Ski-Doo X-Team Racers Sweep Arctic Man Competition

Ski-Doo X-Team rider Tyler Aklestad and skier Marco Sullivan won the Arctic Man Skiing/Snowmobiling competition for the second year in a row this past weekend. The pair finished the course in a blazing fast four minutes and 4.8 second and reached a top speed of 80.6 mph.

Alaska’s HooDoo Mountains play host to the annual Arctic Man competition that consists of a skier or snowboarder teamed with a snowmobile rider. There are three parts to the run: a 1.75-mile downhill, a 2.25-mile snowmobile pull and another 1.75-mile downhill run to the finish line. The pairs must work as a team as the snowmobile rider hands off the tow rope to their partner for what can be a blazing fast pull if the team coordinates their run well.

Aklestad also won the (Snow) Board competition with partner Nate Holland, clocking a winning time of four minutes and 47.92-seconds and logged a top speed of 75.7 mph. Ski-Doo rider Tyson Johnson backed up Aklestad in both events with his Ski partner Scott Montalbo and Board partner Jayson Hale. Julie Thul pulled Anna Goodman to the win in Women’s Ski division with a time of fourminutes and 14.47-seconds and another impressive top speed of 80 mph.

Aklestad is a veteran cross-country racer and normally competes in much longer events on his Ski-Doo MX Z X RS snowmobile than the Arctic Man, including the grueling 2000-mile Iron Dog. Sullivan is a World Cup downhill skier.