The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“Comp season is in full swing”
By Than Acuff
After spending the start of the competition season on the road, including 15 Crested Butte Mountain Sports Team (CBMST) freeride athletes competing at a National 3* event at Copper Mountain last week, the CBMST team stayed home last weekend for three days of competition Saturday through Monday, February 10-13, on Hawks Nest.
The Copper event was a step up for some of the CBMST skiers and snowboarders and a return for some of the veterans as they got to see the world outside the usual 2* Regional type events they’re more used to.
“We have a strong core of athletes that have been on the national circuit for some years now, and it’s really cool to see them establishing themselves within that highly competitive world,” says CBMST manager Eddy Cohn. “A bunch of CBMST athletes are getting their feet wet against the national level competition. I think some of those athletes are a little wide eyed at the level riding at these comps and are learning to push their boundaries. It’s a serious challenge for an athlete to find the extra 5% it takes to be competitive in these fields.”
The team was then in full force at home with competitors in all facets from the u12 age group all the way to u19 skiers and snowboarders, Saturday through Monday, and the CBMR events crew led by Dylan Brown and Riley Sanchez laid out the venue foundation for three great days of competition.
“What an incredibly special community this place is, and it’s really highlighted in the setting of a freeride comp,” says Cohn. “The camaraderie, stoke and generally perfect vibes at the event were a true testament to not only the CBMST athletes, but their parents as well, and the coaches, community members, and even retired old timers like Ryan Sutton that showed up to support the 224 young rippers that showed up to compete over the three days.”
The CBMST used the hometown advantage to post top results across the board, but Cohn saw more than just results as the positives from the three-day competition.
“First, the camaraderie and shared stoke amongst the whole team was incredible,” says Cohn. “Watching all the athletes swarming each other at the finish after a run is always special. And with 99 local athletes in the comp there were a lot of special moments. Secondly, the focus, determination, and competition mindset the young athletes are beginning to display was great to see. It was really cool to see our coaches working with so many young athletes on the intricacies of the competition process and teaching them valuable lessons about how to focus their energy and prepare themselves to compete.”
The CBMST show hits the road again to finish February with events in Taos and Monarch, and then are all over the west in March with regional events throughout Colorado and National competitions in Utah and California.
“Comp season is in full swing,” says Cohn.
The athletes also have a February training camp in Crested Butte and will be treated to a special opportunity as the CBMST Boosters are bringing in Angel Collinson to ski with the team later this season as well.
