Mother Nature has dropped more than 2 feet of snow on most Summit County ski areas in the first 11 days of the month. So far in February, Breckenridge Ski Resort has tallied 30 inches.
One year ago the last time a pro snowboard and freeski competition took place in Summit County was the last time Yuto Totsuka lost one of the sport’s preeminent halfpipe contests. In February.
Photo by Kelsey Brunner / The Aspen Times
On Thursday, Jan. 28, Summit County legend Todd Richards and U.S. Halfpipe Pro Team coach JJ Thomas chatted about how halfpipe is one of the most dangerous sports an athlete can compete in. They likened the bravery it takes to stare down and drop into a mammoth superpipe to entering the UFC octagon.
Look no further than Swiss star Jan Scherrer’s crash last week right before finals at the season’s first halfpipe competition: the Laax Open. Scherrer slammed his side into the icy pipe wall from 20 feet in the air while trying a new trick that he invented last fall. Despite the crash, Scherrer will compete at X Games Aspen this weekend.
Summit High School’s Olyvia Snyder skis her way to a state championship in the Colorado High School Ski League slalom competition at Beaver Creek Resort in February 2020. Snyder s win spearheaded a dominant slalom title performance by the Tigers girls.
Photo by Ryan Casey / CHSAA Now
A year after winning the slalom state championship, the Summit High School girls Alpine ski team is poised to challenge for the top spot in the state.
The Tigers girls have top-end talent, led by 2020 slalom state champion Olyvia Snyder, and depth on the girls team. Speaking from downhill practice at Keystone Resort on Tuesday afternoon, Alpine head coach Karl Barth said the team is “insanely” talented enough to potentially lead the Tigers Alpine and Nordic girls ski teams to a state championship on home snow at Loveland Ski Area on March 11-12.
After a week of mostly dry weather, Summit County is expected to see a few snowflakes this weekend. According to National Weather Service meteorologist Evan Direnzo, 1-3 inches of snow is expected to fall over.