EAGLE COUNTY — While the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships is a celebration of snowboarding’s history as the longest-running event in the sport, it’s also a chance to see the future of competitive snowboarding.
The event starts today at 10 a.m. with the junior jam, a halfpipe competition which features a handful of snowboarders ages 14 and under.
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail will be well represented at the Junior Jam, qualifying local boys Brooklyn DePriest, Kade Martin, Hayden Tyler and Copper Shonk.
The junior jam was originally featured at the Burton US Open in its former home in Stratton, Vermont, before being brought to the Vail incarnation of the Burton US Open in 2016. It has since become an increasingly international field, featuring 18 boys and 9 girls from around the world.
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail coach Ronnie Barr said having four riders in the junior jam says a lot about the future of Vail’s program.
“That’s huge,” he said. “We’re really pumped.”
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The Junior Jam Halfpipe presented by Clif Bar is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the Golden Peak halfpipe venue on Tuesday, Feb. 26, and is free for spectators.
The winner of the junior jam earns a spot in Thursday’s halfpipe semifinals.
A junior jam awards ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27 on the Solaris Concert Stage.
