Freeride Program Update: April 2025
-
Introduction
-
End of Season Survey
-
End of Season Clubwide Awards 4/24
-
March Recap
-
Whistler IFSA
-
Wednesday Night Lights Finale
-
IFSA Northern Regional Championships
-
USASA Nationals
-
Junior Freeride Champs
-
Upcoming Events
-
Club-wide End of Season Awards
-
Freeride Summer 2025!
-
Intro:
Wow, spring has sprung! Where did the winter go? Luckily, it’s been excellent spring skiing the last couple of weeks. It’s tough to beat warm temps, sunshine, and slush laps with friends. As the season winds down, it’s time to reflect on another great season of Freeride, and start the planning process to do it all again next year!
I’d like to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your dedication to the team and community over the past season. Thanks to the kids who showed up each weekend, ready to push themselves and work towards personal goals. Thanks to the parents who got them ready, and to practice on time. Thank you for the support in your kids’ athletic journeys. Thanks to our many partners for supporting us in providing the best possible programming for our community. Each piece is essential to the function of the whole.
Lastly thanks to our coaching staff for going far above and beyond simply teaching skiing and riding. They built our park at Snow King. They were boots on the ground for our home events. They drove (sometimes for DAYS) our athletes safely to and from competitions. They serve as chaperones and role models for these kids and make real differences in the lives of young people on a daily basis. If you see our coaching staff around town this spring/summer, please let them know how much they are appreciated. They are incredible and the foundation of everything we do.
No fun allowed on costume day!
End of Season Survey:
At the end of each season, we ask that all families fill out our end of season survey. This helps us reflect on the past season and plan for the next. Please take 5 minute to fill out the survey HERE.
Clubwide Awards 4/24:
On the subject of thanks and reflection, we're excited to be hosting our first ever Club-Wide awards on 4/24 from 5:30-7:00pm at the Center for the Arts. If you plan to attend, please fill out THIS form to RSVP.
This newsletter will contain a re-cap of March events, as well as information to keep you all up to date moving into the warm weather months.
Weekly ‘Friday Updates’ will end this Friday. I’ll be sending periodic reminders/updates about summer opportunities/registration deadlines as they become available. Instagram is our most updated social platform if you’d like to give us a follow JHSCFREERIDEPROGRAM.
H.A.G.S! - Collin
-
March Recap:
Whistler IFSA National:
Myself and Head EVO coach, Eric Space, made the trek to our neighbors in the North and attended the Whistler IFSA national. We hit conditions just right, arriving on a big storm day for some DEEP freeskiing and exploring on Blackcomb mountain. We’re excited at the expanded partnership with EVO and the benefits of joining forces to ensure the best opportunity for all of the athletes in the community.
For those who haven’t been, the scale of Whistler/Blackcomb is incredible. It’s the largest ski resort in North America, with incredible terrain around every corner. 5 days on snow was just enough to scratch the surface. I didn’t even make it to the Whistler side the whole time we were there! The village is walkable, and dangerously fun, with tons of options for restaurants, music, etc.
JHSC Freeride athletes Nate Pruzan, Nico Santilices and Owen Smith all came out swinging in qualifiers on “The Bite”. The Bite is classic BC terrain with a deep snowpack, tight trees and lots of funky, off-camber features. Nico qualified 5th and Owen 2nd. Nate had a HEATER of a run, but unfortunately crashed in qualifiers and did not advance to finals.
Inspection on Saudan Coulior!
Finals day was forecasted to be blue, and the venue moved to Saudan Coulior, a steep and exposed alpine face high on Blackcomb mountain. Nico and Owen both put down great runs, with Nico finishing in 6th place, and Owen maintaining his spot on the podium with a 2nd place finish.
Owen Smith taking the Silver!
Whistler is one of the highest level Freeride events in North America. We were excited to compete against the BEST and even more excited with the excellent results. Whistler is an incredible destination, and a place I look forward to attending events in the future.
Wednesday Night Lights Season Finale:
Photo: Connor Burkesmith
Meanwhile on the home front, Matt Newton and company took charge on the final installment of Wednesday Night Lights. Rob Kingwell, event founder and former Freeride coach, came out as MC for the final event of the season.
Coach Erica, letting them know how its done! Photo: Connor Burkesmith
Congrats to our overall series Champions:
Boys Ski: James Kail
Girls Ski: Delaney Lighthart
Boys Snowboard: Ace Emery
Thanks to all who participated and enjoyed the rail jam series this year. We look forward to hosting again next season!
Rob Kingwell, providing the Jade plants for Ace! Photo: Connor Burkesmith
Photos: HERE (Free for personal use only, please tag @connorburkesmith for social media use).
IFSA Northern Region Junior Champs:
New this year, the IFSA Northern Region has brought on a new championship event for our Region. The concept behind this is to create an end-of-season championship event for those who don’t quite make the cut for JFCs. Points for those who qualify for this event will give athletes a 5th start and an extra chance to earn more points for next season’s rankings. We were excited to host the first year of what will hopefully grow and become a main-stay in the Northern Region over the years.
Nico with 360 on Double Dead Tree. Photo: Connor Burkesmith
Conditions were challenging this season. The event coincided with the first major warmup of the year, which meant hot-pow and wet slides on lots of JHMR’s most prized terrain. While looking at potential venues with Patrol, it quickly became apparent that we would not be able to safely host anywhere but Toilet Bowl.
Lyvi Ulmer - Charging! Photo: Connor Burkesmith
Luckily for us, the skied-in terrain of Toilet Bowl was soft and slushy, and made for excellent competition conditions. We were able to get the event off in the first two days of the weather window, before a forecasted hard freeze hit the mountain. We had great skiing from all who participated!
Full event results: HERE
Photos: HERE (these are free for personal use, please tag @connorburkesmith for all social use)
USASA Nationals:
At the time of writing, USASA Nationals are happening now! Look for a full write-up in next month’s newsletter.
Congrats on qualifying!:
Noah Robertson
Ace Emery
Ivy Swain
Bennett Hultman
Taz McBride
Sally Decker
James Kail
Zach Lighthart
Lyvi Ulmer
McClay Rohrbaugh
Liam Thompson
Sam Lynch
HERE is the event information.
IFSA Junior Freeride Champs:
At the time of writing, IFSA Junior Champs are also currently underway. Expect a full writeup next month.
Congrats to all competing in the largest Freeride event in the world!
Fin Rohrbaugh
Vadin Singh
Owen Smith
Caroline Brokaw
Nico Santelices
Brooks Egan
Odin Casey
Nathan Pruzan
Rigdon Hammond
For those interested in the event, check out the Livestream HERE.
HERE is the event schedule.
-
Freeride Summer 2025!
We’re excited to offer additional summer camps for Freeride athletes this year. These will sell out. Please sign up soon if you are interested.
-
On Snow Camps: We’re excited to be expanding our summer on-snow opportunities for the upcoming summer season. We have limited availability and expect many of these to sell out. Please let us know if you’re interested in joining sooner than later!
-
Mammoth Spring Camp (May 16-26): *Dates subject to change*
Cost Est: ~$1750 (Included 25/26 Ikon Pass)
Who: Open to Competition Team Athletes age 14+ (or with coaches recommendation) : 12 athlete cap
When: May 16-26
Where: Mammoth, CA. The trip will be 60% park skiing and 40% Big Mountain. We will have evening trampoline sessions and possibly an airbag.
Why: This will be our biggest ‘bang for your buck’ trip. We will be skiing world class facilities during one of the quietest times at Mammoth. This is a great opportunity for our athletes to take their skills to size M and L features and prepare for National level slope competition.
Registration Instructions: Go to the JHSC Program Registration page HERE. Filter by “Freeride Summer” on the right. Register for “Mammoth Spring Camp”. $1,000 deposit is refundable until lodging is booked.
-
Woodward Copper (6/15 - 6/21):
Cost Est: ~ $2500
Who: Open to all athletes. 18 athlete cap
When: Session 3: 6/15-6/21
Where: WW Copper’s incredible indoor and on snow facility. The park here is S/M and perfect for learning new tricks in sunny, slushy conditions. This is 100% park skiing.
Why: This is a great trip for all ages. The small/medium size terrain park is great for all abilities to learn new skills. This combined with the barn and the camp vibe makes for a great trip.
Registration Instructions: Go to the Woodward Copper website HERE. Register for session 3. Use code TEAM2025 at checkout. After registering with Copper, go to the JHSC Program Registration page HERE. Filter by “Freeride Summer” on the right. Register for “Woodward Copper Summer Camp”. There is a refundable $250 deposit to lock in your spot.
-
Windells (Mt. Hood) (July 6-12):
FRP, Summer 2024
Cost Est: ~ $3000
Who: Open to Progression + and Competition team athletes (or with coaches recommendation): 15 athlete cap
When: Session 4 (July 6-12)
Where: Mt. Hood, Oregon utilizing Timberline’s world class parks and Windells incredible campus, including trampolines, foam pits, and a world class skatepark. This is 90% park skiing, 10% skiing the mountain.
Why: Mt. Hood is the gold-standard for summer skiing/riding in North America. This is where the national teams train and prepare for the upcoming season. Pair this with all the fun at Windells Camp, and it’s an incredible experience for the kids all around.
Registration Instructions: Go to the JHSC Program Registration page HERE. Filter by “Freeride Summer” on the right. Register for “Windells Camp”. $1000 deposit is required and refundable until camp spots are booked (March/April).
-
Andes Freeride Camp (Chile) (July 28- August 11):
Cost Est: ~ $5000
Who: Open to Competition Team Athletes age 14+ --> 8 athlete cap
When: July 28- August 11
Where: Los Tres Valles, we’ll be skiing at El Colorado, La Parva, and Valle Nevado. World class freeride terrain, mid-winter conditions, and awesome terrain parks. This will be 60% Big Mountain and 40% park.
Why: This trip is the real-deal international ski trip. Mid-winter conditions in August, with truly world class terrain. The competitions count on the North American circuit and are LOTS of fun. Pair this with the international travel, culture, and language immersion of the Andes and this is an experience that any who attend will never forget.
Registration Instructions: Go to the JHSC Program Registration page HERE. Filter by “Freeride Summer” on the right. Register for “Andes Freeride Camp (Chile)”. $1,000 deposit is refundable until flights/lodging are booked ~ 90 days prior to departure.
Esto es Chanchito, el lugar de competencia.
La zona de leyendas : Santa Teresa
Skate Camps:
More information and dates TBA! (We are working on getting these dialed in now!)
That’s all folks, see you next month - Collin
"When I hit anything over 30 feet, time just like stops and then I land HARD." - Fin Rohrbaugh
