Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Austin Obourn (far left) takes fourth place overall for the season for the twelve to fourteen age category for the girls during the awards ceremony at the 2016 International Freeskiers & Snowboarders Association North American Junior Freeride Championships held on April 6-9 in Whistler/Blackomb, capping off a great season.

Communications-BM boys season overall

Kevin Nichols, a Ski & Snowboard Club Vail big mountain athlete, earned a fifth place overall podium spot for the season in the fifteen to eighteen age category for the boys.  He is pictured on the far right on the podium in Whistler/Blackomb during the 2016 International Freeskiers & Snowboarders Association North American Junior Freeride Championships.  Earlier this season Kevin competed in the 2016 Freeride Junior World Championships in Andorra. 

Whistler/Blackomb played host to the 2016 International Freeskiers & Snowboarders Association North American Junior Freeride Championships on April 6-9.  The top 160 freeride athletes in North America ages twelve through eighteen were invited to compete in this event based on their national and regional rankings.

The following Ski & Snowboard Club Vail Big Mountain athletes qualified for the championships with nine of them making the trip to Whistler:  Finn Andersson, Alexandra Carey, Rachel Cocchiarella, Jordan Glendining, Tait Hargreaves, Liam Mattison, Scout Mattison, Kevin Nichols, Austin Obourn and Colin Suszynski.

Nick Whittemore, Head Big Mountain Coach, stated, “I am stoked for the ten athletes who qualified for this championship event, nine of whom traveled to Whistler to compete.  Each and every one of them had an amazing winter with several of them logging multiple podiums finishes during the regular season, earning the points needed to be invited to this coveted event.  These nine athletes dug deep in Whistler to compete against this tough field of competitors on some rugged terrain.  The depth of the team is also evident ranging in age from fourteen to seventeen. “

The championships culminated with overall awards for season long performances with Austin Obourn taking fourth place overall in the twelve to fourteen age category for the girls and Kevin Nichols taking fifth place overall in the fifteen to eighteen age category for the boys.

For a complete list of results go to www.freeskiers.org.