Summit Lake,
Alaska - Ski-Doo X-Team rider
Tyler Aklestad and skier Marco Sullivan won the Arctic Man Skiing competition
for the second year in a row this past weekend with a blazing fast 4 minute,
4.8 second run and 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 his partner for what can be a blazing fast pull if the team
coordinates its run well.
Aklestad also won the (Snow) Board competition with partner
Nate Holland, clocking a winning time of 4 minutes, 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 4 minutes,
14.47 seconds and another impressive top speed of 80 mph.
Aklestad, who hails from Palmer, AK, 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 2,000-mile
Iron Dog. Sullivan, who hails from Truckee,
CA, is a World Cup downhill
skier. Combine Aklestad's terrain racing ability with Sullivan's World Cup
skiing experience and you get an event-winning time of 4 minutes, 4.80 seconds
and a top speed of 80.6 mph.