SnoWest News: Erik Woog of VOHK

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December 3, 2009

Erik Woog of VOHK

Builder of the pros

Dan Gardiner

Erik Woog opened Alpine Motor Sports in 1987 in the small

town of Kremmling, CO. At first glance, Alpine Motor Sports

looks like a typical Arctic Cat dealership. The showroom floor is

filled with retail displays, snowmobile gear and the newest line of

snowmobiles.

On closer inspection, AMS offers much more in the way of

aftermarket products than most shops, from companies like

Boondocker Performance, Speedwerx, BDX and many others. If

you keep looking around and manage to find the garage behind

the dealership, you will realize that this is no ordinary snowmobile

shop by any stretch of the imagination.

VOHK is the performance wing of Alpine Motor Sports and is

where Woog spends most of his time. Inside, there are enough

tools, fabrication equipment, diagnostics and machine tools to

turn Woog’s project visions into reality. The shop is filled with

new product designs and demos that are waiting to be tested as

soon as the snow flies. Countless innovations have come from

this little garage in the mountains of Colorado.

Woog’s obsession with modifying snowmobiles stems from

his lifelong passion for the sport. He was bouncing through trees

and boondocking the high country of Colorado long before the

industry even recognized this type of riding. In a way, the sport

has always been trying to catch up with guys like Woog. This

progressive style of riding constantly demands more performance

and reliability than stock machines provide and, as a result, VOHK

was born.

VOHK is about more than bolting on a few extra horsepower.

Woog designs and builds sleds to meet the demands of mountain

riders. He looks at the complete sled and re-thinks everything

from the ground up. I had the chance to catch up with Woog at

the Denver snowmobile show. In between talking turbos, suspension

setups and everything in between with customers, he took

the time to answer a few questions about life and his love for

snowmobiles:

When did you start snowmobiling?

Surprisingly, as a flatlander in Wisconsin, but

when I moved to Colorado at the age of 13 I quit

skiing and got serious about riding.

When did you open up your own shop?

Officially in 1987 in a shed on the back of my

house until God blessed me with a suitable property

in 1990 which has since remained my principal

location. I still glance at those old photos and shake

my head.

How did you start working on sleds?

That was an obvious consequence of riding

snowmobiles back then. Most of the equipment

from the late 70s, early 80s wasn’t known for stellar

reliability or performance. That, coupled with the

denial of my request for a new sled from my parents

transformed into my first bank loan (dad was the VP)

to buy a used rental machine with 1.5 zillion miles

on it. It subsequently required some technical skills

to keep the otherwise snow-bound grenade running

long enough to get a ride in.

Have you always modified your sleds?

I’m not sure about always; however, certainly

since I could hold a wrench [chuckles]. Truth is I

grew up with an apparent tendency to attempt

performance enhancements as a child; nothing was

safe in our house. I am just sure I was able to make

big performance gains by porting mom’s blow

dryer and vacuum cleaner so sleds were a natural

progression. From my 1981 Panther with flexi cleats,

a tuner, twin carbs, ported cylinders and a tapered

tunnel, to our new 2010 Turbo mods—it’s safe to

say we’ve covered some ground as an industry. The

fact that Dad raced Arctic Cats in the 70s and was all about performance

may have had something to do with it also.

Where does the name “VOHK” come from?

(Laughs) Seriously, VOHK is a phonetic spelling for Woog—it’s

German. I honestly thought it would create less confusion, perhaps

save me the trouble of correcting improper pronunciation

or worse yet, thinking Woog is a typo and inserting the missing

consonant “n” like my spell check does, assuming Asian

descent. Not certain how effective that was but it did ultimately

give you something to tease me about.

What is your favorite style of riding?

Snowmobiling is such a unique sport in the sense that it can

be so many different things to so many different people. The

standout for me is the freedom to explore, the thrill of seeing

creation from a new perspective atop a 13,000-foot mountain

and the challenges that arise in getting there. That is the force

that drove my early sled mods, to make the sleds faster and more

capable, to reach that next ridge or see what the next valley has

in store.

That transitioned into a new style loosely described as “boondocking,”

but far more technical than what the average rider

equates that to. My style of riding finds me on some obscure,

tree-riddled, north-facing slope surrounded by boulders and no

clear way out with the sun fading, no cell service (quite possibly

intentional), needle bouncing just above E, and my 7th set of

bent A-arms for the year hanging on by the powdercoat, all the

while uncertain as to the whereabouts of the remaining portion of

what started that morning as my group. I am not sure what to call

that style yet.

You have been building Chris Burandt’s sleds since he first

appeared in the Slednecks videos. How did you meet Chris

and what led to you sponsoring him?

One afternoon while riding in one of my favorite obscure

locations, I nearly ran into Chris. What are the odds, right? With

the balance of our groups stuck somewhere in the surrounding

trees we both took a double take and then stopped and wondered,

“Who’s that?” He, no doubt confused as to what I was

doing there and me, wondering the same thing about him. This

transpired into a conversation about why anyone would want to

ride there, why with trees so tight, snow so deep, so far from the

trail … As you can imagine neither one of us did a particularly

great job scaring the other away from our secret spot and thus

lead to the realization that there was quite literally some common

ground. The rest, as they say, is history.

What has it been like to watch Burandt take his career so far?

Were you there for his X-Games gold?

I knew from our first meeting Chris was of that quality—his

genuine demeanor, his passion for the sport. I couldn’t be more

proud of him. It’s been an awesome journey thus far and is most

certainly not over yet. I cannot wait to see what God has in store

for us next. I was there for his X Games gold, along with many

other of his career highlights. I’ve also been there for the not so

shiny moments (still really sorry for forgetting to tighten those

carbs in that one X Games qualifier). It has truly been an honor

to work with somebody as skilled, driven and talented as Chris.

It would be impossible to overstate the respect and admiration I

have for him, even when he roosts me in the trees. Besides Chris,

how many riders have you sponsored over the years?

I have been blessed to have worked with many of the best

athletes in the sport, from top level snocrossers to world champion

hillclimbers, ramp rats to boondockers; there are simply too

many to list. Some have carried on, becoming stars, while others

continue to fight. These relationships, both past and present;

have endowed me with a skill to communicate with the rider and

transcend that into a package that exemplifies their talents while

simultaneously showcasing mine. A key part of that success is

born out of the fact that I am rider, not just a builder. This has

allowed me to better understand the end user and to speak their

language.

How do you build and set up sleds for guys like Chris?

With an emphasis on understanding their particular use

demand and balancing that with various design and calibration

aspects, then affirming a commitment to a build direction.

Essentially, by asking the proverbial question, “What do you want

this thing to do?” Then after that question has been answered I

somehow, inside the parameters of what we have to work with,

make the sled capable of doing those things.

When a customer walks in the door and tells you they want

more out of their snowmobile, where do you take it from

there?

The process begins with a consultation to determine answers

to a myriad of questions, “How do you ride?” “Where do you

ride?” “What do you expect from your sled?” The rider’s desire

with regard to performance, riding style, and handling—all

must be discovered, talked about and completely understood.

As must the ever irritating but nevertheless important issue of

budget (evidently not everyone believes as I do: “They’re snowmobiles

… money doesn’t apply, besides she’ll, or in some cases

he’ll, eventually forgive you”). This is the only way to effectively

move forward. Once that’s done, we start building.

Why do you think interest in turbos has increased so much in

the last couple years?

Since my first M7 turbo build in October, 2004, it became

apparent the drawbacks were largely related to proper fuel control

relative to boost. Sounds like a simple enough problem to

solve if only technology hadn’t left me stranded. However, what

became surprisingly clear was the unbelievable amount of power

gain. I recall telling Chris that I had just smoked the 1150 on

Nos. He thought I was lying. Unfortunately I couldn’t keep the

unit running correctly long enough to do much else. Eventually

I began hearing about a bunch of purists in Utah and Idaho who

had the things working. Turns out Boondocker Performance had

sorted out a functional fuel control, so we promptly ditched our

big bores and strokers and joined forces with Boondocker to

change the world of high altitude snowmobiling altogether. The

progression has yielded the recent pump gas offerings that

embody everything most hardcore western riders need.

aren’t really interested in hillclimbing, but love to ride powder,

get technical in the trees or boondock?

Really? Have you even watched Burandt’s latest video?

The real merit of the turbo two-strokes wasn’t truly realized or

appreciated until they were put in the hands of a skilled backcountry

technician. All bets were off with regard to what you

formerly thought possible on a sled. From controlled pirouettes

to functional loopouts and ridiculous track-walking directional

changes—a ballet of sorts ensued and the bar continues to

rise. What are the advantages? With the stock-like runability of

the current turbo sleds and the proven reliability, I can’t think of

a disadvantage.

Where do you see the aftermarket side of snowmobiling

going over the next five years?

I believe anyone who rides a naturally aspirated sled is sadly

committing an act of cruelty without even knowing it. Let me put

that a little more bluntly—TURBO.

Can you tell us what you will be running on your personal

machine this winter?

I ride a basically stock M8 SnoPro (laughs) with a Boondocker

Intercooled Race Gas Turbo onboard the Speedwerx 925 big

bore with a few other trinkets like an EZ Ryde suspension, ARS/

FX front end, Fox Float Evol XIs, Black Diamond Light Drive/

Shaft/Rotor, a throng of VOHK lightweight components and

other unmentionable enhancements. Sorry, any more and well,

you know the saying, if I tell you I’ll have to … never mind.

Where do you do most of your riding?

In that rock-strewn, tree-riddled box canyon off the dark side

just above Lost Lake on the other side of Forgotten Creek at

the foot of Neversummer Peak, etc., etc. Come on, want to tag

along? I promise we’ll be back by dark … tomorrow … hopefully.

Oh yeah, would you carry my tool pack and siphon hose? By

the way, take it easy on your fuel, you never know when someone

might need it (sorry about that Jer).