Former World Champion Hill Climber Continues Polaris History – Sandy Sletten of Bucky’s Outdoors
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(Race images courtesy of RMK Photos)
For the slednecks of North America, the sounds resonating Jackson Hole, Wyoming this weekend strike a cord of adrenaline. The sound of engines brapping at full throttle up Snow King Mountain Resort during the 42nd annual World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb will draw nearly 10,000 spectators and snowmobilers from across the United States and Canada.
The best riders in the nation flock to the base of the steepest hill in the heart of Jackson Hole and it gets western! During the full on rodeo for snow ponies, the dare devils and their machines speed up the 1500 ft. vertical rise mountain vying for the fastest time. Some make it to the top, others fly through the air tumbling to the bottom. The event draws young bucks eager to tear it up at high speeds as well as the seasoned experts who focus on mechanics of their sleds while also knowing how to ride it for optimal performance.
Veteran Polaris racer, Sandy Sletten, is one of the most experienced former World Champion hill climbers who is one to watch. This weekend Sandy is racing with the Polaris team in Jackson Hole in Pro Masters, Modified, Stock, and Improved Stock. He says the most challenging element of the hill climbs is the technicality of the steep courses and picking the best line. In turn, the most satisfying part to the races is the sense of accomplishment of overcoming the challenges and achieving your goals after training and preparation.
Sandy grew up in Evergreen, Colorado where his passion for snow sports was innate, and he started riding around ten years old on a John Deere snowmobile. Years later in 1998 he graduated from CSU with a degree in Construction Management while casually racing cross-country here and there. Sandy will tell you he was praying for a change and soon got a phone call from Gary Neely who he had earlier met in 1996.
In the Polaris snowmobiling world Gary is a true legend and visionary playing a large role in the birth of the Rocky Mountain King working alongside the Polaris engineers. Gary’s family is deeply rooted in the Wyoming Range as original homesteaders outside of Pinedale, Wyoming. The local Polaris dealership, Bucky’s Outdoors, was started by Gary’s father, Bucky Neely, as a tractor repair shop partnered with a taxidermy for fur pelts. When Gary took over the business, his love of the mountains and snowmobiles inspired the change to focus primarily on Polaris products. This wild west sled history will be told in a feature film coming out in the fall of 2019.
When Sandy moved to Pinedale, Wyoming to work for Gary in Bucky’s Outdoors shop, Gary was a hot shot established hill climber with a world championship under this belt. Gary will tell you competing in the hill climbs helped develop his business because whichever shop could make the older sleds perform and go even a foot higher, they were top of the game with the best mechanics. While already mechanically inclined, with Gary’s mentorship for over 12 years working side by side, Sandy has become one of the world’s top hill climbers and mechanics.
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As the new owner of Bucky’s Outdoors (since 2011), Sandy is rooted in the history of Wyoming snowmobiling. As the technology of snowmobiling continues to change, the shop’s goals are to evolve with movement of society. The cowboy way is to do what needs to be done which is exactly what the team at Bucky’s Outdoors is good at. Since opening, the shop has an impeccable reputation for quality service.
When you operate in a small town, the person walking in the door needs to become your customer for the next 30 years, so you treat them right.
Pinedale, Wyoming is a ranching community, and the people rely on Polaris products for their livelihood calving, hauling feed, checking the fields. As the owner of the local dealership, Sandy emphasizes the importance of providing fast, quality service for the ranchers depending on his knowledgeable staff. Pinedale was recently named Ranger Country USA by Polaris as ranchers who utilize the machines for their livelihood and truly hold a deep passion for mountain travel.
As a father, Sandy is passing down the pure love for the mountains and riding to his two kids. His son, Noah, is old enough to race this year; however, he told his dad he just loves riding in the mountains together. Their favorite is riding the deep snow of the Wyoming Range.
