ROCHESTER, N.Y. — At Bristol Mountain, the U.S. ski team is hitting the slopes and the skies. The top athletes from across the country are in Canandaigua practicing ahead of the 2025 U.S. Freestyle Aerials National Championship.
“We’ve had fresh snow and it’s cold out; skiing couldn’t be better right now,” said Bristol Mountain freestyle coach John Kroetz.
More than two dozen local skiers are competing, including Rochester-native and Olympic gold medalist Chris Lillis. Having him back at Bristol has been huge for younger skiers.
“You can use them as examples of what you want to do and watch what tricks they’re doing,” said 13-year-old Ryder Cook. “It makes you a better skier.”
“They told me just to go big. Go big or go home,” said 12-year-old Cody Swans.
Skiers ages 8 to 28 jump off anywhere from 7-13 foot ramps. Skiers are judged on the height, style and landing of their jumps as they hope to qualify for the freestyle skiing world cup.
“Every coach dreams that their athlete will play in major leagues or the NFL and this is our version of that,” said Kroetz.
Coaches say having an event like this at Bristol really helps put the area on the map.
“For us to have a world class venue like this and bring the best in the world to compete here says a lot about the commitment of the ski area and community,” said Kroetz.
You can watch the final round of the U.S. Freestyle Aerials National Championship this Saturday at Bristol Mountain. The action starts at 4 p.m. and is free to attend.
A full breakdown of the events can be found here.
