Two athletes from Sugar Bowl Academy freeskiers head to world stage

Two Sugar Bowl Academy student-athletes have received invites to the 2023 Freeride Junior World Championships in Kappl, Austria, thrilling the Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy community. The good news came from the International Freeskiing and Snowboarding Association and Freeride World Tour leadership.

These prestigious and hard-earned invitations were handed to recently graduated Olof Halvarsson and current Sugar Bowl Academy senior Cole Davidson. Halvarsson and Davidson are being recognized as two of the best 32 junior freeskiers in the world for their outstanding 2021/22 seasons. They will be joined by heavy hitters from all over the world on the infamous Quellspitze face, a steep and exposed venue that they will only be able to inspect visually before their run. This marks the return of Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy Freeride to the international stage, previously attended by SBA freeriders Cooper Davis, Kenzie Winton, Cooper Patterson, Berkeley Patterson, and Xander Guldman.

Davidson had this to say about receiving an invitation, “It feels awesome. It’s a little nerve-racking because I’ll be competing against some of the best in the world, but it is super exciting. I’ve been looking forward to this my whole ski career. It feels good to finally be there!”

“As a former coach representative for Team USA at Freeride Junior World Championships, I understand how difficult it is to achieve this prestigious invite,” said Sean Carey, Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy’s freeride director. "The amount of hard work and dedication these two individuals have devoted is unparalleled. I couldn’t be prouder of their efforts. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for our SBSTA athletes. We look forward to supporting their endeavors community-wide.”