FREESKIERFEST concludes as Aspen receives its biggest storm cycle in years

Published on March 10, 2019
by Samuel Taggart

FREESKIERFEST concludes as Aspen receives its biggest storm cycle in years

PHOTOS • MATT POWER, unless otherwise noted

Days three, four and five of FREESKIER’s 17th annual FREESKIERFEST, presented by The Ski Monster and Dragon Alliance, had our ski testers ripping through more than 60 inches of fresh snow on an array of next year’s best skis. It seemed too good to be true, but every evening snow fell from the sky by the truckload, refilling every run we’d pillaged the day prior. Take a gander at the photos below to see first-hand what it’s like to have the best job on the planet.

Buncha ski bladerz taking a family portrait…

…that was quickly ruined by Icelantic’s Scotty VerMerris.

Ski tester Rhianna Borderick squiggles around a tree.

Aspen local Mo Mitchell says, “if it aint’ neon, it shouldn’t be on.” We agree.

FREESKIER’s Damian Quigley reppin’ a custom denim vest.

From the top down, Pret Helmet kept our testers’ safe from the inevitable fall; Dragon Alliance goggles had us seeing clearly in every weather condition; The Ski Monster’s balaclava helped us stay warm; and Outdoor Tech’s mobile charger gave our testers enough juice to review skis from first to last chair. PHOTO: Donny O’Neill

Base camp essentials provided by Honey Stinger and Aleve.

Presenting sponsor, The Ski Monster, came through with some branded lids and neck gaiters. PHOTO: Donny O’Neill

PHOOZY and Mammut playing matchy-matchy in gold.

Level Gloves with the super fresh, custom FREESKIER mittens. PHOTO: Donny O’Neill

4FRNT’s Dan Cardon with some proper logo placement.

Our posse causing havoc, as seen from the chairlift.

Le Bent socks for every tester! Why? Because they’re the best damn socks on the market. PHOTO: Donny O’Neill

This is the greatest photo of an Arcade Belt you will ever see. PHOTO: Donny O’Neill

Pret Helmets and Dragon goggles: the perfect combination.

Kari Traa with the most stylish baselayers in the game right now. PHOTO: Donny O’Neill

Thanks to the innovators at GoggleSoc for keeping the lenses on our Dragon Alliance goggles clean and scratch-free, even at the après. PHOTO: Donny O’Neill

FREESKIER Assistant Editor Erin Spong finds her groove.

The White Room had an open-door policy this week at Aspen Mountain.

Andrew Benaquista showin’ how it’s done.

Level Gloves handed out ultra-warm, super-stylish leather mitts to our testers to keep everyone’s digits toasty. PHOTO: Donny O’Neill

Nothing beats a coffee in the morning, kept piping hot with in our YETI mugs. PHOTO: Donny O’Neill

Among the Aspen trees, your powder skiing dreams will come true.

More, more, more—we just can’t get enough.

Dragon’s Lumalens low-light lenses kept our vision clear while Blackstrap’s colorful Expedition Hood Balaclava helped us stay warm on a chilly, stormy day. PHOTO: Donny O’Neill