VAIL – David Retzlaff likely will be the athlete with the closest local ties in Wednesday’s Slopestyle Semi-Finals at the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships.
Retzlaff is originally from the Midwest and came out to Colorado four years ago to join Chris Laske’s program at Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, where he has become one of the top members of the team.
Laske says Retzlaff has a promising future in slopestyle snowboarding.
“He’s had some good finishes on Rev Tour this year and last year and I think he’s shown he’s ready for an event like the Burton US Open,” Laske said.
The Rev Tour is U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s development series, a North America Cup-level circuit of events which graduates athletes into the Grand Prix, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s World Cup level series.
Retzlaff, 19, finished fourth at a Rev Tour event on Feb. 13 and hit the podium with a third-place finish at a Rev Tour competition last season.
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“He’s right on track,” Laske said. “And I think experiencing the US Open will motivate him to keep pushing.”
Catch Retzlaff in the Burton US Open men’s slopestyle semi-final, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. start on Wednesday at Vail’s Golden Peak venue. The event is free to attend and will also be broadcast live for free on BurtonUSOpen.com.
