Ogden and Estrada win U.S. Freeskiing Extremes

CRESTED BUTTE, Colorado — Scott athletes Laura Ogden and Aaron Estrada won the 16th annual U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships. Although there was only 42 to 55 inches of snow on this rocky horn, the skiing was better than ever at Crested Butte for this annual event.

“The best thing about the Extremes is the local support. The crowd is at least three times bigger than at any other contest,” said Laura Ogden, a Whistler transplant and 2006 Freeskiing World Tour winner.

The semifinals were on Staircase in the North Face area. Early on, Hannah Whitney attacked the couloir and took air in the steep upper section, and outskiied Ogden, but Ogden regrouped and won the final run. “With a few more comps behind her, she’s going to start slaying it,” Ogden said of her competition.

Ogden adjusted her approach for the treed terrain of the Butte: “My normal style is fast, with big turns, so I have to switch it up when I come here,” she said. After hitting the diving-board air, she worked the “Handrail” section of Staircase for as many little airs as possible.

On the men's side, Aaron Estrada took the lead in the semifinals, skiing with fluidity, speed and obvious aggression. His second semifinal run scored an amazing 37 points, which he modestly called “a gift.”

He held the lead and became the first man ever to win three U.S. Extremes, all while skiing with his right hand in a cast. Estrada has felt pain as well as victory here. In 2003, he crushed the same hand and had to be evacuated for emergency surgery. After taking 2004 off from competition, he returned to Crested Butte in 2005 but achieved unsatisfying results.

Headwall, the finals venue, is a rocky place that goes through skis like a wood chipper. The treeless terrain and mostly sunny skies allowed the competitors to step up the speed and tricks. The day was blustery, with an intense wind blowing at the top of the course. Still, the Butte crowds were out in force and whooping it up, pretending it was warm. Because of the limited vertical, everyone got two runs and the event still concluded by 1:30 p.m.

Among the women, Ogden stepped it up, taking one of the most exposed lines of any of the female competitors, airing through sets of boulders and rock gardens with full exposure below.

“The best thing about my last run was hitting my first pillow drop, and finding it still had snow on it! I thought it would all be gone, so I was like, ‘Just deal with it'... that and the crowd cheering as I came in,” said Ogden.

Her bold lines earned the highest score of the day for the women, a 34, and she overtook the points lead from Whitney.

Whitney was thrilled with her second-place result in what was just her third competition. “I think Laura definitely skiied stronger than me today. I missed my line the first run.” Whitney’s second run tied Ogden for the second-highest women’s score of the day (30.4).

Whitney, a former alpine racer, watched the Extremes a few times before actually entering for the first time last year. “I like competition. Even though it is against other women, it’s totally about challenging yourself. There’s so much support — everyone is stoked for each other,” said Whitney.

Kari Jo Chernoff took third place with a strong final run.

Estrada skiied through the rock fields of Headwall remarkably fast but in perfect control. On run two, he hit an embedded rock. Everyone gasped as Estrada disappeared in his snow plume, but he collected himself and finished the run as if nothing had happened.

“I snagged the rock, and it blew a sidewall. It completely stopped me. I put my hand down [the broken one], but I was able to get it together. Fortunately, I was in a spot where I could stop safely,” said Estrada.


Laura Ogden enjoying her victory