Big mountain skiers compete at Vail
Special to the Daily |
VAIL — Ski & Snowboard Club Vail athletes achieved strong results at the International Freeskiers and Snowboarders Association Rocky Mountain Big Mountain Regional Series competitions hosted by Ski JETA in Vail this weekend. More than 100 athletes ranging in age from 8 to 18 years old came from across the Rocky Mountain region to compete for two days on Lover’s Leap.
In big mountain competitions, athletes navigate through natural terrain including trees, steeps, cliffs, chutes, drops and gullies. Their scores are based on the difficulty of their line (which is weighed most heavily) along with fluidity, technique, control and style, and are arrived at by a panel of three judges.
“We were psyched to get two events off the ground in Vail when a lot of ski areas have been having a tough time pulling off big mountain events due to tough snow conditions from a lack of natural snow,” said Cat Iwanchuk, director of athlete and mountain relations for Ski JETA, the event organizer for this weekend’s competitions in Vail. “Lover’s Leap proved to be a great venue for all ages and levels of athletes, and we were really excited to see the energy and level of skiing that was displayed. We were really grateful for the support of Vail Resorts and its Ski Patrol in making both days of competitions happen.”
This weekend brought great weather and a high level of competitive skiing, resulting in difficult decisions for the judges and top finishes within less than two points of each other.
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail athletes had eight top-three finishes on Saturday and top-three finishes in every category on Sunday.
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“I am really proud of our athletes of all ages. Many of them are experiencing personal bests at competitions this season. They are responding well to pressure and difficult terrain, and demonstrating terrific focus and commitment,” said Tim Luczkow, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail big mountain coach.
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail results, Saturday
Female 8 to 11 ski
1 Molly Reeder
2 Ingrid Savin
Male 8 to 11 ski
5 Finn Griffin
6 Jack Ganley
7 Devin Yarde
11 Noah Gionfriddo
13 Sam Heller
14 Adam Eisenhauer
Female 12 to 14 ski
1 Anwyn Urquhart
2 Scout Mattison
3 Austin Obourn
4 Alexandra Carey
7 Rachel Cocchiarella
10 Elsie Hauser
Male 12 to 14 ski
1 Max Pierce
2 Finn Andersson
3 Job Hernandez
7 Tait Hargreaves
10 George Savin
17 Ian MacFarlane
23 John Obourn
25 Nate Molloy
36 Ryan Cole
41 Graham Spessard
42 Liam Mattison
44 Cade Cyphers
Male 15 to 18 ski
21 Duke Yarde
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail results, Sunday
Female 8 to 11 ski
1 Molly Reeder
2 Ingrid Savin
Male 8 to 11 ski
2 Finn Griffith
7 Adam Eisenhauer
9 Noah Gionfriddo
10 Devin Yarde
Female 12 to 14 ski
1 Austin Obourn
2 Alexandra Carey
3 Scout Mattison
6 Rachel Cocchiarella
Male 12 to 14 ski
1 Finn Andersson
7 Max Pierce
16 Tait Hargreaves
20 John Obourn
23 Will Madsen
24 Dylan Stueber
28 Ryan Cole
34 Jack Ganley
35 George Savin
36 Job Hernandez
39 Ian Macfarlane
40 Cade Cyphers
Female 15 to 18 ski
3 Jordan Glendining
Male 15 to 18 ski
1 Jack Nichols
3 Kevin Nichols
9 Gabe Suszynski
16 Colin Suszynski
27 Matthew Glendining
Other results
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s big mountain athletes have skied well this season, including at the IFSA Big Mountain National Series competition at Crystal Mountain on Feb. 26-March 1, the IFSA Big Mountain Regional Series competitions in Winter Park on Feb. 28 and March 1 and the IFSA Big Mountain National Series competition in Crested Butte on March 5-8.
In Winter Park, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s athletes dominated on the tough terrain on Chutes and Cirque. On the first day, Molly Reeder took first in the U12 girls category. Devin Yarde took fifth and Finn Griffith took sixth in the U12 boys category. Max Pierce took third and Liam Mattison took ninth in the U12-14 boys category. Kevin Nichols and Jack Nichols took first and third, respectively, in the U15-18 boys category.
On the second day in Winter Park, Devin Yarde finished fifth and Finn Griffith finished sixth for the U12 boys. Dylan Stueber finished third and Cade Cyphers finished fourth in the U12-14 boys category. Jordan Glendining took first in the U15-18 girls category. Kevin Nichols and Jack Nichols were first and second, respectively, for the U15-18 boys, with Duke Yarde, an Ski & Snowboard Club Vail freeski athlete, taking fourth in his first ever big mountain competition, Gabe Suszynski finishing seventh and Colin Susznski finishing ninth.
“Our team is skiing really well in a large field of talented skiers. I am really excited to see them grow and demonstrate original lines and strong technique,” said Nick Whittemore, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail head big mountain coach. “The number of very talented up-and-coming skiers is certainly a testament to the increasing popularity of big mountain skiing and the bright future for this sport.”
Earlier this month, Austin Obourn took third for the U13-15 girls and Finn Andersson took second for the U13-15 boys at Crystal Mountain in Washington.
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail sent 12 athletes to the IFSA Big Mountain National Series event in Crested Butte on March 7 and 8, where 10 of them qualified for finals on the second day: Austin Obourn, Alex Carey, Finn Andersson, Max Pierce, Tait Hargraves, John Obourn, Jordan Glendining, Jack Nichols, Kevin Nichols and Gabe Suszynski. In the finals, Austin Obourn and Alex Carey took first and second, respectively, for the U12-14 girls. Finn Andersson took third, Max Pierce took sixth, Tait Hargraves took 13th and John Obourn took 18th for the U12-14 boys. Jack Nichols took third and Kevin Nichols took 11th for the U15-18 male category.
“As coaches, we were thrilled to see so many great results in Crested Butte. One third of the Ski & Snowboard Club Vail athletes finished on the podium in a field of skiers from across the continental U.S.,” said Whittemore.
Looking ahead, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail will qualify a large number of athletes to Big Mountain National Championships in Grand Targhee, Wyoming, in early April.
