Year 2 of the Henderson Invitational

The Henderson Invitational is returning to Waterville Valley for the second consecutive year! Once again, the invitational will be immediately followed by the Pond Skim, but this year you’ll be able to catch all the action from the mountain base area, as we will be hosting both events on Exhibition! The Henderson Invitational is all about celebrating the East Coast skiing community, giving local riders a stage, and honoring the place that shaped us all. U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athletes, and siblings, Hunter and Grace Henderson started their skiing journey at Waterville Valley. Now, they competing on some of the biggest stages in skiing, including Grace competing in Big Air and Slopestyle in this year’s Olympics, and them both competing in this year’s X-Games, as well as on the pro circuit for the US team!  

Both Hunter and Grace were in weekend programming at Waterville before enrolling at the Waterville Valley Academy where things started to take off. This is truly a full circle event for the two of them, as they kickstarted their freestyle skiing careers on the Exhibition Terrain Park back when they were young kids, and will host the event in the newly designed terrain park’s inaugural season.  

The Henderson Invitational will be taking place at Waterville Valley on Saturday, April 4th, where all the hard work and dedication will come full circle once again. There will be roughly 50 competitors, with a morning practice session, followed by qualifying and final competitions. Hunter and Grace are working closely alongside the Waterville Valley parks and grooming team to build a one-of-a-kind course with tons of unique features, reconstructing the park entirely to be perfect for the competition.  

“We’ve got some pro athletes alongside amateur and semi-pro guys, which will be a cool opportunity for people looking for exposure, which is what this is all about,” Hunter said. The Invitational will kick off at 10:30am with Open Practice, Qualifications, followed by Finals, with awards at 2:45pm, capped off by an Après Ski Party on the Freestyle Lounge Deck at 3:00pm! Last year it was a party, and with some hopefully nicer weather (fingers crossed), we know we can make it even bigger and better than last year.

Can you think of a better way to celebrate the end of another great season? We look forward to seeing you there for the Invitational and the Pond Skim!