Photos by Stephen W. Clark
Most people have real jobs and snowmobile on the weekends. But Tony Jenkins, one of Ski-Doo’s eight Snowmobile Ambassadors, snowmobiles whenever he can … and then fits his real job in when the snow conditions aren’t as good.
Jenkins hails from southeast Idaho but has snowmobiled all over the western U.S. and Canada. But whether it’s a good snow year or a bad snow year, you can find Jenkins riding in the trees—where the riding is the most technical and the snow tends to be the best. His favorite location is along the Idaho/Wyoming border where the terrain is steep and the snow is deep.
Although Jenkins spends his time on a lot of different Ski-Doo snowmobiles (mostly either stock or prototypes of future potential models), he has built a sled for his personal pleasure rides that is capable of taking him farther up the mountain and deeper into the trees.
“It’s a 2019 Ski-Doo Summit X 165,” he explained. “Aftermarket components include a Fox Suspension, a Boondocker Turbo, SLP Skis, Extreme Air Vents and a Straightline Performance front bumper (more for style than anything). Ski-Doo accessories include the Adventure Rear Bumper, Handguards, a shorter 4.7-inch Handlebar Riser and the Forty7 Performance Seat.”
Jenkins has built this sled to match his riding style—aggressive and somewhat abusive. He charges hard into the terrain and has cat-like reflexes that help him pick new lines and explode through narrow gaps. So power, precision and durability all come into play.