Polaris HM4
(tied) Kaycee Balls Afton, WY Arctic Cat HM4
5. Shelley Heap Evanston, WY Polaris HM5
Women’s Mod
Again, the usual suspects turned up in the Women’s Mod finals. Again, nearly all rode Cats or Polaris, with only one Ski-Doo and no Yamahas entered in the whole category.
1. Christy Frisby Caldwell, ID Polaris HM1
2. Shelley Heap Evanston, WY Polaris HM2
3. Kaycee Balls Afton, WY Arctic Cat HM3
4. Amy Zollinger Providence, UT Arctic Cat HM4
5. Raysha Nielsen Logan, UT Polaris HM5
6. Jan Ottobre Jackson, WY Arctic Cat HM6
Check in tomorrow for more hillclimb results.