Big Mountain team competes at Wolf Creek

Taos Winter Sports Team takes eight podiums

The Taos Winter Sports Team (TWST) traveled to their first International Free Skiers Association (IFSA) event of the season in Wolf Creek on Saturday (Jan. 21). Over 100 athletes competed on either skis or snowboards in U12 and in the 12-14 age divisions.

It was an early start for the competitors with an 8 a.m. lift load. The venue start was perched on top of Alberta Peak, a 30-minute trek from the top of Treasure lift. Since TWST emphasizes hiking in the Big Mountain program, the 20 TWST athletes crushed the long uphill hike while carrying their skis, even in the negative wind chill.

Wolf Creek received 66 inches of snow in the week leading up to the event, with 12 inches falling the day prior.

The venue starts with wideopen bowl skiing, a cliff band in the middle, and concludes with steep open skiing and an abrupt compression prior to the finish corral. Some athletes elected to simply showcase their aggressive Taos style, and it paid off.

First up were the U12 girls. Larka Schultz placed third in her first-ever competition. Lauren Mueller skied a very fast and direct route, and her aggressive style earned her the top spot on the podium.

U12 boys Cale Baryza and Weston Munson competed next. Munson skied well at his comp debut, but went outside of the competition boundary, leading to a “no score.”

Baryza skied with fluidity and purpose, earning him a third-place finish.

Taos Winter Sports Team athletes in the age 12-14 female skier category included Stolle Wannamaker, Maisy Barrett, Pippa Barrett, Zoe Munson, Tei-Murata-Long, Neve Rebholtz, Ava Wannamaker and Kiana Swim.

Neve finished in fourth, Ava in third, and Kiana in second. All the girls skied strong from top to bottom, navigating variable snow and sticking to their lines.

Taos Winter Sports Team age 12-14 male skier competitors included Hank Scanlon, Bastion Ludwig, Maximo Johnson, Seamus Campbell, Grey Elsasser, Liam Kastrin, Ian McLean and Dusty Elsasser. The athletes earned two of the top five finishes with Dusty Elsasser in second and Ian McLean in fourth.

Our athletes showed up in a big way with eight podiums. This was the first-ever event at Wolf Creek with teams from Crested Butte, Monarch, Durango, Breckenridge, Pagosa and Taos attending. It was a cold one, but TWST athletes absolutely crushed it.