STORY BY HEATHER FOSTER

PHOTOS OF ATHLETES TRAINING AT DOLLAR MOUNTAIN BY JOHN BOYDSTON

All you need to do to welcome the biggest snow of the season is plan either a ski race or a park and pipe competition, eh?

That’s what happened this past weekend when Dollar Mountain welcomed the third stop of the USASA Big Mountain West Series following Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Woodward Park City, Utah. With it came the heaviest and most persistent snowfall of the season here in Sun Valley.

Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Freeski Progression and Freeski Futures Teams rallied through challenging conditions, showcasing the necessity of grit and perseverance when the going gets tough. 

In slopestyle competition, a panel of judges evaluate each rider's run, with their scores averaged to determine the final result. Scores are based on a combination of criteria including trick difficulty, execution quality, amplitude—that is, height and distance achieved on jumps, variety of tricks used throughout the course and overall style.

Aimo Mandelin nabbed a first-place and second place medal, while Emmett Crist grabbed a second-place medal and Zeppelin Pilaro, Hayes Fraser and Barrett Beyer, a third place.

“This team showed such strong determination,” said Tyler Conway, SVSEF Freeski Program Director. “Our coaches saw a lot of growth this weekend across the board—from athletes competing for the first time to those who finished on the podium. The best outcomes we saw were all the full pulls, or completed runs, and athletes trying their best even when the weather didn’t play along.”

Slopestyle 1 Saturday

Freeski Open Class

2nd Aimo Mandelin

3rd Barrett Beyer

5th Zeppelin Pilaro

Freeski Breaker (13-14) Boys

2nd Emmett Crist

Slopestyle 2 Sunday

Freeski Open Class

1st Aimo Mandelin

3rd Zeppelin Pilaro     

5th Barrett Beyer

Freeski Youth (15-16) Men

3rd Hayes Fraser

4th Ade Gross

6th Vann Ericksen

The SVSEF Freeski Team is competing in the Big Mountain West Series in Park City on Sunday, Feb. 9, and the U.S. Revolution Tour at Aspen Open, Feb. 8-10.

+ Closer to home, Sun Valley will host the 34th Laura Flood Memorial Race, which honors the life of Laura Flood, a young ski racer and SVSEF alumna who lost her life in a ski training accident at 19 while racing for the University of Colorado. The race serves as a U1 Intermountain Cup qualifier.

Slalom races will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7; Giant Slalom, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, and Men’s and Women’s Giant Slalom 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday on Greyhawk and Hemingway runs.

+ On the other side of the mountain the Roundhouse Rumble will take place Saturday and Sunday on Roundhouse Slope. The third annual Roundhouse Rumble will welcome 80 athletes from Idaho, Utah, Montana and California. They will compete in Single and Duals Moguls.

Singles Mogul Competition will be held from 10:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Feb. 8, and from 10:25 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9. Duals Moguls Competition will be held from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Those competing include 17-year-old SVSEF athlete Will Hausmann who has scored high in recent competition.