Chase Josey catches some serious air in the halfpipe.
At the young age of 12, Hailey native Chase Josey is one amazing snowboarder. A member of the Sun Valley snowboard team since he was 8, Chase just finished 10th in the Junior Jam Halfpipe event at the 2008 US Snowboarding Open in Stratton, Vermont. Up against a tough international field Chase managed to make finals after some early trouble in the qualifying rounds. Coach Josh Keefer accompanied Chase and here is what Keefer had to say.
We had a little scare in qualifiers. Chase was having problems stomping his run in practice and was on the bubble to make finals. But, he pulled the clutch move and qualified 13th of 16. In the finals we saw Scotty James throw down the run of his life. Back 9, back to back 7's, back to back 5's, into an alley-oop and then an alley-oop crippler. Solid... Ben Ferguson threw huge 7's way over head, and then some Finnish kid was going back 9 to 7's combo. It is hard to compete with runs like that. But Chase pulled through, backside air, 5's to 7 all over head high, 3's and switch alley-oop. In the end he came out 10th out of 83. This is a good result in a tough field. He's stoked. I am too.
The US Open is one of the oldest and most prestigious events in snowboarding. The kids in the Junior Jam are the next wave of great riders. A top ten finish at this event is a great indicator of things to come.
Before heading to Vermont, Chase shared his thoughts on life in the halfpipe with Plum. Check it out.
How old were you when you started snowboarding?
I started skiing when I was around 2 and my dad snowboarded. It looked fun so when I was 5 I tried it and I’ve been snowboarding ever since.
What has been your favorite snowboarding event?
Last March I went to Stratton, Vermont to the 25th Burton US Open to compete in the halfpipe junior jam. I’m getting ready to go back and compete in this year’s event over spring break.
Where is your favorite place to snowboard and why?
Park City is pretty fun since they have everything.
Is there a certain trick that you are really good at?
My favorite trick is a frontside 720 in the U-ditch.
Is there a trick that you are trying to master?
I’ve been working on frontside 900’s in the pipe and have landed some but haven’t tried one in a competition yet – maybe I’ll try it in Vermont or at USASA Nationals in Copper Mountain the end of March.
What has your experience on snowboard team been like and how long have you been on the team?
I started on D team when I was 8, so I guess this is my 5th year on Sun Valley Snowboard Team. It’s been fun and I’ve learned a lot from the coaches and other older team kids. Going to snowboard events is really fun and I get to ride with other kids from other teams.
Are there any snowboarders that you admire?
Scott Pike (Sun Valley A-teamer)
How often do you snowboard?
Any chance I can, but team is 3 days a week.
What do you hope that the future holds for you in snowboarding? Would you want to make a career of it?
I’m hoping a trip to New Zealand works out for this summer which would be rad. I definitely hope to become a pro snowboarder where I can continue to compete. It would also be cool to get into filming.
Chase wishes to thank his sponsors for all their support this season: Smith Optics, Cory Smith; Head Snowboards, Davy Kammer; Quiksilver, Andy Heinzle and the Sun Valley Snowboard Coaching Staff.
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