SVSEF athletes make major leaps amidst unfavorable conditions

The SVSEF Big Mountain Team returned from their second stop on the IFSA Junior Series dressed in metal and coated in praise from the freeride community. The team walked away from the weekend in Snowbird with ten podium finishes and countless others rounding out the Top 5. Athletes battled flat light and low snow conditions on a course that featured exposed rock faces and dynamic terrain, the perfect recipe for an exciting, yet challenging competition. 

Head Coach Banks Gilberti said he and the rest of the coaching staff left Utah feeling extremely proud of the team as a whole. “For me, one of the biggest takeaways from this trip was our crew’s sheer love for skiing and the sport of freeride as well as the incredible sportsmanship and support our athletes showed to each other throughout the competition weekend,” commented Gilberti. 

The podiums are a singular outcome of the massive input of time and energy put into training both on and off the mountain over the past few months. Compared to larger resorts in the West that tend to breed freeride athletes, Sun Valley may not be known for its “gnarly” off-piste terrain. However, here on Baldy, the steeps are steep and the bumps are deep. There is something to be said for those capable of skiing 3,000 ft. of vertical relief in one run. 

Gilberti commented on the team’s training regime, “We expect our athletes to have strong fundamentals and we constantly focus on developing and improving on them day to day. We hold these kids to a high standard, but we always leave room for freeskiing with friends and family.” In many ways, this competition proved the team is capable of competing at a regional and national level despite the adverse snow conditions Baldy has been dealt this season. Turns out a 41″ base is all you need to succeed. 

Stay tuned as the team heads to Red Mountain Resort in British Columbia to compete in the next stop of the IFSA Junior Regional Qualifiers.

 

RESULTS

VOLUME 1 (Day 1)

U19 Ski Men:

1st -Alex Leahy

2nd – Abel Marx

3rd – Reyn Gary 

4th – Breck Lyon 

U19 Ski Women:

3rd – Scarlett Carruth 

4th – Addie Warden 

U15 Ski Men:

4th – Hank Greener 

5th – Kobi Bilbro 

6th – Jude Carter 

 

VOLUME 2 (Day 2) 

U19 Ski Men:

2nd – Zack Torres

3rd – Alex Leahy 

5th – Reyn Gary 

U19 Ski Women:

1st – Claire Buchwalter 

2nd – Ripley Scales 

4th – Tess Lightner

5th – Madda Mourier-Floyd 

U15 Ski Men:

1st – Hank Greener

U15 Ski Women:

2nd – Skyler Jensen