CBMST athletes qualify for National Championships

Shredders across the west

By Than Acuff

It’s championship season now for the Crested Butte Mountain Sports Team (CBMST) athletes and a full winter season of training and competing comes to a head with six CBMST snowboarders currently throwing down at the USASA Nationals at Copper in everything from Boardercross to Slopestyle to Rail Jam. Then, the CBMST freeride team heads to Kirkwood April 6-13 for the IFSA Junior Freeride National Championships with five snowboarders and six skiers making the cut for the big event.

Sawyer and Scarlet Bak, Colton Parr, Hugh Raines, Nolan Gardner and Temple Robertson are carrying the CBMST name at Copper with the event wrapping up April 3.

Meanwhile, u19 skier Brooks Miller and u15 skiers Tucker Pritchett, Alden Barlow, Sol Hausdoerfer, Phoebe Cahir and Autumn Evanko are preparing this week for their big event. As are u19 snowboarder Teagan Turner and u15 snowboarders Dylan Treadwell, Shiloh Stephenson, Lahna Hartigan and Lily McElyea.

“It’s a smaller group than we’ve had in the past going to freeride nationals, but it came down to the wire for several others,” says CBMST head freeride coach Mark Robbins. “The number of girls we have going just reinforces our strong female contingent, which has really just developed the past couple of years.”

Despite being a u15, Miller competed at the u19 level last year and made the cut. This year, despite still being one of the youngest skiers in the age group, Miller punched above his weight to get a spot at the big show once again.

“He’s just dedicated to his craft, he gives it his all every day,” says Robbins. “And he has the competition mindset. He’s cool and collected in the start gate and knows exactly what needs to be done.”

U19 snowboarder Teagan Turner is wrapping up her legacy as a CBMST athlete making a return to the National Championships. Turner won the Junior Freeride World Championships last year and placed third this year at the same event. In addition, of the three competitions of the IFSA qualifier tour she did this season, Turner placed first in one and second in two of them and heads to the big show ranked third overall.

“This is Teagan’s victory lap,” says Robbins. “She’s been taking bigger risks, riding faster and it seemed to work out.”

The CBMST program had 260 athletes total this year and had 430 athlete starts with 98 top five finishes between 2* and 3* regional and national events on the IFSA tour.