{"id":2458235,"date":"2020-05-09T00:05:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-09T06:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=325486"},"modified":"2020-05-09T00:05:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-09T06:05:00","slug":"colbert-looking-at-aspens-winter-olympic-hopefuls-after-ski-team-nominations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/colbert-looking-at-aspens-winter-olympic-hopefuls-after-ski-team-nominations\/","title":{"rendered":"Colbert: Looking at Aspen\u2019s Winter Olympic hopefuls after ski team nominations"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8744827586207\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-325486-106\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-1024x732.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Halfpipe skier Alex Ferreira signs autographs on top of Aspen Mountain in 2018, only weeks after winning Olympic silver at the 2018 Games in South Korea.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Halfpipe skier Alex Ferreira signs autographs on top of Aspen Mountain in 2018, only weeks after winning Olympic silver at the 2018 Games in South Korea.<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/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\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-1024x732.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Halfpipe skier Alex Ferreira signs autographs on top of Aspen Mountain in 2018, only weeks after winning Olympic silver at the 2018 Games in South Korea.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News | Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News | Aspen\u2019s Alex Ferreira wins gold in the men\u2019s ski superpipe finals on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen. (Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Aspen\u2019s Alex Ferreira wins gold in the men\u2019s ski superpipe finals on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen. (Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News)<\/strong><br \/>Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News | Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News<\/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\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Aspen\u2019s Alex Ferreira wins gold in the men\u2019s ski superpipe finals on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen. (Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-2-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Cross-country skier Hailey Swirbul poses on Dec. 27, 2019, in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Cross-country skier Hailey Swirbul poses on Dec. 27, 2019, in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/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\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-2-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Cross-country skier Hailey Swirbul poses on Dec. 27, 2019, in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-3-1024x685.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Hanna Faulhaber, 15, poses for a portrait at the base of the Aspen Snowmass Freeskiing Open course on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Hanna Faulhaber, 15, poses for a portrait at the base of the Aspen Snowmass Freeskiing Open course on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/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\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-3-1024x685.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Hanna Faulhaber, 15, poses for a portrait at the base of the Aspen Snowmass Freeskiing Open course on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-4-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | X Games rookie Cassidy Jarrell smiles as he talks about his debut run after the men\u2019s qualifying ski superpipe event on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>X Games rookie Cassidy Jarrell smiles as he talks about his debut run after the men\u2019s qualifying ski superpipe event on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/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\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-4-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"X Games rookie Cassidy Jarrell smiles as he talks about his debut run after the men\u2019s qualifying ski superpipe event on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-5-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Matthias Schrader\/AP | AP | Aspen's Simi Hamilton finishes the men's team sprint freestyle semifinal cross-country skiing competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. (AP Photo\/Matthias Schrader)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Aspen&#8217;s Simi Hamilton finishes the men&#8217;s team sprint freestyle semifinal cross-country skiing competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. (AP Photo\/Matthias Schrader)<\/strong><br \/>Matthias Schrader\/AP | AP<\/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\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-5-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Aspen's Simi Hamilton finishes the men's team sprint freestyle semifinal cross-country skiing competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. (AP Photo\/Matthias Schrader)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-6-1024x819.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News | Chris Corning competes in men\u2019s snowboard big air elimination round at X Games Aspen on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen. (Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Chris Corning competes in men\u2019s snowboard big air elimination round at X Games Aspen on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen. (Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News)<\/strong><br \/>Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News<\/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\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-6-1024x819.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Chris Corning competes in men\u2019s snowboard big air elimination round at X Games Aspen on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen. (Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-7-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-7-681x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse | Aspen Times sports editor Austin Colbert\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Aspen Times sports editor Austin Colbert<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse<\/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\/05\/skiteam-atd-050920-2-7-681x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Aspen Times sports editor Austin Colbert\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/colbert-looking-at-aspens-2022-winter-olympic-hopefuls-after-us-ski-team-nominations\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/colbert-looking-at-aspens-2022-winter-olympic-hopefuls-after-us-ski-team-nominations\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">This past week, U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced its nominations for the 2020-21 season. Surprises were few in regard to Roaring Fork Valley athletes, with household names like Alex Ferreira and Simi Hamilton again on the list, and a couple, like Hailey Swirbul, getting a slight promotion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">What the nominations really do is give us an indication on what the next Winter Olympic season will be like. We\u2019re past halfway between the 2018 Games in South Korea and the 2022 Games in Beijing, and this coming winter is an important one in terms of positioning for those coveted spots on the U.S. Olympic teams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The bulk of the qualifying will happen in the two or three months leading up to the Beijing Olympics, but we\u2019re plenty close enough to start making some guesses on who will don the Red, White and Blue in China. Below is a list of Roaring Fork Valley \u2014 or thereabouts \u2014 athletes who have a shot at making the Olympics two years from now, grouped by probability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Keep in mind, these are nothing more than my best guesses and don\u2019t factor in injuries or pandemics.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">GOLD (see you in China)<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Alex Ferreira<\/strong>: Aspen\u2019s golden boy might be the best halfpipe skier on the planet right now. He won silver in his lone Olympic appearance in 2018 and has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/aspens-ferreira-repeats-as-x-games-ski-superpipe-champion-in-showdown-with-blunck\/\">won gold at X Games Aspen<\/a> the past two years. He\u2019s a legit rock star (no, seriously, he\u2019s sponsored by Rockstar Energy) and will be a frontrunner for Olympic gold in 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Hailey Swirbul<\/strong>: The Basalt High grad was promoted to the A team for the 2020-21 season, a huge nod of approval from the U.S. cross-country ski team. This coming winter will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/swirbul-finds-perspective-after-busy-world-cup-season-is-all-in-on-olympic-push\/\">only be her third with the national team<\/a>, and if she continues on her current path, there\u2019s no question she\u2019ll compete at her first Olympics in two years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Alice McKennis<\/strong>: The New Castle native and former AVSC athlete is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/unbroken-and-undeterred\/\">veteran on the U.S. alpine ski team<\/a> and competed in both the 2010 and 2018 Olympics (injury kept her out of 2014). She was a surprising fifth in the 2018 Olympic downhill (only two spots behind Lindsey Vonn) and I think she\u2019ll get one more shot at Olympic glory before calling it a career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Chris Corning<\/strong>: He\u2019s really more of a Summit County guy, but the big air and slopestyle snowboarding star did spend a few years training in Aspen with AVSC, so we claim him. He\u2019s won everything under the sun <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/chris-corning-misses-cut-in-excruciating-fashion-at-x-games-aspen-snowboard-big-air\/\">outside of X Games Aspen<\/a> and the Olympics, and in my mind rivals Max Parrot and Mark McMorris in terms of big air talent. He finished fourth in big air at the Games in South Korea, his first Olympic appearance, and should be a podium favorite in 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">SILVER (nothing is guaranteed, but decent chance)<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Hanna Faulhaber<\/strong>: Only 15, the Basalt High School student is a star-in-the-making in women\u2019s halfpipe skiing. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/maddie-bowman-a-five-time-x-games-champion-announces-retirement-from-competition-at-26\/\">Maddie Bowman retired<\/a>, a youngster like Faulhaber will have a shot at making the 2022 Olympic team. The 2026 Games might be more realistic for her, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/avsc-goes-virtual-for-awards-banquet-hanna-faulhaber-takes-home-biggest-honor\/\">Faulhaber has taken leaps<\/a>, not baby steps, in her development each year, so let\u2019s dare to dream.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Cassidy Jarrell<\/strong>: Aspen\u2019s next great halfpipe skier is now on the U.S. pro team with Ferreira and Aaron Blunck, and will be one of a handful competing for an Olympic spot in 2022. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspens-cassidy-jarrell-enjoys-first-x-games-experience-despite-missing-finals\/\">made his X Games Aspen debut this past winter<\/a>, and we\u2019ll be seeing a lot more of him going forward. However, men\u2019s halfpipe skiing in the U.S. is lit right now, so Jarrell will have a lot of competition for only a few spots on the Beijing team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Bridger Gile<\/strong>: The Aspen-raised alpine skier might have a legit shot at the 2022 Olympics, considering he\u2019s been moved up to the B team for the upcoming winter. He was a star on the Nor-Am Cup this past season and will hopefully get his first World Cup start before the year is out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Jake Canter<\/strong>: Another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/two-years-after-head-injury-nearly-took-his-life-15-year-old-snowboarder-jake-canter-competes-at-x-games\/\">rising star who formerly trained with AVSC<\/a>, Canter remains on the U.S. rookie team. Only 16, the slopestyle snowboarder has competed in knuckle huck the past two years at X Games Aspen. Sadly, knuckle huck is not yet an Olympic sport, so Canter will need to step it up in the traditional events to make it to China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Hagen Kearney<\/strong>: The Telluride alpine snowboarder also has ties with AVSC and competed at the 2018 Olympics, taking 13th in snowboardcross. He\u2019s once again on the A team for this coming winter and should no doubt make a good case for a return trip to the Olympics in 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">We need to also shout out Eagle\u2019s <strong>Jake Pates<\/strong> here, a halfpipe snowboarder and 2018 Olympian. He had a very brief stint with AVSC when he was younger and could push for a 2022 spot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">BRONZE (probably won\u2019t happen, but you never know)<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Cooper Cornelius<\/strong>: Another young alpine skier, the Glenwood Springs product and AVSC athlete is nipping at Gile\u2019s heels in terms of being the area\u2019s next great ski racer. He\u2019s on the C team, so he probably needs a big winter to firmly move into the Olympic conversation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Kate Oldham<\/strong>: The Colorado Rocky Mountain School senior and AVSC athlete was named to the U.S. national training group, which feeds into the national teams. The cross-country skier really is a long shot to make the Olympic team, but considering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/kate-oldham-leads-record-group-of-avsc-nordic-athletes-at-junior-nationals\/\">she\u2019s knocking on the door of the national team<\/a> and still has two winters to make her case, she\u2019s worth bringing up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Galena Wardle<\/strong>: Injuries have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/aspens-galena-wardle-overcomes-injuries-persists-as-us-ski-team-member\/\">plagued the young Aspen alpine skier\u2019s career<\/a> so much that she wasn\u2019t named to the U.S. national team for this coming winter. Doesn\u2019t mean she\u2019s out of the equation, but it\u2019s not promising. Utah\u2019s <strong>Isabella Wright<\/strong>, who has also trained with AVSC, made the U.S. development team for the 2020-21 alpine season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Tristan Feinberg<\/strong>: Another one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/basalts-faulhaber-lakewoods-ladd-win-ski-pipe-titles-at-aspen-freeski-open\/\">area\u2019s rising stars in halfpipe skiing<\/a> \u2014 we seem to have a lot of them these days \u2014 the teen is not on the national team but is certainly knocking on the door. He\u2019s got a few World Cup starts under his belt and is only a couple of stellar runs away from adding his name to the mix. Young <strong>Kai Morris<\/strong> is coming up fast as well, so keep him in mind.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">OFF THE PODIUM (been there, done that)<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Simi Hamilton<\/strong>: Aspen\u2019s timeless wonder is the only member of the men\u2019s A team in cross-country skiing for the 2020-21 season. He\u2019s a three-time Olympian and has long been the country\u2019s top sprinter. However, he\u2019s 32 and earlier this spring basically said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspens-simi-hamilton-commits-to-at-least-one-more-season-on-world-cup-looks-to-future-after-skiing\/\">this coming season will likely be his last<\/a>. But who knows, maybe he has a change of heart ahead of the next Olympic push.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Noah Hoffman<\/strong>: A two-time Olympic cross-country skier who grew up in Aspen, the distance specialist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/noah-hoffman-retires-from-cross-country-skiing-ready-for-next-phase-of-life\/\">retired after the 2018 Olympic season<\/a>. Safe to say he won\u2019t compete in Beijing, but we had to give him a nod for one solid career. He\u2019s still got it, though, as he showed last fall by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/aspen-olympian-noah-hoffman-wins-backcountry-marathon\/\">winning the Aspen Backcountry Marathon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Wiley Maple<\/strong>: A true Aspen cowboy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-world-cup-skier-wiley-maple-a-2018-olympian-retiring-due-to-injury\/\">Maple recently retired<\/a> because of a lingering back injury. He\u2019s been on and off the U.S. alpine ski team more times than we can count, but defied the odds and made the 2018 Olympic team, taking 30th in the downhill. Bon voyage to the Aspen legend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><strong>Torin Yater-Wallace<\/strong>: As long as he\u2019s been around, I\u2019d bet a lot of money Yater-Wallace was at least 35. Shockingly, the halfpipe skiing icon is only 24 but has seemingly stepped away from the competitive world. The two-time Olympian did <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspens-torin-yater-wallace-makes-x-games-return-in-ski-knuckle-huck-fresh-off-plane-from-japan\/\">make an X Games Aspen cameo in knuckle huck<\/a> back in January, but won\u2019t compete in halfpipe anymore. He wasn\u2019t named to the U.S. national team for the coming season, a choice he likely made.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText BoldIntro\"><a href=\"mailto:acolbert@aspentimes.com\">acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/colbert-looking-at-aspens-2022-winter-olympic-hopefuls-after-us-ski-team-nominations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Halfpipe skier Alex Ferreira signs autographs on top of Aspen Mountain in 2018, only weeks after winning Olympic silver at the 2018 Games in South Korea.Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times Aspen\u2019s Alex Ferreira wins gold in the men\u2019s ski superpipe finals on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen. (Liz Copan\/Summit Daily News)Liz [&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],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 17:54:48","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\/2458235","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=2458235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458235\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}