US Snowboarding Team member recalls her early snowboarding days in the Catskills

Hunter, NY – Hunter Mountain has been cheering on all of the athletes competing in the Winter Olympic games in Sochi, Russia this winter, but has been keeping close eye on one athlete in particular. Jackie Hernendez, one of the newest members of the US Snowboarding Team, fell in love with the sport when at age 8, she, her mom and brother, all traded in their skis for snowboards. She recalls visiting Hunter Mountain every winter weekend of her childhood with her parents, siblings and cousins.

Jackie joined the Hunter Mountain USASA Competition Team and participated in her first ever snowboarding competition at the mountain, the Catskill Mountain Series Boardercross. She took first place that day and has been unstoppable since. Jackie spent the winters of her sixth and seventh grade years on the local Hunter –Tannersville Varsity Snowboarding Team, before being accepted into the Stratton Mountain School in eighth grade. She soon started competing in World Cup Events, which eventually led to the fulfillment of her Olympic dream after an exciting win at the final World Cup of the 2012 season in Valmalenco, Italy.

In a recent interview with Hunter Mountain Seasonal Programs Coordinator, Chris Karas, Jackie recalls that her “love for snowboarding started at Hunter Mountain. To this day, it’s the only mountain where I know all of the trail names. I went back this season over Christmas break and it was a blast. It brought back so many memories”. She says that the team of instructors and coaches she worked with at Hunter Mountain led her to “snowboard to her full potential”. Jackie competed in the Snowboard Cross event in Sochi on Sunday, February 16th. The Hunter Mountain Family is so proud of her accomplishments!

Hunter Mountain is located in the Great Northern Catskills, just two and a half hours from the metro New York area. It is renowned for its snowmaking capabilities and for having a wide variety of terrain providing skiers and riders with a big mountain experience. The Empire Terrain Park at Hunter Mountain is one of the top parks on the East Coast. For more information regarding Hunter Mountain please contact Becky Pine at bpine@huntermtn.com or visit www.HunterMTN.com

Photo Credit: Sarah Brunson/U.S. Snowboarding