Every day after school, the AHS Nordic and Alpine ski teams can be found strapping on their skis, putting on their jackets, and hitting the slopes. Although the training schedule is certainly arduous, the payoff this season is potentially big. As the Nordic and Alpine teams head into the State Championships – held in Aspen on Highlands, February 25-26 – the athletes are hoping to maximize their home turf advantage.

Each year, a select group of athletes from the AHS ski team qualifies to compete in the State Championships, a two-day-long competition that includes a variety of Nordic, Giant Slalom and Slalom race events. Although the Alpine and Nordic programs compete separately throughout the season, for States they combine forces and are scored as one team. Approximately ten teams of qualifying athletes from throughout Colorado are expected to participate.

Stephanie Nixon, the Alpine coach and coordinator, has high expectations for Aspen’s performance in the State Championships this year and believes the team has a strong chance of finishing on top.

“Our athletes know the terrain. It’s their home turf. It’s more difficult for visiting athletes because the course is pretty steep,” said Nixon. “However, our kids have trained and grown up on that hill so it’s a huge advantage for them.”

Nixon explained that Aspen’s key rivals in Alpine are Summit and Battle Mountain. Battle Mountain lacks in Nordic while Summit excels in both Nordic and Alpine. The competition will be fierce.   

“It’s not going to be a blowout by any means but it will be a battle, especially  between Aspen and Summit,” Nixon said.

In particular,  the boys’ Alpine team will be trying to replicate their stellar performance in the 2014 State Championships, when they were able to bring home a first place trophy. This year’s boys’ team has identified freshman Alex Ilic as a key competitor.

“Alex has been consistently competing in the top 10 in the state, so he’s really one to watch,”  Nixon said. “Other Alpine skiers to look out for would be Hannah Mass, who ranks in the top ten nationally, and senior David Mondry, a constant threat in Slalom.”

Libby Reagan, a freshman Alpine skier, is looking forward to competing on a familiar race course, and having friends and family close by.

“I think the encouragement and support from both friends and family at the race will really help our chances of doing well,” Reagan said. “But I’m still a little nervous about competing in front of so many familiar faces.”

The Nordic component of the event features around 120-140 skiers and is comprised of roughly thirteen teams.

Nordic coach Travis Moore echoes Nixon’s confidence in the Aspen team and also believes the home field advantage will be a major factor in Aspen’s performance. Moore agrees that the Nordic team’s biggest competition comes from Battle Mountain and Summit.

“We’ve been previewing and practicing on the course all year, and now we just have to implement the hard work our athletes have been putting in. We generally place near the top of the pile, but we still really need to ski our best,” Moore said.

Due to the nordic team’s dedication, and the fact that most of their practices occur on the terrain they will be competing on, the team has confidence in their ability to compete.

“I think it’s a big advantage that States is being held on our home course. I feel really confident that we will perform even better than usual because we know the terrain. My personal goal is to place in the top five since I got 8th last year, and I’m just super excited to see how the race will play out,” sophomore and nordic skier Jozie Wille said.

The competition is guaranteed to be filled with thrills and the stakes are high for our home team athletes.  So head over to Highlands on February 25-26 and cheer on our skiers as they battle for individual glory and a team state championship.