Snowboard

Since the 90’s, OMS has trained some of the world’s top snowboarders, including Olympic medalists Hannah Teter (gold and silver medalist in ‘06 and ‘10) and Danny Kass (silver medalist in ‘02 and ‘06) along with numerous other riders who have graced the podium of world class snowboard events and have also gained prestige in the filming and video part world. Two recent OMS alumni, Joey Okesson (‘20) and Sumner Orr (‘24, US Rookie Team), are among the top ranked US halfpipe riders and are working towards their Olympic dreams in 2026 and 2030.

For the past 16 years, OMS’ snowboard program has been led by Luke Bonang, who has built a program that has consistently helped riders progress from the regional Southern Vermont Series, to USASA Nationals’ titles and, for some, to the coveted US Team. OMS coaches work with athletes starting on the development level and have coached athletes through Future Tours, Norams, and World Cup events. 

In addition to OMS’ experienced and dedicated coaches, the student-athletes in the OMS snowboard program benefit from a home mountain that is fully dedicated to freestyle and also has a rich history in snowboarding for over thirty years!  Okemo mountain is home to the only full-size 18’ halfpipe on the East Coast and also provides a great progression-based park infrastructure with regularly maintained features for riders at all levels of progression. In addition, Okemo is the only mountain in the country that provides a surface lift (T-bar) that enables access to both a halfpipe and a slopestyle course, which is a huge training boost for OMS freestyle athletes who get 25-30 laps each morning of training on either a slope course or halfpipe. 

OMS snowboarders train on the hill six days per week, working with coaches on improving upon the foundational skills essential for riding a snowboard such as edging, stance, correct body position, fore/aft movements, etc. They graduate from fundamental to more advanced freestyle skills and spins that will propel them to a higher level in their own personal progression at OMS. We expect that when a snowboard athlete leaves OMS, they will be versatile and can rip ALL types of terrain, including the mountain itself and the park and pipe.

We strongly encourage all OMS snowboarders to compete while here at school. There are many opportunities to compete, including the USASA Southern Vermont Series (SVS) and other local events. Snowboarders here have the option of competing in slopestyle, halfpipe, rail jam, boardercross, giant slalom, and slalom. Top riders from the USASA SVS series advance to the USASA Nationals in Copper, CO and have the opportunity to compete in the big dance. When an athlete matures competitively and performs well at Nationals, they have the opportunity to move on to FIS sanctioned Future’s and Rev Tour events along with US camps and maybe, a US Team invite on the horizon. OMS coaches travel with OMS snowboarders to all sanctioned events and coach at local non-sanctioned events. 

For more information, contact Luke Bonang (OMS Freestyle Sports Program Director & Head Snowboard Coach) at lbonang@okemomountainschool.org.