Parkite freeskier Colby Stevenson has a lot on his plate this winter: competitions, backcountry filming and more, but so far he’s handling the busy schedule well, winning the first slopestyle World Cup of the season in Austria last month.
Stevenson posted a score of 92, one point ahead of the second-place finisher, to take home the title.
Fellow Parkites Troy Podmilsak, Alex Hall and Marin Hamill also competed in the event. Hamill finished fourth on the women’s side.
“Always nice to land your run at a World Cup,” said Stevenson, 27. “My first-ever World Cup podium was in Stubai seven years ago, and so to finally win that event meant a lot.”
Stevenson said he and the field had to brave rough conditions that week in Stubai, the highest slopestyle course on the circuit. The finals gave every competitor two runs on the course, with a qualification round unable to be completed two days prior to competition.
The Parkite impressed the judges with both-way nose butter tricks, which he said the rest of the field isn’t yet attempting, and much more. He said having no wobbly landings helped seal the deal.
“Now, I’m about to head up to Canada for a couple weeks to do some filming off snowmobiles,” added Stevenson. “Dec. 20, there’s a rail jam in Copper (Mountain, Colorado) that X Games is hosting, so I’m going to fly down to Colorado for that, and then fly back up to Revelstoke (Mountain Resort, Canada) and continue filming.”
Stevenson’s packed winter will continue with a Japan photoshoot with one of his sponsors, K2, in January, the second slopestyle Cup Jan. 14-17 in Switzerland and the X Games Aspen Jan. 23-25. He’s also thrilled to compete in Kings and Queens of Corbet’s at Jackson Hole and Natural Selection skiing in Alaska at unannounced dates.
Stevenson said he loves mixing up his slopestyle, backcountry and other skiing. He believes the variety helps him perform the best in each event, and he’s looking to shift toward backcountry skiing and competitions longterm. He acknowledged slopestyle events are a young person’s game, being one of the older men in the field at 27.
“Just got to balance the risk/reward as you go all year,” said Stevenson. “You want to win everything, but you want to stay healthy.”
Stevenson tabbed the X Games as the usual peak of the competition season, saying Monster Energy takes care of him and his visiting family. He referred to the Natural Selection event as the biggest of his career.
Stevenson spent the summer preparing for this grueling winter staying active wherever he could. He got in 700 miles of single track trails in on his motorbike, did a lot of additional mountain biking and spent a month surfing in Europe. He described the importance of doing activities in the summer that take him back to his “flow state.”
“Keeping myself in that flow state as much as possible allows me to seamlessly transition into the winter, and when I’m in a competition trust my skills,” said Stevenson. “Flow state, to me, is any activity that you do that you need to focus enough to where you can’t think and you’re basically just reacting. … That’s the place I enjoy being the most in my life, and that’s what I pursue in everything I do.”
Stevenson said he’s been doing these outdoor flow state activities since he was young. He also spent some time training this summer at the U.S. Ski Team’s Center of Excellence in town.
Stevenson has the 2026 Olympics on his mind already with this season having just begun. The Parkite finished second in the 2022 Games’ Big Air event, not his favorite, he said, but he loves competing for his country. He knows his on-course career is in its later stages and will turn his focus to backcountry events in the future, including potential freeride skiing competitions in future Games.
Freeride was just this summer recognized as an official ski and snowboard discipline by the FIS, a huge step for the off-piste discipline.
“My heart’s really pushing me towards this backcountry stuff,” added Stevenson. “My soul wants to go out and explore and push myself in the mountains, in the safest way possible. There’s pretty endless opportunities out there, and it’s just totally up to your imagination, which I think is awesome. There’s no restraints with competitions. It’s on your set schedule.”
Stevenson said he can see himself hosting his own freeride competition in the future, and competing in the 2030 and 2034 Games’ if its on the competition slate. While Stevenson is only competing in slopestyle and backcountry events now, he’ll attempt to defend his 2022 big air silver medal in 2026. He said he’s not focused on winning any more Olympic medals, just enjoying the process, and if they come, they come.
Stevenson said all of his idols in skiing took the on-course to backcountry competition route, making it something he wanted to follow. He feels lucky to have grown up in Park City and have been always skiing fresh powder. He sees himself continuing to live here in town as long as the snow is good.
“I was on the Summit Ski Team over at the Canyons,” said Stevenson. “Every time it was snowing, we wouldn’t be going to a race. We would go and ride the mountain.”
While Stevenson is going to age out of on-course events, he will use his experience to hopefully dominate off-piste events. He said most of the winners in those events are skiers in their mid-30s, who know the terrain well.
Stevenson can be caught practicing his tricks at Woodward and skiing various backcountry spots across the state. He likes to use his snowmobiles to access various spots to ski and film. Stevenson’s first solo ski film, “Proof,” came out two weeks ago on his YouTube channel.
“I grew up on all that terrain, I know it so well, and I’ve got the classic spots I like to go,” added Stevenson. “As long as it keeps snowing like it has been, I’ll never leave Utah because it’s so special. There’s so much to do here, and it’s so easy to travel out of. It’s a perfect location for someone like me.”
To track Stevenson’s results at the remaining Cups this season, see his FIS page. The 27 year old also posts frequent career updates on his Instagram page.
