Local mogulists and slopestylers from age 10 and up rocketed through a series of competitions last weekend, notching more than a few high-flying finishes for Team Telluride on the road in Breckenridge and Durango.
Rocky Mountain Open Moguls in Breckenridge
Breckenridge’s burly “Mach 1” run played host to last weekend’s freestyle flurry, making for a challenging venue for Telluride’s young mogulists.
“Mach 1 is one of the toughest mogul runs competitors will see during their careers,” said TSSC Freestyle Director Caleb Martin. “Looking down from the starting gate, the run just falls away from below the top jumps. Landing the top jump cleanly on Mach 1 is one of the best tests on the Rocky Tour. I was super proud of the way our athletes stepped up to tackle the demanding course.”
Telluride’s Keaton McCargo was the only girl able to stick the top jump and muscle through the middle section of the course, in effect putting her ahead of the rest of the day’s female competition in the Open Moguls event, giving her her first career Rocky Division win.
She didn’t skip a beat on Duals day, making it to the finals round to meet fellow Telluride skier Kealey Zaumseil. McCargo succumbed to Mach 1’s force after airing it out on the top air, however, blowing out of the course; Meanwhile, teammate Zaumseil hung on to ski a clean run and finished firsth for women in Dual Moguls.
On the men’s side, Nicki Jones notched two top ten finishes. Jones’ “Lincoln Loop” (side flip) on the bottom air in the Open Moguls competition earned his highest career execution scores, also landing him in ninth place overall and third place in his age division. He and teammate Ryan Parkinson met on Duals day in the round of eight, with Parkinson narrowly edging out Jones to finish seventh. (Parkinson had been nipping at Jones’ heels on Open Moguls day, finishing fourth in their age class.)
Durango Orthopedics Freestyle Open
Telluride’s younger bumpsters hammered out back-to-back moguls and slopestyle events in Durango last weekend, with Telluride catapulting many of its young skiers onto the podium in both events.
In moguls, Camilla Gardner finished third in her age division while teammates Skyler Nunn, Ava Jodlowski and Emma Spaulding swept the podium for F5s. Of the littlest female competitors, Telluride’s Ruby Humes and Daniella Jansen both earned podium places with a second and third, respectively.
For the boys, M4 Benjamin Potter climbed the ranks with his third place finish, while younger teammates Cedar Palmer and Jackson Tharp also placed with a second and third. M6 William Jansen finished second.
Telluride notched a series of first-place finishes in the weekend’s slopestyle event, with Jodlowski taking it for the F5s (just ahead of Spaulding in second,) Connor Overly edging out teammate Quinlin McNatt for M4 supremacy, and M5 Tharp also beating out the rest in his division.
Telluride’s own burly bumps will be the scene of massive mogul bashing come February 12, when the Lower Plunge hosts a three-day mogul event for the Rocky Mountain Division’s "Competitive Series." Telluride’s best and brightest bumpsters will be there; so should you.
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