Riders Brave the Cold for First USASA Competition, Next Event at App Ski Mtn. on Jan. 28-29

By Jesse Wood

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Alex Broussard of Banner Elk walked away with the gold in the Snowboard Junior (16-17) Men division and won the raffle for a new Never Summer Warlock snowboard. Photos submitted

With a lot of skill and a little bit of luck, Alex Broussard of Banner Elk walked away with the gold in the Snowboard Junior (16-17) Men division and won the raffle for a new Never Summer Warlock snowboard at last weekend’s USASA Southeastern Series slopestyle event at Beech Mountain Resort.

This was the inaugural competition for the new local USASA-sanctioned series.

The brutal cold last Saturday stunted participation for the first event – as twice as many registered online as took part in the event. But everybody who attended had a blast and all the riders who ventured out to the slopes – some as far away as Charleston, S.C., Knoxville, Tenn., and Cary – came home with plenty of swag, according to Southeastern Series Director Andy McDaniel.

Those that participated in the first event have a nice jump on accumulating points for USASA nationals at Copper Mountain, Colo.

USASA (United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association) is a national organization with 32 regional series across the U.S.; 500-plus events; and more than 6,000 members.

USASA is a main-feeder program to the U.S. Olympics with all of the current members of the U.S. Olympic snowboarding team and 75 percent of the U.S. Freeskiing team coming up through a USASA series.

USASA features divisions for all ages from kids 7 and younger to folks 60 and older.

The next USASA Southeastern Series event takes place at Appalachian Ski Mtn. in Blowing Rock on Jan. 28-29. The boardercross and skiercross weekend event is “crucial” for nationals qualification, according to McDaniel.

McDaniel said that organizers plan to run three to four races over the two days and that two Never Summer snowboards will be given away during the event. Plus, he added that “everyone will walk away with something” again.

For more information, click to the USASA Southeastern Series Facebook page and website. Click here to USASA website.

See results and more photos from the event below. 

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