The Well’s Never Dry

New Zealand’s Wells Family turns out two more potential freeski stars.

Copper Mountain, Colorado (USA): While older brothers Jossi and Byron Wells are in the final stages of preparations for this month’s Winter X Games, their younger siblings are busy showing they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.

Beau-James, 14, and Jackson, 11, swept this weekend’s United States of America Snowboard Association USASA event at Copper Mountain, each winning a pair of Gold medals in their age groups. Traditionally devoted to snowboarding, USASA events now include freeski competitions, as well.

Both Wells boys out-classed the competition in Saturday’s ski halfpipe competition, with Beau-James throwing down a stylish 900 as part of a clean run through the pipe. Jackson also proved to be the class in his age group, winning gold in sunny conditions at Copper Mountain
www.coppercolorado.com .

“I’m really happy with my result,” said Beau-James, who despite his age finished a creditable 30th in a Dew Tour event earlier this season. Amongst his peers, though, he showed his class as an up-and-coming elite competitor.
“Beau has been competing in some open division events this season, so it’s a nice mix to have him come back and compete in his age group and have some success,” said his father, Bruce Wells.
More than 100 skiers competed in the event across all of the age groups.
Sunday turned out to be no different as the Wells boys swept the slopestyle competition, each winning Gold. Beau-James’s run featured an un-natural 7 and a switch-900.
“It was good competition for me,” he said, giving credit to superstar brother Jossi, who coached the boys throughout the weekend.