Snowmobilers take on White Pine March 31 and April 1
by White Pine Ski Area
March 22, 2018
Following the closing of White Pine Resort for the winter ski season of 2017/18, at the end of Sunday March 25, the mountain will roar back to life during the following weekend (March 31, April 1) for the White Pine Snowmobile Hill Climb.
Rocky Mountain States Hillclimb Assn, RMSHA, organizers of the event, attract a large following of snowmobilers for the six or more races staged during March and April throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Racers, classified as either Professional (Pro) or Semi Pro, will ride up the mountain on machines rated in classes from 600cc to 1000cc. The wide field of entries also includes Snowbikes, Women, amateurs, junior and senior competitors.
RMSHA president Bart Butcher recently visited White Pine to plan out the race courses. There will be two racing lanes – Red (Pro) and Blue (Semi-Pro). To increase spectator interest, the Pro snowmobilers will have a course with jumps, berms and table tops created on the lower parts of the mountain. White Pine will be also running Little Spirit Lift and have a large spectator viewing area at the top of this lift.
The $30 access fee/carload/day includes the cost of up to 4 lift tickets which can be used continually on the chairlift throughout the day (note no downloading – but a signed walking route down). Food, beverages and port-a-potties will be provided for mid-mountain comfort. Local snowmobile club, Pinedale Snow Explorers will provide onsite hill help to assist with route monitoring and assistance if any racers lose control of their sled.
A full day of racing on Saturday starting at 8am will reduce the initial field of 20-30 riders in each category down to 12 finalists/category for the Sunday events. Crowns will be assigned to the fastest rides in Stock King/Queen, Improved King/Queen and Mod King/Queen classes.
Some fun racing is also included on both Saturday and Sunday with the Kiddie Kat 120cc race on the lower slopes of the mountain on Saturday. Perhaps one of the most coveted titles is the "Run WhatCha Brung" race where locals are invited to take on the hill using their own snowmobile. The locals’ event starts at the completion of the RMSHA race calendar expected to be early afternoon on Sunday. Most racers agree it is not about the money however the $100 entry fee covers insurance plus a payout to the top three riders in both the Stock and Mod categories.
For further information
Robyn Blackburn
robyn@whitepineski.com
Cell 307-360-627
Jaycee Taylor
RMSHA secretary
Jkt95@yahoo.com
Cell 307-749-2999
Clint Andersen
President Snow Explorers
Cell 434-632-0510
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