Tiburon teen heading to Colorado ski competition as top-ranked freerider

Sutton Coletta, a 13-year-old Del Mar Middle School student, is ranked as the top freeride skier under 15 by the International Freeskier & Snowboarder Association, which sanctions freeride skiing competitions in North and South America. Sutton is set to compete at the association’s Junior Freeride Championship in Colorado this April. (via Shara Coletta)

During snow season, Sutton Coletta can often be found in the Sierra backcountry, pushing the limit on rugged natural terrain far from the groomed slopes and set courses that most skiers are used to.

But the Tiburon teen takes the challenges that come with freeride skiing in stride.

“It makes me really happy,” Sutton says. “And then it also makes me forget about most of my problems. It makes me super happy and just be in the moment.”

At just 13 years old, the Del Mar Middle School eighth-grader is the No. 1 under-15 freeride skier in the International Freeskier & Snowboarder Association, which sanctions competitions in North and South America. Though he’s currently sidelined with a broken tibia and fibula, he’s slated to compete in the Junior Freeride Championship in Breckenridge, Colorado, April 7-14, which the association calls “the world’s largest freeride showcase.”

The championship competition comes on the heels of Sutton winning the under-15 competition at Grand Targhee Resort in Wyoming in early February and placing second in competitions at Sugar Bowl and Palisades Tahoe in January.

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