Pro skiers hope to bring community together with halfpipe rodeo at Buttermilk
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
The halfpipe at Buttermilk Ski Area is sacred ground and is sometimes seen as out of reach for the average skier or snowboarder.
But Aspen pro Tristan Feinberg, who competes in halfpipe for the U.S. ski team, wants to change that stigma.
“Didn’t quite realize the privilege I had of having a 22-foot halfpipe in my backyard until I started traveling more,” he said on Thursday while doing laps at Buttermilk. “I want to be able to have this experience, this day, where we can come together and really embrace each other with open arms, regardless of ski levels on skis or a board. Just really create this ecosystem where you don’t need to be a professional rider to ride in a halfpipe.”
With help from Aspen Skiing Company, he is hosting a “halfpipe rodeo” on Saturday that will be open to the entire community and will also include many pro skiers. It’s essentially a rail jam — but in the X Games halfpipe — with no real winners or scores.
This isn’t meant to be a contest but a celebration and a showcase of Aspen’s greatest “snow sculpture.”
“It’s extremely intimidating. I don’t expect your first-time Aspen traveler to show up to Buttermilk and be like, ‘Yep, I’m going to drop into the halfpipe,'” Feinberg said. “But I want to be able to provide this space where a person can come do that because there are professionals on site willing and able to teach them and hold their hand.”
He said to expect a few Olympians in the mix, highlighted by Aspen’s own Alex Ferreira, a three-time X Games champion. Winter Park’s Birk Irving, Crested Butte’s Aaron Blunck, and Boulder’s Lyman Currier were also said to be joining the party.
The event will be split into two parts, a “pro jam” from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., followed by the “open jam” for anyone from noon to 2 p.m. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be a meet-and-greet and free community barbecue at the base of Buttermilk. The pros will be on hand to talk and even help novice skiers or riders get through the halfpipe.
On top of Saturday’s halfpipe rodeo, which is completely free to attend, many of the pros will take part in a meet-and-greet from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday at Gorsuch Ski Cafe at the base of Aspen Mountain. Guests are invited to come meet the pros, get autographs, and simply hang out.
“We are just regular people. We just happen to like doing corks,” Feinberg said of the pros. “These kids don’t necessarily get the opportunities they deserve to interact with the professional athletes and really have a positive experience with them, regardless of watching them ride. I want to be able to supply this experience.”
He isn’t necessarily trying to find the next great halfpipe skier but wants to get more people into the sport at a recreational level and not be intimidated by the venue.
“I just want people to realize we have the extreme privilege of having a feature here, and people should use it. They don’t need to be going 40 feet out of the halfpipe to participate. They can ride directly down the middle. It’s a crazy snow sculpture,” Feinberg said.
“I want to see you put a smile on your face and ride up and down the walls and giggle and laugh at yourself,” he continued. “Because that’s what the sport is about, and that’s what all of us are doing the sport for. We are doing the sport to have fun and have a good time.”
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