Turns in Tandem: Synchronized Skiing in Telluride
By Adrienne Christy
On a winter morning in Telluride, before the first chair spins, you might catch a rare sight: a line of skiers carving in perfect unison, gliding down the mountain as if tethered by an invisible thread. These are the Ghostriders, one of Telluride’s synchronized skiing teams. For more than 30 years they’ve been at the heart of one of Telluride’s most unique mountain traditions.
The Telluride Ghostriders were founded in 1994 by a handful of veteran ski instructors who wanted to put the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School on the map. Synchronized skiing, or “synchro” for short, is all about speed, precision and choreography. To nail it, athletes ski just feet apart, moving in lockstep turns that demand impeccable timing and trust. Kim Macken, a longtime Ghostrider, comments on the singularity of synchronized skiing saying, “it showcases team skiing, it is pretty rare to see six or eight people skiing together in formation.”
Ghostriders’ practices happen before most skiers have put on their base layer. The team packs into a gondola car just as the sun makes its way over the mountain, then sets off down untouched corduroy. After each run, they huddle together — Did they nail the timing? Did anyone fall out of sync? Could the formation be sharper? — before heading back up for another lap. By the time the mountain opens, they’ve logged their training runs and are slipping into their ski instructor jackets to teach the day’s lessons.
“I love the early morning training sessions before the public is able to use the mountain and it’s just all ours!” says Matt Frasier, a 30-year Ghostrider and onetime team captain.
The Ghostriders name comes from local lore. Back in the sheep-farming days, near present-day Gorrono Ranch, cattlemen were said to sneak through the night, cutting fences and driving their herds onto forbidden pastures. These shadowy figures were nicknamed “ghost riders.” Decades later, the name stuck again, this time for a group of skiers who are more poetic than menacing.
Team membership is by invitation and determined by reputation. Ghostriders are typically seasoned ski school instructors with years of technical mastery. Commitment is nonnegotiable: practices are unpaid and training demands countless hours. Frasier says people come back for “the camaraderie, the ski level, the intensity, the friendships, the competition and even traveling to new places for events that make all the effort and sacrifice worth it.”
For years, the Ghostriders have traveled to Aspen for the World Synchro Championships, and in 2016, they got their first win after years of just barely missing the top spot. Then, in 2024, the synchro competition moved to Telluride, thanks in part to Ghostriders alumni Logan Lanier and Frankie Zampini. Lanier credits the resort for making the move to Telluride possible, “Telluride Ski Resort has been really supportive of synchro,” he says.
The Telluride World Synchro Championships span two days and feature three categories: racing, bumps, and the crown jewel, synchronized skiing. Each synchro team completes one compulsory routine and three choreographed runs of their own design. Judges score for synchronicity, speed and choreography.
What began with the Ghostriders in 1994, has grown into a full-fledged movement. Over the past few years, four new teams have joined the local synchro scene, each with their own identity, soundtrack and style. This expansion has created a culture of mentorship, community and just the right amount of friendly rivalry.
The Telluride Tempters were founded “with the idea to carve out a space for the women of the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School,” says Sem Walls, the Tempters’ coach. She says the team helps “to develop skiing proficiency and foster personal and professional camaraderie between women in a male-dominated field.” Despite their infancy as a team, the Tempters are a force to be reckoned with, placing second in the 2024 championships (during their second year as a team), and second again in 2025.
Looking ahead, Walls wants to create a “Junior Tempters” movement. “We believe mentoring and coaching the local girls into their own teams will foster a sense of belonging and build resilience through teamwork and collaboration,” she says. With their sharp technique and bold ambition, the Tempters are determined to keep pressure on the Ghostriders, and they’ve made it clear they’re aiming for the top.
The San Juan Sundancers is another all-women team that debuted with a roster of rookie instructors, while the Telluride Benders, a men’s team, brings passion and comedy to the competition. And finally, the Palmyra Prowlers, a snowboard synchro team (a rarity in the sport), are inspiring a whole new crop of riders.
Together, these five teams showcase the strength of the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School and the supportive culture that the Ghostriders helped create. The competition among these teams is real — each team pushes the others to be sharper, braver and more creative, but in the end it is all about the camaraderie on and off the slopes.