Industry News
Edward Herrera, a 38-year-old ski instructor from New Mexico, secured his third overall freeski national championship at the 2025 United States Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) National Championships, held April 5–9 at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Representing the Southwest Freeride Series, a regional competition circuit that gives skiers and snowboarders across New Mexico and the Southwest a chance to qualify for national events like the USASA Championships, Herrera achieved gold medals in the halfpipe and ski cross events, and a silver in slopestyle, the Albuquerque Journal reports. These accomplishments earned him the all-around men’s freeski national champion title.
Herrera’s performance shows his consistent excellence in the sport, marking his third overall national title. His achievements contribute to the growing recognition of New Mexico athletes in national winter sports competitions. When he is not competing, Herrera is the ski school supervisor at Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort in New Mexico.
The USASA National Championships pull in top amateur talent from all over the country, with freeskiers and snowboarders throwing down across multiple events. Herrera’s win is a reminder that big-time talent isn’t just coming out of traditional mountain hubs, but that it’s also growing in off-the-beaten-path places such as New Mexico.
