Almany Competes in the National Snowboarding Championship

Freshman Kolton Almany Competes at the National Snowboarding Championship in Colorado

Photo by: Mr. Almany
Kolton Almany shreds the slopes at Nationals

Over Spring Break, freshman Kolton Almany competed in the National Snowboarding Championship in Copper Mountain, Colorado, which ran from April 4th to April 11th. Almany qualified in three snowboarding events: Boardercross, Slalom, and Giant Slalom. This is his second year competing at Nationals. Almany started snowboarding at the age of 10 at the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, which provided valuable experience for him because it uses a surface that is not actually snow. According to Almany,  “Snowflex is not real snow, it’s sort of like an Astro Turf, and that’s where I learned. So I had to translate those skills to snow differently than most people.”

At Nationals, Almany placed 70th in the nation for Boardercross, 33rd in the nation for Slalom, and 42nd in the nation for Giant Slalom. Boardercross races were held in the morning, concluding around one, and Slalom and Giant Slalom ended around midday. Unfortunately for Kolton and the other snowboarders, the weather did not cooperate. In the mornings, the icy conditions proved perfect, but the afternoon sun made the snow slushier, affecting the snowboarders’  performances. Almany’s family, as well as two other families from his team, stayed in a Ski In Ski Out condo for the duration of the championships. Almany’s favorite part of snowboarding is “getting to go out and just kind of explore the outdoors.” He adds, “It gives me time to relax and not think about anything else. Also, I get to hang out with all my friends.”

Kolton Almany recently accepted a placement for next school year at Gould Academy, a preparatory boarding school in Maine that trains winter sport athletes, such as snowboarders, for competitions, including the Olympics.