Zero Zone emboldens Bozeman’s freeski community

Learning to freeski is a long and arduous journey. Performing tricks on rails and other features demands coordination, consistency and most of all, access. This allows one to attempt these tricks and hone their skills through repetition. One local community-based freeskiing center, Zero Zone, is here to provide space for freeskiers to practice their craft. 

The organization assembles collaborative hike-parks around the Bozeman area. These are an array of DIY freeskiing features — such as rails and boxes — that anyone can access simply by hiking. Thanks to Zero Zone, people of all ages and ability levels can build their freeskiing skill set alongside a passionate and inclusive community of like-minded rippers.

The group formed during the 2020-21 ski season during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

To promote social distancing, Bridger Bowl implemented a reservation system, where skiers had to sign up in advance for one of the finite number of spots available each day. According to one of the group’s founders, Jake Claeys, this made it difficult for many busy college students to arrange time for skiing with their friends. 

Claeys, James Voneschen and Patty Barrett — the unofficial CEO of Zero Zone — decided to take matters into their own hands and built a DIY hike park just off of Hyalite Canyon Road, complete with a couple of rails and a quarter-pipe, Barrett said.

According to Claeys, the spot became increasingly popular over the course of that winter, attracting a large community of interested freeskiers.

“It kind of popped off. It was busy. Even though the resorts still had plenty of snow and were open, people were up there and it was cool. It was fun and it was just like a good vibe,” Claeys said.

This location, dubbed the original “Zero Zone,” saw use for the remainder of the season but was turned into a private driveway the following spring, Barrett said.

Later that year, Newschoolers — an online free skiing forum — sponsored a stimulus project that allowed different ski groups and start-ups to apply for financial assistance.

Barrett applied for the project via email. The group received $600 from Newschoolers, which was just enough to help them build a couple of box features, Claeys said. 

According to Barrett, this aid is what really got the Zero Zone project moving. “Zero Zone started with a single email,” he said. “A single email — took me maybe one afternoon to write — and yeah dude, changed my life.”

Due to a combination of low snowfall and crew members getting injured, their efforts were postponed for the 2021-22 ski season. However, the group returned with a bang last winter, hosting outings in Hyalite, Lindley Park, on campus outside of Roskie Hall and more.

Zero Zone has only grown in popularity, receiving sponsorship from different outerwear apparel brands like Arsenic and Tree Dogs Apparel. Arsenic even sent them money to build a high-quality metal rail that they’ll be painting with the brand’s colorway, Claeys said.

Notably, the organization is collaborating with the Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) to build a permanent hike park on the east side of town, near the foundation’s Sunset Hills Nordic ski area. BSF will provide snowmaking and grooming capabilities to make the terrain viable. They will also handle the legal end of things, as the new rail yard will present a physical QR code that skiers can scan to sign off a liability waiver. 

According to Claeys, the snowmaking process is more or less finished and the crew is currently in the process of designing and building the hike park.

The organization stresses the importance of community engagement and positive encouragement at all of their locales. Frazer Hilliard, one of Zero Zone’s photographers, expressed these core values.

“That's the point. You know, just community,” Hilliard said, “The bigger we can build this community, the more people that we can bring into this, the more money we can bring into this, the better it's going to be for everyone involved.”

Claeys echoed this sentiment. “The stoke is contagious. I love seeing people learning new things and being extremely excited about it. That's my favorite part,” he said.

In the eyes of Zero Zone, there are no bad riders — all are welcome. 

“Zero Zone is for everyone. No matter how good or how bad you know, people are welcome to be there doing their thing and learning,” Hilliard said.

According to them, Bozeman’s DIY park scene isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“Hopefully this’ll be handed down to people until frickin Yellowstone erupts or it just never goes below thirty degrees,” Claeys said.

All those interested can find updates about the organization's activity on their instagram, @zerozone.mt.