Team Summit was formed in the early 70's as the Summit Skiing and Educational Foundation. Its purpose was to sponsor a team of young alpine skiers age 14 and older who wanted to pursue intensive training and achieve higher goals in alpine skiing than were available through the Summit School system. The four Summit County ski areas: Copper Mountain, Keystone, Breckenridge, and Arapahoe Basin were the initial backers of the team and continue to lend strong support, both financially and logistically today.

 

In 1990, the Board of Directors decided to expand the scope of activities of SSEF to include Age Class alpine skiers, the Summit High School Varsity Ski Team, and a snowboard competitive team. The snowboard training team was named “Team Summit”. In the late 90s the name was officially changed when the Copper Mountain Race Team and Summit Race Team combined to officially form “Team Summit” -ski and snowboard club.

 

Although training for skiing and snowboarding continues year around, Team Summit’s “official” training begins and ends with the school year. Summit High School offers athletes an “Early Release” program for Team Summit skiers and boarders. Schedules can vary but generally Team Summit programs train all day on weekends and afternoons during the week (on hill 2-4 followed by conditioning and/or video, training ending at 5) Athletes are dismissed from school at 1:15 daily, picked up by the coaches, in one of our 6 team vans. Depending on the schedule, athletes are transported to one of the four resorts and dropped off back at the High School at the end of training.

**Because Keystone offers night skiing Team Summit is able to offer athletes -who can’t make it to afternoon training-training in the early evenings from 4-7 on Wednesdays and Fridays. Summit County’s naturally long season means our members begin on-hill training mid-October concluding with spring camps at A-Basin throughout May.

 

In order to help with the financial costs associated with training and competing in winter sports, Team Summit seeks additional funding in a number of ways. Generous support and grants from organizations such as the Summit Foundation. Annual Fundraising events such as the “Ski Ball” a black tie, silent auction and dinner event, and the Copper Mountain and Breckenridge Ski Swap. Additionally the team receives money from sponsors: Data Xtreme, Vail Summit Orthopedics, Avalanche Physical Therapy, Centura Health, Design Electric, Alpine Sports- which are then featured on the Team web page, Team jackets-worn by all team athletes- and team vans.

Last but not least in order to ensure Team Summit being able to host quality events we rely on support from families through our Volunteer Service Program where families work off a “work deposit” by helping with competitions and fundraisers.

 

Team Summit’s mission is “Character development through athletics”. We believe the lessons learned through participation in skiing and snowboarding will serve the athletes long after their competitive careers have ended. Education is a priority, athletes must maintain a minimum grade point to be able to participate in Team Summit also we offer opportunities for our athletes to volunteer in the community through programs like our “Pay it Forward Program” and others. Our goal is to grow quality throughout the organization: quality programs, quality coaches, host quality events, offer parent education opportunities

 

 

Team Summit has had a number of past and present success’.

Perhaps, most notably Alpine skier and Olympian Jason Rosner. Kirsten Cooper 2007-2008 USST Member, 2-time Junior World Championship athlete Katie Hartman.  Jeremy Elliot 2nd place Junior Super G 2008 US Nationals and Taggart Spenst 3rd place Jr. Super Combined NorAm Finals 2008.  We’ve graduated numerous athletes to College Teams: Katie Hartman CU, Tag Spenst CU, Josh Stuhr New Hampshire, Margie Thorpe Harvard, Zach Fretz, High School State Champ-University Nevada, Tory Anderson University of Washington, Chelsy Fretz CSU, Brannan Sheely University of Montana.

J3 Program-In the past 5 years Team Summit has sent 4 athletes to the Topolino Games as well as consistently sent kids to Whistler Cup, most recently Connor McDonald.

Our Devo Program has been growing steadily and finding success as well! Most recently winning the YSL Championships.

 

Graduated three riders to the US Snowboarding Halfpipe and JR Halfpipe Team, Dylan Bidez, Clair Bidez and Zack Black.
Five US snowboarding Gold Team Invites halfpipe slopestyle camp, Brett Esser, Jake and Zack Black Dylan and Clair Bidez 
Competes in the nations largest and one of the most competitive USASA
Multiple USASA Nationals Podiums in Half pipe, Slope style and Boarder cross

 

Two Coach invites to US snowboarding Gold Team Halfpipe camp, Jim Smith.
One coach Invite to coach JR Worlds Korea 06, Jim Smith.
Director of Snowboarding Jim Smith is an x pro snowboarder appearing in multiple snowboarding publications, Warren Miller Movies and recently published author of the how to ride park and pipe book The Art of Snowboarding.

 

In the past 3 Olympic Games half of the US Men’s Mogul Team have been former Team Summit members: 1998 Nagano: Evan Dyvig & Alex Wilson; 2002 Salt Lake City: Evan Dybvig & Jeremy Bloom; 2006 Torino: Toby Dawson (Bronze Medal) & Jeremy Bloom.

Team Summit Freestyle boasts a strong elite team of athletes with 6 of the top 20 women’s mogul skiers in the nation. Two Team Summit skiers, David Babic and Heather McPhie, are currently named US Team athletes. David is the 2006 US National Champion and a world cup gold medalist; Heather is a two-time defending Nor-Am champion.