Ski-Doo racers found great success this weekend at the Jackson Hole World Championship Hillclimb event by sweeping the Semi-Pro classes including all four King titles and followed that up with six Pro wins and the coveted Stock King title.
The always rugged Snow King Mountain course proved tougher than ever with slick icy conditions at the bottom and then transitioning to softer deep snow right where it gets steeper and rockier. Usually in Sunday’s finals the majority of racers make it to the top and set a time, but this year was a different story as the treacherous rock wall underneath the course claimed many that had to settle for high marks instead. Jay Mentaberry had a memorable run the crowd loved as he had to inch his way up through the rock garden before getting back on the throttle to go over the top – even though it was scored officially as a high mark because time expired.
Pro Class Triumphs
Ski-Doo veterans fought hard for their victories, culminating in Blaine Mathews claiming the coveted Stock King of the Hill title.
“This was a win I’ve wanted for a long time now, one highly valued by the manufacturers. I missed qualifying for it last year and wanted some redemption so it really means a lot” stated Mathews.
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600 Stock: Garth Kaufman
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Open Stock: Blaine Mathews
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Pro Master Improved Stock: Trent Handsaker
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600 Mod: Jay Mentaberry
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700 Mod: Jay Mentaberry
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Pro Master Mod: Carl Kuster
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Stock King of the Hill: Blaine Matthews
There was additional hardware handed out at the Awards Banquet and the Snow Devils club that organizes the World Championships picked two Ski-Doo racers for some high honors. Racer of The Year went to Jay Mentaberry for his efforts to keep going uphill and there’s no one more deserving of a sportsmanship award than Carl Kuster who brought nine racers to the event this year. Always willing to help Carl even gave up some of his runs so others could race one of his sleds.
Semi-Pro Class Wins
Success in the Semi-Pro division was led by Lucas Conger wining the Stock and Improved Stock King titles. He then faced fellow Ski-Doo racer, and defending champion, Jhett Johnson (Semi-Pro Mod King title winner) for the King of King titles in a close contest that he won. With so many of the Semi-Pro finalists on Ski-Doo snowmobiles the future is bright as these riders advance to the pro ranks.
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Semi-Pro Stock: Lucas Conger
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Semi-Pro Improved Stock: Lucas Conger
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Semi-Pro Mod: Jhett Johnson
“The team did a great job this weekend and we’re really proud of their accomplishments on the course’ said Carey Daku, U. S. Race Coordinator. “What might be even more encouraging is the team work exhibited everywhere from Junior classes on up and number of Ski-Doo racers making the finals. That’s the principle we’re building our hill climb effort around and the results are rewarding.”
The 2026 Ski-Doo model lineup was recently revealed and riders can order the deep snow Summit or Freeride models, like the racers used at Jackson Hole, or any of the special Spring-only models available until March 31, 2025. For complete details on all the 2026 Ski-Doo news and models visit www.ski-doo.com.