CBMST telemark team hits Grand Targhee with gusto

Truettner and DeFrates step onto podium

Until now, it’s been a pretty thin snow year making it very hard for Crested Butte Mountain Sports Team (CBMST) big mountain skiers to get in quality training on steep terrain. Nevertheless, the CBMST telemark team did what they could with what they had for the first half of the season and it paid off as CBMST athletes Conrad Truettner and Dane DeFrates both stepped onto the podium at the 5th Annual Grand Targhee Big Mountain Telemark Competition February 27-March 1.
“It’s been a challenging winter but we’ve been making the most of it,” says coach Mark Robbins. “The low snow years are good for dialing in technique.”
In addition to DeFrates and Truettner, Robbins took CBMST telemark team members Dylan Alagna and Luke Shull. It was the first big mountain competition for both Alagna and Shull with Shull just picking up telemark skiing seven weeks ago and jumping into the event wearing a pair of Merrell Supercomps—you know, the leather ones.
Typically, the Grand Targhee event provides copious amounts of snow but they were in the midst of a dry spell as well and that played out well for the CBMST skiers.
“Conditions were good, but not powder,” says Robbins. “They were conditions that we were kind of used to.”
The team put in an inspection run the morning of the first day of the competition and while they were taking a look, Robbins reminded them of the goal when choosing their line.
“We focused on finding the balance between control and aggressiveness when choosing their line,” explains Robbins. “The kids kind of nailed it.”
Alagna and Shull missed the cut for the superfinal the next day, coming in eighth and 11th place respectively, but DeFrates charged his way into the top spot after the two qualifier runs.
“He took a smaller technical entrance air into his run and then lined up a bigger exit air,” says Robbins.
Truettner suffered a hiccup crashing on his first run of the day but recovered to stomp his second run, posting the second highest score of the day and finishing in third place in the 15-18 year old age class heading into the superfinals.
Due to his first place standing, DeFrates skied last on the finals day. After watching his competition all struggle through their runs, DeFrates could have easily skied down to seal the win without risk. Instead, he decided to push the envelope and nailed his line for the win.
“It was his competition to take and could have skied something easy but he didn’t hold back and that was really cool to see,” says Robbins.
Truettner’s peers all nailed their lines in the finals but so did he and he managed to finish in third place.
Born and raised Crested Buttian turned Montana transplant Mackenzie Mailly is still getting after it as well on the telemark scene. She honed her craft as a part of the local Crested Butte junior telemark team under Robbins and keeps charging. She took second in the women’s division in Grand Targhee.
Truettner will now jump into the IFSA alpine competition fray, on his telemark skis, at the IFSA Nationals in Crested Butte Friday through Sunday, March 6-8.