With the holidays and all, this week’s update is brief – best wishes for a happy and safe new year.

 

SVSEF Freestyle Team takes on training and competition in Colorado

The SVSEF Freestyle Team spent two weeks leading up to the holidays in Colorado for training and competition. The first week was comprised of camps in Vail and Aspen, where athletes were able to apply tricks they have been working on all summer in the Air Barn. Brody Buchwalter made a big breakthrough, as this was his first time back on snow after taking last season off due to injury.
 
The second half of the trip took place in Winter Park for U.S. Selections, where the top 50 athletes in the country competed for starts in NorAm and World Cup events. The caliber of the athletes in the field was extremely high; there were four U.S. Ski Team athletes, U.S. athlete Bryon Wilson, winner of a bronze medal at the 2010 Olympic games, and several international athletes. Holden Largay and Eliza Marks led the charge for SVSEF, and both earned an alternate spot on the tour. Largay finished 18^th in the mogul event on December 19, and Marks’ best finish was 34^th in dual moguls on December 22.
 
Freestyle athletes next compete at the Intermountain Season Opener in Snowbird, January 6-8.
Complete results

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Freeskiing takes advantage of park and pipe features in Park City

Six SVSEF freeski athletes made their way to Park City December 18-22 for some valuable training on park and pipe features, as they are not yet available here in Sun Valley. Skiers had access to two medium/large jumps, which enabled them to work on slopestyle runs. The athletes were also able to spend time on nearly 20 different rail features, which were changed around each night for variety. In total, the group fit in three and a half days of skiing, with the added bonus of being able to practice on the 20×12-foot trampolines at the Center of Excellence.

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Alpine FIS competes at Steamboat

SVSEF alpine FIS athletes competed in three slalom races in Steamboat, December 19-21. Erin Smith led the women on December 19 in 16^th, followed by Skylar Cooley in 21^st, PG skier Ruby Marden in 24^th and PG Ella Pepin 36^th out of a total of 68 athletes. Duncan Fuller and John Blackburn recorded DNFs for the day. The next day, Skylar Cooley finished 23^rd and Ruby Marden, a postgrad, finished 46^th in a field of 78 competitors. Teammates Erin Smith and Ella Pepin (PG) recorded DNFs. Duncan Fuller was 31^st in the men’s event, which saw a total of 67 athletes, and John Blackburn had a DNF. In the final slalom on December 21, Marden landed 35^th in a field of 57 women, and teammates Cooley, Pepin and Smith did not finish. Duncan Fuller cruised to 43^rd in the men’s race, which fielded 71 athletes. Right behind him in 44^th was teammate John Blackburn.
 
Complete results