Exiting the first aerial means it is officially “go time” through the eyes of Steamboat Springs U17 moguls skier Shane Mariano. 

Howelsen Hill hosted the Rocky Mountain Freestyle Ski Town USA season-opening mogul competition on Saturday with a day run and a night run featuring some of the best mogul skiers in the country. 

Mariano dealt with equipment malfunctions on training and competition day, but managed to overcome the limited training opportunity and gain confidence after his opening run. 

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“It was definitely a big scramble, but after I put down my first run and got put into third place (the competition) definitely became more results-focused for me,” Mariano said. “That lit the fire in me to go for first.” 

Under the lights for the second run, Mariano went big with a daring mute grab which he completed for the first time in competition in the first run. He followed that with a Back-X on the second air, reaching the bottom of the 152-meter course in a swift 17.42 seconds. 

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Mariano said he was smiling and enjoying every second of the night run. 

“I was in a really happy mood, it is what we call the flow state,” Mariano said. “I was loose and not stressed at all. Once I got in that gate, I did my routine before my run and I controlled myself through the top section and the top air. As soon as I landed, it was really go time. I was trying to ski that course as fast as I could and nail that bottom air.” 

Mariano scored 79.06 points in that second run to secure first place in the men’s competition. His Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club teammate, U19 Liam Siefken, also found the podium with second place at 78.59 points. 

Two SSWSC women, Anabel Ayad and Mia Satkiewicz, also found their way onto the podium with second- and third-place finishes, respectively. 

Ayad threw down the fastest time in each of her two runs, taking second with a score of 79.4 in Run 2. She was the only skier to break the 20-second mark in the second run after reaching the finish in 19.79 seconds. 

“Speed is 20% of your score, which does not sound like a lot but it can really make or break you if you are going faster,” Ayad said. “The way our coaches teach us to ski is a very straight path so the better you ski, the faster it is going to be … and the better that you’re able to get out of the jumps — once you land — the faster it is going to be. The cleaner and better you ski, it’s also going to reflect on your time and make it faster.”

Satkiewicz also saw improvement in her second run, which she attributed to adding glitter on her face. 

She had a strong ski on the firm night snow, ripping a Back Tuck and Back-X on her two aerial tricks. She scored 74.98 points for third. 

“I am very happy with myself right now,” Satkiewicz said shortly after her second run. “I’m injured and so it felt really good to be able to ski well.” 

Eight SSWSC athletes are now traveling to Winter Park for the U.S. Selections competition, which helps determine qualifiers for NorAm Tour events as well as World Cups. 

The eight athletes are Mariano, Siefken, Beck Ward and Peyton Billeisen for the men, while Satkiewicz, Ayad, Reise Wilson and Claire Boyle will compete for the women. 

The event runs Friday through Sunday. 

“U.S. Selections is sort of our biggest comp, it kind of determines your season,” Ayad said. “Having that as one of the first competitions in December is obviously very stressful. There is really no way to replicate what a comp feels like during training, so having time in the gate, even if it is not your perfect run, that is OK. Just getting back into it so you can have your perfect run next week.”