Jackson Hole was icy cold, but the Sun Valley snowboard team was on fire in USASA action at the Wyoming resort, Jan. 13-15.
"It was a good weekend," said Sun Valley coach Andy Gilbert. "We love Jackson Hole. We get along great with the team over there and the kids seem to do well in Jackson for some reason."
Seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn Farrington swept the junior women's (age 16-17) class, winning both halfpipe events and a slopestyle competition.
Menehune rider (age 10-11) Chase Josey was a two-time champ in halfpipe. He was third in slopestyle behind winning teammate Ryan Roemer.
First place as well for Josie Bunce (breaker girls) in slopestyle. Bunce also recorded second and third place finishes in halfpipe.
Jeremy Black rode to second and third place showings in the very tough open class halfpipe.
In the youth men's halfpipe class (14-15) Kenny Ballou was second twice.
"He was the crowd favorite of the day, but he ran out of pipe or he probably would have won it," Gilbert said. Ballou was fifth in slopestyle.
Nick Shutz (men's jams) slid to first place in pipe and second in slopestyle.
Heather Black was runner-up to Farrington in the junior women's class in all three events.
Reed and Hayden Burdge went four-five in halfpipe and then flip-flopped and did the same in slopestyle.
Gilbert said that both are on the verge of making the leap up to finishing in the medals.
"They rode really well all weekend and are getting close to making the podium," he said. "It's awesome cause Hayden just got cleared by John Koth for jumping and it was his first event."
Scott Pike (junior men) was fifth in the opening pipe, but had to withdraw from competition after aggravating an existing shoulder injury.
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation is sending its B and C snowboard team members to The King of the Wasatch contest in Park City this weekend. A-team riders will be at Copper Mountain, Colo. for the Revolution Tour.
World Championships
In national news, Graham Watanabe, of Ketchum, finished 38th in the men's snowboardcross at the World Snowboard Championships in Arosa, Switzerland on Jan. 14. Taan Robrahn, also of Ketchum, was 51st in a field of 87. Xavier Delerue of France won the race. The USA's Seth Wescott and Nate Holland were second and third respectively.
