AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com
Hillclimbing is more than an eight-second wild-west bronco ride, it's close to two minutes aboard a 150-horse stallion. And the sled's not the only foe a hillclimber must master. The meanest is the mountain.
The Rocky Mountain Snowmobile Hillclimb Association (RMSHA) is as similar to a rodeo circuit as you can get. Rodeo riders can't mount the bull they'll ride that weekend and practice in the arena to dial-in their perfect ride. Same for hillclimbers; one shot at the hill. Practice comes by way of entering multiple classes. Average cost per hit, $100. Like a rodeo, some rides are painfully quick, but most hillclimbs range between 45 seconds and two minutes. Some drivers make it to the next round. Most are sent packing.
Professional hillclimb riders maneuver their near 500-pound mountain sleds past numbered gates - flag poles - as they zig-zag and criss-cross up a mountain. The gates aren't the only obstacle - trees, rocks, shrubs, gnarly ravines and nasty catcalls are thrown into the foray to test the rider's fortitude.
Scoring is based on how fast a climber can get to the top of the hill. If no one in the class hurdles the hill, whoever posted the high mark - got to the highest place on the hill - gets the prize.
Like bronco busters, hillclimbers are a tough lot. They have big attitudes, big trucks and big trailers - and usually a shop filled with broken hoods, skis, shocks, A-arms, etc. They race against the clock, the terrain, the slope and their own inner-voice. The final judge is the clock, an RMSHA approved timing system with electronic eyes to allow officials to time a racer down to ten-thousandths of a second, as elapsed times are instantly displayed on an electronic status board.
But at RMSHA, it isn't just the mountain men who are flocking to this sport, women are filling the ranks in the newly organized women's class. Also not to be outdone by their dads, RMSHA has a healthy Jr. Class that makes for good entertainment as bravery and a wide-open-throttle give Jr. a chance to top the hill. Currently, RMSHA has 300 racing members from 13 states and Canada.
The 2006 season will mark the 13th year the association has conducted races in the Rocky Mountain region. RMSHA's goal is to provide a competitive arena to showcase manufacturer and aftermarket pieces for these machines. "The continued support from the major manufacturers allows us to grow larger every year. The contingency programs the factories offer ensure RMSHA has the best sleds for some of the most talented racers," said Gregg Anderson, RMSHA's president.
Races are broken into stock, improved stock and modified. Within each class there are sub-classes based on displacement - much like other race circuits. Each class winner races for "King of the Hill" at the event's end. This means one driver is declared Stock King, Improved Stock King and Modified King, all from the pro ranks. The three "Kings" then race for the overall "King" title for the weekend.
Last season RMSHA averaged 512 entries per event and there are nine races tentatively scheduled for this season - the first is set for Jan. 20-21. Anderson says spectators flock to these events, too.
"Spectator numbers have been as high as 20,000 at some of our races," Anderson says. This number comes from the biggest race of the year, the World Championship Snowmobile Hillclimb hosted by the Jackson Hole Snow Devils in Jackson Hole, Wyo. This year's event will be March 23-26. It's an invite-only event and drivers must hold high-point numbers from previous hillclimbs. Drivers from RMSHA and other professional race circuits like the Rocky Mountain Cross-Country Race Circuit (RMXCRC), World Snowmobile Association (WSA) and other well-known professional organizations from across the U.S. and Canada are invited too.
In the professional ranks, racers compete for part of a cash purse and contingency money from their sled's manufacturer. Prize money depends on how many racers compete in a particular class. Entry fees and a percentage of the added promoters' purse are paid to the top five finishers in each Pro class.
Semi-Pro, Masters, Juniors and Womens classes race for trophies and prizes donated by manufacturer sponsors. Anyone can race. Each Factory has a hillclimb team and gives its racers support. To close out each season a "Racer of the Year" is voted on by all the racers in the circuit - last year's winner was Chuck Hogan from Bozeman, Mont.