The Best Skiers of the West Have Been Crowned: Sun Valley Stampede Recap

The inaugural Sun Valley Stampede presented by POWDERMagazine is officially over, and two skiers, who both happen to be from Sun Valley, have been crowned "The Best Skier of the West."

Harlan Collins, a local pro and bona fide internet legend, won the men's field, and Ruby Smith, a 17-year-old ski racer, won the women's field.

A March Madness-style bracket was created for yesterday's Finals competition to determine a winner. 32 men and 16 women competed in head-to-head competitions, with the winner advancing and the loser eliminated.

Skiers raced head-to-head on a course that featured GS gates, a huge kicker, an ungroomed/moguls section, skier-cross berms, and even terrain park rails and jumps.

"I had so much godd*amn fun," said runner-up Jim Ryan, despite losing a ski in the final matchup against Harlan Collins. Ryan, known as a showman across the ski industry, finished the remainder of the course, including multiple jumps, on one ski.

His performance and the crowd's subsequent cheering were emblematic of the overall vibe throughout the weekend. Skiers were there to race and, hopefully, win, but everybody was ultimately having fun. That's all that seemed to matter at the end of the day.

Madison Rose Ostergren, who was heavily favored to win the women's field, was disqualified in the semi-final for accidentally finishing in the wrong gate. One would expect frustration or even disappointment from Ostergren, but she met the snafu with grace and humility.

"I need to learn how to finish in the right gate," Ostergren said with a smile and chuckle. "But that course was so sick."

Check out the full bracket breakdown from the first Sun Valley Stampede below. Keep reading for more about the event.

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The community influence on the Sun Valley Stampede was palpable.

Harlan Collins, who was frequently referred to as "the best skier on the mountain" and the "mayor of Sun Valley" by the event commentators, was ambushed by a flock of at least ten skiers after he crossed the finish line in the final race.

The group of skiers cheered, poured beer on his head, and celebrated together as if they had all won the Sun Valley Stampede. As an outsider viewing the celebration from afar, it felt warm, friendly, and desirable.

When teenager Ruby Smith stepped onto the podium, a group of her friends exploded with screams of joy. "Let's f-ing go, Ruby!" was shouted by more than one person standing next to me.

The Stampede was created to crown "The Best Skiers of the West," but event organizers accidentally created a competition that has reaffirmed Sun Valley and Ketchum as among the best ski towns in the world. The community here is real. The skiers are real. The fun is real.

Check out a quick clip below of Harlan Collins carving a turn through the skier-cross and park section of the course.

There were a few hiccups at the first Stampede, to be expected for an entirely new ski race concept, but they were overshadowed by some of the best skiing I've ever seen.

Not only were competitors skiing bulletproof, iced-over moguls between a GS course and park features, but they were absolutely throwing down.

Banks Gilberti, another Sun Valley local legend, threw an insanely quick 900 on the last jump. Local teenage ripper Anders Coulter landed a Cork-720 and attempted a Cork-1080 on the big jump. And countless 360s, backflips, frontflips, and 540s were landed across the field.

As a new event, the freestyle elements took on a mind of their own. Connery Lundin hit multiple banked turns switch. Marcus Caston pulled out some hop-turns and big mountain skills on the backside of a berm, just for the heck of it. And Jim Ryan, who had a chance at besting Harlan Collins, had his ski stayed on, buttered and aired over multiple hits like he was a jib lord, not the former ski-racer-turned-big-mountain-ripper he is today.

The course was designed to bring out an awesome display of speed, control, and freestyle ability. It did exactly that.

POWDER will have more Sun Valley Stampede event coverage, including video content, dropping in the coming days. Stay tuned for a print story announcement as well!

Happy Sun Valley Stampede to all who celebrated this weekend. Let's run it back next year?