The Cavalry

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

By Jake Nichols

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Early every spring, as March heads out like a lamb, the World Championship Hill Climb come in like a lion. The roar of the crowd at the base of Snow King can’t drown out the whine of two-stroke motors worked to redline. The smell of high octane burn, idling diesels, and Honda generators chokes the mountain air. Slednecks are loud, aggressive, rowdy … and this town has never needed them more.

A trail of money rooster-tails behind the influx of racers and fans that hoard into the Hole at the end of every March for the past 33 years. It has been mostly an uneasy relationship – the town was braced for trouble, but open for business. Local merchants gritted their teeth and punched “SALE,” cheered only by the realization that cash registers wouldn’t jingle again ‘til Memorial Day.

“While they can be challenging, we have to be grateful for the money boost they bring every year,” Kate Foster said. Foster is the communications manager for the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. “There will be thousands of people visiting, spending money on lodging, meals, and activities. It is a boon to all segments of the economy. I know lodging, in particular, gets a huge boost during the beginning of the shoulder season.”

First off, it’s called a “snowmachine” out here in the West. A “mobile” sounds too much like something you’d hang up to make the baby laugh. Worse still is “snow buggy,” as they were known back in the 1920s, when the machines were going through growing pains.

P.N. Bushnell Company in Aberdeen, South Dakota, patented the first over-the-snow machine called a “motor-bob.” They used an Indian motorcycle outfitted with sled-runners. Carl Eliason of Sayner, Wisc. developed the prototype of the modern snowmobile in 1924. Eliason sold the patent to a company who later sold it to a Canadian subsidiary called Polaris Industries. Bombardier was first to incorporate the open cockpit in 1960, calling their machines “Ski-Doos.”

During the 1970s, more than 100 snowmobile manufacturers existed. From 1970 to 1973, close to two million machines were sold, a sales summit never since equaled. It is estimated there are more than 3 million sleds in use in North America. According to the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, snowmobilers in Canada and the United States spend over $28 billion on snowmobiling each year. The industry employs an estimated 200,000 workers in snowmobile-related jobs.

And yet, bubble-heads and cowboys have never mixed well on Hill Climb weekend. Cross-country skiers will probably always greet snowmachiners with disdain in Cache and Game Creeks. Backcountry legend Stephen Koch straddled a sled for his now infamous ride across Jackson Lake and look what happened. ‘Bilers, it seems, are always getting dissed. Maybe that’s why they load up their shiny sleds every weekend and look for a way out. A way up.

Local hotels and restaurants used to complain about late-night partying and non-tippers during the Hill Climb weekend. But, this year, with Jackson feeling the pinch like everyone else, it’s more like: “Welcome, Idaho gear head. Good to see you, Utah big hair.”

“It really makes for a nice weekend at Snow King,” Dana Ahrensberg admitted. The general manager at the host resort said foot traffic and lift ticket sales are way up during the final weekend at the local mountain. “It is a high-energy, high-intensity weekend. All of the town looks forward to Hill Climb.”

During our winter of discontent, these saviors in DayGlo come to climb a mountain, and just might push this resort community over the hump. PJH


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The Cavalry | Planet JH News Article: Cover Stories

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