Freeride Program Update: April 2025
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Introduction
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April Recap
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USASA Nationals
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Junior Freeride Champs
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Freeride Summer 2025!
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Intro:
May! Spring cleaning, catching up on the massive sleep deficit of winter, and starting the process of doing it all again next year! I’m writing now from a cozy Hostel in Chamonix, France, waiting out the rain for another window of sunshine to venture into the high alpine of the Massif du Mont Blanc.
The mountians here are HUGE!
In the meantime, there's lots to do to plan for an awesome summer of fun on-snow, in the skatepark and dryland training. More information about all of our summer offerings can be found at the end of this newsletter.
Thanks again to all who filled out our end of season survey and came out to our first ever Club-Wide end of season awards. It was great to see our full JHSC family together under one roof to celebrate the end of the season. This was our first year hosting this event, but I have a feeling it will not be our last!
Weekly ‘Friday Updates’ are done for the season. 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. Expect an update on finalized program dates + pricing, as well as registration in the coming days.
This newsletter will contain a re-cap of our Championship events, which concluded in Mid-April as well as updates on upcoming Freeride and club-wide events.
H.A.G.S! - Collin
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April Recap:
USASA Nationals:
USASA nationals is split into a Snowboard week and a ski week. The Snowboarders were up first during the last week of March/First week of April. Congratulations to Bennet Hultman, Ace Emery, Noah Robertson, and Ivy Swain for qualifying!
“The snowboard team had another great trip to Copper, CO for the USASA National Championships. Coaches Stefan Merriam and Adrian Ballard joined four of our athletes; Ace Emery, Bennett Hultman, Noah Robertson, and Ivy Swain. All four riders competed in slopestyle while some also participated in rail jam, boardercross, and halfpipe.
Competition was intense and the variable weather did not make things easy for the athletes. Ivy’s rail jam was during a snow squall and her slopestyle event was a full on powder day, with nearly a foot of fresh snow by morning. Despite these “poor” conditions, our athletes kept their spirits high and continued to lap the many parks with their many friends.
While some of the riders had hoped for better results, they all put great runs together and maintained positive attitudes. Ace held his own in a very heavy rail jam division. Bennett routinely battled top boardercross racers in a long and exhausting course. Ivy held her own in slopestyle and halfpipe, securing 8th place in both events. Noah Robertson kept a cool head, improved on his first run, and held on to 4th place in slopestyle.
Overall it was a great year for the snowboard team and those who competed in USASA events. While not everyone made it to nationals, many riders have become more familiar with these types of events and eagerly await next season. We look forward to a restful summer followed by another great winter of snowboarding!”
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Head Snowboard Coach - Stefan Merriam
In the end, Noah Robertson took a 4th place in Slopestyle and Ivy Swain took 8th place in both slopestyle and halfpipe. Congrats team!
Ace Emery
Next up were the skiers! Congrats on qualifying:
Taz McBride
Sally Decker
James Kail
Zach Lighthart
Lyvi Ulmer
McClay Rorhbaugh
Liam Thomposon
Sam Lynch
“Freeski week at USASA Nationals 2025 was full of sun and good times. The 8 JHSC athletes who made the trip to Copper got an opportunity to ski world class Slopestyle, Skiercross, Superpipe and Rail Jam venues. Taz McBride earned himself a spot on the Futures Tour for the 25/26 season with an 8th place finish in Slopestyle. Lyvi Ulmer finished just off the podium with 4th place finishes in Rail Jam and Ski Cross. Sally Decker skied her way to an Overall Combined 1st place with 5th place finishes in Slopestyle and Ski Cross and a 6th place in Superpipe.I’m extremely proud of the effort and enthusiasm all of our athletes showed. They trained hard, skied to the highest level they are capable of and in some cases created new ceilings.Way to go Kids!!”
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Coach Mike Decker
Coach Mike and McClay Rorhbaugh getting ready for SkiCross.
“Freeski week at USASA Nationals was a huge success. We had five days of amazing weather and conditions. JHSC had eight athletes attend ranging from ages 10-17. Lyvi Ulmer and Sally Decker each had THREE top 6 finishes and Sally won the overall National Championship. Taz McBride skied well in a deep field where he made finals in Rail Jam and 8th place in Slopestyle. Overall, all the athletes skied well and had an amazing time skiing the world class terrain parks of Copper Mountain.”
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Head Freeski Coach Matt Newton
Taz McBride on the slope course!
IFSA Junior Freeride Champs
Under the California sun, Freeriders from all over the Western Hemisphere (Chile and Argentina too!) converged on Kirkwood Mountain for a week of the highest level junior Freeriding in North America. We were excited to collaborate with our friends from EVO and also Grand Targhee Ski Education Foundation for this event.
Congrats to all competing in the largest Freeride event in the world!
Owen Smith
Fin Rohrbaugh
Vadin Singh
Caroline Brokaw
Nico Santelices
Brooks Egan
Odin Casey
Nathan Pruzan
Rigdon Hammond
Caroline Brokaw
From EVO:
Joe McGrath
Alexander Crenshaw
Aria Chung
Torin Johnson
Lucille Lambert
William Wisenbaker
Bode Lemke
From GTSEF:
Arah Rockefeller
Conley Rockefeller
Much like USASA nationals, this event was split into U12 + Snowboarders first, followed by U15 & U19 Ski for week 2.
First up were the snowboarders:
The Competition venue, looking good!
“This year we had the opportunity to travel to South Lake Tahoe for the IFSA Junior Freeride Championships. The same storm that blessed us in Colorado had done the same to Kirkwood, providing the mountain with a much needed refill just before the snowboarders arrived. Owen Smith was the lone club member in attendance, but he was joined by Joe McGrath and Alex Crenshaw of JH EVO, and the sibling duo of Conley and Ara Rockafeller from Grand Targhee Freeride.
This was everyone’s first time riding in Tahoe and it was quite the experience. The chair lifts were old and a bit scary, the terrain was aggressive and accessible, the snow was heavy and sticky. Nonetheless, we had an incredible time exploring the mountain and familiarizing ourselves with this weird snow. The competition was stiff and the snow did not leave much room for error but everyone rode well and gave out their best effort. Joe brought some serious style and energy but couldn't get past the snow snakes. Owen rode some technical terrain and powered through the cement. Arah took home 2nd place in U12. Conley barely missed finals and still finished 5th place on the season. Alex finished 9th in U15 and 10th on the season.
This was another great season of IFSA competition with the snowboard team. All the riders had so much fun traveling and competing while making friends along the way. Hopefully we can continue building this side of our program because the Tetons have a lot of talented snowboarders capable of doing well in these IFSA events.
Finally, we snowboarders had the honor of hosting the U12 skiers for their championship. While most of them brought with them chaos, we were more than happy to see the familiar faces of Finn Rohrbaugh and Vaden Singh. Finn had the unfortunate pleasure of dropping during the worst weather of the week. We were very fortunate to see Vaden absolutely crush his finals run; arching turns and sending without hesitation.”
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Head Snowboard Coach Stefan Merriam
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Next up were the skiers.
TEAM!
“Winter giveith, we taketh and Kirkwood provideith. As we rallied across the Great Basins and ranges of the American West our conversation topic was dictated by ski competition strategy and whichever last billboard we passed. It was many of our first times skiing at Kirkwood and the excitement was palpable.
Our collaborative team between Evo and Freeride enjoyed slushy turns with peers with an array of nation wide freeride programs. The selected venue for qualifiers was large, filled with complex terrain and wild line choices. The U-15’s were up first to test the venue on which they went above and beyond (Bode Lemke would finish the day in 1st place). Our athletes navigated a tricky course with variable conditions as the snow cascaded off the face in the 60 degree warm-up.
Our U-19 athletes put on performances better than the Pro Category which had competed at the same venue a week earlier. The weather remained the same for finals day and the air was electric as our athletes prepared themselves for a very good day of skiing.
The riding level was astonishingly high in every age category and the Jackson athletes were pushing the standard continuously throughout the day. I am incredibly proud of our teams and how they handled challenges and successes. Cheers to all the parents and athletes that make this one of the best sports to coach, travel and compete in.”
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Coach Riis Wilbrecht
Nate Pruzan, ready for his run.
“The level of freeride competition, especially in the juniors, is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. And the athletes representing Jackson held their own. The venue was a tough one, being so large and having so many options plus what you might call variable conditions. But our athletes really stood out and showed what growing up skiing in Jackson does to you. It was so impressive watching our young gals to our older boys take on this competition in a very professional form. What a way to end the season. I cannot wait to see the direction that these young skiers take their skiing over the next few years. I am very proud of this team and impressed on how they take on such a tough competition.”
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Coach Orion Willits
Bode Lemke in 5th!
Congratulations to all who attended and represented our Freeride community so strongly.
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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.
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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!
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Woodward Copper (6/15 - 6/21):
Cost Est: ~ $2500
Who:
Open to all athletes.
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.
Instructions to Register:
Go to the Woodward Copper website HERE. Register for session 3. Use code TEAM2025 at checkout for a $400 discount. 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.
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Windells (Mt. Hood) (July 6-12): *SOLD OUT*
FRP, Summer 2024
Cost Est: ~ $3000
Who: Open to Progression + and Competition team athletes (or with coaches recommendation):
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).
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Andes Freeride Camp (Chile) (July 28- August 11):
Cost Est: ~ $5000
Who:
Open to Competition Team Athletes age 14+
10 Athletes
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:
2025 Dates
June 11 - 12
June 25 - 26
July 2 - 3
July 16 - 17
July 23 - 24
August 13 - 14
August 20 - 21
August 27 - 28
Cost:
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2025 Price: $300
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Payment in full upon registration for all camps.
More information is available HERE. Contact our skate camp coordinator Stefan at (smerriam@jhskiclub.org) with any questions!
That’s all folks, see you next month - Collin
Learning French:
“Je déteste la piste” translation: “I hate the Piste”
This is a cheeky one that will soften up crusty French Mountain Guides!
