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U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Team Spring Training Camp at Buttermilk, April 7-20

Press Release

April 07 2009
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ASPEN/SNOWMASS, CO (April 7) - U.S. Snowboarding’s halfpipe athletes aren’t done riding 22-foot walls just yet as they head to Aspen/Snowmass to ride Buttermilk Mountain’s renowned X Games superpipe for a spring training camp April 7- 20 to prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Buttermilk’s pipe, which is one of only five 22-foot pipes in North America and was recently chosen as the Number One pipe in Transworld Snowboarding’s readers poll.

“This is definitely the cornerstone camp of our program. It’s going to be amazing,” U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Head Coach Mike Jankowski said. “We’re going to be getting after it and riding a perfect 22-foot pipe in Aspen at Buttermilk.”

U.S. Snowboarding’s Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO) a local and rider at Buttermilk is excited for her teammates to be able to practice in the halfpipe that holds one of snowboarding’s biggest annual competitions - the ESPN Winter X Games.

“It will be great having our team camp in my hometown of Aspen,” said Bleiler. “The buttermilk pipe, built for X Games, is one of the best in the world and it should be a progressive couple of weeks.”

2002 Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark (Mt. Snow, VT), 2006 Olympic gold medalist Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT) and U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix joint overall champions Steve Fisher (Breckenridge, CO) and Louie Vito (Sandy, UT) will be on hand, along with a majority of the U.S. Snowboarding roster, to perfect their skills as they build momentum into the 2010 season.

“We’ve got a season’s worth of competition and training under our belt. Everyone is coming out on the top of their game for this spring camp and it’s a good time to get out there and build on what they’ve already got going for the season,” Jankowski said.

Also dropping in will be U.S. Snowboarding rookies Ross Baker (Reno, NV), Dylan Bidez (Minturn, CO), Matt Ladley (Steamboat Springs, CO), Broc Waring (Edwards, CO), Zack Black (Breckenridge, CO), Kaitlyn Farrington (Sun Valley, ID) and Maddy Schaffrick (Steamboat Springs, CO).

“This is going to be one of the best and most unbelievable training opportunities that U.S. Snowboarding has ever been able to provide for its riders,” U.S. Snowboarding Freestyle Development Coach Bud Keene said. “Just having everyone there riding together is going to push the level and with the Buttermilk pipe being so perfect, it’s really going to allow an unobstructed learning curve. There’s going to be serious stuff going down and it’s going to be awesome.”

U.S. Snowboarding hits the pipe Tuesday and will ride at Buttermilk for two weeks.

“Everyone is rearing to go,’ Jankowski added. “Buttermilk is setting up a really amazing training venue for us and it’s going to make a positive impact on our team and U.S. Snowboarding as a whole.”