Wescott has also spent time training in Alaska, dropping in via helicopter to free ride the big mountains, and on one occasion, outrun an avalanche. When he’s not finding new mountain peaks or competing on the snowboardcross course, Wescott might be found back in Maine, where he owns land and a restaurant called The Rack near Sugarloaf.
Ross Powers
POWERS: Grew up on East Coast snow.
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At 27, Ross Powers has seemingly accomplished it all, and set a high bar not only for his American teammates but for all riders who drop into a half-pipe. He won bronze in the first Olympic half-pipe competition in Nagano in 1998, and gold at Salt Lake City in 2002, in addition to a bounty of first place finishes at Winter X, Vans Triple Crown, US Open, and World Championships.
Born in South Londonberry, Vermont, Powers first started competing at age nine. He made the first US snowboarding team when he was 15 and gained a reputation as something of a kid phenomenon. He credits his early success to the rigors of riding on East Coast snow.
“Growing up riding and training on the East Coast has made me the rider I am today,” he says via e-mail. “East Coast mountains try to groom well and build good parks, which is nice. There are a lot of mountains close to one another, so competing at a young age was fun because we were always going to different resorts.”
Along with Kelly Clark, Powers is also one of the founding members of “The Collection,” and competed under its banner for the 2005–’06 season. At the 2006 Olympic qualifier, he finished behind Shaun White, Danny Kass, Mason Aguirre, and Andy Finch, and was therefore out of contention for the US team. (White and Kass would go on to win gold and silver, respectively.)
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As the new champs become household names, Powers maintains a presence in snowboarding with his charitable foundation, which offers financial support to athletes in need, and with his snowboarding camp at Stratton Mountain Resort. All revenue from the three-day program, a kind of fantasy camp for snowboarders, goes toward the charity, which gives grants to athletes twice a year. (For more information, visit rosspowersfoundation.org.)
Kate Cohen is a freelance writer and an online content editor for Boston’s Museum of Science.