The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Skiercross, big mountain, snowboarding, alpine racing, etc.
After opening up the program to the 6-9 year old age group, the Crested Butte Mountain Sports Team (CBMST) has seen an influx of participants this year across all snow disciplines.
“We adjusted our program to pull kids in at a younger age,” says the new CBMST program director Grant Jamieson. “We got a bunch of kids out on the hill with a good split of commitment.”
In addition, Jamieson has a mix of returning veteran coaches and some new faces to keep the program moving forward this season.
“We’ve got a great coaching staff,” says Jamieson. “Some new faces in this year are working with the younger kids.”
Across the board, the CBMST believes it is imperative to develop athleticism first in each CBMST participant.
“We want to develop athletes first,” says head alpine ski racing coach Conor Lynch. “If you’re not a good athlete first, you can’t progress.”
Alpine Race Program
The alpine ski racing program blew up this year with participation at an all-time high in recent memory.
“We’ve grown 50-percent over last year,” says Lynch. “It’s absolutely amazing. Everyone’s digging racing this year.”
Lynch has six years experience coaching in the valley with River Winquist returning as his assistant coach and Nathan Lovett and Eric Freeman on the staff as well.
Cole Byron closes out his local racing career at the J1 (ages 17-18) level this season and Solon Gray is making a big jump. After closing his J3 season last year as one of the strongest skiers in the Rocky Mountain Division, he will now take on the J2 (ages 15-16) class for the first time.
They will start their FIS racing schedule with Giant Slalom (GS) races January 10-11 in Winter Park followed by FIS slalom races in Breckenridge January 12-13.
All told, forty future Ted Ligetys and Lindsey Vonns are taking part in the CBMST alpine development and race programs with a majority starting in the J5 (ages 9-10) age class. So far, the group is looking very strong.
“From what I’ve been seeing we should take 1-2-3 at every race,” says Lynch.
Summit Wallace is the lone J4 (ages 11-12) racer and Lynch believes he should have an incredible season this year.
“The way he’s skiing and the way he’s training, he should dominate,” says Lynch.
The J5 skiers get their first test against their peers here in Crested Butte as CBMR and the CBMST hosts two days of age class (J5) GS races Saturday and Sunday, January 7-8.
“That will be a very big showing for our kids,” says Lynch.
They will have three more events over the season with races at Sunlight Ski area, Ski Cooper and finishing at Powderhorn March 10-11.
Lynch and the CBMST will host a series of Community Races as well for the J5 class brining in skiers from Telluride and Purgatory for a four event series. Lynch hopes to include more than just racing gates in the Community Races series with skiercross, park and pipe as well as some big mountain skiing thrown into the mix.
Freeride Ski Program
Woody Lindenmeyr is returning for his fourth year as head coach of the freeride ski team. The freeride team covers everything from skiercross, to big mountain, to park and pipe skiing.
He has 85 athletes from ages 6-18 out this year and four coaches helping with the variety of disciplines.
Will Dujardin returns to coach the big mountain skiers and is joined by brother Ed, both of whom have extensive experience on the big mountain competition circuit. Francesca Pavillard is back as well to work with the big mountain skiers and skiercross athletes. John Thomas Ryan joins the freeride coaching staff bringing his knowledge of the pipe and park from his work on the East Coast.
According to Lindenmeyr, the junior big mountain circuit has exploded this season with five events on the Junior Freeskiing Tour (JFT), all of which sold out in record time when registration opened up.
That interest is especially evident right here in Crested Butte as Lindenmeyr has 18 older kids returning to participate.
“Our main interest is the big mountain world,” says Lindenmeyr. “It’s really become popular with the juniors.”
The CBMST kids will kick off their competition season right here at home with the first stop of the JFT February 3-5.
Obviously, the terrain is somewhat limiting as far as big mountain training is concerned so Lindenmeyr has his athletes focusing on the basics.
“We’ve done a lot of training on fundamentals and technique,” says Lindenmeyr. “Running gates and hitting the park to keep it going and keep the attitudes positive.”
Mark Robbins is back at the helm of the big mountain telemark program and has four committed and accomplished athletes this year. Perennial podium finisher Klara Wohlers will lead the team with Grant Johnson, Conrad Truettner and Asher Coady all back to hone their freeheel kraft.
“Everyone’s super motivated and charging,” says Robbins. “We’ve been skiing a lot together so far working on fundamentals, balance and carving and we’ll be poised to bring those skills higher on the mountain when it opens.”
Robbins hopes to join forces with other youth telemark programs throughout the state to offer some new options as well, including the possibility of racing gates.
The athletes will compete on the JFT as well as the big mountain telemark circuit which opens with an event in Grand Targhee, Wyoming February 24-25.
They will defend their home hill in both the JFT tour stop February 8-12 as well as the telemark comp March 23-25.
Skiercross update
CMBR also has three skiercross events on the calendar and the snowmakers and cat crew have the course ready to go under the Paradise chairlift.
“The course is up and open to the public right now,” says Lindenmeyr.
Snowboard Program
Brett Conover is back to head the snowboard coaching staff this year and they kicked off their competition season December 17-18 hosting the first USASA Southwest Series event of the year. The competition drew athletes from around the Southwest to compete in Giant Slalom and Slalom snowboard races.
Cascade Park, including the Super Pipe and some terrain features, is slated to open on Thursday, December 29 and will play host to the second stop of the Southwest Series with a day of halfpipe and a day of slopestyle for both skiers and snowboarders January 14-15.
“It’s been a great start for us,” says Jamieson.
