To start the New Year off, Mountain Creek held its 2014 Free Ski Super Fling on Sunday, Jan. 5.  The event occurred in the Arena at Mountain Creek South where participants could demonstrate their skills in the Pro, Amateur, or 15 and Under Divisions.  There was an entry fee of $20-25 depending upon the division in which entrant placed. The cash purse for the Pro Division was $1,500 with various prizes for the Amateur Division winners.

Free skiing became popular in the 1960’s and 70’s and is a free form skiing sport with very few rules. Around the mid 1990’s, free skiing developed into what is called “Newschool Skiing” which is more stylistic of snowboarding than traditional skiing. Shortly after snowboarding became popular in the 1980’s, skiers began trying traditional snowboarding tricks in terrain parks built for snowboarders. Free skiing consists of backcountry, urban, and park categories. Backcountry is the freedom of skiing anywhere, usually off-trail such as trail blazing through the woods. Urban is the skiing off the mountain on railings or ledges, while park is the skiing in terrain parks with boxes, jumps, and half pipes.

West Milford High School student Taylor McQuade participated in Mountain Creek’s Free Ski Super Fling in the Men’s Amateur Division. McQuade learned how to ski when he began teaching his niece and has been skiing for about three years, “… I had never skied before, so I picked it up that day and taught [my niece] how to ski as well.” The Super Fling was McQuade’s first competition, which he finished excellently by placing third. McQuade admires free ski athlete, Tom Wallisch, who holds two X-Games gold medals. “He’s the man.” McQuade’s motto would be to do daily at least one thing or trick you are afraid to try. If you see Taylor in the hallways of the high school, be sure to congratulate him!