If it hasn’t been made evident by now, we love people here at AAT! We love hearing about their stories and passions for our community, but we also love hearing about what our fellow locals do and why they do it! For example, we have some wonderful neighbors who own/manager some fantastic local businesses and serve our town tremendously by doing so! This fact is why AAT has partnered up with our good friends at B3 Glass, to bring you all “Small Business Fridays!” Each week, we’ll feature a different, local small business and talk with its owner and hear about their journey, their business in general, as well as their heart for their customers and our city!
This week, we’re joined by Kyle Wieben of SledNV. What is SledNV, you ask? Well, it’s only the dream local business for winter power sports enthusiasts! Customers of SledNV can rent snowmobiles for their backcountry adventures. That’s right, you can enjoy the fun of a day out on the snowy trails without having to drop several thousand dollars on a ride! If you want to try getting out there but have never been on a sled, then let Kyle, a rider of over nineteen years, provide you with guided tours!
Kyle, thank you for joining us this week! Can you tell us a little bit about your business and what your goal is for SledNV?
“I started this business last year (2018), but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for the last fifteen years. We are your one-stop-shop for everything snowmobiling. I want to give people who have never gone before the ultimate backcountry experience. There is nothing I would rather do than snowmobile, so I’m trying to take my passion for the industry and communicate that out.”
Can you tell us about your background, Kyle? What brought you to Elko?
“I grew up in Southern Idaho. I met my wife. She was from Arizona, so, because I liked her a lot, I made the mistake of moving there! It was so hot! I knew a guy who had a job up here (Elko); he eventually got me a job with a company that makes a chemical for the mines. I did that for a couple of years, but I needed more of a challenge. I started working underground two years ago and have not regretted doing that.”
Great! Now, let’s talk more about what you’re looking to offer the community through SledNV. What are some solid, practical reasons some of our neighbors should seek you out as we’re approaching winter?
“If you don’t ride more than six times in a year, then you’re better off just renting a sled. The maintenance and depreciation are my worries. If you’re leasing your sled, then what you’d pay a month for a payment is about what you could pay me for an experience you know you’re going to have. Take the sled, ride it, and have a good time when you want, and then you don’t have to pay for it all summer long when you can’t ride. I view this as a service to the community. People can get out and enjoy the beauty of the wintertime without that financial burden.
“I encourage everybody to get out and try it at least twice. You’re going to learn something the first time, like not wearing the right kinds of boots, that you’ll want to adjust for the second time.
“We’ll customize your experience to whatever you need it to be. We want to show people the right way to sled. If you do it the wrong way, then you’re going to hate life, but if you do it the right way, then it will be the best day of your life. Without the right equipment and guidance, it would be like giving someone a soccer ball and asking them to go out and play basketball; they can do it, but it won’t be near as fun then as if they did it the right way.”
How is the Elko County area for snowmobiling?
“We have some of the best snowmobiling in the world, here in Elko. I remember reading a magazine once in high school that listed Lamoille Canyon as one of the top three destinations for snowmobiling in the West. Therefore, Elko has always been on my radar. I love Elko; I love Nevada; we’re not moving! Just in the time I’ve lived here, I’ve discovered so many neat things. Everyone knows that Lamoille Canyon is a destination for many sledders, but a lot of people don’t know about Jack Creek and North Fork or some of the areas we ride. The ground you can cover and the things you can see on a sled is almost overwhelming sometimes. This gives people a chance to see things they normally never would. It’s a way to access areas of our public land that are not getting utilized.”
Wonderful! Well, thank you so much for talking with us this week, Kyle! Is there anything else you’d like to say before we release you back into the hills?
“Snowmobiling is for everybody. It’s such a diverse sport. Once you get into it, it really hooks you. The sleds hook you, but I think the community hooks you even more. The people you get to know through snowmobiling are great. So, between the people you meet and the things you see, you just can’t beat it. It’s worth it, and we want to be the liaison for people into it. We want to be your fun for the winter!”
If you’d like to contact Kyle and SledNV you can find them here:
You can stay caught up on everything going on around here at AAT by checking out our “Stay Connected” page! Make sure you never miss a feature!
See you around, Elko!
Article Credits:
Written by: Anthony Crosby
Edited by: Nadara Merrill
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