Levi LaVallee, a seven-time Winter X Games medalist and champion snocross racer broke a world record in December during a test run when he landed a 361-foot jump on a snowmobile. Here, SnoRiders magazine learns what motivates LaVallee to attempt the unthinkable.
Where are you from?
I have lived in Longville, Minnesota, my entire life, minus a few years when I signed with Polaris.
What model of Polaris do you ride?
I ride the Polaris IQ 600, the race sled that they have. I have been riding that sled for a couple of years now—it is bulletproof, that sled. We put it through pure hell and this thing keeps asking for more.
How did you make the transition from being a regular sledder to racing professionally?
I started off doing some local races around town. I always grew up trail riding with my family, and my dad and I were going a little faster than we should have been on the trails. And my dad said, ‘Do you want to try out a local race here?’ and I said, ‘Heck, yeah! Let’s give it a shot and see how it goes.’ So we went to a local race about 30 minutes from Longville and I did really well on my first one. We started doing the rest of that series. When I turned 14, I started doing snocross and once we started, I was hooked.
When did you sign with Red Bull?
I have been signed with Red Bull as long as I have been signed with Polaris, since the 2002/2003 season. If you have an outrageous and crazy idea, (Red Bull) tries to make it a reality. With this distance jump, I just went to them and said, ‘I think I am capable of doing this but I don’t have the background,’ and they said, ‘We have done distance jumps with others,’ and they jumped headfirst into the project.
What inspires you to attempt these crazy stunts?
It is funny, the thing that keeps me doing this and why I choose to do this, is (because I) push myself . . . On top of that, it is a milestone. (Doing a superman backflip) you (have to) overcome your fear. You go against what your mind is telling you not to do, like ‘No, don’t jump off the sled, don’t do a backflip.’ The second thing it says if you are doing a backflip is ‘Don’t jump off the sled and hang from the handlebars!’ So it’s cool to overcome your fear and to see what you are capable of.
