CBMST Freeride team looks to focus after Snowbird

Tough times at season opening event

The Crested Butte Mountain Sports Team (CBMST) opened up its freeride season at the Snowbird IFSA National Series event in Utah January 16-19. The CBMST sent Carson Hildebrandt in the 12-14 male ski division, Brittany Barefield and recent Taos addition Emma Patterson in the 15-18 female ski division, and Josh Pruett, Lane Griffin, Patrick Curvin, and Oz Scott in the 15-18 male ski division.
Along with a handful of parents, siblings, and coaches Will Dujardin and Pip Hunt, the crew had a great time skiing the world-famous Snowbird resort with 100 percent of the terrain open and a recent 20-inch cycle, and competing against the top competition in the country.
In terms of results, the CBMST was unable to crack the top 20, with Carson Hildebrandt finishing 21st overall in his division as the highest result. Despite the negative results there were still plenty of positive lessons to make and noteworthy skiing along the way.
Carson and Josh Pruett were both newcomers to the National Series events in their first year on the team. Josh Pruett made a valiant effort opening up the division on Day One on Rasta Chutes with confident skiing, but took a harsh judges’ score on his backseat landing to miss the cut. Carson Hildebrandt chose a fun and fluid line that put him in to the finals in 20th but had a bobble in a bony Silver Fox that kept him from improving.
Lane Griffin and Patrick Curvin made the finals only 3.5 points back from first after strong skiing in Rasta Chutes. However, in the finals Patrick was bitten by a snow snake in the flat light of finals, falling victim to some mogul bumps. He kept his eye on the prize, though, and stuck his bottom air, a floaty 20-foot transition gap, as a consolation prize.
Lane Griffin had the team’s top run on Day One, sending his bottom air to a strong stomp, the same that took Peter Hunt down and put Josh Pruett in the back seat. In the finals, Lane lost a little speed through the maze of trees on the lower portion of Silver Fox and came up just short on his last landing, falling over the bars.
The ladies, Brittany Barefield and Emma Patterson, competed in a very consistent 15-18 female field. Brittany Barefield skied very fluidly but lacked the line score boost her line, missing the finals. Emma Patterson hit two airs with some hesitation showing and squeaked in the finals in 17th. Emma lined up an aggressive high-speed double through the Rock Chute in Silver Fox that she didn’t quite stick after she clipped a small rock in her landing and slid off the lower air without skis on while tomahawking. Emma was okay after suffering the scary fall.
The coaches and athletes are looking forward to improvement. The next events include a pair of IFSA regionals in Aspen, then Crested Butte, then a double Regional/National event weekend in Taos, N.M. during the first three weekends of February.