Most people try to choose the path of least resistance, but that cannot be said of extreme skier North Parker.
The 16-year-old Community School junior claimed the crown at the Subaru U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships at Crested Butte, Colo., Feb. 19-23.
Parker was deemed the best in a field of 85, which was whittled down to 10 after two days of qualifiers. The judges used five criteria: line, control, fluidity, form and aggressiveness. Parker scored 97.6 points on his final run to edge runners-up Colston Beatson (Mont.) and Miles Honens (Calif.) by 2.4 points.
"North wants to be really consistent and stand up," said his father, Nick. "It's not just balls to the wall and hucking off cliffs. It's like choreography and there are some very good skiers out there."
A member of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation until last season, Parker trains two days a week with local coaches Andy Ware and John Zuck.
Another SVSEF alum, Drew Stoecklein, posted his best result of the Subaru Freeskiing Series and Tour this season with a fourth in the men's division. The fine finish vaulted Stoecklein to third place in the USFS standings, behind friend Griffin Post, also of Sun Valley.
Other local finishers to survive the Big Hourglass venue at the Butte were Yukio Tatsuno in 20th and Andy Sabatier in 27th.
Jackson Hole is the tour's next stop, March 13-16.
Farrington drops in for a Revolution Tour win
Wood River High School senior Kaitlyn Farrington led the charge during the 2008 Chevy Revolution Tour at Mt. Hood, Ore., winning the women's halfpipe hands down. It was the best result for Farrington, a member of both the U.S. and Sun Valley teams, at a Revolution Tour event this season.
"She threw a McTwist at the bottom and landed it," Sun Valley coach Andy Gilbert said.
Sun Valley teammate Heather Black missed making the women's halfpipe final by one spot. Black finished 7th overall out of 23 women. In the women's slopestyle, Farrington was 5th and Black 14th.
Gilbert was extremely proud of the way his riders competed in the men's halfpipe. Scott Pike was 5th overall and Wyatt Bunce cracked the top 20 in 18th place.
In a field of 58, Kenny Ballou finished 27th, Quinn Baser 28th, John Martin 33rd, and Jeremy Black 43rd. Men's slopestyle was canceled due to fog. The competition was staged Feb. 22-24 at Mt. Hood.
Sun Valley hosts the next Intermountain competition. DJ Press Play will be back to entertain the masses for a rail jam and halfpipe on March 1-2.
Freestyle skiers make Junior Olympics
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation is sending eight of its freestyle skiers to the 2008 Freestyle Junior Olympics at Steamboat Springs, Colo., March 3-9.
The theme for the competition is "Let 'Er Buck" and the eight Sun Valley qualifiers will be sure to pack their best tricks for the occasion.
Coach John Zuck said Zana Davey, Hannah Haupt, Anita Vorsteveld, Austin Moses, Austin Bourret, William Eagan, Nathan Moses and Trevor Norris have earned the right to compete at JOs.
The USSA JOs feature halfpipe, slopestyle, moguls, dual moguls and aerials. New this year is a ruling, which permits competitors qualifying for three events to compete in all five. That's an option Bourret, Davey, Haupt and Vorsteveld have.
