The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Five locals to defend their home hill
By Than Acuff
Amidst all the International Freeskiers and Snowboarders Association (IFSA) Freeride World Tour stops and qualifier competitions, the IFSA added another competition to the calendar for adult freeriders this year, the 2024 Challenger Tour.
The tour is a series of three competitions and the first stop is here at Crested Butte Mountain Resort slated for either Thursday, Friday or Saturday, March 14-16, weather depending, with $12,000 in prize money up for grabs. The other two stops of the Challenger Tour are at Silverton Mountain and Kirkwood in California. The tour presents an opportunity for athletes to qualify for the 2025 Freeride World Tour.
“The reason we partner with Crested Butte Mountain Resort is the history of freeride events there,” says Brennan Metzler, Executive Director of the IFSA. “It’s home to the longest running freeride competition in the world.”
Eighty top-tier freeriders from North and South America are set to headline the 2024 IFSA Challenger events, showcasing the pinnacle of talent in the Big Mountain World. The invite list includes FWT Pro athletes who narrowly miss The Cut before the FWT Finals, providing them with a final shot at redemption. The elite roster includes the top riders from the IFSA Qualifier Series, eager to prove themselves on the grand stage, the Freeride Sudamerica Champions and other standout performers from the global freeride community, creating an intense and thrilling spectacle as they vie for their claim to the freeride throne.
In amongst the top athletes from the Americas, and even some from New Zealand, are five local athletes several of whom are either former or current Western Mountain Sports Team athletes. Cal Hill is a current Crested Butte Mountain Sports Team coach for the bike and freeride teams and earned his spot in the competition. Four others were added to the start list through the wild card process this week.
“With what Western has done, there’s a legacy of local freeride athletes,” says Metzler.
Jared Farely, who won the Freeride World Qualifier 4* event in Crested Butte last year, got a spot in the men’s ski competition. Homegrown talent Tucker Andrews will be dropping into the men’s snowboard division. Current Western Mountain Sports Team skier Clara Lantz got a spot and Asher Weinberg also got a spot in the men’s ski event. Weinberg left Crested Butte to pursue alpine ski racing and has a break in his schedule to compete on the freeride scene.
“We like to get the local talent in and show the local talent against the best of the best,” says Metzler. “They bring a unique knowledge of the terrain.”
The event is slated to be held in the Spellbound/High Life area, but which day is up to Mother Nature.
“Looking at the weather models, the week is shaping up for Friday,” says Metzler. “But the weather forecast keeps changing.”
As always, the local talent is hoping to get a loud and proud fan base out to watch and cheer them on. Can’t make it to the venue, catch the action via livestreams hosted by freeskier.com.
