The vision for the re-emergence of the Silver Belt was simple: create a competition-like environment but remove the high-intensity pressure on the athletes. Then, have the best skiers in the world come to partake. Yes, there are still podium spots, but when the athletes are judged by their peers, camaraderie comes easy since they are all out pushing the limits of creativity and style. The result? A weekend of incredible talent and special moments, unlike any other skiing event.
Sugar Bowl athlete, Xander Guldman, helped bring the vision of the Silver Belt to life. His love for Sugar Bowl and his experience in the freeride competition space made him a key partner in helping Sugar Bowl craft the return of this historic event.
The history buffs will remember the original 1940 Sugar Bowl Silver Belt as a Giant Slalom race. Back then, World Cup racers screamed down the Silver Belt Gully on 10-foot-long wooden skis navigating five-foot-deep ruts. Fast forward to 2024, the new event utilizes the same terrain in a totally reimagined way, as a freeride venue. Ski culture has shifted quite a bit in the past 80 years, but true to the original nature of the historic event, the new Silver Belt continues to pull in some of the best skiers on the planet and still focuses on fun and camaraderie, all while pushing the boundaries of the sport.
You can watch all the runs from the finals right here:
_
Day 1- Qualifiers
The first day of the return of the iconic Silver Belt set the tone for what was to come: it was HUGE. The energy was high as 62 skiers prepared for their chance to join the main event amongst the pros on Sunday. 28 professional skiers had been invited to the Silver Belt ShapeShifter Finals on Day 3, but a handful of additional wildcard spots were up for grabs at the Day 1 Qualifier. Anyone had an opportunity to qualify for the final.
The Qualifier took place in the “Sugar Bowl,” a highly featured zone off of Mount Disney with a variety of cornice drops, cliffs, and windlips for the athletes to session. Course crews spent days before the event building man-made features that complimented the venue's natural terrain. The snowpack was so deep at that point in the season that some new features were put into play, while other classic hits were completely buried.
Not a bad way to kick things off... P. Banta Visuals
The format for the Qualifier was unique. All 62 skiers got one run to show their stuff. Broken into groups of five athletes, one group voted for the best in the following group to elect who would move on to the finals.
It may have been the end of March, but winter was in full force, dumping snow throughout the day. The Sugar Bowl has a natural amphitheater-like build, so the spectator venue at the base has a perfect view of every feature. One of the event sponsors, Soundboks, decked out the venue with their battery-powered and Bluetooth-connected speakers. Spectators and athletes were revved up and ready to cheer on friends and fellow athletes.
As the event kicked off, the athletes wasted no time seeking out the biggest lines, dropping the biggest cliffs, and throwing down their biggest tricks. It was three straight hours of the most insane spins, corks, and crashes that Sugar Bowl had ever seen up until that point. At the bottom of their run, athletes were greeted by a stoked crowd doling out hugs and high-fives. Oliver Haddick threw a massive backflip, to which several spectators commented, “That was the biggest backflip I have ever seen.” All the athletes got one run, and then the venue opened up for an Open Jam session. There may not have been any official judging during the Open Jam, but that didn’t mean that folks weren’t watching. Such impressive lines were skied during the Open Jam, that a couple of stand-out athletes cemented their slot in the finals based on that session.
At the close of the Open Jam, the peer-judged scores from the Qualifier were compiled, and the athletes gathered in Village Hall to find out who would move on to Sunday’s main event, The Shapeshifter. But first, awards were given out to some well-deserving athletes. Line of the Day was given to Erik Bourke for skiing a tight triple drop in the Bowl with a huge 360 off of the last drop during the Open Jam sesh, for which he was awarded a fresh outerwear kit from Oakley. One athlete, Preston Snyder, had just started skiing that year and had entered the competition. For his incredible drive and enthusiasm, he earned the Progression Award and a new pair of Atomic skis.
Finally, to thunderous applause, the qualifiers were announced. The top 12 skiers of the day would move on to ski alongside the pros during the Silver Belt ShapeShifter Finals on Day 3.
_
Qualifiers
Zebedee Schreiber
Henry Schrichte
Oliver Haddick
Lachlan Powell
Andrew Bird
Colton Shaff
Sebastian Baranchuk
John Kunst
Kelly Hilleke
Mia Winans
Savannah Dayberry
Kelsey Wittels
_
Day 2- Course Inspection + Build Day
Though not a competition day, Saturday was a crucial day. All 40 Silver Belt athletes (28 invited pros plus 12 qualifiers) had the opportunity to side-slip the terrain and put any finishing touches on the venue before sending it during the finals the following day. The event crew had spent the week prior hand-building jumps and enhancing the natural terrain of the Silver Belt Gully; now, the athletes had the opportunity to fine-tune it to their liking. The Silver Belt Gully was their oyster and they were given free reign to make this course into what they wanted. The only ask was to protect the fresh-powder landings…at all cost. This hands-on approach to a competition space is not something often seen, and you could tell the athletes were excited to have such a say in what the Silver Belt would look like. “This is the coolest format I could imagine,” said athlete Kendall Goodman.
It had been threatening to snow throughout the day, but as the athletes and crew wrapped up, the weather really turned on. As luck would it, the entire course was refreshed with new snow for the next day’s competition.
Hannah Epsteyn sending a huge one. P. Banta Visuals.
_
Day 3- ShapeShifter Finals
The main event had finally arrived. You could feel the excitement and energy all around Sugar Bowl Sunday morning, and it wasn’t just due to all the jelly beans eaten on Easter. The athletes made their way to the top of Mount Lincoln to kick off the day. The venue was pristine, with 17” of new snow. A random start order was created, and Sophia Swartz drew the honor of dropping in first. She kicked off the event in style, stomping her run with fresh powder landings on every feature.
Following the first couple of athletes, intermittent fog rolled in, creating on-and-off delays due to visibility, but it did not bring the vibe down. An off-the-grid Soundboks speaker at the top of the venue created a start gate dance party, while other athletes went hunting for powder turns and found plenty in Sugar Bowl’s legendary terrain. The original two-run format was reduced to one run since several breaks were needed to wait out the fog.
As these things usually go, the moment the judged portion of the event was complete, the clouds parted, and the sun began to shine. And just at that moment, the skiing went from WOW to OMG. Similar to the Qualifier event, the athletes went wild in the Open Jam, flying sky-high and throwing down some absolute insanity. Kelly Hilleke attempted a triple backflip at one point, dropping jaws all around.
P. Cath Howard Photo
After the Open Jam session, the athletes gathered in Village Hall for the much-anticipated video review and voting session to determine the new Silver Belt champions. A video team had filmed all 40 athletes from two angles, editing the two takes together into a cohesive run. During the event, most of the athletes didn’t have the opportunity to watch many of the other athletes’ runs. The venue was so large that it was hard to see every feature from the best angle…plus it was a pow day, so naturally, the athletes were busy hunting for fresh snow in between runs! The anticipation to watch the entire catalog of footage was all-time.
As the video premiere began, the crowd fell silent until they witnessed Sofia Schwatz stomp a monster cork-7 off the second hit. Then, the crowd erupted for the next hour as they watched skiing progress before their eyes. The energy was reminiscent of a Warren Miller premier, with the cheers growing louder following each run.
Following the viewing, athletes were asked to vote for their top three male and female skiers from the day, emphasizing “who made you want to get out and ski.” The deliberations were long and conflicted, but in the end, a jury of some of the most talented skiers on the planet came together to crown the new Silver Belt Champions.
_
Silver Belt Champions
Male
JR Rollins
Jay Rawe
Andrew Bird
Female
Elena Messner
Indy Boyer
Hannah Epsteyn
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Silver Belt. It’s exciting to see the return of one of the most historic ski events in America in a reimagined way. The Silver Belt will continue to grow and evolve next season, and it’s thrilling to see what this next era will bring. Where will these athletes take the future of freeride?
Supported by Arc’teryx, Oakley, Soundboks, Mons Royale, Atomic Skis, GoPro, Yeti
Comments