Despite really tough snow conditions, competitors at the Subaru Freeride Series in Telluride threw down. CB represented well. Mary Boddington followed up her CB win with another first place finish. Rob Vandervoort took fourth for the male snowboarders. Mark Mikos took eighth for the male skiers. You can find WSCU Mountain Sports recap below, written by Mike Huse.
photo: Preston Hoffman/ WSCU Mtn Sports Media
March 22nd, 2014- The finals of the Subaru Freeride series at Telluride took place on Dihedral face. The only WSCU Mountain Sports Team athletes remaining in the competition were Justin Barr and Coach Dave Sugnet, both in the men’s ski category. Both athletes had respectable finishes in a very top-flight final, with world class competition on a steep and high consequence venue. Barr finished 21st and stayed on his his feet but hit several rocks and said “the venue had shark fins everywhere”. Sugnet placing eighth was very happy with a top ten finish on the difficult face.
Telluride local Gregory Hope won the mens ski category with a combined score of 171.33. Hopes final run was a jaw dropper as he skied in the no fall zone of the “Call Me” cliffs. Hope aired into the first Call Me cliff and the crowd gasped as he skied dangerously close to edge of the second cliff, but laying down a semi-controlled turn he redirected and took another very sizable but feasible air to a clean finish.
Western alumni Casey Riva placed second with a combined score of 169. While the combined score determines the winner, Rivas final run actually out scored the final run from Hope. Riva skiied a very progressive and high speed line by airing into and straight lining a chute on the lookers right side of the Dihedral Face. The extremely fast and fluid run got the judges attention and had the crowd cheering.
Three other Western alumni skied in the final as well. Mark Mikos placed seventh with another fast and fluid run that was also a crowd favorite. In the women’s ski category Kaitlyn Hughes placed eighth, and Ciera Glenn finished twelfth. Glenn had a tough run and lost a ski in a rocky section of the face but was unharmed.
Another Gunnison Valley athlete made some big waves in the women’s snowboard division. Mary Boddington coming off of a home win at Crested Butte took another first place. Boddingtons back to back wins qualified her for next years Freeride World Tour. Boddington is also hoping to go for a three-peat at the last Subaru Freeride Series event for 2014 at Big Sky April 2-7.
