A collection of Summit County-based freeskiers and snowboarders earned podium spots at this past weekend’s U.S. Snowboard Freeski and Snowboard Association Rocky Mountain Series Snowboard Slopestyle event at Copper Mountain Resort.
In the boys freeski 12-13 age-group division, Breckenridge saw two locals place on the podium, led by Axl Bonenberger’s first-place score of 86.33 and Thomas Veeneman’s score of 80.00. Bonenberger was one of a half-dozen Summit County locals to win their respective age-group divisions on the slopestyle course at Copper Mountain on Feb. 2. The others included Breckenridge’s Jaiden Brickson, who scored a 70.33 to win the women’s 18-22 division, Dillon’s Connor Gilbert, who scored a 78.00 to win the men’s 16-17 division, Frisco’s Deven Fagan, who scored a 90.33 to win the open class men’s division and Keystone’s Andrew Thisted, who scored a 91.33 to win the boys 7-and-under division.
Another top Summit County finisher was Alex Thisted of Keystone, who earned second place in the girls 12-13 division with a score of 71.00. In the boys 8-9 division, Frisco’s Hunter Plummer earned third place with a score of 80.67. In the boys 10-11 division, Colin Harris of Copper Mountain and Evan Wischmeyer of Dillon earned second and third places with score of 81.33 and 66.67, respectively.
In the girls 10-11 division, Emma Grippi of Frisco, earned second place with a 81.00. Keystone’s Lauren Bendixen scored second place in the open class women’s division with a score of 82.00. And in the 14-15 men’s division, Frisco’s Noah Gionfriddo scored an 82.33, which secured him second place.
Summit County saw two snowboarders win their respective divisions at the Copper Mountain USASA slopestyle event. That included Dillon rider Ethen Goebel’s 84.33-point championship performance in the 16-17 junior men’s division and Frisco’s Bodie Heflin, who scored a 92.33 to win the men’s youth 14-15 division. Heflin was joined on the 14-15 podium by Karis Stang of Dillon (81.00).
Summit County also provided a pair of female second-place finishers on the slopestyle course at Copper. In the 12-13 girls division, Alyssa Moroco of Breckenridge scored an 87.67 for second place while in the 10-11 girls division, Wildernest’s Lucia Anna Goergalli earned second place with a score of 83.00.
The individual successes for these athletes came about a month after many of them also stood out on the halfpipe at Copper Mountain. On Jan. 6, Copper hosted a USASA Snowboard Rookie Tour Gromfest halfpipe event. Bonenberger also finished on the podium in the boys 12-13 freeski division at the halfpipe event, with a score of 66.00. In the junior men’s 16-17 snowboard division, Dillon’s Goebel won the competition with a score of 84.00. And in the youth men’s 14-15 freeski division, Frisco’s Gionfriddo finished in second place with a score of 57.33.
Summit County also saw a pair of champions in the girls freeski halfpipe competiton over that weekend. Emma Grippi of Frisco won the girls 10-11 division with a score of 54.33. In the girls 8-9 freeski competition, Dillon’s Arabella Agee won the competition and was joined in the top-2 by Cara Harris of Copper Mountain. In the boys 10-11 freeski division, Evan Wishmeyer of Dillon finished in third place with a score of 49.67.
Boardercross and skiercross
Some of those same athletes who excelled on the USASA’s slopestyle and halfpipe courses have also found winning ways this year on boardercross and skiercross courses. The young Agee of Dillon is one of them, as she won two girls 8-9 skiercross competitions at Ski Cooper on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13.
The day prior, on Jan. 11, her fellow Summit County skier Cara Harris of Copper Mountain finished in first place in the skiercross competition at Ski Cooper, just ahead of Agee’s second place.
On Jan. 13, Avery Thisted of Keystone captured the championship in the girls 10-11 skiercross division at Ski Cooper, which came a day after Thisted took second place in a skiercross event.
Colin Harris of Copper Mountain also skied to a victory on Jan. 13 at Ski Cooper in the boys 10-11 division, ahead of Silverthorne’s Jamison Lee, who finished in third place. Colin Harris also took third place at the Jan. 12 skiercross competition and, on Jan. 11, he won a skiercross competition at Ski Cooper.
On Jan. 11 at Ski Cooper, Frisco’s Grippi finished in second place in the girls 10-11 skiercross division. Other top finishers at Ski Cooper over that weekend included Breckenridge’s Jadyn Dalrymple (second, girls 12-13 boardercross), Frisco’s Walker Robinson (second and third place, boys 12-13 skiercross) and Dillon’s Sergei Hough (third, boys 14-15 skiercross).