Sponsored Rider: Dan Gardiner

1. At what age did you start riding sleds?

 I started riding at about age twelve on a 1990 Polaris 550 fan cooled.  My family had a cabin in the Utah mountains and I would spend weekends abusing that poor sled in the surrounding hills and canyons.  The obsession only grew from there…the only difference now is the mountains are bigger and the sleds are a little more capable!

2. Where are you from?

Salt Lake City, Utah

3. Current Sled?

2012 VOHK-built Polaris Pro RMK with a Boondocker Turbo, Timbersled Mtn Tamer rear suspension, and of course a Sled Solutions tunnel bag…the most fun sled I’ve ever owned!

4. Where would you like to ride that you haven’t?

I will keep that one a secret for now, but stay tuned for the next couple Boondockers videos...

5. Who is the one rider you look up to the most?

It’s difficult to name one rider…  Growing up I looked up to Jay Quinlan in the early Slednecks videos.  I loved the old Powder Bound series, I thought it captured the type of riding I love to do.  I also look up to Erik Woog (VOHK), his technical expertise and ability in the trees is amazing.  Matt Entz is one of the guys that pushes my riding ability the most when I’m out with him.  He is one of the few riders I know of that can do almost everything.  He can drop big cliffs, jump big gaps, pull technical tree lines, and boondock the deepest powder and tangliest river bottoms in style…and that’s all in the same day!

6. What haven’t you done on sled that you would still like to do?

I would like to continue to push the limits of my abilities and the technology, spend more time on the snow, and travel to new places.

7. What is your proudest riding moment? I don’t know if I can name one moment.

 Setting the distance record in Slednecks 4 was a proud moment at the time.  It’s hard to believe that was 11 years ago!

8. Who are the people in your life that have helped you get to where you’re at? 

So many people have helped me along the way in this sport.  Erik Woog (VOHK) keeps me on the best sleds on the snow.  Dave Napier (Napier Motorsports) has been a longtime sponsor and one of my closest riding buddies.  Andrew McCarthy started the Boondockers video series and had the faith to hand it off to me when he moved on to bigger things, I’ll always be grateful for that and his continued role with the team.  John Summers (Klim) took a chance on us early on and has been a huge supporter of the team and all of the non-profit causes we support, including the Utah Avalanche Center.  All of the Boondockers riders and sponsors have been some of my closest friends and I can’t say enough great things about the incredible people I get to ride with on a regular basis and how thankful I am for the relationships I’ve built through snowmobiling. 

9. Any one person you would like to mention that has supported you through your riding obsession? 

It’s impossible to name just one person.  My girlfriend Jackie and my 12 year-old younger sister Ashton (lives with us) are the most supportive family I could ask for!  They encourage my riding addiction and always support me.

10. Best and worst season of riding for you? 

Last season, 2010-11, was probably the worst.  I started a new job at the beginning of winter and had a lot of things going on that got in the way of riding.  I ended up not riding much.  To top it off, it was also one of the best snow years in Utah and it was frustrating not to be out more.

This year has been the best for me so far, despite the fact that it’s been a terrible year for snow here.  I’ve had more time to ride and feel a lot more confident in my riding.  My sleds have been ripping…the 2012 VOHK-built Pro RMK Boondocker turbo is ridiculous!  I’ve been able to get in a lot of rides with the all of the Boondockers crew, including some of the most memorable of my life.  

To order the new video, Boondockers 9, check out... www.sledsolutions.com.
For more information on Dan and the Boondockers Crew, please visit... www.boondockersmovie.com.