Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club named Free Ski Club of the Year

Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club (AVSC) has been honored as the 2024 Freeski Club of the Year by US Ski and Snowboard. This marks the third time the club has received this distinguished recognition, having previously won in 2018 and 2022, underscoring its continued excellence in the freeski community nationwide, a recent news release states.

“Our freestyle programs have been growing and excelling in numerous ways over the past decade,” said Xanthe Demas, AVSC director of marketing and communications. “It’s really exciting to see the positive momentum of the sport and our club being acknowledged.”

The award comes on the heels of an outstanding season for AVSC athletes, who excelled at the USASA National Championships in Copper, Colorado, bringing home four national titles. Highlights include Hunter Maytin’s victory in the FIS open division of the halfpipe competition, Nico Savi’s top spot in the junior (ages 17-18) halfpipe, Ryder Hutchinson’s win in the youth (ages 15-16) halfpipe, and Boti Bartha’s triumph in the menehune (ages 11-12) slopestyle.

“Receiving the Freeski Club of the Year award for the third time is a tremendous honor for our club and the freestyle community,” Eric Knight, AVSC freestyle program director, said in the release. “We have kids in our program as young as seven, with different coaches at different levels. We even have current U.S. freeski athletes still training with us.”

Knight explained that AVSC has different program levels for different athletes. Those serious about competing train year-round at various locations, including the Buttermilk Glacier, AVSC trampolines, Mt. Hood, and the Utah Olympic Park. Each facility provides a comprehensive set of tools for training, such as local terrain parks, airbags, ramps, trampolines, and summer glaciers.

“AVSC balances both minimizing risk and maximizing progress. The coaches do an amazing job of keeping it fun and teaching life lessons,” he added.

Six AVSC alumni are currently competing on the US Freeski Team, including notable athletes like Alex Ferreira, an Olympic silver medalist and seven-time X Games medalist, and Hanna Faulhaber, the 2023 World Halfpipe Champion and X Games bronze medalist.

Knight extended special thanks to coaches Brevitt Livingston, Sam Ferguson, and Keenan McIntyre, and gave particular recognition to head coach Greg Ruppel and FIS coach Dave Zweig for their pivotal roles in elevating AVSC athletes. 

“We have an amazing coaching staff. Greg Ruppel, our freeski head coach, was voted Domestic Freeski Head Coach of the Year a few years ago,” he said. “FIS coach Dave Zweig travels extensively in the winter with our highest-level athletes. Zweig coached for the Chinese National Team through the last Olympic cycle.”

AVSC’s commitment to nurturing talent and achieving excellence continues to set a high standard in the freeski world, producing champions who excel on both national and international stages “because we have a deep pipeline of talented athletes and strong coaching at each level, I think we are going to continue with our success,” Knight said.