Olympic Valley, CA –After two days of sunny skies and intense competition, the Squaw Valley stop of the Junior Freeskiing Tour (JFT) wrapped up on Sunday and due to poor visibility and dangerous conditions, officials cancelled the final day of competition. The top finishers from the preliminaries on Friday and Saturday were named the Squaw JFT champions.

Competitors repeatedly wowed both the crowd and the judges with huge airs, solid skiing and smooth style.  Each athlete had two runs to take advantage of all the terrain the Enchanted Forest venue had to offer.  They mixed it up with creative lines and showed what could be done with below average snowpack and challenging terrain options.

The 12-14 year old group kicked off the event on Friday, displaying composure, control, and amplitude.  The judges had their work cut out for them with the younger gals. Jess Sterrett hucked the big drop, “Ice Goddess” on her first run.  Not satisfied that was enough air for the day, she stomped it on her second run as well.  Jacqueline Pollard skied super aggressive and solid lines, ending in a tie of the two young ladies from Snowbird/Alta, Utah, for first place.  Isabella Gold of Squaw Valley was a close second with Olivia Askew hot on her heels for third place.

Competition in the 12-14 year-old guys’ category was equally as tough. Xander Guldman, a North Tahoe local, took top honors by skiing fast, aggressive lines, airing big drops and stomping them all.  Squaw Valley local Chase Whitney, winner of the Tecnica/Blizzard Free Mountain award at Crystal Mountain, Wash., hammered some solid runs as well, proving that his admiration amongst his peers is warranted. Seth Klein of Alta, Utah, skied solidly as ever and represented for the Utah contingent who showed up in force.

Day two saw the 15-18 year-olds going huge. Grant Howard of Snowbird/Alta, Drew Petersen of A-Basin, Colo., and George Rodney of Aspen, Colo., all amazed the judges and spectators with their skills.  Eleven 15-18 year-old gals showed their skills on the Enchanted Forest’s technical terrain with Snowbird/Alta skiers dominating the field. In first by a lead of five points was Perry Martin, with Hannah May and Mackenzie Eppersen-Valum rounding out the top three.

Ian Borgeson of Arapahoe Basin stood out, amongst many others, with a monster 360 he threw over  “Skid Row”, eliciting crazy cheers from the crowd and announcers alike. Many people wondered if they were actually watching the JFT and not the adult competitors. Bryan Barlow, Competition Director for the Freeskiing World Tour rubbed his eyes and asked, “Who are these guys?!”

This week the Tecnica/Blizzard Free Mountain Award went to Matt Evans from Crested Butte, Colo., who will receive a pair of Blizzard skis and a pair of Tecnica boots and is now in the running for a full sponsorship for the 2013 season.  The award honors the athlete who displays the best on-hill/off-hill leadership and a sportsman-like attitude.

The 2012 Junior Freeskiing Tour now heads to Grand Targhee, Wyo, for competition tomorrow through Sunday.