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Tuesday night in Denver, Freeskier teamed up with APO, Avery Brewing Co. and Rockstar Energy to host a Season Kickoff Party at the Battery 621 building—complete with free booze, music by DJ Wushu, pizza galore, stoked skiers from across the Front Range and special guest, Sammy Carlson.

What began as a fairly casual affair quickly took a turn for the better when Freeskier’s own Damian Quigley joined Icelantic’s Scotty VerMerris (Icelantic’s showroom is located in Battery 621) in constructing a makeshift shot-ski. The taped-together contraption made the rounds, over and over, ensuring all who wished to—and plenty of those who didn’t—received more than enough to drink.

The Kickoff Party coincided with the newsstand release date of our November issue—the 2014 Resort Guide—which features Mr. Carlson on the cover. Hence, Sammy’s presence. Sammy dished autographs, posed with blow-up prints of the cover, shook the hands of many a stoked fan, and at one point, popped a few bottles of champagne to celebrate what is his fourth Freeskier cover to date. After showering partygoers with a bit of the bubbly, Sammy grabbed the mic to address the group.

“I just want to say thanks to everyone for coming out, hope you’re all having a good night. Also, I can’t celebrate by myself, so we should all share this champagne,” he said, as he beckoned for all to come up front and have a taste of the $20 gold. “One more thing,” Sammy said, before the music kicked up again. “This is just the beginning,” he exclaimed, pointing at one of his blow-up covers. “Skiing is about to go to a whole new level… Hope everyone has a good winter. Enjoy.”

We extend thanks to all who joined in the fun—it was great to see many faces, both familiar and new. Big thanks also go out to APO, Avery and Rockstar for throwing down with us. We look forward to the fun-filled season ahead, more parties, and more shot-skis.