After breakout season, Hunter Maytin hopes to become Aspen’s next great halfpipe skier
Thomas Lovelock/OIS via AP
The Aspen halfpipe skiing pipeline has become a well-oiled machine, and Hunter Maytin is the latest to emerge out of a long line of superstar talent. The 16-year-old is knocking on the door of taking that significant next step and already has a resume that proves he belongs.
“Last year was really good, getting to go to the Youth Olympics and getting to a few World Cups, as well, which was a big step for me. Last season was really good, and I’m excited for this upcoming season,” Maytin said while home during the Thanksgiving holidays. “During the offseason, I got a few new tricks, which I’m excited to do. Just always looking to progress on all my tricks, go bigger, just see where it takes me.”
From pioneers like Peter Olenick, to more contemporary headliners like Torin Yater-Wallace and two-time Olympic medalist Alex Ferreira, the Roaring Fork Valley has become a haven for halfpipe skiing in recent years. This year’s men’s U.S. pro halfpipe team includes Aspen natives Ferreira, Cassidy Jarrell, and Tristan Feinberg, not to mention Hanna Faulhaber holding down the top spot on the women’s team.
The national rookie halfpipe team includes Aspen’s own Eugene “Kai” Morris and Nick Geiser, and Maytin believes he’s only a couple of good competitions away from possibly adding his name to the roster in the coming winters.
“Yeah, hopefully next season I’ll be on that, but I got to do good this year,” he said. “Growing up, seeing Alex and Torin go and compete in the X Games and then skiing with Cassidy Jarrell and Tristan Feinberg — seeing them make the U.S. team definitely motivated me to continue halfpipe skiing.”
Maytin is coming off a breakthrough season. The highlight, according to him, was competing in the Youth Olympic Winter Games in South Korea. Held roughly every four years and limited to only athletes between 15-18, not every skier has the calendar align during a career to compete in the Youth Olympics.
That said, Faulhaber brought home a bronze from the 2020 YOG — losing to new superstar Eileen Gu — while Maytin finished fifth last January in Gangwon, best among Americans.
He also won a U.S. national championship at Copper Mountain in April and competed in his first three World Cup events, dropping in on contests at Copper and two in Calgary, a 20th-place finish in Canada being his best result.
He warmed up for the winter by competing in September’s World Cup in Cardrona, New Zealand, finishing 24th. Canada’s Brendan Mackay won, while Ferreira was second, and Geiser was eighth in the 10-man final.
The season continues this coming week with the Dec. 5-7 World Cup in Secret Garden, China. Maytin plans to compete, as he does all World Cup events this season. He even plans to compete in all of the NorAm events, making for a busy halfpipe schedule for the teenager.
“I’m doing the same run, so it’s not too bad,” he said of bouncing back and forth between the two series. “I want to win the NorAm Cup. So, I want to do good in NorAms and just ski my best in World Cups and see what happens.”
This year’s halfpipe schedule should grant him, as well as the rest of his Roaring Fork Valley comrades, the chance to compete at home this winter, and maybe more than once. On top of X Games and Shaun White’s new halfpipe league, which will debut in Aspen later in the season and will include skiers, Buttermilk will also host a World Cup and U.S. Grand Prix from Jan. 30-Feb. 6. The NorAm Cup schedule includes a return to Aspen on Feb. 9-10.
Before then, Maytin is putting some attention toward fundraising, as the travel and training costs can add up quickly, especially when not being directly supported by U.S. Ski & Snowboard. While he won’t be able to attend due to the World Cup in China, his family will hold a community fundraiser this Friday, Dec. 6, from 4-6 p.m. at The Wine Bar in Aspen.
They have also set up a GoFundMe page for those interested in donating that way at http://www.gofundme.com/f/support-hunter-maytins-olympic-skiing-dream.
“The fundraiser is really huge, just to be able to fund my trips and food and lodging. It will really help a lot. I’m excited for it, although I’m not going to be here,” Maytin said. “It’s definitely really nice to know when you are traveling that you have people at home who are rooting for you.”
After breakout season, Hunter Maytin hopes to become Aspen’s next great halfpipe skier
While Maytin won’t be able to attend due to the World Cup in China, his family will hold a community fundraiser on Friday, Dec. 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. at The Wine Bar in Aspen.
Aspen local charged with poaching bull moose in Upper Fryingpan Valley
He said exhaustion and the desire to return home with meat clouded his judgment.
