The Return of the Silver Belt Classic at Sugar Bowl Resort, California

From 1940-1975 the Silver Belt Classic at Sugar Bowl Resort was one of the most high-octane and tight-knit ski competitions in the world. After a few decades-long hiatus and a couple of different reiterations of the event, it was resurrected this past weekend with an innovative format on the Silver Belt Gully.

The original race was described like this:

“Straight schuss, then a check and a gate, winding up in a final schuss down near the vertical steilhang to the finish gate that curdled the blood of most of the spectators and half the racers,'' according to a 1948 edition of Western Skiing Magazine .

It was once a giant slalom race on ungroomed, natural snow where they boot packed the gully and set the gates themselves. Little did they know they were laying a set of blueprints for modern day big mountain and freeride competitions.

Here's some photos from Nathan Francis .

This year, Sugar Bowl local, freeride skier, and one of the main developers of the event, Xander Guldman , described the new format as this:

“A backcountry freestyle inspired event where we were trying to combine different styles of skiing on one piece of terrain by building jumps, hips, transitions, and just making it something that can accommodate a variety of different skiing styles.”

Here's Guldman going mental in British Columbia last year.

Instead of only using the raw features of the venue like IFSA and Freeride World Tour Events, the athletes were able to sculpt the course themselves to combine different styles of skiing.

From building jumps to athlete judging to choice of line, the new Silver Belt is 100% athlete driven.

The format involved a finals day where pros were already pre-selected, and a qualifying day where riders could earn a spot in the finals. The qualifiers were run in sections and each heat had the responsibility of watching a different heat to select one rider that would move onto the finals.

Check out some shots from Marcus Morgan .

The athlete list was a barrage of world class big mountain, freeride, and freestyle skiers with names like James Woods, Ferdinand Dahl, and Janelle Yip.

The carnage ensued, and there was a plethora of big airs, innovative tricks, and stylish lines.

The winners were as follows:

2024 Silver Belt Winners

Sugar Bowl

“Having something athlete judged represents the most progressive side of the sport, and it engages camaraderie,” said Guldman.

Check out Elena's winning run.

In a sport where judges determine the fate of the competitors, it’s inevitable that there will be controversy. Skiing at a high level in high stress environments on variable snow conditions involves nailing the tiniest of details that can be easily overlooked from an onlooker’s point of view.

“The main impetus of this was to create something that reflected what it feels like to ski with your friends. Have high performing, progressive skiing but also have it just feel good,” said Guldman.

Guldman and the Sugar Bowl team found inspiration from not only the original Silver Belt Classic, but also events like Red Bull Line Catcher, Red Bull Cold Rush, and Daron Rahlves ’ Banzai Tour, which was a reiteration of the Silver Belt.

Many of the athletes in this event are used to skiing in a traditional competition setting where the nerves are tight and your mind is racing, but this was an event where they could let loose.

Colton Shaff , Mt. Rose freeride skier, was coming off a stint on the Freeride World Tour this year competing on the gnarliest venues in the world in high stress environments, and he felt refreshed competing in the Silver Belt.

“It made skiing really fun again. It’s like every skier’s favorite event. There’s nothing to prove, there’s no point chase, no future seeding or ranking. You just show up and have fun,” said Shaff.

“This one was definitely more freedom of expression; it was all about having fun and trying to do something unique and creative that you’d otherwise not want to do at a more strict big mountain event to fit the criteria and check all the boxes.”

The roots of this event are seeded in a tight-knit, international skier community that was an end of the year celebration, and the legacy continued this year in a new way. Progression in skiing is manifested in different ways, and the innovative and refreshing format to this event proved to be a breeding ground for the evolution of the sport.

It wouldn’t be possible without where Sugar Bowl stands today as an independent resort, and the support of CEO Bridget Legnavsky.

“The fact that Sugar Bowl has the autonomy it does is super special and unique, and there's a community of people who have called Sugar Bowl home for a long time and Bridget is showing the rest of the world that it's a place worth enjoying,” said Guldman.