Jib Academy Finals: What Dreams are made of.
When you invite a dozen talented, young skiers to one of the best parks in the world, they’re going to throw down. When you couple that energy with the entire Salomon Pro team, and provide the opportunity to win trips to Europe, Windells, and travel money, you have the formula for an incredible session. Last week, skiers from the Midwest, the East, the west, and Europe skied with the likes of Andrew Hathaway, Matt Walker, John Symms, Bobby Brown, Sammy Carlson, Henrik Harlaut, Mike Douglas, Mark Abma, Keri Herman, Alexis Goudbout, and Ben Moxham….just to name a few. The weather was ideal, the jumps were slushy, and everything was in place to provide the Jib Academy Finalists the chance of a lifetime. So many tricks were thrown, new rotations and grabs were perfected, and from a distance, the level of riding was so powerful that it was difficult to distinguish the amateurs from the pros.
At 8:00am on the first day, while kids were shaking off jet lag, poor sleep, and driving from Reno, everyone was charging. From Henrik Harlaut’s switch 10s, to Matt Walker’s right and left cork 7s, 9s, and 10s, to Sean Jordan’s rodeos, and Victor Menga’s superman front flips, each athlete increased the degree of difficultly as the day progressed. The quality of skiing that took place that morning was astounding. While most kids – especially those from the South, Midwest, and East Coast – have not skied since their resort closed four weeks ago, nothing seemed to deter their excitement as they continued to lap the park.
The excitement continued to grow as the week developed. Whether sessioning a 70 foot table early in the morning, or setting up the deck rail to practice new switch up variations, the finalists blurred the lines between amateur and professional. With so much at stake, each skier just kept having fun and enjoying the perfect features in the Unbound Terrain Park. More tricks were stomped, goggle tans were imprinted on faces, and each Salomon Pro took notice when one of the finalists rode away from their landing.
At the end of an extraordinary week skiing the best park in North America, Kim Boberg walked away with an invitation to the 2008 King of Style, Sean Jordan won a trip to Windell’s, and Charlie Owens won $500 in travel money for the upcoming season. Given the opportunity each skier had to showcase their ability, everyone enjoyed skiing in Mammoth for 5 long days. Regardless of where each athlete placed in the event, each will remember the Jib Academy Final as an unparalleled week of skiing.
During Jib Academy, Salomon encourages kids to have fun and progress with their friends. If you want to session with some of the best skiers in the world and want to ski Mammoth’s outstanding park, go to Jib Academy next season! I guarantee you will have the time of your life.
