The alpine team, coached again this year by 2004 WSC graduate Eric Grand, is looking strong with members training hard at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR).
Grand reports that the relationship between the team and CBMR is very positive and they’ve been enjoying their time training on the mountain. The alpine team will begin their season the weekend of Jan. 23rd at a competition in Steamboat Springs, Colo.
The alpine ski team is part of the Club Sports program at Western, and they compete in the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA).
Nordic skiing also is flourishing under the coaching of another WSC graduate, Duncan Callahan (2005). The team has been training twice a week since November. According to Callahan, the team showed promising results at the Crested Butte Open Races held this December.
Like the alpine team, the Nordic program also is part of Club Sports at Western, and they compete in the USCSA as well. Their next competition will be in Snow Mountain Ranch, Colo. over the weekend of Jan. 9th.
A new offering to WSC students is the freeride ski team, which is also part of club sports. According to Coach Eric Freson, a 2009 WSC graduate, the team encompasses all downhill skiing that is not racing.
The main focus for the team in their first year is big mountain competitions. This year the team will compete in Colorado at Crested Butte, Telluride and Snowmass, and in Taos, New Mexico and Snowbird, Utah.
Freson shared that there are two branches of the team: a competitive group and a non-competitive group. Competitive freeride skiers kick off their season in Telluride on Feb. 4th as part of the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour.
