Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris McKenzie.
Hi Chris, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always had a passion for cars, motorcycles, and off-road. Back in high school, my buddies and I started a 4-wheel drive club to go Jeeping and off-road. After my first trip to Moab, UT in 2001 I was hooked. After High school, my interests moved more toward fast cars and Motorcycles. When I got married and had my first child, I wanted to slow things down and get back into off-road and adventure more into the backcountry. The 4-door Jeep Wrangler had just come out, and that would make for a great vehicle for the family. I couldn’t leave it stock, and within a week, it had a lift and new tires on it, and we headed to Moab. Over the years, I continued to tweak and change it to handle more difficult trails. I met Ryan Maxfield at Agility Customs, and he helped me build the Jeep Wrangler out even more. I was talking to Ryan one day about his buggy, and he told me about W.E. Rock and Competitive Rock Crawling. I quickly got the itch to compete in a sport that I had tinkered in for many years. So, I found a Jeep that would work and started to compete in Stock Class. Since starting in 2020, I have won the national title, 2nd and 3rd place in the series, and multiple podium finishes.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
If it was easy, everyone would do it. Rock Crawling is definitely not easy. You have to be a problem solver on the fly. You are constantly assessing the situation and trying to find a way through it. During my first competition, I could have given up a few times. It all comes down to your attitude; you can choose to give up and go home or fight till the end. I broke a lot of parts and managed to keep fixing it to keep going. We didn’t end up on the podium, but it was a lot of fun, and I made some lifelong friends.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love being creative and solving problems. Rock Crawling has giving me an opportunity to do both. I had always wanted to be involved with Motorsports but never knew how. Somehow, I lucked out, and it found me. In 2017 I purchased a small off-road brand CrawlerReady.com. Crawler Ready is an Off-road Media and Apparel brand. We focus on helping other off-road companies and race teams by making sweet apparel for them. Being a rock crawler gives me the advantage of knowing the right angles for video and cool shots which I then can turn into cool designs for apparel.
Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
You can find me on all the socials @CrawlerReady
IG: @CrawlerReady
YouTube CrawlerReady
TikTok @CrawlerReady
Twitter @CrawlerReady
Facebook CrawlerReady
Contact Info:
- Website: www.crawlerready.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crawlerready/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrawlerReady/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/crawlerready
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CrawlerReady
Image Credits
@sty_fcsd
@EdVenture Photography
@Charlie Garcia
@Devin.Walston
