{"id":2453078,"date":"2020-01-09T22:08:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T05:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/olympic-gold-medalist-snowboarder-torah-bright-in-aspen-to-host-free-mini-shred\/"},"modified":"2020-01-09T22:08:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T05:08:00","slug":"olympic-gold-medalist-snowboarder-torah-bright-in-aspen-to-host-free-mini-shred","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/photos\/olympic-gold-medalist-snowboarder-torah-bright-in-aspen-to-host-free-mini-shred\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Torah Bright in Aspen to host free mini shred"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.5843454790823\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-318927-194\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/torahbright-atd-011020-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/torahbright-atd-011020-1-1024x692.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright poses with children at the Aspen Youth Center after talking about her snowboarding career on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, at the Aspen Recreation Center. Bright will lead a Mini Shred event at Low Down Park in Snowmass from 11 am. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.9747191011236\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12.671348314607\">\n<p><strong>Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright poses with children at the Aspen Youth Center after talking about her snowboarding career on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, at the Aspen Recreation Center. Bright will lead a Mini Shred event at Low Down Park in Snowmass from 11 am. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/olympic-gold-medalist-snowboarder-torah-bright-in-aspen-to-host-free-mini-shred\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/torahbright-atd-011020-1-1024x692.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/torahbright-atd-011020-1-1024x692.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/torahbright-atd-011020-1-1024x692.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright poses with children at the Aspen Youth Center after talking about her snowboarding career on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, at the Aspen Recreation Center. Bright will lead a Mini Shred event at Low Down Park in Snowmass from 11 am. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/torahbright-atd-011020-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/torahbright-atd-011020-1-1-1024x715.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright laughs with children at the Aspen Youth Center after talking about her snowboarding career on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, at the Aspen Recreation Center. Bright will lead a Mini Shred event at Low Down Park in Snowmass from 11 am. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.97478991596639\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12.672268907563\">\n<p><strong>Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright laughs with children at the Aspen Youth Center after talking about her snowboarding career on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, at the Aspen Recreation Center. Bright will lead a Mini Shred event at Low Down Park in Snowmass from 11 am. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/olympic-gold-medalist-snowboarder-torah-bright-in-aspen-to-host-free-mini-shred\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/torahbright-atd-011020-1-1-1024x715.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/torahbright-atd-011020-1-1-1024x715.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/torahbright-atd-011020-1-1-1024x715.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright laughs with children at the Aspen Youth Center after talking about her snowboarding career on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, at the Aspen Recreation Center. Bright will lead a Mini Shred event at Low Down Park in Snowmass from 11 am. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/olympic-gold-medalist-snowboarder-torah-bright-in-aspen-to-host-free-mini-shred\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/olympic-gold-medalist-snowboarder-torah-bright-in-aspen-to-host-free-mini-shred\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Torah Bright claims she never cared much about winning. Yes, the Australian superstar made an entire career out of winning in the halfpipe, but for her snowboarding was about the joy of the act, not about a medal count.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI didn\u2019t care if somebody else beat me,\u201d Bright said. \u201cI was never there to beat anybody. It was just I loved snowboarding. I loved progressing. I loved to see what I could do and what was physically possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Bright has channeled this passion for the sport into her \u201cmini shred\u201d events, a free skills clinic for kids. The clinics started in Australia five years ago, and for the first time she\u2019s bringing one to this side of the world <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspensnowmass.com\/while-you-are-here\/events\/torah-bright-mini-shred\">with Saturday\u2019s event in Snowmass<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Her main goal is to inspire the children to love snowboarding \u2014 skiers are also welcome \u2014 as much as she does.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe mini shred for me is all about the grassroots, giving back in that way, but it\u2019s about connecting them, too, as a little community and maybe making new friends and learning new tricks,\u201d Bright said. \u201cYou miss that fun sometimes. So for me the mini shred is making sure they get a start in the right place. It\u2019s about the joy and the fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Bright, 33, is a two-time Olympic medalist, having won gold in 2010 and silver in 2014, both in the halfpipe. She also twice won X Games Aspen gold (2007, 2009) and twice won silver (2006, 2008) to go with a bronze in 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On top of the mini shred, which goes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Low Down Park in Snowmass for ages 7 to 17, Bright is making various other stops during her time in Aspen, including her visit to the Aspen Youth Center on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI\u2019ve been coming to Aspen probably since the early 2000s for X Games, so it\u2019s been a regular stop on the calendar,\u201d Bright said. \u201cThis trip with Aspen, I guess it\u2019s a big time of year for the Australian audience and community in town.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Australia Day, as it\u2019s celebrated in the United States, is Jan. 26, the final day of X Games Aspen. The Aussies are likely to be on a lot of extra minds this month with the country\u2019s ongoing wildfire issues, which have ravaged much of the continent. Bright, who now lives in Sydney, grew up in the Snowy Mountains near Thredbo Resort, one of many areas currently threatened by the fires.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Aspen Skiing Co. recently launched an Australia Wildfire Relief Fund and is collecting donations through Jan. 26, and has said it will match the first $12,500 it receives. Donations can be made through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspensnowmass.com\/while-you-are-here\/events\/~\/link.aspx?_id=FEF41B661A3448EEBBEC83D53CCAF59C&amp;_z=z\">http:\/\/www.aspensnowmass.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cLivelihoods are all being lost and absolutely devastated,\u201d Bright said of the Australian wildfires. \u201cTo see the Aspen community, and the U.S. community, want to support and raise some funds is pretty beautiful, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">THE NEXT CHAPTER<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While Bright no longer competes in the halfpipe, she stays plenty busy on a snowboard. Among her latest projects was the IMAX film called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mountainadventurefilm.com\/\">Out of Bounds: Mountain Adventure<\/a>\u201d that includes big mountain snowboard icon Jeremy Jones and freeskiing star Sammy Carlson.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The recently released film follows the group from Antarctica, through the Andes of South America, the Rockies of North America and eventually into Alaska. Along the way they encounter wildlife and talk with various scientists and environmentalists \u201cto uncover a deeper understanding of our mountain ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The film was produced by Wild Pacific Media and Definition Films, in association with K2 Studios and Havoc TV.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s fun and exciting,\u201d Bright said. \u201cJeremy brings the extreme, Sammy brings the rad, and I\u2019m me, shredding with the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Bright\u2019s life is about to change even more, as she and husband Angus Thomson are expecting their first child in July. As far as the halfpipe goes, she does miss dropping in from time to time, but she\u2019s happy having left the competitions behind.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI much prefer to cheer people on than to compete myself,\u201d Bright said. \u201cIt\u2019s way less stressful. So it\u2019s been fun to know the people who are still competing and love them and cheer them on and watch them do their best.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:acolbert@aspentimes.com\">acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/olympic-gold-medalist-snowboarder-torah-bright-in-aspen-to-host-free-mini-shred\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright poses with children at the Aspen Youth Center after talking about her snowboarding career on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, at the Aspen Recreation Center. Bright will lead a Mini Shred event at Low Down Park in Snowmass from 11 am. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2453078","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news","7":"category-photos"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-10 18:17:00","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2453078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453078\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2453078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2453078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2453078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}