Local Freestyle Ski and Snowboarders Prepare For 2022 USASA Nationals

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth has been known to raise some of the best skiers and snowboarders in the nation and for some, it starts right on the trails of Spirit Mountain.

Coach Schmidt has been coaching and developing young freestyle skiers and snowboarders in the Northland for 15 years, and developed his own team called Lake Superior freestyle 5 years ago.

Now with 30 members, his team travels to different freestyle competitions and today at Spirit Mountain they were doing runs to prepare for the USASA Nationals in Colorado.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into it. These kids come out and out in hours and hours and hours in this rope tow that, I mean it’s awesome that spirit has great terrain for us to work with cause you need it to go out to like Colorado and these big huge features that are really intimidating the first time around,” Jonathan Schmidt, Team Director of Lake Superior Freestyle said.

And the youngest competitor, Jaxson, a 10 year old snowboarder is also heading to Colorado at the end of the month to take part in the rail jam and slope style events which include both rails and jumps.

“I’m really excited to snowboard with my family and friends and I’m excited to go meet the competitors and the copper mountain set up. It’s a lot of fun to compete and just ride,” Jaxson Acker, 10 Year Old Competitor said.

Coach Schmidt and 10 athletes will head to copper hill in Colorado at the end of March and the competition will take place during the first week of April.