LIBERTY MOUNTAIN SNOWFLEX CENTRE HOSTS

Winter may finally be over, but the peak-riding season for skiing and snowboarding newbies and enthusiasts continues at Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre in Lynchburg, VA, USA.

Fledgling snowboarders and aspiring professionals alike continue to flock to Lynchburg, VA in the spring and summer months.

"It's one of the only places in North America where you can ride year-round," said Drew Sherwood, manager. "Otherwise, you would have to travel to Chile or New Zealand to train and that can be expensive. Also at a ski resort, the slopes are constantly changing," Sherwood said. "The Snowflex® synthetic surface never changes so you get to build good habits and get quality riding time on a consistent landscape."

Will Scheren, head coach of Liberty's ski and snowboard team, said riders of all levels see the benefits, including those at the very top of their game.

Internationally known riders who frequent the facility include many regulars on the Dew Tour, a series similar to ESPN's Winter-X Games that airs on NBC — Tim Humphreys of California, Scott Stevens, one of the top-five ranked snowboarders in the world, who hails from Massachusetts and Yale Cousino of Vermont, who has ridden for Burton Snowboards for the past 10 years.

"Yale's been a friend of this place since it opened," Scheren said. "He comes down in season sometimes. He likes hanging out here." That's also true for snowboarder Chris Willett, the younger brother of U.S. Olympic hopeful Eric Willett, from Breckenridge, CO.

This coming weekend Liberty will host its fourth-annual Dew Games on April 27th. Cousino and Ryan Paul, both of whom have competed in the Winter X-Games will attend, as will Andy Finch, former Olympic Snowboarder (Half Pipe). Finch has been in almost every contest from X Games, Dew Tour, Olympics, USASA, O'Neil, and Heli Games.

"Our riders receive the greatest benefits, from the fundamentals we get to work on a daily basis," Scheren said. "This is just a place to get good at snowboarding and skiing. Everybody that leaves here leaves a better athlete."

Scheren said that though the first choice of current U.S. Olympic hopefuls may be to travel to New Zealand to ride in the summer, Snowflex® is the ideal training ground for potential standouts in the sport. Each summer, Snowflex assembles a talented staff of coaches to lead week-long day camps for elementary-aged newcomers in June and overnight camps for progressive riders in July.
"We may not see any 2014 Olympians here this year, but it's a place for younger kids to get started," he said. "It's a great place for future Olympians to come and get safe training."

Liberty Mountain's slopes have, however, entertained a few British Olympians. Skiers James "Woodsy" Woods and Katie Summerhayes, as well as snowboarder Jamie Nicholls, are expected to compete in the Winter Games for Team GB in Russia in 2014. All three are serious medal contenders and first learned to ride on Snowflex at the Sheffield Ski Village in England.

"We've built a reputation as a good, fun place to train" Scheren said. "I've had messages from pro snowboarders who have said, 'It's a great place to hang out, and in a good environment."