Press Release-Ski & Snowboard Club Vail freestyle athletes dominate the podium in Vail-January 24, 2016

Ski & Snowboard Club Vail athlete Aaron Kust mid-air at the Rocky Mountain Freestyle Competition Series mogul competition on Cookshack at Vail Mountain last Saturday, January 23.

This past weekend, on January 23 and 24, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail hosted a Rocky Mountain Freestyle Competition Series event on Cookshack at Vail Mountain.  The event offered a United States Ski Association sanctioned open moguls event on Saturday and dual moguls event on Sunday.  The over 85 skiers competing on Saturday and over 75 skiers competing on Sunday were eligible to receive points on the USSA national points list.

Competitors from clubs in Steamboat, Winter Park, Telluride, Purgatory, Summit County, Bermuda and Australia along with Colorado University competitors skied the mogul event on Saturday and the dual mogul event on Sunday.  All eyes were on local Ski & Snowboard Club Vail Freestyle athletes Casey Andringa (winner of the Kaiser Permanente Vail Pro Mogul and last week’s Open Moguls competition at Aspen), Hunter Bailey (United States Freestyle D Team member) and Emerson Smith (winner of an event at December’s US Selections and last week’s Rocky Mountain Freestyle duals in Aspen) as they duked it out in the men’s field to take first, second and third overall, respectively, on day one in moguls.  Saturday was also a great day for Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Taryn Baker and Hanna Miles who fought hard amidst the women’s field to take second and third overall.  Additionally, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail rookies Nash Lucas won the 14 and 15-year-old age class for the men on Saturday and Emma Reeder and Tegan Large took silver and bronze, respectively, for 12 and 13-year-old women that same day.

On Sunday, the Ski & Snowboard Club Vail women swept first through fifth place in the dual moguls finals with Taryn Baker coming out on top followed by Morgan Harty, Katie Coyne, Lindsey Eckhoff and Kaitlyn Harrell in second through fifth, respectively.  On the men’s side in dual moguls, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Jess Andringa took gold, Trevor Wahl took bronze and Matthew and John Leseur finished fourth and seventh, respectively.

Ski & Snowboard Club Vail Freestyle Program Director John Dowling commented, “Three feet of fresh snow in the last week left conditions prime for bump skiing.  The course was in excellent shape and the moguls were soft.  These soft conditions made for aggressive skiing and an exciting competition.  Now two weeks after the Kaiser Permanente Vail Pro Mogul, the moguls have finally come into shape and the course was skiing great.”

The next Rocky Mountain Freestyle Competition Series will occur on February 6 and 7 at Winter Park.

Top three and all Ski & Snowboard Club Vail athlete results for day one moguls along with top three plus all Ski & Snowboard Club Vail athletes results for day two dual moguls finals are listed below.