Olympic snowboarding gold medalist has some local roots

Gold Medal winner attended Western, rode at CBMR

“Riding in Crested Butte really helped me become a better snowboarder.”
So said Olympic Snowboard Cross rider Seth Wescott, who attended Western State College for a year-and-a-half from 1994-95, during an interview just prior to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. He took home a Gold Medal in the event in 2006 at the Salt Lake City Winter Games, and this Monday in Vancouver, Wescott pulled off a come-from-behind win for a second Gold Medal. He’s the first Olympic snowboarder to bring home gold in two consecutive Games.
Western State College’s Director of Public Relations and Communications Tracey Koehler said Wescott is “fond of Western, and we sent him a sweatshirt to wear at the Games. He also is interested in coming here to speak.”
Wescott said he competed in the local Snowboard Extremes a couple times when they were held at Crested Butte Mountain, and still visits the area on occasion. He said he’s known the Mueller family for years.
“I was really psyched to see him win,” said Ethan Mueller, director of operations for Crested Butte Mountain Resort. “He’s a really down-to-earth guy for what he’s done. And a true competitor. I look forward to seeing him again sooner rather than later.”
When he isn’t competing, one of Wescott’s hobbies is heading up to Alaska to go heli-skiing. He’s made the trip the last seven years and considers it part of his SBX training. Wescott also co-owns a bar near Sugarloaf Mountain Resort in Maine. But SBX is the focus, and he’s been competing full time since 1990.
“My first love was freestyle and halfpipe,” Wescott said. “I did five-to-six years of racing, and slopestyle as well.”
“Snowboard cross has become the more popular form of racing in the snowboarding world,” he explained, describing the evolution of the sport. “Snowboard cross is more about experience and technique. You have to be a great snowboarder. It’s a different thing to be able to ride a snowboard than just do tricks on it. You’re not required to be small and a gymnast. You have to be comfortable in the air, in variable terrain and have a very subtle touch—it encompasses all of it.”
For more information, visit www.sethwescott.com.

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