August Freeride Newsletter

Freeride Program Update: August 2024

 

1) July Recap

  • Windells Camp 

  • Skate Camps

  • Riverton Wild West Skate Series- Bennet Hultman

  • JH Downhill Series Race 1 

2) 24/25 Registration Information & Training Updates 

  • Important Programming Changes

3) Upcoming Events 

The Dog Days of summer are upon us. As smoke fills the valley, traffic backs up from Wilson all the way to town, and the thermometer nears triple digits, I think we’re all looking forward to cooler, calmer days to come. Both Snow King and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will be spinning lifts in less than 4 short months! Freeride is in full winter planning swing, with resumes coming in for new coaching staff, winter competitions being planned, and summer camps in full swing.

 

  1. July Recap

Windells Camp (July 7-13) 

Windells Camp, located on Mt. Hood, Oregon, is a world class training facility during the summer months. National teams from all over the world, as well as hard-core skiers from all over North America, flock to the Palmer snowfield for lift-access skiing in June, July and August. The Freestyle Training Center sets the bar for summer terrain parks around the world. The park ranges from beginner, to pro, with a 22’ pipe and 60’+ big jump.

12 athletes from JHSC Freeride Progression + and Competition teams joined in on the fun for a weeklong session at the world-famous Windells camp. Half an hour down the mountain from skiing, Windells is set in a beautiful forest of huge trees. It’s got an incredible skatepark, dryslopes and trampoline facilities for the campers to use while they’re not on snow.

Some highlights of the week include:

  • Taz McBride getting his first switch 1080

  • Alex Paul getting is double cork 1080 and double flatspin 720 (and most importantly, his left 540) 

I think it’s safe to say, all who attended came away with a new skill on snow. For those who missed it, JHSC Freeride will be returning to Mt. Hood next summer!

Instagram Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9dKKyZxbKM/

 

Skate Camps:

JHSC skate camps have been steady throughout the summer. There are still spots available for some of our August Camps ( Aug 7-8, Aug 14-15, Aug 21-22, Aug 28-29). Registration is available HERE if you’re interested in signing up!

 

Wild West Skate Series: Riverton 

Riverton, WY hosted the second stop of the Wild West Skate Series on July 20th. JHSC Freeride athletes Bennet Hultman and Brooks Egan took a quick road trip and participated in this brand new event!

“Bennett and I went to Riverton with his friend, Brooks Egan. There were 13 or 14 participants in the Open Class. There were four heats and two semi-finals. There were 4 finalists and Bennett saved his best tricks for the final round and took second place!  The winner was someone in his mid-twenties. He was definitely very excited!  Thanks to Carving The Future for making the Wild West Skateboard Contest Series a big hit.” - Brian Hultman 

Congratulations to Bennet for the 2nd place result!

The remainder of the series will be:

Alpine - August 4th

Driggs - August 25th

Jackson - September 8th
 

JH Downhill Championships (Stop 1):

On July 20th, JHMR hosted the first of its 3 Downhill MTB races for the summer. Race day came with some passing storms, which ended up knocking down the dust, and giving all racers perfect conditions for race day. The course was long and pedally, making for a real lung-burner of a course. Photo below by Connor Burkesmith

Progression Bike Team athlete Lucien Weisman came in 2nd for his age group with a faster time than both coach Collin and Coach Matt. Nice work Lucien!

For those interested in racing the rest of the series, there are still 2 race days remaining (Aug 18th and Sept. 9th) The series is an entry level downhill race and is fun for riders of all abilities!

More information can be found HERE. 

 

  1. Training/Registration Updates:

A couple of updates for training next season:

  • Competition team will train during the bypass blackouts at JHMR.

  • Competition team will have a new and improved fall strength training program.

  • Competition and Progression +: Competition is Mandatory

  • Competition and Progression +: Team jackets will be included in tuition ($275)

Our website is updated, please take a look HERE for more information.

 

Registration Information:

Registration is now open for all teams! We’ve got lots of folks already signed up, and very limited availability for several of our team options.

If you’ve got questions about Freeride, please feel free to contact myself (collin@jhskiclub) or Head coaches Matt (mnewton@jhskiclub.org) or Stefan (smerriam@jhskiclub.org).

 

  1. Summer Updates

 

Wild West Skate Series 

Wild West Skate Series is back for summer 2024! Our friends with Carving the Future are taking over the series for the upcoming summer season. We highly recommend signing up for these fun events! Registration with Carving the Future HERE.

There’s still 2 events remaining!  

Stop 4: August 25, 2024 @ Driggs

Finals: September 8, 2024 @ Jackson

Freeride will have a tent in attendance at the home stops here in Jackson!

 

I’m currently in Chile for the first ever Freeride Andes week. The terrain is incredible, the locals are friendly, and I can’t wait to offer this incredible experience to our athletes in the future.

Thanks all for tuning in! Have a great summer!  - Collin 

Quote of the Month:  “No bad skiing, just bad skiers.” - Coach Syd