What's Inside

Please read on for updates and information about:

1. Message from Christie Hind
2. Park City Town Series
3. Updates for each PCSS Division
4. Scholarship Opportunities, including Gordon Lange Scholarship opening January 22!
5. Join Smith's Inspiring Donations Program

Message from Executive Director, Christie Hind

Holy Snow!! Although a bit wild and unpredictable, we are so happy that winter has finally arrived! Our athletes have been making the best of the less-than-ideal training conditions as you can read about in the Division Updates.

We are also excited to begin hosting a number of events, including an Aerials US Nationals/FIS Open event at the UOP this coming weekend, January 20-21. Please join us to watch and cheer on these amazing athletes as they compete. The timing for the events are in the box to the right, and click here if you’d like to volunteer and earn credit against your work deposit hours.

The Park City Town Series of Alpine and Skimo races is returning to the UOP again this year with the first race on Friday, January 26. Click here for more information and/or to register! We also need volunteers for this series of races, and will provide more details in the next few days.

Keep on cheering for the snowfall too! We're off to a great start, and excited to see what the rest of the season brings!

Register Today for Park City Town Series!

It's time to get ready for the 2024 Park City Ski & Snowboard Town Series! We are excited to announce that the PCSS Town Series will be taking place January 26, February 15, March 8 and April 5, 2024 with downhill and uphill options at the Utah Olympic Park. The series is open to all ages and abilities. We invite the entire community to come and race at the UOP venue with exclusive access to the mountain. Race experience is not necessary, just come out and enjoy the fun!

We encourage everyone to commit to all 4 races as there will be great overall end-of-series prizes. We will also be offering VIP training sessions the Wednesday before each race at the UOP (with the exception of January) with celebrity coaches to help you get race ready so be sure to take advantage of this unique opportunity! Also, new this year, in the registration process, take advantage of the opportunity to purchase items from Le Bent at 60-70% off of retail. Who doesn't need more ski socks? This exclusive opportunity is only available to Town Series registrants.

To register, please click here. The series is anticipated to sell out, so be sure to sign up early. All proceeds from the event provide funding for PCSS athletes, coaches, and programming.

Thank you for your support!

Aerials

Our recent trip to Ruka, Finland was very productive and a great experience. Specifically, Amelia Glogowski took 3rd place and Ian Schoenwald landed in 4th place in the Europa Cup competition.

The UOP training site is up and running and we are in the midst of preparing to host the FIS Open and US Nationals on Jan 20 and 21. More volunteers are needed, so please click here to set up or log into your volunteer account and then look for opportunities to help. All hours worked by eligible volunteers will be credited toward your work deposit.

Excitement will only build as there are even more big things coming as we head into the upcoming Deer Valley World Cup!

Alpine

Another strong weekend for the DEVOS with great firm snow on Saturday and some new snow on Sunday. We spent Saturday working on keeping our hip over the outside ski, something Darren Ralves taught Dar; next Saturday, we will be working on a couple of skills Dar learned from Ted Ligety.  These skills are only possible because the kids have given effort into finding a balanced athletic stance.

Making do with the snow we have had and the terrain, our South Series groups have been getting all the off-piste terrain they can get. The athletes are chomping at the bit, both to tear it up at our first races and ski some powder along the way.

The Junior IMC groups headed north to Snowking for their first qualifying events this weekend. It’s been spectacular watching all of the hard work and training that these athletes put in and the results they are getting from it. First qualifier races are off to a great start for it being so cold and snowy in Jackson.

Last week, our U16 IMC athletes were on fire with great performances by many on the the men's and women's sides. Congratulations to our podium athletes as well as those who saw personal bests! The team is back to work doing on-hill freeski and gate training at Deer Valley this week, as well and maintaining fitness at the COS gym sessions.

The FIS groups recently returned from Jackson to compete in the makeup races from our canceled FIS Elite Tech series. Since the races, we have been skiing powder and looking forward to our next training block while others are getting ready for the first FISU's being hosted by the University of Utah at the UOP. Additional upcoming racing includes the Rocky Mountain Elite series in Beckenridge and the Western Region Devo series in Tahoe.

Our Master's group has been focused on refining slalom skills in preparation for the Rotarun and Sun Valley races. Through peer analysis, as well as one-on-one and group coaching with video analysis, many athletes have made great strides. Despite challenging weather, training conditions have been outstanding and have aided our improvement. We have also had added inspiration from training alongside the University of Utah and Westminster teams.

Big Mountain

The season is off to a slow start, but we are making the most of the terrain available. The skiing on the upper mountain has provided good, challenging skiing. We have built a few jumps and athletes are working on getting comfortable with spins into powder landings.

A few Big Mountain team members are leaving for our first-ever destination trip to Japan on Jan 17. This is a pilot program that we hope to grow so that more families join next year.

Finally, we just completed our first outing and athletes were able to find great snow off Peak 5. Looks like some good pow days ahead, so get out there and shred!

Cross Country

During the first week of January, the Cross Country Comp Team competed at Soldier Hollow in the US Senior Nationals amongst the best adult, college and junior skiers in the nation. For many it was their first time competing at such high level. Alumni Wes Campbell, who is attending Michigan Tech, qualified for Cross Country World Juniors for the first time at this event.

The Comp Team is next competing in Jackson, WY on Jan 13-14 with a team of 24 athletes for the first Intermountain Division Junior National Team qualifier. There is an opportunity to watch the Comp Team compete locally on Jan 26-27 at Soldier Hollow. 

We also started our new Kinder Gliders program for kindergarteners and first graders. The first session was a big success even with limited snow. Twenty kids were able to get on the outruns of the ski jumps at the UOP. Many participants were cross country skiing for the first time, and others were skiing for the first time. We also started our Mini Gliders program in January and are coaching the YSA cross country programs. 

Many of our programs are sold out, but we would love to get more high school age kids signed up for our Club Team program that is held on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and is led by Thomas Cooke. We are also starting a Master's program on Wednesday mornings as soon as more public trails in Park City are open for cross country skiing. 

See you on the trails!

Devo Freestyle

Although it was slow the first week or two in December, we are happy to say Devo Freestyle Team is off to a good start in January!

We look forward to hosting our first Devo Competition Series events next month at the UOP with Slopestyle on Feb 16 in the evening and Moguls the morning of Feb 17.

The photo is of one of our new Lead Coaches, James Parmer, and his group during a lunch break.

Moguls

Happy New Year! 

Our FIS team has officially completed prep season and entered into competition season. Before the holidays, our FIS team competed in US Selections where we had some stand-out qualification runs, and finished the competition with Emma Bosco in 2nd place for dual moguls. This is her first FIS podium - congratulations Emma! 

Some of the FIS and Full Time team are now headed to Apex, BC to get in another week of training while we anxiously await more snowfall to open additional training venues in Park City. 

We successfully hosted our annual Intro to Mogul Day where we had 23 athletes join us for a fun afternoon of skiing bumps and hitting jumps! Huge thanks to US Ski Team athletes, Nick Page and Kai Owens, for joining us for this fun event. 

After school programming started at the UOP this week and we are excited that this program is growing each year! We have more athletes and are offering more sessions than in previous seasons. 

We will be hosting our first competition in the Intermountain Division Jan 13-15 at the UOP. Please volunteer and/or just cheer on our amazing athletes as they get back in the competition gate! 

A huge thank you to the UOP for working tirelessly to blow snow and open venues for our athletes as we await Mother Nature to deliver her goods!

Park & Pipe

The season is off to a slow start, but our venues have worked hard to offer training opportunities for the PNP crew. Athletes are happy and having a good time.

Comp season is here, we just had a successful trip to the Jackson Hole USASA regional event where we had multiple athletes reach the podium. A few pipe athletes just returned from their first Futures Tour event of the season and are geared up for more pipe events soon. We are also sending a crew to Copper Mountain, CO for the first Rev Tour of the season Jan 15-25. 

Recent results at Jackson Hole Slopestyle 1 for the Freeski Grommet Boys include William Saleh (1st), Aidan Saleh (2nd), and Dylan Saleh (3rd). Julia Magnuson was 2nd for Freeski Menehune Girls, and Jaxon Tummers landed in 2nd for Freeski Breaker Boys. In the Freeski Youth Men division, Kieran Gabrielson was 2nd and Zealand Bouwhuis was 3rd, and for Freeski Junior Men, Patrick O'Brien was 1st!

In the Jackson Hole Slopestyle 2 competition, William Saleh was 2nd and Aidan Saleh was 3rd in the Freeski Grommet Boys group. Julia Magnuson was 2nd for the Freeski Menehune Girls, and Andrew Johnson was 2nd for the Freeski Menehune Boys. Jaxon Tummers took 2nd place and Sam Waldock was 3rd for the Freeski Breaker Boys. In the Freeski Youth Men division, Kieran Gabrielson was 1st and Zealand Bouwhuis was 2nd, and for Freeski Junior Men, Patrick O'Brien took 3rd.

Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined

The Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined season kicked off early in December with the annual Winterstart event in Steamboat Springs. After that, we opened up our facility for the 2nd stop of the US World Junior Championship Trials Dec 16 & 17. Athletes from around the nation enjoyed great conditions for jumping at the UOP and nordic racing at Soldier Hollow. 

Our athletes had great results at the qualifiers, with Ian Carmack and Augie Roepke both earning a strong 3rd place result on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Ian also continued to impress with his superb racing in posting the fastest cross country time in the U20 field in all four qualifying events between Steamboat and Park City.

While the announcement isn’t official yet, we’re excited to know that Augie Roepke and Ian Carmack are both going to be named to the 2024 Nordic Combined Junior World Championship Team. They’ll be representing the US at the beginning of February at the Championships in Planica, Slovenia. This will be the first time competing internationally for both of them and an amazing achievement and experience!

Our younger athletes patiently waited out a slow start to the season, with a huge thanks to our small hills coaches for keeping practice interesting using a variety of “ski-play” games and exercises.  Now that we’re up and running, we’re looking forward to a “Friday Night Challenge” on Jan 19 and a great season of jumping ahead.

Skimo

PCSS Skimo kicked off the New Year last weekend with back-to-back racing days at Nordic Valley for the inaugural Viking Sprints. This USSMA National Series event featured two mornings of individual sprint racing and a final mixed relay team sprint on Sunday afternoon. Our team had a great showing with some of our athletes gaining their first sprint racing experience and our more experienced athletes leading the way. Saturday’s racing went particularly well with five podium finishes: Tre Lundberg 3rd U14 male, Addy Lundberg 3rd U16 Female, Sam Kirschner 1st U16 Male, Joshua Itoi 3rd U16 Male and Griffin Briley 2nd SNR Male. 

We also participated in the widely attended Utah Skimo race Tuesday, Jan 9 at PCM. For anyone interested in experiencing Skimo at its core and grassroots level, check out these events!

Looking ahead, we’ll be taking a large crew to Logan Canyon for the annual Crowbar Backcountry Race on January 20. After that, our first Town Series of the winter is Friday, Jan 26. If you want a chance to race against our team and other community members, head to our website to learn more and register.

Snowboard

PCSS Snowboard brought in the new year with our first USASA contest of the season in Jackson Hole, WY. With 26 riders competing over three days, we had a strong showing from our riders and their families! Our competition schedule is stacking up with Revolution Tour (Copper), USASA (Woodward Park City), and Futures Tour (Woodward Park City) events all taking place over the next several weeks. 

Global Team rider Rori Avelar is headed to the Laax Open for Slopestyle next week in hopes of making her second World Cup finals. This is Rori’s third year riding with our program as she continues to pursue a US Pro Team selection and a career competing in Slopestyle and Big Air.

With winter finally here and more terrain opening, midweek and weekend programs are firing on all cylinders. 2024 is starting off great and we can't wait to see what the months ahead will bring our way.

Youth Development

All youth development programs started up this week and we had 143 young athletes aged 5-9 years old out skiing and riding across three different venues! While we are just getting started with these programs, the stoke was high all week and we are all looking forward to a great season with these young skiers and riders! 

It's not too late to register for some programs and we still have space in our Wednesday night Lil' Rippers program. If you have a young snowboarder who would like to take their riding skills to the next level, then sign up for Lil' Rippers today!