Photo by Jason Connolly / Jason Connolly Photography
Before Summit head coach Karl Barth and several of the Tigers skiers raced down Interstate 70 to girls rugby practice in Frisco, they had to celebrate a special day at Loveland Ski Area.
Though the Aspen Skiers girls Nordic and Alpine ski teams took home the 2021 Colorado High School Ski League overall girls state championship, the Tigers Alpine girls racers were the No. 1 team Friday. Skiing at Loveland Valley, Summit’s Snyder sisters won each of the day’s races, with freshman Ella Snyder winning the giant slalom and junior Olyvia Snyder repeating as slalom state champion.
Photo by Jason Connolly/Jason Connolly Photography
The ideas of dedication and team are paramount to the foundation of the Aspen High School ski teams. And in the year of COVID-19, where gatherings were limited and being a team was more challenging than ever, the AHS skiers really stood out in the way they navigated the unknown to even more state titles.
“Obviously it means a lot, especially with the COVID challenges. But what means even more is how they just came together. It was really inspiring,” AHS Alpine coach Jennifer Morandi-Benson said. “The girls and the boys both really banded together to keep each other on track and trying to be as I hate this word but as normal as possible while really trying to maintain that sense of team we try so hard to cultivate.”
Summit High School’s Olyvia Snyder skis her way to a state championship in the Colorado High School Ski League slalom competition at Beaver Creek Resort in February 2020. Snyder s win spearheaded a dominant slalom title performance by the Tigers girls.
Photo by Ryan Casey / CHSAA Now
A year after winning the slalom state championship, the Summit High School girls Alpine ski team is poised to challenge for the top spot in the state.
The Tigers girls have top-end talent, led by 2020 slalom state champion Olyvia Snyder, and depth on the girls team. Speaking from downhill practice at Keystone Resort on Tuesday afternoon, Alpine head coach Karl Barth said the team is “insanely” talented enough to potentially lead the Tigers Alpine and Nordic girls ski teams to a state championship on home snow at Loveland Ski Area on March 11-12.