In the world of snowmobile hillclimb racing, it’s Keith Curtis who reigns supreme. This year alone, the 26-year-old from Dillon, Montana, earned 17 first-place finishes and several overall King titles from the Rocky Mountain Snowmobile Hillclimb Association (RMSHA).
He also took home the prestigious King of Kings title after winning all his classes at the 39th Annual World Championship Hillclimb in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on March 23, 2014. And the season isn’t even over yet.
Aside from his racing career, Curtis is a highly technical backcountry rider, which is probably the reason why Polaris added him to its posse of Terrain Dominators. Despite his success in the snowmobiling world, Curtis remains cool and level-headed, always letting his riding speak for itself.
SnoRiders recently caught up with the world champion while he was on the road, to talk about his victory at Jackson Hole and what he’ll be up to when the snow is gone.
Where are you headed right now?
I am heading to Crested Butte, Colorado. That’s where the next RMSHA hillclimb is going to be. That is the Ultimate Snowmobiler, so there are actually lots of events going on. I’m kind of curious to see how everything turns out as far as all of the events, because they are supposed to have hillcross, hillclimb, snocross and freestyle. It should be pretty cool. Joe Duncan is putting it on and he does a really good job.
What events are you registered for?
I’m just doing the hillclimb . . . for the RMSHA side of things, I’ll be racing 600 Stock, 800 Stock, 1000 Stock, 800 Modified and 800 Open Modified.
You’ve had a successful year so far. Was it an easy win at Jackson?
Well, it’s never an easy win at Jackson but this year went surprisingly well, considering how gnarly the course was and how much snow they had. It was pretty cool I was able to get up and over that course so many times. Just on Sunday alone, I think I went up and over eight times. It just went really well. The more technical and challenging the course is, the better I do. It seems like if there’s more snow, I can focus on the aspect of snow rather than worrying about rocks, stumps and dirt.
This wasn’t the first time you’ve won King of Kings at Jackson. What's been your most memorable win?
This year tops the rest—strictly because I’ve always wanted to pull a full sweep at Jackson. I’ve always wanted to win all my classes and win all the King titles that I could possibly win. This is the year that happened. Winning five classes alone, I don’t think that’s ever been done before at Jackson. I started off by winning all five classes, then I went on and I had three chances to win Stock King of the Hill and I had two chances to win Modified King of the Hill, so I had a stacked hand at the end of the day going into the King run.
What’s your favourite venue on the RMSHA circuit, and why?
For sure it’s Jackson. For one, the fans make the event so much more fun. There are thousands of people coming in throughout the weekend and that’s just inspiration. You’re down at the starting line and there’s a bunch of fans cheering you on and that just sets the morale for the day. And two: the payout is a lot better from the manufacturers and the class purses are better, just because the entry fees are more expensive. And three: the technicality of the course (and) the challenge of Jackson Hole. When you’re going up the course, there are like three-foot trenches, three-foot headwalls and gnarly technical sidehills that you have to make it through. Those are the cool parts.
When does your season wrap up?
This year, it will be April 27. We basically have three races (left): we have the race this coming weekend, the next weekend and then the weekend after that.
Is that when you’re backcountry riding season ends as well?
No. In fact, I’m heading down early this week. I’m heading to Colorado right now to (meet up) with one of my racing buddies and we’re going to go riding on bikes and snowmobiles. Maybe I’ll do a little filming. I still have to do some filming with Schooled and maybe a little more film time with 509. So I’ll probably ride at least 15 more days in the backcountry.
And then what will you be up to?
The last couple of summers I’ve actually had off. And by that, I mean I graduated from college in 2012 with a bachelor in business administration. Since then, I’ve kind of been trying to figure out what I want to do beyond racing. Basically, it’s turned into this full-time gig where I’m cross-training in the summer with mountain bikes and motorcycles. I ride a lot of single-track on dirt bike. Last summer I raced over in Sardinia, Italy (at the ISDE). I actually qualified to be on the U.S. team for the ISDE, which is a really competitive field. I actually never knew anything about it until last year. A buddy talked me into racing the qualifier and I ended up doing pretty well and found myself in Europe a few months later. It was a really cool experience. But I do some cross-country races, enduro and I also won the (2012) Amateur Open EnduroCross National Championship title in Las Vegas.
Do you have any races planned for this summer?
I don’t. If there was a hard enduro circuit in the U.S., I would probably do it—like the Sea to Sky, Erzberg or Romaniacs—but there isn’t.
So as one of the best backcountry riders out there, do you have any advice you could share for mountain sledders looking to improve their technical riding skills?
I’d say the most important part of it is you really have to ride the snowmobile—jumping back and forth from side to side, moving your feet on the running boards back and forth, hanging a leg, really just getting out there and using the right body English for whatever you are doing. For instance, if you’re sidehilling and your left foot is hanging out and your right foot is on the running board, your right foot constantly needs to be moving forward to backward, depending on what the terrain is like right in front of you. And it’s important to adjust your body according to the terrain coming up. Prepare for what is coming and always be looking forward. Try to be smooth. Being smooth and having the momentum is a huge part of getting through those technical lines, too. You have to be smooth to be fast and you must have that momentum to carry you up and over.
Right on, Keith. We’ll definitely try that! And thanks for catching up with SnoRiders. Before you hang up, is there anyone you’d like to thank?
My sponsors. Everyone helps out—all my sponsors, my friends and my family. I couldn’t do without everyone working together.
Keith Curtis is sponsored by the following: Polaris Industries, Boondocker Performance, Walker Evans Shocks, Polaris Engineered Apparel, Accessories, & Parts, Polaris Engineered Lubricants, Arctic FX Graphics, EZ RYDE Suspension, 509 Goggles, Skinz Protective Gear, RSI handlebars, Kurt’s Polaris, Patrick Custom Carbon, Camoplast Tracks, Ripcord Arrow Rest, RCS titanium springs, Reel Cameras, SCS Vinyl Works, Starting Line Performance, Ice Age Performance, Team Industries, ABS Packs, Avid Products, Stud Boy Traction, TB Racing, Kold Kutter Racing Screws, KLIM, OFT Racing, V-Force Delta Reeds, Centennial Livestock.com/High Quality Beef, Powerlabs Diesel Performance/ Idaho Falls, ID, Backcountry Sled Patriots, Burandt’s Backcountry Adventure, Ace Powder Coating, Adventure Cycle & Sled, Kinetic Road Trainers, Kona Bicycles, Wasatch Trailer Sales, Durmas Racing, Sledspace.com, Utendorpher Design, Next Level Riding Clinics, SledFocus.com, The Dilmart Home Furnishings, Napa Auto Parts/ Dillon, Montana, Montana Candleworks and Glassworks, Taylor Construction & Design, Les Schwab Tire Center, The Lions Den, Elkhorn Hot Springs, Amerigas, General Welding, Windancer Car Wash, Dillon Auto. He’d also like to thank his mom, dad and brother Steven, as well as his family and friends.
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