Voisin makes podium at Dew Tour slopestyle event

Whitefish freeskier Maggie Voisin celebrated her 15th birthday Saturday with a podium finish at her first-ever Dew Tour slopestyle competition.

Voisin skied with the confidence of a veteran and took third place overall in the less-than-ideal conditions at the iON Mountain Championships in Breckenridge, Colo. The event serves as an Olympic qualifier for the upcoming Sochi Winter Games.

Riders had to contend with a brutal headwind during the finals, which kept Voisin from throwing some of her biggest tricks, including a 900 spin.

Her best run of the day featured a 270 onto a down rail into another back 270. On the jumps she threw an unnatural 720 to a natural 720 safety off the donk, to a front 270 off the rainbow to a haggard switch 540 into another 540.

She threw two 720 spins and a switch 500 on her second run, but held back with a big 360 on the final jump.

Her coach Chris Haslock of Axis Freeride said it was a wise choice to keep the 900 in her pocket with the unpredictable weather.

With the podium finish, Voisin is poised for a run at making the first-ever U.S. Olympic Freeskiing Team. The sport will make its debut at Sochi this February.

The next of five Olympic qualifiers is this weekend at Copper Mountain, Colo.

As for the big birthday, Voisin says 15 doesn’t feel much different.

“I don’t feel older, 15 isn’t old, but I’m having fun,” Voisin said after her first run in the finals.

Voisin is living in Park City, Utah, this winter while she trains with Axis Freeride.

She was invited to join the U.S. Freeskiing Rookie Team after notching a win last year at the Association of Freeskiing Professionals World Championship in Whistler, B.C