Local skiers up to the challenge

Powder Mountain slopestyle benefits 745 freestyle team

EDEN -- Local talent was in the air, literally, at the 745 Slopestyle Challenge at Powder Mountain.

Skiers and snowboarders were jumping, flipping, spinning and sliding their way down the slopestyle course that consisted of two rail features and two 35-foot table-top jumps. Competitors had two runs each to complete their best sequence of rail slides and airs for judges positioned at each feature.

With a name suited to a skier, Jesse Edge of Ogden won first place in the men's over-16 skiing category. Edge landed all his tricks in sequence including a corkscrew 900, an inverted twist with two-and-a-half rotations in the air.

Ben Trujillo of Sandy, who kneeled to receive his bronze medal, liked the setup of jumps on the course and said they had a "good flow."

Powder Mountain resident Gretchen Moisen watched her son, Ben, compete and crash in the event.

"It's a hard sport for a parent to watch, but we're thrilled he's doing it," Moisen said.

This was the first slopestyle event in the new Hidden Lake Terrain Park and the first time since 1989 that a Utah Winter Games event has been held at Powder Mountain. A portion of the proceeds from the event went to support the 745 freestyle team. The grass roots 745 team is made up of local skiers and snowboarders in Ogden Valley.

"I've seen a lot of the skiing talent come through the roof this year, especially in the freestyle stuff," Terrain Parks Director Dave Jessup said. "We have some kids that I'd say can compete with anybody on the national level."

Jessup and his crew put a lot of work into the course.

Park groomer Jeff Mach believes that helping build the jumps is a reward in itself. "These are like my babies," Mach said. "It's pretty much a dream job."

This is the second year Powder Mountain has had a terrain park in the Hidden Lake area. Other, more established, freestyle parks, like those at Park City Resort and Brighton, are better known than Powder Mountain's.

"We're the underdog as far as terrain parks go," Jessup said.

According to spokeswoman Carolyn Daniels, Powder Mountain is adding to the number of freestyle events each year and has expanded its terrain park offerings to accommodate the increased interest for jumps and rails.

"We are known for powder," Daniels said. "The terrain parks attract a new crowd, a younger crowd, and it also really extends the season."