The second half of 2025 has definitely been one to remember for Salt Lake City Bronco Nation member, Kristian B. He recently married his wife Misha. Visited Las Vegas for the first time. And... won a trip to SEMA from Bronco Nation.
Kristian was the winner of our recent SEMA giveaway, and I think it is safe to say it was an experience he won’t soon forget. I recently caught up with the Software Engineer to hear about his SEMA experience and learn why he loves the Bronco so much like the rest of us. After growing up in upstate New York, Kristian moved to Utah a few years ago for better access to the outdoors and public lands, which is the ideal place to enjoy his hobbies like skiing, camping, amateur radio, photography, and — since getting his Bronco — off-roading.
Had you ever been to SEMA?
I’ve never been to SEMA before and only driven through Las Vegas, never stopped. So it was my first time exploring both!
Who did you take to SEMA with you?
I invited my friend Tanner, who is very into cars (his favorite is the Skyline GT-R which we got to see several of at SEMA), and he has rival brand of off-road vehicle that also has circular headlights. However, the Bronco Nation crew and I were working on trying to get him into a Bronco while at SEMA! He is always down for camping and overlanding with me, and we love exploring all the beautiful public lands here in Utah.
In general, how was the SEMA experience?
It was a blast, there is so much to see at the show, and we got a lot of steps in trying to cover as much ground as we could. There’s also such a wide variety of displays from cool off-road builds to drift cars to accessories, tools, and parts.
What was your favorite part?
I was trying to find and take pictures of as many Broncos at the show as I could. By my count I got to 50, I think the Bronco Nation video made it to 57 so I got close! Seeing the Bronco Roadster concept car was very cool, it looks beautiful. We also got to see some of the drift cars going out in the parking lots, we were even able to watch from our hotel window. We also got to have dinner with some of the Ford/Bronco Nation crew — Jon, Cam, Evan, and Natalie — it was awesome getting to know them!
Did you get inspired to do any mods to your Bronco?
Definitely a lot of cool ideas, the Armadillo Designs hard top looks awesome, or maybe a roof rack and tent. I’m personally not much of a soft top guy but that Bestop eTop is pretty cool.
A first-time Bronco owner, Kristian said it was “quite a switch up” from his two previous vehicles (a Honda Fit and Volkswagen Jetta) when he bought his 2023 Azure Gray Bronco Badlands, nicknamed GIDDYUP. “I’ve received comments from several other Utah Bronco owners who tried to get that license plate, only to see it on mine at a meet up!”, he said.
What made you choose the Bronco?
I started seeing YouTube videos covering the Bronco, different trims and accessories, etc. Spent time going through forums and seeing how people really loved theirs. I loved the design and the modularity. I placed an order, but after about 6 months I ended up finding one a few hours away from me on a dealer’s lot. It had pretty much everything I had ordered, so I jumped on that instead.
What’s your favorite part about your Bronco?
I love the modularity and aftermarket support. There’s almost always a product out there for anything you can think of (I would never have thought of mounting a radio above the glove box for example). I also really enjoy the confidence it provides me when tackling obstacles off-road, and the community of Bronco owners.
I know you’ve made some modifications to your Bronco (and are inspired to do more after SEMA), tell us about your Bronco.
- On the exterior, I added the Ford Performance Warn Winch kit, added a lift and some 35s (originally came without Sasquatch pkg), some rear shock and rear diff skids from DV8, a Hammerbuilt tailgate reinforcement and third brake light/chase light, pocket fog lights and A-pillar lights from Diode Dynamics, and GMRS and Ham radio antennas.
- Under the hood, I installed an air compressor from ARB, and wired all the lights up to my aux switches.
- On the interior, I added a hammock mount from Meraki Hammocks, a rear tailgate table, MOLLE panels in the rear windows, some grab handles and cargo light upgrades, Bulletpoint mounting for my phone and GoPro, and mounted my GMRS and Ham radios.
Since purchasing his Bronco, Kristian has really dived into enjoy everything the vehicle has to offer and the epic adventures that you can have with the iconic ride.
Do you take your Bronco off-roading, or is it more of an everyday vehicle?
I use it for both. I typically try to get out for at least a day trip somewhere once or twice a month, with a few longer weekend trips a year. Moab is obviously an incredible place to explore with it, but we’ve also been to some fun events in St. George UT, Vernal UT, and Buena Vista CO. I definitely have some more trails at all of those locations I need to go back for, but I’d also really love to take it to the Telluride area.
Have you been to Off-Roadeo?
Twice! I went to Moab just after I got my Bronco and learned so much about all of the features, and a lot about off-roading techniques and safety. I also went (again to Moab) a year later, as the passenger, so my now wife could get some experience driving the Bronco off-road. Shout out to Erica who was my instructor both times, she is fantastic!
Have you attended any Bronco events?
I’ve been to United by Bronco (2024) in Sand Hollow, Super-Cel Colorado (2024) in Buena Vista, and Bronco Safari (2025) in Vernal. Bronco Nation was in Buena Vista, so I got to do one of the trail rides with other members there. All of the events have been awesome, as they have a range of easy drives/trails all the way up to extreme/difficult stuff. Next year, I’m planning to go back to United by Bronco and hoping to make it to the Bronco Stampede in Moab during Easter Jeep Safari.
What about meet ups with Bronco Nation members/other owners?
I met up with several other Bronco owners, and we did a camping trip out to the San Rafael Swell and ran the Devil’s Racetrack trail together. We had never met before, but instantly got along great and had lots of discussions about our trips with the Bronco, favorite mods, etc.
Kristian has also quickly learned the value of joining a Bronco Club. “I’m also a member of the Utah Bronco Club, which has owners of everything from 1st through 6th gens. They put on a ton of awesome events (including Bronco Safari), but the Christmas parade where we bring donations to the Ronald McDonald House in downtown Salt Lake City is one of my favorites each year.”
CONGRATS AGAIN KRISTIAN!
We are so glad you and Tanner had a great time at SEMA checking out all of the Broncos and hanging with the Bronco Nation team. You have truly embraced the Bronco life and are a perfect example of the type of owners who make up our amazing Bronco Nation community!
Comments
You must log in or register to post here.