Winter weather is wild and windy. SSWSC Big Mountain athletes traveled to Breckenridge March 15-17, 2025, to participate in the final IFSA 3* National event of the season. What was supposed to be two days of qualifying and then a third day of finals turned into two days of finals as the wind, clouds, and snow descended on Breckenridge. With the event schedule condensed, athletes were faced with only doing their quali-finals run.

On Sunday, the U15 field made the steep hike to the top of the Serenity Bowl. The wind, however, had a trick up its sleeve from the day before, blanketing the venue in a lovely layer of snow. Through breaks in the weather, athletes rolled, dropped, and flew off the cornice into the venue. In her first ever 3* event, U15 female skier Reagan Farrell lined up two large cliffs joined by fast and fluid carves to power her way down the venue and secure 5th place for the event. In the U15 male skier group, taking the technical “Palisades” entry into the venue and charged across the venue for a big cross court Vander Zuck topped his run off with a massive air to secure 7th in a field of 60.

Monday morning looked a bit tense as the clouds hung up on the top of Serenity Bowl and the day’s venue: the legendary Six Senses. Known for Massive airs, gnarly exposure, and tight technical moves, the U19 fields were in for an uphill (or rather downhill) battle. Robbie Wodnick chose to drop in straight out of the start into one of the steepest spots on the venue. Taking an air above the Whiff Chute, he traversed over to the cornice above Tighty Whitey to line up an air into it. Robby closed out the day in the upper half of the field at 25th overall. SSWSC alumni Gavin Murphy claimed the gold. With a fast and fluid line across the venue, Gavin hit big feature after big feature, with some tricks thrown in to seal the deal. Alum Ellie Reynolds, who won the previous event in Snowbird, had the best line score of the day but crashed on her last air before the finish and ended in 13th place.

With this final 3* National event behind them, SSWSC athletes are looking towards their next event: Junior Freeride Championships in Kirkwood, CA. SSWSC has seven athletes who have received invitations this year. In the U15 Male skiers (a field of almost 900), Vander Zuck, Branigan Murphy, and Banks Ward have all been invited. Ryan Montgomery punched his ticket in the U19 male skiers (again, another field of almost 900). In the Single Plank world (Snowboarders), Riley McNew, Reid Graham, and Jayla McGlone have all reaped the rewards of their efforts this season to be among the tops in their fields to compete in the Western Hemisphere’s ultimate Junior Freeride competition. SSWSC alumni Ellie Reynolds and Gavin Murphy, who both graduated early from Steamboat Springs High School and are now skiing with Snowbird Sports Education Foundation also qualified.

FULL RESULTS