Medina, MN – The 2016 Jackson Hole World Championship Snowmobile Hillclimb offered abundant proof that Polaris snowmobiles deliver winning performance straight-out-of-the-box as Polaris racers won every Stock class – Pro, Pro Masters, Semi-Pro, and Women’s – along with the Stock King of the Hill crown.
The Stock-winning sleds that raced up Jackson Hole’s Snow King Mountain from March 24-27 were nearly identical to the AXYS RMK models available right now from Polaris snowmobile dealerships. The Stock hillclimb sleds that won at the sport’s premier event in Jackson Hole, WY, used stock Polaris engines and rode on the patented AXYS deep snow platform that recreational riders can enjoy.
Polaris racers on AXYS RMK sleds made a clean sweep at Jackson Hole by winning all of the weekend’s Stock classes:
- Polaris racers won 58 percent of all the Pro classes at the World Championship and won all four Pro Stock classes and filled 75 percent of the available Pro Stock podium spots.
- Along with winning both 600 Stock and 800 Stock, Keith Curtis won the Stock King of the Hill crown by reaching the peak in 1:09.03, which was faster than the run that won Improved Stock King of the Hill.
- Veteran Polaris racer Sandy Sletten won the Pro Masters Stock title and Rayden Gladfelder won Semi-Pro Stock.
- Jadian Pfaff won the Women’s Stock class, and then reached the mountain top to win the Queen of Queens crown – the only woman to ride to the peak in this year’s event.
Pro Racers Sweep Stock Class Titles
After Keith Curtis won two Stock classes and the Stock King title, he made a determined run at adding another King of Kings title to his impressive career resume, but finished second by just over six seconds. He finished third in three more Pro classes and he won the Snowbike class.
Erin Beukelman won both the 1000 Improved Stock class and the 700 Modified class. He earned a third podium spot with a third-place finish in 800 Improved Stock and he finished second in both the Improved and Modified King of the Hill competitions.
Luke Rainey won the 1000 Stock class at Jackson Hole and finished second in the other three Stock classes. He also finished second in 800 Improved Stock to earn a podium spot in all five classes in which he competed.
Polaris racer Andy Thomas won the 700 Stock class and took second in both 700 Improved Stock and Open Mod.
Justin Thomas won the 600 Modified class aboard a Polaris, one of the five podium spots Polaris racers earned in the Mod classes.
In Pro Masters competition, Polaris racer Sandy Sletten won the Pro Masters Stock class.
Polaris Racers Rule Women’s Classes
In the Women’s classes, Polaris racers claimed seven of nine podium spots as Christy Frisby won the Mod class and Jadian Pfaff won the Stock title and the Queen of Queens crown. Frisby and Pfaff earned three podium finishes apiece.
Semi-Pro King Wins on Polaris
There was a Polaris sweep in the Semi-Pro classes as Rayden Gladfelder won the Stock class and Tanner Meyers won both Improved and Modified before winning the Semi-Pro King of the Hill crown.
In Juniors, Polaris racers Colton McCallum and Brock Sharp finished first and second respectively, and in Amateurs, Cody Monroe led a Polaris sweep by winning ahead of Luke Quinn and Jeff Toolson.
Polaris hillclimbers have three Rocky Mountain States Hillclimb Association events left on the 2016 schedule: Crested Butte, CO, on April 9-10, Beaver Mountain, UT, on April 15-16 and Crazy Horse at Grand Targhee Ski Resort in Wyoming, April 22-24.
Photo by Ryan Thompson Photography.