The Sun Valley Stampede, presented by Powder Magazine, features a competition with a variety of different disciplines, as skiers need both speed and style to be successful.
This two-day event brought in professional skiers from around the region to shred and judge on the Warm Springs side of Bald Mountain at Sun Valley Resort.
WATCH | 12-year-old skier breaks down what the Sun Valley Stampede is all about—
"It’s cool that it is the first year of a first-of-its-kind," said professional skier Drew Peterson. "We are really figuring out what it is as we ski it, which is pretty darn fun."
The course begins with a separate giant slalom course before skiers and snowboarders combine at the Race Arena cat track. This track includes two huge jumps where people were throwing 360s and other tricks.
Spectators were not able to see where the skiers landed off the park jump, but from there, skiers transitioned into the natural features, skiing down moguls. The course finished up with a banked slalom, some park features, and even more jumps.
"It is cool because you get to watch a lot of good skiing and a lot of different kinds of good skiing," said Peterson. "It was cool to get all of this different terrain and just ski fast."
This competition brings a party atmosphere to the Warm Springs side of the mountain with two days of live music and a celebration of the mountain community. However, it is also a serious competition with skiers needing to do well on Saturday to qualify for the finals on Sunday.
The winner will be unofficially dubbed as the "Best Skier in the West", and both the top man and woman skiers will be awarded with a check for $2,500.
The event also featured a 12-and-under division on Saturday, and local skier Dylan Spengler competed and enjoyed the first edition of the Sun Valley Stampede.
"It’s phenomenal, it is really good," said Spengler. "I’m really happy they put it together."
Sun Valley looks to close out ski season in style as they have several events remaining on the calendar before their final weekend on April 11 and 12.
Events to Check Out:
- Mental Health Ski Day on Saturday, March 21
- Dollar Dayz on Sunday, March 29
- River Run Après Music from April 3-5
- Baldy Bash on Saturday, April 11
- Bald Mountain Closing Day on Sunday, April 12.
